Steal My Trip.
Parliament and Westminster on a sunny October afternoon

October 2025, from our family's trip

London with four little kids

Five full days of iconic sights, brilliant playgrounds and very good food, plus honest notes on what we'd skip next time.

The trip at a glance

Based on what we actually did, not what we hoped to do.

When
October 5–10, 2025
Length
6 nights, 5 sightseeing days
Who
2 parents, 4 kids (ages 3⁠–⁠8), plus a cousin for part of it
Home base
An Airbnb apartment in Notting Hill
Getting around
Walking, city buses, the Tube, and the Heathrow Express
Spent
$8,591 recorded, flights on points

Best for

Young kids with a little curiosity about everything, from castles and royal guards to dinosaurs and double-decker buses. It works best if your kids are good walkers and good, adventurous eaters who are happy to try a market stall, a picnic or something new.

Home base

A six-night apartment rental in Notting Hill. It gave us space, laundry and a kitchen for breakfasts, and Holland Park, Portobello Road and Kensington were all close.

Good to know

This was a "best of London" trip: a bird's-eye view of the city's highlights, not a slow, deep dive into one neighborhood. We were on the move constantly and covered a lot of ground every day. If you'd rather go slower, keep your favorites from each day and drop the rest.

The classic red phone boxes
Union Jacks over the street
One of the Trafalgar Square lions

Every stop on one map

Every stop from all five days, color-coded by day. Open the full map to switch individual days on and off.

Open the full map

Day by day

We landed Sunday, October 5 and flew home Friday, October 10. Here's exactly how each day went, with photos from every stop.

Day 1, Sunday, Oct 5

Arrival and first adventures

An active arrival day after an overnight flight, with an early night.

  1. 7:15 AM

    Land at Heathrow

    Overnight flight from Atlanta. Heathrow Express to Paddington, then an Uber to Notting Hill.

  2. 9:05 AM

    Drop the bags

    We couldn't get into the rental early, so we left our luggage at Radical Storage near Notting Hill.

  3. 9:15 AM

    Portobello Road and GAIL's

    Strolled south along Portobello Road and grabbed breakfast pastries at GAIL's Notting Hill.

  4. 10:30 AM

    Diana Memorial Playground

    The famous pirate-ship playground in Kensington Gardens. Lots of sand, which wasn't our favorite.

    The pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground
  5. 11:30 AM

    Kensington Palace

    About an hour here, covered by our Historic Royal Palaces membership. We could have spent longer.

  6. 12:30 PM

    Bus to Hamleys

    We looked up a bus on Citymapper heading toward Regent Street. A seated break for the kids, and sightseeing from the top deck.

    Front seats on the top deck of a London bus
  7. 1:30 PM

    Hamleys

    A kids' paradise. We spent about an hour browsing, and saved the souvenir buying for a second visit later in the week.

  8. 4:30 PM

    Early dinner at The Elgin

    A pub a block from our rental. Convenient rather than memorable. Then straight to bed.

Day 2, Monday, Oct 6

Changing of the Guard and Westminster

An ambitious walking day with a great picnic and a playground break.

  1. 9:00 AM

    Tube toward St. James's Park

    Breakfast at the apartment first. We had to wake the kids, who were still on Eastern time.

  2. 9:30 AM

    Changing of the Guard

    We went to Wellington Barracks and arrived before the crowds to watch the guards assemble. Then we moved to The Mall to see them march out past Buckingham Palace.

  3. 11:35 AM

    St. James's Park to Westminster

    Walked through the park and over the Blue Bridge, picked up sandwiches, and took photos outside Westminster Abbey.

    Outside Westminster Abbey
  4. 12:30 PM

    Picnic behind Westminster Abbey

    Sandwiches on the grass with Big Ben and Parliament across the street. One of the best moments of the trip.

    Big Ben, with the London Eye peeking in
  5. 2:30 PM

    London Eye

    We walked across Westminster Bridge and bought tickets on the way, since we didn't know our timing. Fun once; we wouldn't repeat it.

  6. 3:00 PM

    Jubilee Gardens Playground

    The playground right beside the Eye. A great reset before the walk to Covent Garden.

    Climbing at Jubilee Gardens, under the London Eye
  7. 3:45 PM

    Waterloo Bridge to Covent Garden

    Lovely buildings and hotels at the far end of the bridge, then a wander through Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.

  8. 5:00 PM

    Dinner at Dishoom Covent Garden

    Delicious. Get the Chicken Ruby. Tube home afterward.

