London With Kids

As with all of our itineraries, we recommend taking it at a pace that works for your family. If your kids are really little, maybe plan on sticking to the rule of three: One thing to see, one thing to do, and one exciting meal per day. We give a lot of information here but the last thing we want is to make a trip feel stressful or insurmountable.

The secret is to treat London like a neighborhood city. The British Capital is really twenty villages stitched together by the Tube, and picking the right two or three for a weekend does more for the trip than trying to see it all. This itinerary stays mostly in the East and the South Bank — Spitalfields, Hackney, Borough — with a loop into Central for the classics.

FRIDAY | ARRIVE, ORIENT, EAT AT DISHOOM

Check in and chill for an hour. If you've read our other guides, you know we've learned that kids like to settle in. You can use this time to shower, charge your devices, grab an espresso, or head to the bar for a drink while they unpack their stuffies and make themselves at home in their new hotel “home”. If you start to feel anxious like you’re wasting time, try to remember that the city has been here for centuries and isn't going anywhere.

Dinner tonight is the perfect welcome to the London food scene: Dishoom (~£15–25/person). The Bombay café that became an institution, and rightly so. They now host 11 locations across the city, and just confirmed a 2026 opening for New York City. A bacon naan roll is among the more perfect things you can eat at any hour, but come for dinner and order the black dal (it's been simmering for 24 hours and you will taste exactly that), the chicken ruby, and the house-made paneer. The room is vibey — all dark wood, ceiling fans, and the smell of cardamom — and kids are welcome here with crayons and a dedicated menu. There will be a wait if you didn't book a table. It moves quickly but book ahead if your kids are young and short on patience — most Dishoom locations take reservations until 5:45pm.

SATURDAY | SPITALFIELDS, THE SOUTH BANK, AND THE EYE

Start Saturday at Spitalfields Market (free entry), which has been a market in various forms since the 1600s. Saturday is the vintage and antiques day, which means beautiful clutter: old maps, mid-century glassware, leather jackets that have been somewhere. The covered hall keeps you dry if the weather bad. The food stalls are really great — better than most food courts in any city. Get something to eat for breakfast, but don't attempt to see everything.

Just across from Spitalfields, St. John Bread & Wine (~£15–25/person) is the casual sibling of Fergus Henderson's legendary St. John in Smithfield — and it is one of the best lunch spots in London. The food is British in the old, unsentimental sense: good bread with exceptional butter, bone marrow if you're feeling brave, a changing menu that uses the whole animal without making a fuss about it. It sounds like it might not be for children but it absolutely is — the atmosphere is warm and unfussy, the portions are generous, and they do a plate of Madeline's that famously take 15 minutes to make and are well worth the wait. Order whatever the board says is good that day.

From the market, make your way to the South Bank for the London Eye (~£30–35/adult, ~£24/child — book online). Yes, it's touristy but you should do it anyway. The view from the Eye is one of the better ways to understand the city spatially — you can see how the Thames bends, where the parks sit, how the towers of the City cluster in the east. On a clear day you get thirty miles in every direction. On a grey day you get moody and cinematic and very London. The rotation takes about thirty minutes and is slow enough that even anxious children won’t feel scared. Book online in advance to avoid the lines at the ticket desk — the line for the ride itself is managed well and moves steadily.

After the Eye, walk east along the South Bank (free) between Westminster and Borough. This is one of the great urban walks in Europe — the river on one side, booksellers and buskers and skateboarders on the other. Let the kids run. There are playgrounds dotted along the path. There is almost always something happening outside the Tate Modern. Walk as far as feels right, then drop down to Borough Market for a late afternoon snack before the traders pack up.

Dinner is Padella (~£12–18/person) — a place Londoners revere and for good reason. Fresh, delicious pasta for great prices— the pici cacio e pepe blew our minds. There are three locations; the Borough Market one is the coolest and the original but it doesn’t take reservations so we recommend the Shoreditch location (which does take reservations). Although this pasta is certainly worth the wait.

After Padella, if the kids still have legs and you still have patience, walk north to Redchurch Street and end the evening properly at The Owl & Pussycat (pub prices, no cover). A Grade II listed building that has been a pub since the 18th century, it is the kind of place that makes Shoreditch feel like a neighborhood. Low ceilings, proper beer, a covered garden out back with heaters for when it’s cold. It draws a pleasingly mixed crowd: locals who have been drinking here for years alongside people who just moved to the area, finance types from the nearby offices alongside the creative contingent that has defined this neighborhood for a generation.

Two doors down, Labour and Wait (open daily 11am–6:30pm) is one of the genuinely great shops in London — inside a green-tiled former Truman Brewery pub that has been on Redchurch Street since the Georgian era. The stock is functional and beautiful and completely devoid of trend: Falcon enamelware, Redecker brushes, Japanese steel tools, linen aprons, the kind of rope doorstop you didn't know you needed. Everything here is designed to outlast the decade. They have these orange enamel tumblers we still regret not picking up.

