As a parent of young children, London is one of those places that I tended to avoid. Like any major city, its size and busyness seemed incompatible with toddlers and tantrums – theirs and mine.
I speak from experience. I have been that parent that lugged smallies and baby paraphernalia around a busy Tube on a family 'break' and I needed another holiday after it.
But years have passed and my daughters are now the sturdier ages of eight and ten, making exploring - and holidays in general - so much easier. So we set off on a four-day London girls trip, with the sole purpose of packing in as much fun and adventure as possible.
I had little experience of navigating the English capital, even solo, and was a little terrified of how we'd even get from Heathrow to the city. There are many options and if you're a scaredy cat like me, I recommend uploading the CityMapper app, a foolproof tool which saved us so much time and literally guides you every step of your journey.
However, my inner wimp still decided to use Uber to go from the airport to our first hotel, the very elegant yet wonderfully unpretentious Sheraton Grand Park Lane.
Despite its imposing address as one of the top hotels in a prime destination in the city, the staff here are wonderfully warm and its luxe, chic interiors belie the fact that it's very family friendly. It even has dog-friendly suites.
We were made feel right at home in our spacious family suite overlooking Hyde Park, and once we unpacked it was time for our first very English ritual. The hotel offers a London Kids' Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court, a beautiful art deco space where food and drinks are served all day. Inspired by London landmarks, it features pastries, sandwiches, scones, and hot chocolate or tea.
At €30 per child, the girls especially adored decorating their own Big Ben and London Bus pastries, while myself and my mum enjoyed a more adult version, sipping Japanese sparkling tea and feasting on delectable savoury and sweet bites.
Then it was time to explore so we took a short Tube ride to one of the most popular tourist spots in the city - the museum quarter in South Kensington. As many museums are free to visit in Britain, you could easily while away a couple of days in this pocket of the city and not spend much at all, with the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) just steps from each other.
The girls’ chose the Natural History Museum. Be warned, you can spend hours wandering around this vast place, so best plan your visit accordingly. Highlights for us included the Dinosaur Gallery with the animated T-Rex and an enormous Triceratops skull, the awe-inspiring Blue Whale Skeleton, plus the impressive collection of mammals, from the majestic elephant to the tiny shrew.
From there it was time to tick off another must-do on our London list, and that was to visit a cat cafe. Yes, that’s a place where you
can have a cuppa while watching cats play – or sleep, depending on their mood. We had booked Java Whiskers in Marylebone, a
cafe which doubles as a foster home for rescue kitties, and it is the purrfect place to decompress from the busyness of the city. We fell in love with three little eight-month-old kittens and it was hard to say goodbye.
Dinner that evening was at Mercante restaurant in the hotel, which serves rustic Italian fare and is like a little Mediterranean haven in the city, expertly run by Sardinian manager Paulo. It’s a perfect place to people-watch as the day turns to night.
After filling our boots at breakfast the next morning and a walk around the area, it was off to Hogwarts. As a mum of two Potterheads, I can confirm that a visit to Harry Potter Studios was their wish come true. It’s located in Leavesden in Watford, about 32km north-west of central London.
You will need to factor in transport when you book your tour tickets – the cheapest way to get there is by Tube, then train, followed by a free shuttle bus. We went for the Uber route once more for convenience sake, which worked out at about €130 return. It was worth it, as there was so much excitement – and walking! – in the five hours we were there, I couldn’t imagine attempting to traverse the city that evening too. But however you get there, prepare to be enthralled.
Even as someone who can take or leave JK Rowling’s iconic series, I was captivated. The next day we upped and moved to South Bank and the Marriot County Hall, an imposing building on the Thames which is steeped in history, having once been home to Parliament. Don’t let its political past fool you though, far from being stuffy, this hotel has a big family focus, including a free
candy store beside reception, which went down a treat with my two.
Situated in London’s former City Hall, overlooking the Houses of Parliament, views of Big Ben and the London Eye can be seen from many of the guest rooms, including one of the brand new family suites we were staying in, the result of a multi-million pound refurbishment in recent months. There’s also a state-of-the-art gym and private pool, which provided some splash time before dinner at Gillray’s steakhouse that evening, a location which once more offers breathtaking views of many of London’s landmarks.
That afternoon’s entertainment was Madame Tussauds and in case you think it’s like other wax museums from your childhood, I can confirm that this is a fantastic experience and a mustsee when in London. Three floors of absolute entertainment await both adults and kids. My girls adored up close to some of their favourites, like Zendaya, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande – we all agreed the latter was the only waxwork that bore little resemblance to the celebrity
I found the Chamber of Horrors eerily fascinating,- learning of the history of the legendary Marie Tussaud and viewing the French
Revolution guillotine blade, allegedly used to behead Marie Antoinette. There’s lots of other gore and serial killers in there too.
I even managed to get my hands on the likes of Brad Pitt and Harry Styles, and we all loved the Spirit of London interactive ride, which details the history of the city from medieval times to the Swinging Sixties and today. That afternoon it was a Tube ride to Oxford Circus and the Twist Museum, which is designed to challenge perceptions of reality and features over 60 interactive hibits and illusions.
However, in rush hour on the way back to the hotel, we were under no illusions as to just how busy the Tube could get – it’s not for the faint-hearted but we were getting used to the pace of things by now.
Our London adventure also took in Shrek’s Adventure, a popular tourist attraction located on our hotele's doorstep South Bank.
Having watched all four movies yet again last Christmas I felt like we knew all there was to know about Shrek, Donkey et al, but this DreamWorks spectacle throws up more than a few surprises.
It’s 70 minutes of hilarious high jinks for all age groups and I’d definitely recommend it. We then took an Uber boat ride on the Thames to visit the architectural marvel that is Tower Bridge, suspended above and across the River Thames.
It’s visually majestic, but the best part is the views and also braving the glass floors that span a portion of each of the towers – ven if you can’t help but feel your tummy drop a little when you see tiny people and cars 200 feet below.
We ticked another box by getting on a big red bus and going to the Imperial War Museum, again a free attraction which is a must-see, dealing with harrowing subject matter in a way that is suitable for children to access. History of world wars and conflict are displayed in engaging and immersive ways and my girls learnt a lot without becoming overwhelmed.
I ventured myself into the Holocaust Memorial – it’s not suitable for under-14s and I skipped a lot of the more detailed audio visuals, if I’m honest. All in all though, it’s a truly worthwhile visit.
The next morning we went walking past Westminster Buildings and the Abbey to possibly the most iconic British landmark of all, Buckingham Palace, for the changing of the guards, which happens a couple of times a week. It’s a crowded affair but we did get to see some of the spectacle.
If I’m honest the girls were unenthused, and we ended up leaving not too long after but we enjoyed the walk and the many places of interest along the way.
Another big highlight of our trip was the Tower of London, which the girls have been long fascinated with, given their obsession with the murderous Henry VIII and his seven wives.
Two of them, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were executed here, as was the nine-day queen Lady Jane Grey. Again, you could easily spend a good few hours in this place. We learnt so much, from the history of the two princes at Bloody Tower and the real story of Anne’s execution, to Roger Casement’s imprisonment and the yeoman’s tour, to ogling the crown jewels and observing the tower’s sinister ravens from a distance.
This was the cherry on top for our city visit that was packed with adventure from start to finish.
Travel facts:
Fly from all Irish airports to several London airports from €20 return. Sheraton rand Park Lane rates start at €370, London Marriott
Hotel County Hall rates start at €350, see marriott.com for booking. See visitlondon.com for booking and information on all tourist attractions.