Day 3, Tuesday, Oct 7

The Tower of London and the Thames

A fast-paced day that worked for us, with a slower version below.

  1. 8:40 AM

    Line up at the Tower

    We arrived 20 minutes before the 9:00 opening and were near the front of the line. Entry was covered by our Historic Royal Palaces membership.

  2. 9:00 AM

    Tower of London

    We explored thoroughly, about three and a half hours.

    Looking over the walls at the Tower of London
    Inside one of the towers
  3. 12:30 PM

    Walk across Tower Bridge

    Straight from the Tower over the bridge toward Borough Market.

    Following the blue line across Tower Bridge
  4. 1:15 PM

    Borough Market

    Delicious food, but very crowded and hard with kids. You can't stand inside the market to eat.

  5. 3:00 PM

    Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern

    Walked past the Globe, which mattered to my husband. Tate Modern lasted about 15 minutes; it didn't hold our family's attention.

    A hands-on drawing table at Tate Modern
  6. 3:40 PM

    Millennium Bridge

    The swaying bridge from Harry Potter, which let us out at St Paul's Cathedral. Then the Tube to Holland Park.

    Crossing the Millennium Bridge toward St Paul's
  7. 5:00 PM

    Holland Park Adventure Playground

    Our favorite playground in London. We'd have happily stayed longer, and we came back later in the week.

    Holland Park Adventure Playground
    Wooden climbing frames under the trees
  8. 6:00 PM

    Dinner at Churchill Arms

    In the Thai dining room. A beautiful exterior, but the food and interior were just okay.

Day 4, Wednesday, Oct 8

Our flex day

A scattered day we'd trade for Hampton Court Palace.

  1. 9:36 AM

    King's Cross

    A quick photo at Harry Potter's Platform 9¾.

  2. 10:00 AM

    Sorted! at the Postal Museum

    A free-play space for little kids. We couldn't get last-minute Mail Rail tickets, so this was all we did here.

    Delivering parcels at Sorted!
    The mini post-office town
    The parcel sorting station
  3. 12:15 PM

    British Museum

    Bus over, then lunch in a park nearby. The pubs advertise opening at 11 but don't serve food until noon. Inside: the mummies and a few biblical artifacts, then out. Very crowded.

    Outside the British Museum
  4. 1:15 PM

    Back to Hamleys

    Each kid chose one souvenir, after browsing on Sunday.

  5. 2:00 PM

    Bus to Regent's Park

    The ride took us through a beautiful part of town we hadn't seen. We explored the southern end and its playground.

    The long garden walk in Regent's Park
  6. After 3:00 PM

    Split up

    Dad took the kids back to Holland Park Adventure Playground for a picnic dinner. Mom and my cousin walked Bond Street, had dinner, and saw SIX in the West End.

    SIX on the West End

Day 5, Thursday, Oct 9

Parks, museums and afternoon tea

A slow breakfast, then a full, walk-heavy last day.

  1. 9:00 AM

    Breakfast at Farm Girl

    A sit-down breakfast in Notting Hill, then the bus into town.

    Back on the bus
  2. 10:45 AM

    Trafalgar Square

    Saw the lions and danced to the street performers.

    Peering into the Trafalgar Square fountain
  3. 11:00 AM

    Hatchards

    London's oldest bookshop, founded in 1797. A lovely stop.

    Browsing the children's shelves at Hatchards
  4. 11:30 AM

    Fortnum & Mason

    Right next door. We picked up picnic supplies.

  5. 12:15 PM

    Green Park to Hyde Park

    A long walk, but an enjoyable one because the picnic and playground were the destination.

    Stopping to look at flowers in the park
  6. 1:15 PM

    Picnic at the Hyde Park playground

    Fortnum & Mason picnic, then playtime.

    Our Fortnum & Mason picnic in Hyde Park
  7. 2:00 PM

    Harrods

    Mostly the basement Food Halls: excellent and very busy.

    The walk to Harrods
  8. 3:00 PM

    Natural History Museum

    About an hour. Booked the same day, and quiet late in the afternoon.

    Face to face with a dinosaur at the Natural History Museum
  9. 4:00 PM

    Science Museum

    About 90 minutes. Our family liked it even more than Natural History.

    Hands-on exhibits at the Science Museum
  10. 5:45 PM

    Jurassic Afternoon Tea

    At the Ampersand Hotel, booked on purpose as dinner. Far more food than we could eat.

