fun things to do with kids in london england  - family travel    
  Travel for Kids
England
   
     
    London
Tower Bridge
London has been one of the great cities for millennia. In Roman times, London, Londinium, was the administrative center of Britannia. Down through the ages, despite plague, fires and war, like the ebb and flow of the Thames, London is the continuity of Great Britain. As you travel through London with kids, it's like your own time machine.
Tip: Don't miss our top picks for children's books on London, recommended by the staff of Travel for Kids, see below.
 

Tower of London

    The City – St. Paul's Cathedral
    Bloomsbury – British Museum
    Covent Garden
    Trafalgar Square
    Southwark – Globe Theater
    Westminster – St. James's Park – Buckingham Palace
    Hyde Park – Kensington Gardens
   

Regent's Park – Sherlock Holmes Museum

Greater London
  Greenwich
    Hampton Court Palace
    Windsor – Windsor Castle, Legoland
  Ride the London Underground – Get a 1, 3 days Travelcards or 7 day Oyster card, and ride the underground all day if you like. It is clean, well-run, and goes everywhere. As the train pulls into a station, you'll hear that announcement, "mind the gap." Adult and child Travelcards and Oyster cards include buses and trams within the zones of central London.
Kids riding the double decker bus London
  Ride the double decker buses – What better way to see London than riding up on the upper deck of a double decker bus! Be sure to get a Travelcard or Oyster card so you don't have to calculate the bus fare and purchase tickets for each ride you take.
    Boat rides on the Thames – The Thames has always been a great way to travel. A boat ride on the Thames isn't just for sightseeing, it's a speedy way to go between the London Eye and Tower of London. Or, with a day pass, you can hop-on and hop-off at sightseeing spots, as much as you like. Click here for more information on the stops and routes on the river.
    Plays – Plan to see a play during your stay in London. To find a list of what's playing, go to Theatre Breaks with Superbreaks (you can buy your tickets online.) If you get cheap tickets, bring your binoculars.
      Take in a production by Shakespeare 4 Kidz. This theater group does Shakespeare's plays tailored to kids, Romeo and Juliet (Rocking N' Rolling Romeo), Twelfth Night, and Midsummer's Night Dream.
   

Fun food

     

Try classic English afternoon teas or "cream teas" wherever you see them in shops. Scones, cakes and pastries are always a kid favorite. For a splurge afternoon tea in a lovely setting, Claridge's Hotel is fun (tea is served 3:00-5:00pm, weekends are often booked up in the summer, but weekdays are available. Call for reservations: 207 409 6307). A good substitute for the fancier afternoon tea is the Georgian Room or Food Hall at Harrods. Also, drop into Fortnum & Mason for tea and to buy elegant, unusual candies and chocolates. And for snacks, there are always chips (french fries).

   

Shopping

     

London is heaven for toys. Two big "musts" for shopping are Harrod’s (whole floor devoted to toys) and Hamleys, another famous toy department store. (Tip: With the London Pass, get a free Hamleys bear, when you spend over £25.00.)

family hotels london
Travel for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in London, but you'll need a fun place to stay.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in London, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods that are comfortable for families, and near to places you'll want to explore:

London family hotels
London family apartment rentals
family travel tools
Who wants to spend your vacation standing in ticket lines, especially the kids? Purchase tickets in advance and kiss those ticket lines goodby:
Tower of London tickets
London Eye tickets
Hampton Court Palace tickets

So many things to see and do in London, the Original Tour makes it a snap. Hop on and hop off the double decker buses at any of 80 well-marked stops (such as Big Ben, the London Eye, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square), with 3 different routes, engaging kids' commentary and activity pack, and a free cruise down the Thames River.

London Hop On Hop Off Bus

Make life easy with a London Pass, an all-one-card for the Tower of London, Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, and many more, plus free Thames or canal boat cruise, and shopping discounts. 1,2,3, or 6 day passes, which can be combined with a TravelCard for unlimited rides on the underground:

The London Pass
kids books london england
     
This is London - kids books London  

Take a trip through London, old and new – the smallest church St. Ethelburga, Piccadilly Circus, Guardsmen in front of Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, tea time at four, Tower of London, the Underground trains, mummies in the British Museum, the Old Curiosity Shop, and more. Whimsical illustrations capture the panorama and fun of London, this is a classic. (Picture book)

 

     
Charlotte in London
Joan MacPhail Knight

Step into London over 100 years ago, with boat races on the Thames, Tower of London, horse-drawn omnibuses, Westminster Abbey, captured by artists and writers. Charlotte's delightful fictional diary and scrapbook is filled with hand-written entries, real postcards from the time, souvenirs, and exquisite little watercolors. (Picture book)

 

 
Charlotte in London
     
 
London (Through Time)
Richard Platt, Manuela Cappon

Illustrated history of London, from Roman times when it was called Londinium, down through the Middle Ages, Shakespeare's London, to World War II and London today, one of the historic cities in the world. Super illustrations and cross-sections bring the city to life. (Picture book)

