Exploring London in Four Days: A Family Adventure

Everyone is tired on Day one. We had arrived early the day before, so I don't really count that day. However, we stayed at The Goring Hotel, which is walking distance to Buckingham. So on what I call Day zero we walked over there and there is a great playground with Buckingham as the backdrop in St. James Park.

On the official start to the vacation, start with something easy to get the lay of the land - Thames River Boat Tour at about 45 min duration was perfect — there is a cafe and snack bar onboard. You can buy tickets in tandem with tickets for the London Eye. Younger children may get bored with the Eye as it is slow-moving. After the boat tour, there are several fun first-day activities right next to the pier, including the London Dungeon (not for children under 5) and Shrek's Adventure. Young children can keep up with the jet lag with the immersive live-action Shrek Adventure.

To wrap up your day touring, you can walk across the Westminster Bridge to Westminster Abbey and take an audio tour of the cathedral, which is included in your ticket. Each device has a Family/Kid friendly audio tour. To finish your day, you can select any one of London's amazing places to eat — we chose Ave Mario in Covent Garden. Yummy Italian food mixed with crazy decor and the tallest lemon meringue pie you've ever seen. Reservations for this restaurant are open 60 days from the date you wish to dine — I recommend making a reservation. They form a line out front like a dance club for walk-ins!

On Day Two, morning is for the Natural History Museum for some dinosaurs and undersea creatures. Admission to the museum is free, however, during peak season I advise you reserve an entry time to avoid waiting in line to get in. There is a coat and stroller check near the entrance. There are quite a few stairs in this museum, but it is fully accessible as well. The dinosaur hall is complete with a life-size T-Rex animatronic.

For lunch/tea, I recommend the Ampersand Hotel, which is walking distance from the museum for the extremely unique "Jurassic Tea" where both children and adults were treated with dinosaur-themed treats and presentation. The kids were given hot cocoa and a "dig" treat where they had to find their reward.

In the afternoon, the British Museum to go check out the Rosetta Stone and mummies are on the checklist. Lots of really great artifacts from both Egypt and other ancient cultures are on display.
Tip: If you have a stroller or "push chair" ask if you can use the family entrance. You can skip the line of school trips and single/couples to get through security faster.

Dinner at the wonderful Le Petit Chef at the London Cabaret Club is a highlight of the trip for the kids. With tasty food and tiny chef projections on the table, you can't go wrong with this dinner show for children's entertainment. The restaurant uses five years old as a guideline — however, this is only for reasons of the ability to sit through the show. If you know your child would love this at age four, the food is appropriate and they will love it!

For Day Three, I wanted to make sure we got a whole day to explore The Tower of London. For any young child, going to a real castle and seeing the armor, living quarters and ravens is a core memory! I recommend as a family booking a family audio package, so everyone in your family can have a guide. Like Westminster, The Tower had audio programs for children and adults.

And in the evening, you can spend some time in Knightsbridge wandering the floors of Harrods (don't forget the children's level!). Harrods offers several dining options if you want to make an evening out of it. The Grill on Fifth, Chai Wu and Gordon Ramsey Burger are all family-friendly.

On Day Four, the whole family should really have gotten used to the time change and could use some time to spend outside. Start the day at Hyde Park, where there is another great playground on the south side of the park right next to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment's training arena and barracks.

From Hyde Park, you can walk to the Science Museum. There you can find all sorts of displays from locomotives all the way up to a lunar module. There are several floors of amazing tech and history to be explored. And on the top floor they have the Wonderlab, where children and adults can explore small exhibits on physics and movement that are hands-on and quite fun!

• Definitely don't forget to add an extra-special trip to Hamley's toy shop to wrap up a fun family vacation in London!

• There are many options for dining for lunch in and around South Kensington, close to the Museum, with both outdoor and indoor seating.

As the final night in London, definitely pick a fun restaurant for the whole family. You cannot go wrong with AquaShard on the 30h floor of The Shard. Boasting tremendous panoramic views of London and a children's menu (Mac and Cheese, yes!), the entire family can indulge in the unique menu bringing local and international flavors together.