If the weather is bad: skip the South Bank walk and head to the Museum of London Docklands instead — it's free, kid-friendly, and the section on the history of the port is genuinely gripping for adults. Or take the Tube to the Natural History Museum, which is free and has an animatronic T. rex!

SUNDAY | COLUMBIA ROAD, HACKNEY FARM, AND HIGH TEA

Columbia Road Flower Market (free, open Sundays 8am–3pm) on a Sunday morning is one of the most beautiful things London does. A single long street packed shoulder-to-shoulder with flower stalls — tulips and peonies and sweet peas in colors that don't seem real — and the vendors calling out prices in that particular East London bark that sounds threatening until you realize it's just enthusiasm. Get there before 10am. Arriving late means navigating a crowd of locals with their kids that has already bought the best of it. Arriving early means standing inside a flower stall before the city has fully woken up, which is one of the better ways to start any morning anywhere. The surrounding streets have excellent coffee and bakeries that have been there since the neighborhood was nothing but warehouses.

Right at the entrance to the flower market, Nom Living (open Sundays 10am–4pm) has been on Columbia Road since 1998 and remains one of the best reasons to linger on the street after you've bought your flowers. The shop works directly with artisans in Vietnam and Cambodia to produce handmade ceramics, coconut wood kitchenware, lacquer trays, and stoneware tableware — things with weight and texture and visible evidence of how they were made. The stoneware mugs are particularly good: no two are quite identical, they feel substantial in your hands, and they are cheaper here than anywhere else you will find them. Open Sunday only, so time it with the market.

A ten-minute walk from Columbia Road, Hackney City Farm (free, open Tuesday–Sunday 10am–4:30pm) is London's answer to Amsterdam's kinderboerderijen — a proper urban farm tucked into the backstreets, with pigs, goats, donkeys, chickens, and a vegetable garden that the farm uses to supply its café. It is entirely free, reliably wonderful, and the kind of place where children forget they've been walking all weekend and simply become feral for an hour in the best possible way. The café does good coffee and serves food made from the farm's own produce. There is a great playground opposite the farm behind the soccer field. Sunday hours run until 4:30pm — get there by noon to have enough time before post-lunch sleepiness sets in.

Sunday lunch, if you want something that will genuinely surprise you: The Smoking Goat (~£20–35/person). Thai barbecue in a room that smells like charcoal and lemongrass, with a menu built around fish sauce caramel and bird's eye chilis and a whole roasted fish that comes out looking like it has a story. It is absolutely not a children's menu establishment — but children who eat with some adventurousness will do very well here. Order the crispy rice salad, the pork jowl if it's on, and something from the barbecue section. Wash it with a Singha and be glad you didn't go somewhere safe.

For a gentler Sunday lunch alternative: Leila's Shop in Arnold Circus — five minutes away — does a quiet, beautiful Sunday lunch of seasonal vegetables and simple mains that feels like eating in someone's well-curated kitchen. Small, no reservations, opens at noon.

Save High Tea (~£35–75/person, children's menus available) for late Sunday afternoon — it works best as the last significant thing you do before evening, a formal full stop to the weekend. The Ritz is the most famous and the most expensive and the most likely to give you a story about the time your child knocked over the tiered cake stand. Brown's Hotel in Mayfair is quieter, slightly less chaotic, and has been doing high tea’s since 1837. Bea's of Bloomsbury does a cheerful, less precious version that is very good for children who are starting to run on fumes. Wherever you go: the scones come first, the tea comes in a proper pot, and there is always more than you think there will be.

Do the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (~£30/adult, ~£15/child, valid 24 hours) at some point during your trip, depending on weather, as you’ll want to sit upstairs for the view and the top deck seating is only partially covered. This is the perfect way of covering ground without thinking too much or working too hard. The Red line takes you to the city's most famous spots — Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Tower Bridge in a 2.5 hour tour. Get off where it looks interesting (you’ll have to hop off and walk a couple blocks to see Buckingham Palace). The 24-hour ticket means you can use it across both Saturday evening and Sunday if you're strategic about timing.

We ran out of time on our trip so we didn’t get to go to a play/musical but the London Theatre website has all performances listed and we will definitely be going to one the next time we’re there.

WHERE TO STAY

All hotels below can accommodate 4 people in a room — which is surprisingly hard to find across the whole European continent.

One Hundred Shoreditch (~£250–420/night for connecting rooms) is the best family hotel on this itinerary, and the one we'd book first. One Hundred Shoreditch has purpose-built "Rooms for Four" — two interconnecting Studio rooms that open into each other, each with its own proper bed, so nobody is sleeping on a fold-out in a corner. The design is exactly what you want: bespoke artwork, tapestry feature walls, rooms that look out over the high street from a floor-to-ceiling window. This place feels like you're somewhere special, not just a hotel room. The lower floor has Seed Library (a bar by Mr Lyan, with very high effort cocktails but worth seeing after the kids are down), the ground floor has the Lobby Bar (more relaxed, closes earlier), and room service delivers great sushi if you need a snack. The rooftop bar has views across East London that will recalibrate your sense of the city. Book the connecting room option directly on their site — they also offer Rooms for Six if you're travelling with more. Hot tip: check their website for deals — we got our fourth night free.

