How to Plan 4 Days in London with a Young Child

It’s 2024 and we did it! We booked our travel from the United States – California to London! We were so elated to see this trip come to life. With a four-year-old we knew we wanted to make this a memorable trip. We aren’t first timers when it comes to travelling to the U.K. or Europe, but it definitely was our first time dealing with international travel with a young child. Family friendly travel is very important to us and so we want to share what our planning journey looked like versus how it played out.

Flying from LAX to London Heathrow (LHR)

If you haven’t already read our last post on our flight experience with Virgin Atlantic from LAX to LHR you’ll want to read that here → Long Haul Flight with Kids to London with Virgin Atlantic .

Dealing with Jetlag

As having some experience in travelling to Europe, my husband and I knew how we would deal with jetlag. Immediate outdoor exposure, some coffee and lots of walking helps! But this trip would be different. Mila would be joining us! She can’t drink caffeine and lots of walking can be limited with a small traveler. But this is the reality of how we dealt with landing in LHR and hope this can help you plan your travels too!

My husband had pre-ordered tickets for the Heathrow Express to get us out of LHR airport. I highly recommend that you book these tickets as soon as you book your flight. They are non-refundable but are cheaper the earlier your book. After doing tons of research, we knew we would NOT be taking a car seat with us. Read up on our decision here → Long Haul Flight with Kids to London with Virgin Atlantic . So, we knew our options would be to either take the tube or get a Lyft/Uber or cab.

We experienced no flight delays and only had one checked bag. Read more on how we decided to pack our luggage here . As soon as we landed, we stopped to use the restroom for a quick break and refresh. Then we headed straight over to the Heathrow Express. We decided we wanted Mila to experience a black taxicab versus a Lyft and we all loved our experience! I highly recommend this for young children. The cab was spacious and enough room for our luggage. The cab set up is much different than what you would see here in the U.S. We all loved sightseeing in the back seat of the roomy black cab talking about what we were looking forward to the most.

As soon as we checked into our hotel, we unpacked our bags and headed out for a walk! The weather was a bit gloomy and we knew that we could expect rain so we packed our umbrella and took the stroller with us. More on that later. 🙂

Our Hotel – Hyatt London Black Friars

We knew we had a lot to look forward to with our stay at the Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars. I have a World of Hyatt credit card and that hotel stay cost me $0. I used points to pay for our stay! The newer hotel and positive reviews had us so excited because after flying a 10-hour flight from Los Angeles we knew a comfortable and luxurious hotel would be ever so welcoming. And let me tell you, this hotel did not disappoint! The cab ride was less than 30 minutes. We were at our hotel a little earlier than the 4pm check in and they had our reservations ready, and room prepped in just a matter of minutes upon check in. We have Discoverist status with Hyatt which is on the lower end so that meant no upgrade but we were not disappointed with our room. We had a room on the executive floor and the fact that we paid our room with points and had access to executive floor benefits was just enough. The front desk service was friendly and welcoming.

What we LOVED about our Hotel

It’s important to talk about what we loved about our hotel. I want to share the type of room that we booked. At the time of booking we reserved a 1 King Bed with City View and Club Access. We had Regency Club privileges, city views and even enough room for a roll away bed for our daughter. I loved that this hotel had hard flooring throughout and with the recent Paris and London bedbug scare I just loved knowing that we didn’t have to worry about carpet. Again, we didn’t receive an upgrade at check in but we were on the highest floor and the room was simply perfect for us.

Having a rollaway bed for our daughter was lovely! The room was a King Corner room that was so spacious even with a rollaway bed. We had a great view of the city lights and the pub right across our hotel. The bathroom was lovely even though we didn’t have a bathtub. The shower was spacious and suitable for a good shower even for little ones.

One of the things that I loved was that we were on the Executive Floor which gave us access to the lounge. That meant evening canapes and top shelf liquour options were available to us each night from about 5pm-7pm. While this lounge is tucked away in a corner of the restaurant, it gave us a nice option for dining before our actual dining. Think smalll but delicious appetizers, snacks and drinks. There was one night where we were able to make this our dinner since we had a hefty lunch.

I can’t rave enough about their daily breakfast at The Chinese Cricket Club. A young child will appreciate the fresh fruit or cereal options. With jet lag it’s important to start the day with a meal even if it’s a small one. My husband and I were able to adjust to the time zone and change in mealtimes and although Mila did great with jetlag, she preferred a small meal for breakfast. Knowing she had an apple and some small carb for a meal before we left for the city each day was reassuring. Plus it gave us a chance to sleep in more and not have to worry about getting to a restaurant for breakfast in town.

Daily Activities

Day 1 – London Bridge

We’re going to circle back to our day of arrival and how we stepped outside shortly after checking into our hotel. I want to say this part was so crucial for fighting jet lag. Getting in syn with the day and time change outside helps our bodies adjust. We thought it would be a good idea to take the stroller and umbrella with us, but I’ll explain how that may have been a mistake.

