By Christa Adell Kile
We had the best three week adventure traveling through England with our family. We were in London for five days, and in Northern Yorkshire for the rest of the trip. We got family round trip train passes for £99 for the four of us to go from London to Leeds, and back too! Below are some of our tips for other families.
Family Itinerary
We traveled with two children, ages 1 and 4. They did fantastic and had loads of fun. Here is what we did.
Day 1 – Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground and Hamleys Toy Store.
Day 2 – Tower of London, Tower Bridge tour, HMS Belfast and Globe Theatre.
Day 3 – Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Boat Tour, The Shard.
Day 4 – Changing of the Guard (our kids did not really enjoy this), Camden Town (for the food) and London Transport Museum.
Favorite Activities
Don’t miss the Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground. You will see many palaces and mansions linked with her life in this seven-mile stretch. Hamley’s Toy Store is also a great option. We spent two and a half hours playing at the store on a rainy day.
Favorite Restaurants
Porky’s BBQ was fantastic and very kid-friendly. It’s American food, but right down the street from the ticket area for the Globe Theatre. They gave both my boys superhero pig pins to wear, and the server had great energy and loved having the kids there.
Tips and Advice
If you want to save money, make sandwiches in the morning and bring packed lunches to eat while out. We packed PB&J each day and it made for the perfect lunch while on the go. We also had applesauce pouches, crackers, apples, and granola bars. We saved our money for dinner out. Also, The London Pass is a fantastic value if you are planning to go to a lot of tourist spots.
We also used a Buggy Board attached to our ZOE stroller for a toddler and 4 year old. It made it easy to put the baby in the carrier and push the big kid, or give the big kid a ride on a busy day. The Buggy Board was amazing, and snapped up quickly.