Thoughts on London Itinerary

I wouldn't try to do the Tower of London on your first day. Frankly, I wouldn't plan much of anything. Last time, we landed at about 12:00. By the time we made it through immigration, collected bags, and actually made it into London, it was nearly 2:30 and we got through immigration about an hour after landing (so pretty quick). We dropped our bags and headed out. We stayed in the Bayswater area, so we walked through Hyde Park and past Kensington Palace, and then down to Tarfalger Square, Big Ben, saw the Houses of Parliment and Westminster Abbey. By 8pm we were ready for bed. Got a good nights sleep and never felt the jet lag. Save Tower of London for a day when you can get there right at opening. Maybe shift to your Day 4??

Also, Day 2 - National Gallery and Churchill War Rooms might be too much museum for one day (especially for your younger one). Unless you hit up one at opening and the other later in the afternoon.

I'm sure others may have different suggestions, but just wanted to give you some food for thought 😊

Your plans sound awesome for the adults but it might be too much for the jet lagged kids. I don't like crowds, so the changing of the guards is too much for me and in order to get a good view you have to get there early and wait around.

You didn't include it, but Hampton Court Palace has been revamped to be more kid friendly and it's a fun train ride from central London. They have hands on exhibits and you can borrow cloaks to wear around the palace. That alone is worth the price of admission. Look into becoming a Historic Royal Palaces member and you get free (jump the line) passes into Hampton Court and the Tower of London. The little village of East Molesey, near Hampton Court, is fun for a stroll and lunch.

One of my favorite days in London is taking the Thames Boat to Greenwich. It has a park that looks like an impressionist painting, a fun naval museum and the Cutty Sark. Are the kids into Harry Potter?

I visited London last year during Easter weekend and it was the most crowded I've ever seen it!

Hi

Take the Thames Cruise either to/from Greenwich.

Changing of the guard, yes it is crowded, to the front of the Victoria statue in-front of either the "in" or the "out" gate of the palace. Get there at least 30minutes before time. After, walk through the Park to the Churchill War Rooms.
The kids will like the change of pace in the park.

Go to the Tower first thing on another day, go straight to the Crown Jewels, no waiting, then catch one of the beefeater tours. Do the Tower Bridge on this day also. You could also take one of the "old" buses back.

Regarding Hotels, other will offer better suggestions, we have stayed in the Luna Simone, #24 bus is right out front. Try them.
regards

Mid April is Easter school holidays here, which is probably why family rooms are scarce and expensive, as many people will have booked months ago. Have a look at the Premier Inn chain, as they offer family rooms.

Your days are too packed, especially with a 5 year old.

Day 1 - if your flight is on time, it will be 2/2.30 by the time you have checked into your hotel. You then need to grab some lunch, so 3/3.30. Assuming that you want to go into the Tower of London rather than just look from outside, you need 3+ hours there. Most people don't stay in the City of London, (the CBD), so it will probably take you 30+ minutes to get there from your hotel. London will be busy over Easter, so my recommendation would be to visit the Tower at opening time to avoid the queues.

Day 2 - heavy going for a 5 year old who may still be suffering from jetlag. Trafalgar Square is just a walk through. If you want tours inside Parliament and Westminster Abbey, then you may struggle to also fit in the War Rooms, which need 2-3 hours minimum. The National Gallery is c 2 hours.

Day 3 - you could spend all day at the British Museum. You can take a boat down to Greenwich.

Day 4 - light compared to the other days. Swap this day with another if you get decent weather for the park.

Day 5 - my vote would go to Greenwich, not Stonehenge, particularly for children. It's a shorter, easier journey there and the Observatory is interesting. You will have a long day if you cover Stonehenge and a theatre show. Get discount tickets at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square.

You may wish to swap some of the itinerary for more child-friendly attractions such as the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, Harry Potter at Kings Cross Station and Watford or the Natural History Museum, which is more hands on than the British Museum. Children also seem to like the Bank of England Museum and the Operating Theatre Museum.

