What to do in London with your kids

We both lived in London pre-kids and now live in the home counties; we LOVE to make the most of our days out in the capital. Here are our recommendations:

The best places to eat:

The Rainforest Café, Elan Café, Sticks n sushi, Franco Manca

Check out the parks:

If they’re of scooting age, bring their scooter along, as they’ll love zooming about the place.

Our favourite parks to visit are:

Battersea Park, Hyde Park, Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill

There are also some incredible playgrounds:

Kew Gardens Children’s Playground – entrance is included in your ticket to Kew Gardens and there’s a gorgeous kid friendly café right beside it serving stone baked pizzas and an amazing ice-cream counter. Kensington Gardens- Diana Memorial Playground Holland Park- Adventure Playground Battersea Park playground

Museums

Obviously, there’s so many amazing museums and exhibitions going on in the city at any time however these are the ones that we love to visit time and time again: The Natural History Museum

The National Army Museum- they have an immersive experience called the Play Base which you have to book separately- soft play, assault course and dress up. It’s all inside so perfect for a rainy day. The Science Museum- the Wonderlab you have to book separately definitely worth doing if you haven’t visited it yet! The London Transport Museum- right in the middle of Covent Garden and such a great interactive experience for toddlers and older kids too

MBM tip: a lot of the Museums are free entrance however there are normally certain exhibitions / experiences that you need to pay for separately.

Attractions:

London Aquarium, London Zoo, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, Shrek’s Adventure

MBM tip: You can often get a better price if you buy online beforehand or check out deals online where you can buy your train ticket in London and entrance to an Attraction as a package. Also Kellogs often do deals on entrance to parks.

Must do/see:

Thames Clipper boat journey- take some snacks, get a seat by the window and the kids will love seeing all the famous sights from this commuter boat. Battersea Power Station- there’s lots of open space for the kids to run around, great restaurants and a fab play park too. West End Shows- we’ve only recently started taking our little ones to the West End and eased them in with some classics such as Frozen or The Lion. Kids are able to go into the theatre from age 4. Our experience would say maybe leave until they’re 5 as it’s a long time to sit and be quiet!!

Hotels:

If you plan to stay overnight these hotels get the thumbs up as being great with young families- The Ampersand, The Hoxton in Southwark or Shoreditch

What’s next on our TO-DO list:

Greenwich Maritime Museum and the Kid’s play area which is called ‘Ahoy’ and The Tower of London