London: the Ultimate 7-day Family Vacation Itinerary

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In early summer 2023, I suggested to my husband that we should go to London for a week in August. Unfortunately, he was unable to take additional time off of work as he was already scheduled to hike in Italy for 10 days in the fall. This meant that I would have to take my 10-year-old son on my own – daunting but very exciting! This led to one of the best vacations we’ve ever had! Below, is our week-long itinerary. We hope you enjoy this as we did!

Day 1: Kid’s Bus Tour, Toys and Chocolate

Airport Transportation to the Hotel:

I booked a car service through Transfeero which was extremely easy to arrange. It cost £77 GPB each way for the economy option (or about $97 USD at the time of this writing). When we arrived, the driver met us, carried our luggage to the car, gave us bottles of water, and transferred us to our hotel in a Tesla. It was worth the cost and I’d highly recommend the company. 

Hotel: The Waldorf Hilton, Aldwych, London

First Stop: The London Tube

You can either purchase an Oyster Pass which is a pay-as-you-go pass or you can purchase 7, 14 or 21-day passes. We purchased a week-long tube pass for zones 1 and 2 for about £42 GBP each. More information here. Note, that if you want to head outside zones 1 or 2, you will need to purchase separate passes. We used the tube multiple times per day throughout the week so it was worth it. 

Click here for a map of the London Underground “Tube.”

Second Stop: London Kids Bus Tour

Third Stop: Hamley’s Toy Store

Hamley’s is the world’s oldest and largest toy store; so, of course we had to check it out! There were 7 floors with demonstrations of different toys throughout the store. We spent over an hour here. 

Fourth Stop: Fortnum and Mason

Established in 1707, this luxury store sells a wide assortment of hampers (gift baskets), tea and coffee, biscuits and chocolates. Below, are the pictures I took of their amazing macaroons. The creme brûlée macaroons and all of the chocolates we tried were AMAZING! We bought a takeaway box of chocolates and macaroons that we snacked on all week. 

Day 2: Stonehenge and Tower of London with the Ceremony of the Keys

First Stop: Tour of Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage site 2-hours from the center of London by car. A bus tour is the way to go. Initially, I wanted to go into the Inner Circle of Stonehenge, (the VIP tour) with Windsor Castle. However, it was sold out and lasted 10 hours. If you would like to learn more and book the tour, please click on the link under the alternate tour options for day two. 

We opted to do a half day tour which included time for lunch at their cafe. No matter which tour you choose, make sure it includes an admission ticket. We took the tram from the parking lot to the Welcome Center but chose to walk back from Stonehenge to the car park through the field and woods. It felt as though we were in the middle of nowhere and was absolutely beautiful. 

Second Stop: Dinner at the Cambridge Pub

Fourth Stop: Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London

Word of warning – this tour makes for a late night but it is well worth it. Just to note, this tour does NOT show you the crown jewels. Therefore, I suggest, if possible, getting a ticket to see the crown jewels late in the day before attending this tour. Make sure to get the tickets when planning the vacation to be safe. During this tour, you will learn about the Yeoman and their families that live at the Tower of London, and see the famous Ceremony of the Key which is very cool. Check out some of the pictures we took below. 

Alternate Tour Options for Day 2:

• Full day Tour of the Inner Circle at Stonehenge and Windsor Castle
• Full Day Tour of Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle
• Two-Hour Tower of London Opening Ceremony, Crown Jewels and Beefeaters

Day 3: A Full Day of Harry Potter!

First Stop: Harry Potter full-day tour

The day every Harry Potter fan is waiting for – Harry Potter Studios Tour! It was a long day but well worth it. We headed to Victoria Station and walked to the meeting place at Bullied Way. The bus was hard to miss as it was covered in Harry Potter decorations. The tour operators were friendly, the bus was comfortable, and each seat had a fancy screen to watch movies! It takes about 90 minutes to get to the studio from Central London and you are given about 4 hours at the studio which is plenty of time to see everything, take photographs, and eat lunch. The mostly self-guided tour itself was fantastic. I don’t want to spoil it with too many details! 

Second Stop: Dinner at Côte Brasserie in Covent Garden

Upon arriving back to London, we went to our hotel for a bit to relax before heading to a local French restaurant for dinner. It was steps away from the hotel! I chose from a pre-fixe menu and had sea bass and chocolate mousse and Eli had a hamburger, again. The food was delicious and the price was very reasonable.

Day 4: Buckingham Palace and an afternoon with friends!

First Stop: Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard Tour

This was a fantastic tour that involved a bit of walking. It didn’t start until 10:15am so this allowed a relaxed morning which was very nice. At the meeting point you will see any people waiting on the steps. This is where you will find your tour operator. The tour will take you through St. James’ Park, then onto watch the ceremony of the changing of the guard before finishing at Buckingham Palace. Of note, this tour does include an entrance ticket (not all tours include this.) Our tour guide was very informative and we did not feel rushed. There are crowds so you must be careful to stay close to your group.

Second Stop: St. James’ Park

We are fortunate to have good friends that live in England . They were able to come into the city and spend the afternoon with us. Eli and their children ran around the grass playing tag and on the playground for a bit. There were many families relaxing and enjoying the park around us. We decided to all go out for dessert followed by dinner!

Third Stop: Dessert before dinner at GioLato Artisan Gelateria

This Gelateria was only an 11-minute walk from the playground. It had an extensive list of gelato flavors as well asdairy-free sorbet. By the time we left, all of the children had gelato covering their faces – a sure sign that the gelato and sorbet were delicious!