We had reservations for the London Bridge/Tower on our very first day. It was a little rushed because the rain started and we had to lug a stroller through the streets while using an umbrella. My husband sort of gave up midway and decided to pack up the stroller and just have all of us walk so that we could use the umbrella more efficiently. Keep in mind we were still having to get adjusted to navigating the tube so we were handling quite a few things, all in good spirit though. So key recommendation here, take the umbrella but if your child is 4 years old or older, have them walk.

We missed the first tube ride out and had to re-route to make sure we met our reservation time at London Bridge. We made it just a smidge late but made it! It was such an awesome experience and highly recommend it for any family. It was educational and just a beautiful sight to see.

Day 1 – Five Guys, London Bridge, Tower Bridge

Families pay attention here! You have to eat at Five Guys here. It’s budget friendly, delciious and the views are spectacular.

The rain continued for us on day one and we knew that after dinner we would want to walk back to our hotel and retreat for nice baths and time to settle in. After all, we’d have to work to adjust to the time difference in our normal sleep time.

Our hotel made it easy for us to do just that. After our showers, we set up the room so cozily so that we could enjoy a little TV and then call it bedtime. Night one was rough with Mila, we had multiple wake ups but those amazing window views helped her with walking and looking at something out the window and seeing how it was nighttime and time to go to sleep. I had to do this multiple times, but we managed to get a little bit of sleep. One piece of key advice here is that parents should alternate shifts or nights with the little ones so that at least one parent makes it through a restful night. Soon enough everyone will be caught up with sleep.

Day 2 – South Bank

We were still tired on Day 2 but with only 4 days in London we had to maximize our time there. We started our day with our daily hotel breakfast. I remember that we didn’t wake up until 9:00am and the hotel breakfast would stop serving at 10:00am so we quickly got ready and ran downstairs. Mila wasn’t very hungry, so she just had a little milk with a bit of dry cereal and took a bite of her apple and took that to go. We had coffee (delicious coffee options by the way!) and I opted for yogurt and fresh fruit while the husband had a heartier breakfast. Again, I can’t stress how much money we saved here with just booking a points stay. Being able to go back into our room and take our time to get ready and things prepared was so convenient!

After breakfast we headed out for an immediate walk, to again help battle jetlag. We walked through the South Bank and got some great views of Big Ben, the London Eye and Mila even enjoyed her first international carousel ride.

Day 2 – Jubilee Gardens, Playground

We continued through the Jubilee Gardens which really made for a continued nice walk and sight-seeing.

One of our main goals was to get as much time outside as possible with lots of walking. With a young kid, we found she enjoyed the freedom to run around and ask questions while letting us parents enjoy the surroundings as well.

Time moves quickly when traveling, and next thing you know we came across a center plaza with several cart vendors that sold quick bites for lunch. We noticed there was a playground where many school children appeared to be visiting. Since the food carts had child friendly food (milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, pizza, sandwiches) we decided to make a quick stop for food. Even if small meals are had throughout the day, it’s best to avoid getting hungry especially with a little in tow. There was plenty of seating around the plaza where you could just find a spot and sit along concrete benches or steps overlooking the garden area. Also of note, there was a McDonalds and Subway within walking distance.

After lunch we knew Mila would want to get some playtime in, so we walked over to the playground. It was gated and really so nice. There were signs that indicated only adults with children could enter. Mila loved this playground, particularly because there were so many kids playing. She quickly found children to play with and just had lots of fun. We had time to sit, watch her play and just catch up. It’s so different to travel with kids, because it makes you stop and realize how they see the world through their little eyes. This was definitely one of those moments where I stopped and realized how grateful I was for being able to take this trip.

The weather on day 2 was beautiful. We still needed jackets for the light rain and brisk chilly air. But with all the walking, we were never too cold.

As we continued our sight-seeing, we knew we would want to stop by a pub. A proper family pub. Travelers with young children should know that you may not be allowed to bring your kids in to just any pub. You should ask upon entering to avoid embarrassment. We saw the Marquis in Covent Garden and knew we had to step in, even if just for a beer. Boy were we glad we did! We were seated upstairs (boo away from the pub action) but it made sense since we had our child. I was actually so glad we were seated upstairs because it was just so nice and cute! This is a Top 20 Pub in London according to Trip Advisor 2024 standings. The food was great, and I was able to get my fish and chips fix! Notice how we had grilled chicken and veggies for Mila. Again, I can’t stress how important it is for kids to have good nourishment while travelling. Mila kept up with all our walking and no stroller, so her little body needed some good, clean fuel. She didn’t eat all of it and of course was able to take bites out of mom’s plate, but the point is, you want to avoid a crash because it really is natural for it to occur given the jetlag and change in mealtimes.

