6 Things To Do in London With a Toddler

Mike and I have both wanted to spend time in London for years. It worked out perfectly for us to visit during the month of August for 2 weeks before heading back to the states for our second baby to be born! As soon as we set up our trip we contacted London Tourism and they set up visits for our family to several London sites. All of these places are very family (and stroller) friendly. We also lucked out and had amazing weather during our time in London! The only day we had bad rainy weather was the day we visited the Tower of London but we were bound to have a rainy day so we weren’t too upset about it. Here are the sites that we visited and our review of each!

Tower of London

Wow, what an incredible historical site! It is here that you can see the crown jewels and learn about London history dating back to the 1100s. You could easily spend several hours here and still not see the entire place. There are guides that offer tours that are included with the cost of admission. We used an audio guide that gave us loads of information about the history and we really liked it! This is a great place for families as there are multiple activities, the tours are fascinating, and the grounds are great for bringing a lunch.

The London Eye

When we planned our London Eye ride we decided to go late in the day on the last available “flight”. We got in line around 7:50PM and boarded at about 8PM. We had clear skies and an amazing sunset during our 30 minutes on the Eye. Whitney LOVED it and ran around the carriage the entire time saying “wow”! It was very very cute. We were just glad that she wasn’t screaming out of fear because we were very high! This was a fantastic way to get some photos and amazing views of London.

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is the royal residence in Kensington Gardens and has been in the British Royal family since the 1700s. We loved learning about the Kings and Queens who resided here over the last hundred years and some seeing artifacts and the rooms where they lived! The palace has three floors with exhibits on the second and third floor. At the palace you can visit the Princess Diana exhibit as well. Another great family site! After visiting the palace we walked around Kensington Gardens and visited the Princess Diana park. You could easily spend a whole afternoon here!

Sea Life Aquarium

This is one cool aquarium! We thought that it was so amazing that the large aquarium is located right in the middle of the city. In fact if you didn’t know it was there you might miss it as you walk by! We got to the aquarium at opening time (10AM) and were one of the first groups to enter. The aquarium is set up as a one way walk through with loads of tanks and exhibits. We loved the atmosphere and scenes throughout. They do a really good job educating visitors in a fun and entertaining way. Our favorite part was the penguins exhibit! You can get up so close to them and watch them swimming around. We loved it and it was a great place for Whitney to be fascinated with everything in sight.

London Zoo

The London Zoo is located north of the city and is accessible via public transit. This was Whitney’s first time visiting a zoo and we all had a blast. Our favorite animals were the lemurs, monkeys, hippos, sloths, and the Komodo dragon! There are so many amazing exhibits and like many zoos you need an entire day to see them all!

The Shard

The Shard is a 95-story skyscraper and is the tallest building in the United Kingdom! The top of the Shard offers incredible views of the city on several levels of viewing decks. We went late in the evening so we could view the sun setting over the city. It was very crowded, however we were still able to watch the sunset! One thing to be aware of is that strollers are not aloud on the viewing decks so if you’re visiting The Shard with kids we suggest bringing a baby carrier.

If you’re traveling abroad with a baby soon be sure to check out our post with everything you need to prepare for you a trip abroad with your baby!