Our kids have a week off every spring, typically the first week of April. We jumped on the opportunity to go to Europe this year for spring break after finding a great airfare deal – the roundtrip fare (around $600 pp) was even less than most of the domestic destinations we considered! We divided the week in two, spending the first half in London and the latter half in Paris (the next blog post Part 2 will cover Paris and be published soon ).
We packed as many highlights as we could into 3 days in London. We didn’t have time to visit the Harry Potter Warner Brother’s Studio or experience the food stalls at the Borough Market on this trip, but it was a great first trip to London for our family, and we definitely plan on coming back again in the future!
Day 0/1 (Sat-Sun) Traveling from Los Angeles to London & British High Tea
We took a nonstop red-eye flight out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Saturday evening, arriving at the London Heathrow International airport (LHR) Sunday afternoon. There is an +8 hour time change. After clearing immigration, then customs, we took the Tube (the British underground) from Terminal 3 to our hotel. We didn’t have to buy tickets, nor an Oyster card, from a kiosk – instead we were given a helpful tip that you can simply use your credit card/ apple pay to tap in and out of each station! Kids 10 and under travel free with a paying adult. Once we settled in our hotel, we decided on a high tea experience for our first meal in London. We walked a few blocks to the Ampersand Hotel for the Science Afternoon Tea which our kids’ absolutely loved.
Our boys had a blast with the interactive elements, including the “science experiment” to concoct their custom flavored lemonades, decorating scones with various toppings and infusing macaroons with berry sauce using syringes. They also enjoyed the finale of excavating chocolate dinosaurs out of a little box with cookie crumble dirt! I highly recommend this experience for anyone – adults and/ or kids- who is looking for a whimsical and special approach to afternoon tea! Tip: We shared three adult teas among the four of us. To view our instagram reel of this experience, click here.
EAT: Science Afternoon Tea at The Drawing Rooms (at The Ampersand Hotel) 10 Harrington Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 3ER, United Kingdom ampersandhotel.com . Tea service starts at £37.50 for kids and £54.50 per adult , Hours: Mon – Fri: 12noon – 6:30pm; Sat – Sun: 11:30am – 7:30pm; Reservations recommended.
SLEEP: Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington, 4-18 Harrington Gardens, London, England, SW7 4LH United Kingdom . We stayed here for the first 3 nights in London. The main reason we chose this hotel / location was because it was the meeting point for the Stonehenge tour which had a 5:20am start time. I couldn’t imagine waking up and schlepping my kids across the city on the very first day after arrival that early, so this way we could literally wake up and walk down stairs for our tour. This location ended up working out fine as a base, as the hotel is literally one block away from the Gloucester Road tube station and the South Kensington Underground Station and Earls Court Station are also just 5 mins walk away. It was also walking distance from many restaurants and other attractions .While we did not have time for it this time, the Natural History Museum is a short walk away.
AIRPORT TRANSFER: We took the tube. There is also a “Heathrow Express” that is available for around £25 per person for the trip. Taxis are also an option, but known to be expensive. We found the Tube easy to use, but only travelled with carry on luggage which wasn’t too difficult to maneuver with a few stairs.
DAY 2 (Monday): Stonehenge, Lacock, Bath & Dinner at Dishoom
Our boys had learned about Stonehenge, and requested to visit. A Stonehenge Tour will take a full day, as it takes a few hours to get there and back from London, and most tours will include other stops along the way. Because of our decision to visit Stonehenge, we didn’t have time to visit the Harry Potter Studios. The consolation was that we could visit the Harry Potter feature at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, near where we live.
TOUR: We signed up for a tour which included the Private Viewing of the Inner Circle. I read a lot of reviews and this seemed to make the difference between those who raved about the experience and people who thought it was just ok. Having experienced in the inner circle, we definitely would agree – if you can get tickets, go for this option. Even if it’s sold out, keep on checking for last minute cancellation openings! We booked this tour through Premier Tours UK. Our tour began at 5:20am, and we returned to the hotel around 5pm. The tour included roundtrip transport on a luxury coach and a: 1) private viewing of Stonehenge and access into the stone circle; 2) visit to Lacock with an optional breakfast at 14th century pub George Inn (about 10 pounds per person); 3) visit to Bath with entry to the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms.
Stonehenge: Before the site opens up to the general public, we entered the stone circle (normally roped off to the public) for a unique private viewing. Built nearly 5,000 years ago, Stonehenge is the most popular prehistoric monument in the world. There was a guide to help explain the history of this ancient site both in the inner circle, and as we walked around the monument as well.
Lacock: After Stonehenge we stopped in Lacock, a little known, picturesque village dating back to the Saxon era. This village has provided the setting for many movies and television dramas including Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and more recently Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. We took a delightful walk through the village, and enjoyed a breakfast at theThe George Inn.
Bath: Our next and last stop of the day was Bath, famous for its elegant Georgian architecture. We were given 2 hours to explore Bath, but ended up spending most of it learning about the magnificent Roman Baths. The Roman Baths is the best preserved Roman spa from the ancient world. For those with more time in Bath and an interest in a soak themselves, you can do so at the Thermae Bath Spa. I’d love to try this next time!
Tour details: This bus tour which included Stonehenge, Lacock, Bath and entry to Stonehenge inner circle and Roman Baths was £180 per adults, and £170 per child.
DINNER: After we got back to London, we headed straight to our dinner reservation at Dishoom Kensington: 4 Derry Street, London W8 5SE . This was the MOST recommended spot to eat on our spring break trip, and it was one of my favorite meals ever! They have multiple locations throughout London. While they do accept walk-ins, the wait can be 1h+ . Reservations are strongly encouraged.
