London, England with Two Children under 4!
London was so much fun! I don’t like the normal “tourist sites” or the “big cities” everyone visits. I tend to enjoy the more low-key, small countries that don’t get much credit. However, London threw that all out the window, and I’m so glad it did! I LOVED it!
How We Got To London
Where do I begin… Let’s see we flew out to London on Wednesday on a Wizz Air flight. Tyler arrived on Tuesday which worked out great because he got to see and do everything he wanted to do before we arrived. The boys and I arrived very late on Wednesday due to our flight being delayed for two and a half hours! (Yes, I survived a delayed flight with two children under the age of 4 way past their bedtimes! Barely) We were a hot mess!
When we arrived, we had a 1-hour drive to our hotel. (The airports are both about 1 hour away from central London) I wouldn’t suggest taking the train from the airport with kids, because of the luggage, and the stroller (aka buggy). We took a cab from the airport to the hotel, and although it was a bit pricey, it worked out well because both of our children were DONE!
The First Day In London
The next day, my husband had to work so the boys and I ventured out to London on our own. I originally planned not to bring a stroller and make my youngest son walk (2.5 years old) /carry him. I made it all day on Thursday we walked 25,000 steps (Thanks, Apple watch) and I didn’t have a stroller. Which made life easier on the train (since not all train stations have an elevator) But really stinks when you have to get off the train and walk a mile to your destination.
Our first stop was the Natural History Museum when I was researching places to visit in London with children The Natural History Museum kept popping up and I now get it! It was AWESOME and FREE!!! The boys and I spent 3.5 hours in this museum, and I still think we didn’t see everything! It was AMAZING and completely breathtaking. I didn’t bring my camera since I was carrying Heath, so all my images are from the iPhone. (2023 Brittany here! I just wanted to pop in and say that The Natural History Museum in London is still my favorite to this day!)
We then headed over to the Science Museum. It’s FREE too! Added bonus it’s right next door. We spent about an hour in there looking around, Heath fell asleep, so I ended up sitting on a bench while Tyler and Nolan did the more exploring.
We then headed back to the hotel to rest! When we all woke up from our nap we decided to hit up the parks, and see the palace! We walked around the park and hit up the BIG landmarks in Westminster.
Here’s a picture of Heath and me at the Palace!
Right beside the palace is a park that you can walk through and get a GREAT view of the London Eye. Below is probably one of my favorite pictures from our London trip.
Day 3 Of Our Trip
The next day the boys and I explored the city alone, we mostly played in the parks, but I got brave and decided to take them to Covent Garden! It was well worth the trip alone with two kiddos, and lots of WONDERFUL entertainment! My children had a BLAST! Below is an image of our favorite performers we saw that day.
Our Last Day In London
On our last day in London, I had read a TON of blogs about the Portobello Market and I knew I wanted to spend my Saturday morning looking for a unique souvenir!
BOY, did I find the most unique, special souvenir that I will keep forever! I love bags, and I especially love small businesses that also give back to people too. I fell in love with Vida Vida. I love their story! Below is a picture of the backpack that I purchased; the picture is from their website and if you click on the image it will take you to where you can purchase the backpack for yourself! I encourage you to read about their story first; it will definitely give purchasing a bag a GREAT story and purpose. (Which I LOVE!) I LOVE buying things that I can tell a story about!
Isn’t she lovely?! Seriously I just bought two more bags on our trip from Italy, and I haven’t even touched them because I’m so in LOVE with this bag! It’s seriously the perfect mommy bag! I can stuff diapers, clothing, buckets (for the play areas at coffee shops)
After the market, we decided to head over to London Bridge, because you don’t go to London and not go to the London Bridge. It was very surreal visiting the bridge less than one week after the London Bridge attack, but we did it, and it was very safe, and BEAUTIFUL! I remember walking across the bridge humming the London Bridge’s Song.
After London Bridge, we decided to say goodbye to Nolan’s favorite, Big Ben! He loved Big Ben so much he asked if I could buy him a book on the clock! If you’d like to purchase the book for your kiddos before your trip to London, it’s called Big Ben (Building on a Dream Kids as Architects and Engineers)
Nolan wasn’t in a big picture-taking mood during our London trip! Heath, however, LOVED getting his picture taken.
London was a HUGE surprise! I didn’t think I would enjoy such a touristy town, but I LOVED every second that I was in that city. I want to go back one day and do everything I didn’t have a chance to do on this trip. If you are planning a trip to London and have any questions, please post a comment below! I love helping others out, and I especially love talking about all the trips I’ve been on.
www.ucgbc.org
Thanks, it’s quite informative
Antonio
Thank you for the excellent post
Jude
Thank you for the excellent article