 

     
William Shakespeare: His Life and Times
Kristen McDermott, Ari Berk

Step into Shakpeare's world in London. Inside are Shakespeare's own letters, play bills, diagram of the Globe theatre, colorful drawings, maps, and more. Like a long lost scrapbook, open the life and times of 16th century London. Good for older kids. (Activity book)

 

 
     
The Ravenmaster's Secret - kids books London  
The Ravenmaster's Secret
Elvira Woodruff

1735.Young Forrest Harper lives in the Tower of London, but he's not a prisoner – his father is the Ravenmaster. There's a new prisoner in the Bloody Tower, Maddy, daughter of a Scottish rebel, and her life is in mortal danger. Gripping story and Tower of London legend and lore. (Chapter book)

 

     
The Time Thief
Linda Buckley-Archer

In The Time Travelers, Peter and Kate ended up in 18th century England, but now Kate has returned to the 21st century, accompanied by the villainous Tar Man, while Peter is stranded in the past. The Tar Man cuts quite a scene in contemporary London, wearing a three-cornered hat and black cape, galloping on a horse with the police hot of his trail. A dashing, spirited adventure that crisscrosses London past and present. (Chapter book)

 

 
     
A True and Faithful Narrative - kids books London  

Meg Moore's favorite place in all the world is her father's bookshop in London. Meg not only reads all the books in the shop, but yearns to write books too. Her chance comes when a dear friend is captured by pirates, and returns with a story to tell. (Chapter book)

 

     
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens, Les Martin

Adapation of the classic story, Oliver Twist runs away from the orphanage to London. Tired and hungry, he falls into the clutches of the 'artful Dodger,' and the master thief, Fagin. (Easy reader)

Older kids will also enjoy this illustrated abridged version: Oliver Twist

 

 
     
 

Annie and Jack are whirled back in time to Victorian London, and their quest is to find Charles Dickens. Almost arrested as thieves, how can they help the most popular writer in England? (Easy reader)

And don't miss the non-fiction companion book, Rags and Riches: Kids in the Time of Charles Dickens

 

   

If Sherlock Holmes had a younger sister, here she is, Enola Holmes, a spirited, independent teenager, with a new case in London. Lady Cecily has disappeared – did she elope, was she kidnapped, or was she mesmerized? Enola adopts the perfect disguises to solve the case. (Chapter book)

 
     
 
Prisoners in the Palace
Michaela MacColl

Mystery adventures of Liza Hastings, lady's maid to Princess Victoria in Kensington Palace. Based on real historical events, the girls outwit evil Sir John Conroy, who wants to take control of Victoria, the future Queen of England. (Chapter book)

 

     

Mary Quinn, an orphan in Victorian London, is educated at an usual ladies academy, and takes a job as an operative for the Agency. In her first assignment, she goes to live in a household of a wealthy merchant, suspected of smuggling goods from the Orient. (Chapter book)

 

 
     
 

Katie gets in the picture when she climbs into a Constable painting, and joins a boy herding sheep. A delightful story about paintings you'll see in the National Galley in London. Fun for younger kids. (Picture book)

 

     

Delightful adventures of Dodsworth and his friend the duck, when they visit London. Mistaken for the Royal Duck, the duck entertains the queen at Buckingham Palace. (Picture book)

 

 
     
A Bear Called Paddinton  

You can't go to the Paddington train station, ride the escalators in the underground, or eat sticky cream and jam buns, without wondering if, you too, will run into that delightful "bear from Darkest Peru." A perfect book to read aloud. (Chapter book)

 

     

For Ted and his sister Kate, their favorite thing to do in London is “fly the Eye,” ride the giant ferris wheel. But when they take their cousin Salim to the London Eye, he disappears without a trace. Ted and Kate follow a trail of clues all over the city to find Salim, before it’s too late. (Chapter book)

 

 
     
 
City Walks with Kids: London
Emily Laurence Baker

50 colorful cards – each with a map on one side and information on the other – for museums, palaces, green parks, places to eat, and walks around London. Let the kids pick a card, any card, and go there. (Guide)

 

     
London Adventure Walks
Becky Jones & Claire Lewis

Themed walks in London – Kings and Queens: London's Great Palaces, Paddington Bear, Peter Pan, Charles Dickens, Shakeapeare's City, Landmark London, and more. 25 different walks, each accompanied with history, useful information, insider secrets, lovely drawings and photos. (Guidebook)

 

 
London Adventure Walks
     
London Unlocked  
London Unlocked
Emily Kerr, Joshua Perry, Katherine Hardy

This is our favorite kids' guidebook for London. It has it all. Where else can you find the world's smallest police station, play I-spy in the sky, go mudlarking, swim with swans, sleep on a pirate ship, walk under the Thames, and tons more. (Guidebook)

 

(More children's books on other London and England pages)