The Hoxton, Shoreditch (~£180–320/night) was newly refurbished in 2025 and still one of the most characterful hotels in East London — mid-century parquet floors, Roberts radios, that warm lobby with the stone fireplace that always has locals in it. For families, book one room and request one of the connecting configurations; they exist and the team will sort it, but call ahead rather than hoping the website will make it clear. Their "Tiny Hox" package provides cribs, organic Naturalmat mattresses, diapers, and a Smallable coloring book — all the gear, none of the hassle. The ground floor Il Bambini trattoria is walk-in only, which is exactly what you want when plans have already shifted twice.

Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch (~£220–380/night) — we like the Virgin vibe in general and while it may not scream kid-friendly, it's surprisingly easy with kids once you know what to book. Book the Family Chamber — two connected spaces with a sliding privacy door that lets you put the kids down without ending your own night. Beds are genuinely comfortable (not an afterthought sofa situation), and there's enough room to spread out, stash luggage, and not feel like you're tiptoeing around each other. The vibe downstairs leans adult — rooftop pool, a lively bar — but the staff doesn't blink at families, and the location makes everything simple.

The Ned (~£350–550/night) is a former 1920s Lutyens bank in the City, five minutes from St. Paul's. Several configurations sleep four comfortably — check the Ned's Bed options when booking, which include doubles with extra beds and larger suites designed for families. The basement food hall has eight restaurants running simultaneously and you could honestly stay within the hotel walls all weekend and be pretty happy. But definitely don't do that. Location is more central than Shoreditch, which adds a Tube stop to Columbia Road but removes one from the South Bank and Spitalfields. A genuine splurge — but we want you to know all the best options.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW

The Owl & Pussycat is open Monday–Saturday until midnight, Sunday until 10:30pm. No booking needed for drinks; reservations available for Sunday roast in the upstairs Jago room.

Labour and Wait is open daily 11am–6:30pm. It is small — come with a clear head and a list of people you need to buy gifts for.

Nom Living opens Sundays 10am–4pm only at 102 Columbia Road. In-store prices are better than their online shop. Stoneware mugs pack well in carry-on luggage wrapped in a jumper.

Dishoom takes reservations for dinner but not breakfast. For dinner, book weeks ahead — Shoreditch and Covent Garden fill fast on weekends.

Padella does not take reservations. Queue at the door, or try their Borough Market Kitchen location for slightly shorter waits.

Columbia Road Market runs Sundays only, 8am–3pm. Arrive before 10am. After 11am it becomes very crowded.

Hackney City Farm is closed Mondays. Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–4:30pm. Free entry; donations welcome.

London Eye tickets booked online save you the ticket-desk queue. Print or download before you go.

The Oyster card (or tap with a contactless card) is the fastest way onto the Tube and bus. Children under 11 ride free with an adult.

High tea should be booked 2–4 weeks in advance, especially for weekend slots. Ask about children's menus when booking.

St. John Bread & Wine opens for breakfast and lunch. Arrive early on Saturdays — it fills with the Spitalfields crowd quickly.

The Smoking Goat is best for kids who eat adventurously. If heat is a worry, ask the kitchen — they can often adjust.

Double Decker tour tickets can be bought on board or online. The 24-hour pass covers all stops and lets you hop freely.

One Hundred Shoreditch's "Rooms for Four" are two interconnecting Studios — book directly on their site and select the connecting room option. They also have Rooms for Six if needed.

Hotel Pricing is dynamic and subject to change.

Tipping: Restaurants — 10–12.5% is the norm;

Cafés/casual spots — just rounding up is fine, or nothing at all. It's always worth checking your bill before tipping — if a service charge is already included, you don't need to add anything extra.

Cleaning up after your children is always appreciated everywhere.

IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME: LONDON'S CITY FARMS

London has a network of free urban city farms tucked into neighbourhoods across the city — pigs, goats, donkeys, horses, and chickens, right in the middle of one of Europe's great capitals. They're called city farms and they are genuinely one of the best things about travelling here with small kids. Entrance is always free; a small donation goes a long way.

Hackney City Farm (free, Tuesday–Sunday 10am–4:30pm) is already anchoring your Sunday — goats, donkeys, pigs, chickens, and a café serving food from the farm's own produce. This is the one closest to the Columbia Road itinerary.

Vauxhall City Farm (free, Tuesday–Sunday 10:30am–4pm) sits just south of the river near Vauxhall Bridge and has horses, alpacas, and a riding school that offers sessions for children.

Mudchute Park & Farm (free, daily 9am–4pm) on the Isle of Dogs is one of the largest urban farms in Europe — 32 acres, a full complement of livestock, and an unlikely rural feeling in the shadow of Canary Wharf.