London with Kiddos

Jet lag is always tough, especially for the first time. We checked into our hotel, and then ventured outside, strolling down the Thames, fascinated by all the food and drink trucks as well as the outdoor artwork. The kids had fun just finding the largest rocks and throwing them into the river to make the biggest splash (boys will be boys). Knowing they wouldn't make it up late that first night, we found a local chippy and headed to Tower Bridge to watch the bridge open up from the riverbank.

Our kids were 4 and 7 at the time of this trip, and the little one was very into Peppa Pig. So we found a double-decker tour bus that was all decked out in a Peppa Pig theme and also served tea. (Bridgit’s Bakery has a ton of fun, themed afternoon teas and bus tours.) For breakfast, we picked up fruit and yogurt from a Waitrose around the corner from the hotel, and then walked to the bus pickup—it wasn’t hard to spot.

After the tour, we took the Tube to Covent Garden and strolled around the market, Neal’s Yard, and the Tea Palace—opting not to stop in the London Transport Museum, although our older son would have really liked it. We wanted our kids to try Indian food for the first time, so took them to the Covent Garden location of Dishoom. Garlic naan, mango lassis, and a basement toilet with a pull chain—our kids have a new favorite restaurant.

We took a Saturday to get out of the city center and head to the suburbs. As massive Ted Lasso fans, we were hoping they’d still be filming in the actual town of Richmond, but we didn’t spot any famous faces. That didn’t stop our boys from playing soccer (sorry, football) on Richmond Green. We did eat lunch in the Prince’s Head (Crown and Anchor in the TV show) and wander through the streets looking for all the in-show/real-life locations. We also strolled along the river with a Pimm’s and watched the huge airplanes preparing to land at Heathrow, before taking the overground back into the city.

On Sunday mornings, the Mall is closed to all vehicular traffic, and thus a great pedestrian venue with great views! Our boys loved racing each other up the wide roadway, seeing who could make it all the way to Buckingham Palace first. Afterward, we cut through Green Park, took the bus to Kensington, got a snack, and spent the rest of the morning gawking at the dinosaurs, whale skeletons, gems, and so much more at the Natural History Museum. Then, it was time to get outside. We walked to and through Hyde Park, playing soccer on the open grass, saying hello to the swans on the ponds, and discovering playgrounds.

Not to be super touristy, but we definitely wanted to take our kids on the London Eye. We got fast-track tickets in advance, and paired them with a hop-on-hop-off river cruise, which takes you from Westminster to Greenwich, with multiple stops along the way. It was a sunny day, so we just cruised the river for a while, taking in the landmarks from below after seeing them from above on the Eye.

We got off at Greenwich, and really wanted to see the Prime Meridian—but the rain finally caught up with us and we got drenched on our way. We stopped in at a pub near the pier before catching the boat back to our hotel. After a quick dry-off, our oldest, who had recently finished the Harry Potter series, wanted to go see King’s Cross station. We stood in line for the obligatory photos at the Platform 9 ¾ trolley and roamed the little shop, then headed across the street to see St. Pancras station lit up in the dusk.

Our boys got to choose their last restaurant of the trip, and to our surprise, they wanted to go back to Dishoom for more Indian food! We chose the King’s Cross location this time and had more delicious food after seeing the lights and fountains in Granary Square.

Pros at the Tube by now, it was easy to make our way back to Heathrow via the Tube and overground / Heathrow Express. We were sad to say goodbye to the staff at the Bankside Hotel, who had been so sweet to our boys, giving them little double-decker toy buses and allowing them to lounge around the library reading. Leaving London was hard, but we all promised we’d be back someday, and knew that this was just the start of our family’s international adventures!