Fourth Stop: Dinner at Old Star Pub

This pub was quite large and we sat on the lower level in an area called the Vaults. Check out the photos on their website and you’ll see what I mean! The pub was an extensive beer menu, adult menu and kids’ menu that included chicken nuggets, much to my son’s relief

Day 5: Wimbledon Day

We nicknamed this “Wimbledon Day” for good reason. Our family’s love of tennis and soccer combined several activities into one day all revolving around sports. Despite not being a huge soccer fan, this was definitely my favorite day of the week! Of note, these were the first tickets we procured as it can be quite difficult to obtain soccer (football) tickets.

First Stop: All England Lawn Tennis Club Grounds and Museum Tour

This tour was my son’s number one priority. We booked the tour here. From the tube, depending on the station , it is at least a 15-minute walk. That being said, the homes around the area are absolutely gorgeous. If possible, I’d recommend hiring a ride share to take you from the tube. At your designated scheduled tour time, they allow you onto the grounds for a tour. After this, you are able to go downstairs to their self-guided museum. Both are very well done and my son loved them. 

The Leather Bottle pub is about a 40-minute walk from the All England Lawn Tennis Club grounds so we chose a ride share. This pub one of only a handful of pubs that caters to only AFC Wimbledon fans, on match days. To enter the pub, you must show your football ticket. After ordering our food, Eli parked himself on a recliner, and watched a fungal match while waiting for our lunch to be served. It was a lively and fun atmosphere and the food was good. It is approximately a 12-minute walk to the AFC Wimbledon Stadium.

This was our first English soccer match and it did not disappoint – Wrexham vs Wimbledon! The crowds, and our view from our 2nd row seats were amazing! I highly recommend signing up for stadium plus and signing your children up to be Wimbledon AFC Junior Dons on their website. This allowed us to get early access to excellent seats and overall, it was very inexpensive (especially compared to Premier league tickets of course!) We did not partake in this but there is an AFC Wimbledon tour that you can schedule on their website which lasts approximately an hour. 

Fourth Stop: Dinner at Heddon Street Kitchen

I have always wanted to try a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. When I found out that kids eat free at his restaurants, I was officially convinced that we had to try Heddon Street Kitchen. It was a cute but busy place and it had plenty of options. Eli was excited about yet another hamburger, while I tried the fish. Upstairs, they have an ice cream bar for children that cost £3,50. When Eli went up there and hadn’t returned for at least 10 minutes, I became a bit worried. I went upstairs to find Eli being served at an ice cream bar covered with bowls of toppings! Boy, did he have a huge grin on his face!

Day 6: Hyde Park, Afternoon tea, and Windsor Castle and Balthazar

Day six was a relaxed day starting with a walk around to see more of the city including Covent Garden before heading to Hyde Park. 

First Stop: Hyde Park

Address: Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom
Tube Station: Hyde Park Corner

We went to the Rose garden, walked to the pond, watched the swans, and stopped at the Hyde Park playground where Eli met some new friends! 

Second Stop: Afternoon Tea at The Mandarin Oriental at Hyde Park

I don’t know many American 10-year-old boys that get excited about afternoon tea. However, after convincing my son to change into a nice outfit and showing him the menu, he was very excited. It was quite a pricey event, but it was well worth it. We booked our reservation at the link above. The service was impeccable which made us feel special. The sandwiches, pastries, and treats were delicious. Even the carbonated tea was fun! Eli loved his hot chocolate, of course! Check out the fun we had below!

This deserves its own segment as the Elizabeth line is the most recent addition to the underground train system as I understand it. The seats were quite comfortable. We used this line to head from London to Windsor Castle (closest station is Windsor and Eton Central Station.)

We decided the night before that we were going to go to Windsor Castle. To be honest, Eli had truly no interest in going and wanted to relax, but I persisted and was able to obtain tickets online for the following day. You can purchase tickets here. It ended up being a really fun trip but does require taking the underground tube as well as the railway. Once you arrive at the Windsor & Eton Central Station, there is a Royal Shopping Center, fit for a royal ($$$$). We then walked about 10 minutes to Windsor Castle, where we were lucky enough to be able to listen to an orchestra on the grounds. Eli surprised me by wanting to sit and listen to the orchestra play for almost an hour. It may have helped that they started off playing awell-known Coldplay song!

The tour of Windsor Castle was self-guided with an audio tour. It was wonderfully done. After touring the grounds, and listening to the orchestra we headed back to the tube station closest to Windsor Castle to head back to London. 

Fifth Stop: Dinner at Balthazar

I had always heard great things about Balthazar and wanted to check it out. It is in Covent Garden which was within walking distance of our hotel so we decided to walk around first. The food and atmosphere were fantastic. Eli declared his hamburger to be the best he had ever had, which is saying 

Our last day was full of shopping, or rather window shopping! Eli was not excited to go shopping until he arrived at Harrod’s, the iconic British department store. We spent hours here and the time flew by. Do not forget to stop in Harrod’s food halls to get lunch or dinner. We both ordered specialty pasta dishes which were amazing!!!! Later on, we headed back to the hotel where our driver picked us up and took us to the airport.

There are so many fun things to do in London, but the above itinerary made for a memorable week. When planning your trip, I’d first start by using the links above to book your hotel and schedule your tours. The tour scheduling can be a bit tricky as some of the tours may be sold out on certain days and times. Once you have scheduled these, I’d work on making sure you secure a tube pass that works for you, followed by restaurant reservations. There are so many amazing restaurants and pubs in London but you can’t go wrong with the places we’ve outlined above! 

Remember to subscribe to my site so that you can see all of my future blog posts! Please, as always, feel free to send me a message, like my posts, and comment below with anything I may have missed or with suggestions for future posts! I’d love to hear from you! 

All the best,

Alexis