Day 2 – Sky Garden

Okay so this is a free activity! But you have to stay on top of ticket releases on their website. This was such a beautiful place to visit, and we had never been before. The gardens were just divine, and that skyline view of London, ooof! You can easily spend an hour in here and this was just enough time for mom and dad to sit down and enjoy a cocktail. Mila had a cup of milk so again, those small meals/snacks really help throughout the day. What I loved about this place was that again, kids can wander and view, ask questions and learn new things!

After Sky Garden we retreated back to our hotel for a little rest. The day involved riding the tube, lots of walking, Mila getting to sit on dad’s shoulders here and there but overall, such a successful first full day! We weren’t hungry for dinner but took advantage of our hotels cocktail hour where they had small bites and fantastic drink options. The small bites ended up being more of a mini meal and Mila was happy to have a pre-bedtime snack (dessert!). When you think of a hotel happy hour, most times it’s just buffet style or self-serve – well not here. It was true sit-down service where the waitresses would bring out your food in these little trays. They still had a few self-serve options for snacks and drinks, but this just gave it a nice flair.

Day 3 – Buckingham Palace

We started off the day by waking around 7:30am giving us much more time to get ready in the room and then head off for our hotel breakfast. We all knew what to expect for breakfast, so I was able to fix myself a plate with egg, bacon, toast and fresh fruit. Mila still wasn’t super hungry, so she stuck to her fresh fruit options with a bit of cereal and milk. We headed out for a walk and then continued on to Buckingham Palace.

Once you begin entering the Buckingham Palace area there is a lot of closed off space to guide visitors towards the palace. So it’s nice for kids, pedestrians, and bicycle riders because there’s a lot of open space to use. We were able to see the guards and Mila was so happy to see a real palace! Again, great opportunity for kids to learn and begin putting the pieces together as to how the world works and how each country operates differently.

After visiting Buckingham Palace, we ventured off to visit Mayfair and Soho. We visited the famous Ritz hotel and shops. Our lunch stop was at McDonalds, something familiar for Mila! It was neat to see the differences in meal options available.

Day 3 – Hyde Park

We continued our walk through to Hyde Park. It’s here that I’d like to say we should have taken a tube ride after lunch instead of continuing with walking as an option. The walks along the park were just beautiful and the overcast sky made sure we didn’t get too warm. Perfect day for just sweaters and no jackets. If you have a child under I’d say 9 years old, I highly recommend making time to stop in the playground at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. It’s simply great! We were there on a Sunday, so it was definitely crowded but nonetheless just as fun for our daughter. There are multiple sections for the playground and it’s also gated which helps make sure kids don’t leave the area. This was another highlight for Mila, and since we don’t know when we’ll be back to visit it’s just one of those things where we are glad we did since this is something she will eventually outgrow.

We continued our walk towards Notting Hill to see the cute pubs and restaurants. We made a quick pit stop for coffee and then realized we were just too tired. We found the nearest tube and headed back to our hotel for a refresh.

This day was rough since we had done so much walking! We had our eye dining at BrewDog Chancery Lane that was walking distance from the hotel (maybe about 10 minutes). Needless to say, Mila fell asleep during dinner. We didn’t let her sleep for more than five minutes I’d say because we knew that would only affect her already jetlagged routine.

We had a nice walk back to the hotel and headed straight to our room for showers and also to begin packing since we would be departing the next day. This was a wonderful night of rest!

Day 4 – Leaving London

Since our bags were packed and ready to go we grabbed a quick bite from the hotel but opted to have a taxi called to take us to the train station since it was raining. The Hyatt front desk was so helpful in arranging for this. We would be off to Saint Pancras International where we would take the Eurostar train to Paris! Travelling light (or as light possible) proved to be such a win for us. Navigating through security is not easy with a kid but packing as light possibly makes it so much better. We arrived to the train station about 2 hours before departure which was definitely a bit early but with these types of things you just want to err on the side of caution. I was so nervous about the underwater channel but the passage through was less than 30 minutes, and I was hardly able to notice a difference.

Key Takeaways

My message to any working parent is this, take the trip. Simplify your packing as much possible but still leave room for things to make your trip enjoyable. For us that meant checking in one larger piece of luggage. While we work and value the benefits that brings to our family, we don’t want to short-change our life experiences. Our daughter remembers every trip we’ve taken since she was 2 years old! She may not remember everything, but she often references highlights. I think that age four and a half is the perfect age for a long-haul trip overseas. As you can see from our itinerary, there was no need for a car seat and definitely don’t bring a stroller. Save yourself from having to lug that extra cargo!

Stay tuned for my round up of our family Paris activities! Subscribe below to stay up to date with our latest family adventures.

xoxo,

The Sun Queen