    The dinosaur afternoon tea at the Ampersand

Day 6, Friday, Oct 10

Travel home

A simple last morning and an easy ride to Heathrow.

  1. Morning

    Breakfast at the apartment

    One last easy breakfast in Notting Hill before heading out.

  2. Then

    Uber to Paddington Station

    A quick ride from the rental with all our bags.

  3. After that

    Elizabeth line to Heathrow

    Straight from Paddington to the airport for our flight home.

What it cost

What we really spent, by category, with the context that shaped it. Not a copy of our credit card statement.

Total recorded spending

$8,591

October 2025, for seven travelers: two adults, four kids, and one extra adult who joined some activities. Includes airport and travel-day extras. This is what we spent, not a current price quote.

  • Lodging$3,511.53
  • Food & drink$1,820.96
  • Flights (taxes and fees)$1,608.66
  • Activities$689.30
  • Travel & airport, incl. UK ETAs$405.86
  • Souvenirs$297.69
  • Transportation$200.62
  • Miscellaneous$56.70

Award flights for six, taxes and fees only

$1,608.66

We booked our flights with airline points, so the cash we paid was taxes and fees. The points themselves aren't valued in our total; paying cash for six seats would cost much more.

The big line items
Notting Hill Airbnb, 6 nightssleeps 8$3,511.53
Jurassic Afternoon Tea3 adults, 4 kids$531.75
Dishoom Covent Garden7 people$318.24
London Eye2 adults, 4 kids$250.91
SIX, through TodayTix2 adults$242.36
Historic Royal Palaces membership1 family$165.00
Churchill Arms dinner7 people$161.44
UK ETAs6 travelers$120.00

These are already included in the total above. The total also includes $310.64 of airport spending (parking, a lounge, airport meals).

Before you borrow this budget: Different expenses covered different numbers of people, so this isn't a clean family-of-six estimate. Use it to judge whether the trip fits your budget, not as a quote.

The steals

Where we found real value, and the splurges we'd happily make again.

Favorite free experience

Holland Park Adventure Playground

Our favorite playground of the week, and completely free. We loved it so much we went back. It gave the kids real play time between the big sightseeing stops.

Lodging

One Notting Hill apartment

We paid $3,511.53 for six nights, roughly $585 a night for our group. That was much better value than hotels of the same quality, with extra space, laundry and a kitchen.

Smart ticketing

Historic Royal Palaces membership

We paid $165 and used it at Kensington Palace and the Tower of London. Those two visits justified it, and Hampton Court would have made it an even better deal. Check current prices before copying this.

Free museums

Pop in without pressure

General admission to the British Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museum is free, so short visits never felt wasteful. Special exhibitions can cost extra.

Food

Picnics instead of sit-down lunches

Picking up food and eating outside kept meals simple. Our picnic behind Westminster Abbey, looking at Big Ben, was a highlight of the trip.

Theater

Check TodayTix for West End shows

We booked SIX through TodayTix and chose good seats over the cheapest ones. Two tickets came to $242.36. Compare prices and seat locations before you book.

Getting around

Walk, bus and Tube

We walked a lot and used public transport instead of taxis. The double-decker buses doubled as sightseeing.

Repeat or skip

The things a travel blog often won't tell you.

We'd repeat

  • Holland Park Adventure Playground

    Our family's favorite playground in London. We went more than once.

  • The Westminster picnic

    Sandwiches behind Westminster Abbey with Parliament and Big Ben in view. Simple, cheap, and a standout.

We'd rethink

  • Not going to Hampton Court Palace

    We considered it for our flex day and wished afterward that we had gone.

  • Borough Market with kids

    Delicious food, but stressful with a group. Go with a plan: one lap, then eat on the outskirts.

  • Quick museum detours

    Tate Modern didn't work for us, and the Postal Museum's play space alone wasn't worth the trip without Mail Rail.

  • Churchill Arms for dinner

    Gorgeous outside and hyped online. The food and the dining room were just okay.

One and done

  • The London Eye

    We enjoyed seeing London from above and I'm glad we did it once, but we wouldn't prioritize it on a return trip.

  • Jurassic Afternoon Tea

    A wonderful novelty for the kids, but expensive and far more food than our group could eat.

Steal this trip

Take the whole thing or just the best parts. Save a copy to plan with.

Open the map

All photos are from our own trip. Prices are what we paid in October 2025. Opening hours, prices and travel rules change, so check them before you go. Exact addresses and booking details are left out on purpose.