DAY 3 (Tuesday): London British Breakfast, British Museum and Bus Tour
We started the next day with a hearty traditional British Breakfast at Salt & Pepper Cafe. Jason found this spot close to the British Museum and it was delightful!
TOUR: 10:00-12:30 Family Experiences – Liv Tours Private British Museum Tour for Kids: Great Russell St, London. WC1B 3DG, UK
After breakfast, we walked over to the British Museum where we met with our guide Ellie, of Liv Tours, at 9:45am for our 10am entry to the museum. There was already a long line waiting for the museum to open, but thanks to Ellie we had a spot right at the front. On this family-friendly museum tour, we explored the highlights of the world-famous collection of ancient treasures of the British Museum including the: Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, Greek and Roman Statues, Easter Island Head, Lewis Chessman, Sutton Hoo and Parthenon Marbles. Our wonderful guide told stories about the history and kept the kids fully engaged as we explored the museum. This private tour experience starts at 339 € all inclusive for 2 persons.
Lunch: British Museum -Great Court Restaurant
After our museum tour, we were hungry again so we headed to the Great Court Restaurant and split another British tea and a couple of entrees. The museum was quite crowded by this time, and there were many people hoping for a walk up reservation who were turned away. We were thankful that we had made reservations online ahead of time.
TOUR: Big Bus tours – Discover London Ticket option with one way Thames River cruise
We knew we had limited time to see more of London’s sights so we opted for a hop on hop on bus tour for the afternoon. We started with the Thames River cruise and then hopped on the Red line. Jason noted that you can ride the public city buses but I am glad we took this tour because I found the audio guide very informative as we rode around London. Note: Tickets are cheaper online– from £44.00 for adult and From £35.00 for children.
Dinner: near our hotel – nothing too special to report. 🙂
Day 4 (Wednesday): Changing of the Guard before we head to Paris in the afternoon
Jason did the research to figure out the best spots and timing to watch the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. This is a free activity. He referenced this YouTube video from “Ultimate Bucket list” . Note: From August to May, the Queen’s guard change on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. June and July, it is daily. It’s important to check the schedule however, as it is sometimes cancelled.
This is the schedule and plan Jason and our boys followed. They stopped at the viewing spots of St James Palace, Wellington Barracks and Queen Victoria Memorial. To watch our instagram video of the Changing of Guard Ceremony – click here.
10:20: Start at St James Palace, across the street from Friar’s Court, where the Old Guard (the guards coming off security detail) assemble at 10:30 and are inspected by their captain.
10:35 : The marching band forms in front of the Old Guard and begins to play a song. 🎵
10:40: Walk down the street, cross the Mall and await the march of the Band and the Old Guard.
10:43 The marching band will lead the old guard down the Mall toward Buckingham palace. As they come down the Mall you can walk alongside them as they march towards Buckingham Palace. Before you get to the Queen Victoria Memorial, you’ll want to turn left, walk through the park to Wellington Barracks where you can watch the New Guard (the soldiers coming on shift to take over the security detail.) Here another division of the Marching band will be playing music before they lead the New Guard toward Buckingham Palace. After this, head towards Buckingham Palace and find a spot near the Queen Victoria Memorial to watch the band play at the gates of the Palace, the Horse Guards ride by on their way to the Horse Guards Parade, and the Old Guard marching out of Buckingham palace back to St James Palace
<< From Day 4 PM to Day 8 AM we were in Paris. More on that to come! >>
Day 8 (Sunday) : Tower of London, then time to head home
On our last day of Spring Break, we squeezed in one last experience. We visited London’s iconic castle and World Heritage Site. We took one of the legendary Yeoman Warders tours (Tours begin near the main entrance to the Tower of London and are every 30 minutes), and saw the amazing collection of Crown Jewels. We loved learning about the stories of the former fortress, royal palace and infamous prison.
A Tower of London admission ticket includes entry to: The Crown Jewels, The White Tower, Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, Battlements, Medieval Palace, Bloody Tower, Torture at the Tower exhibition, Fusiliers Museum and Royal Mint exhibition. If possible, pre-book a ticket and time slot online before your visit, or purchase tickets on the day from the ticket office on Tower Hill. Audio guide tours in a choice of languages are available to purchase with your tickets. Tickets are £34.80 per adult, £17.40 for 5-17 years, seniors and full time students £27.70, 4 and under visit for free.
In summary, we had a wonderful time in London, even though it was a short! We felt it was a family friendly city, and our kids were exposed to, and learned a lot of history on this trip. Some general tips from our trip:
- The week after Easter is break for many Europeans as well. We definitely needed reservations for the tours, dinners and sights well in advance.
- We found the Tube very easy to use and that is the only public transportation we utilized while we were in London – both to and from the London Heathrow Airport, as well as all around the city.
- All British Museums are FREE to the public!
- Despite that, we highly recommend a guided tour of the British Museum. While we will disclose that we are a partner of Liv Tours, we absolutely loved the experience and got so much more out of the visit than we would have on our own.
- Make sure you schedule at least one British tea. It’s a fun and tasty experience the whole family will enjoy
- Platform 9 3/4 is located in the Kings Cross Station. If you happen to be there later in the evening, you can take a photo with the sign without the crowds.
- As I mentioned above, we chose our hotels in London mainly for their convenience for our specific itinerary. They both had pretty spacious rooms for our family of four for a moderate price. On our way back from Paris on night 7, we stayed at the Megaro Hotel across from the Kings Cross/Saint Pancreas station since 1) we arrived late that evening and 2) we could depart from their back to the airport the next day. If you’re looking for a more special lodging experience, many people highly recommend the Cheval Three Quays.
All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.