Day 1 (flight arrives around 12:00 into Heathrow from Seattle)
I would not plan a thing for this opening day after 10 hours flying.
Walking is your best option to adjust for jet lag, but no specific sights, except perhaps sunset at London Eye.

Day 2
House of Parliament
Westminster Abbey
Four O'Clock Parade - Horse Guards
Trafalgar Square
National Gallery
(I would ditch the Churchill War Rooms as of no interest to your kids)

Day 3
Tower Bridge
Tower of London
St Paul's
Skygarden - 20 Fenchurch

Day 4
Kensington Palace & Gardens
Hyde Park
British Museum
(Do your kids really want to be dragged around Harrod's??)

Day 5
Thames Cruise to Greenwich
(I would say Stonehenge is too far and hard for kids to appreciate)
Theatre show (be careful with your choice here - tired kids and the theatre are not a good mix)

Like others here, my first thought is that it's not a very kid-oriented itinerary. The City of London Museum is a fave with kids (and adults). Kensington Palace wouldn't be high on my list, probably wouldn't even make the list. The London Eye is a bit of a conundrum - if you book in advance you avoid a long line, but if visibility is poor . . . I haven't been to the city since the Shard opened, but there's an observation deck - that may be an alternative.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I may swap day 1 with day 4.
Stonehenge is out and Greenwich is now on tap.
I ended booking at the Crown Plaza The City which is close to Blackfriars Bridge. May change it if I can get a better location; finding hotels for 4 for under $350/night close to all of the attractions is not any easy task. Would love Mayfair area but found nothing so far.

Not sure if you are open to it but.. we rented an apartment via vrbo for our London stay this summer.
We like having the extra space, the ability to grab snacks and breakfast in the apartment and you can find something that fits your budget

Way too much especially after flying in from SEATAC. I fly the red eye from LAX and that first day is always a challenge to ward off jet lag. So, I walk in the fresh air and let my senses adjust to the sights, sounds and smells.

Now that you've chosen the Crowne Plaza The City consider this opinion for your arrival day.

You are at the doorstep of the Blackfriars Tube and Train station so you can get everywhere easily.

As you will not even get settled at the hotel until around 3pm or later plan to walk along the Thames via the Victoria Embankment to Westminster Bridge.

Once at Westminister Bridge you can decide what's more important for photo ops first, Parliament Square or The Eye.

Agree with others about providing interesting options for the little ones to enjoy. A Thames cruise should be of interest to the 10 and 5 year old.

The playground at Kensington Palace.

Something completely different like the Robot Zoo at the Horniman Museum and Gardens and absolutely don't forgot seeing the Mudshute Farm.

I'd also include the Natural History museum as besides Mummy's in the British Museum kids LOVE dinosaurs.

Hi. I actually made an account so I could respond to your post :)

I went to London 3 years ago with my husband. I loved it so much I'm going back this fall with my 13 & 9 year old sons.

I think you're planning too much in your days. This is what we did...
Day 1: arrived 1:10. Got to the hotel after 3pm. Went walking, dinner, crashed.

Day 2:

British Museum at 10:00 (loved, the kids will love, spent several hours there & ate lunch in their cafeteria),
British Library (there's a copy of the Magna Carta there, plus lots of old books and documents, including Queen Elizabeth I. We loved. I'm taking the boys. King's Cross Station is close by (Harry Potter), which we didn't see before, but I will take boys this trip),
4:24 train out of Watford Junction to Harry Pottery studios. Looked at EVERYTHING, and still were done before close. Definitely going again. Got back to London around 10pm.

Day 3:
Mind the Gap Bike Tour to Windsor. Loved Windsor, liked the bike tour, took up the whole day.

Fell asleep in the play we went to that night :) (Would pick Hampton Court Palace over Windsor with the kids if you have to pick one.)

Day 4:
This day was too busy. We both wish we'd had time at all three things.
9:00 on the dot at the Tower of London. We were there for hours, with no lines, and still didn't see everything. The kids will love it.
1:00ish??? at St. Paul's Cathedral. Beautiful, but I think the kids will like Westminster Abbey more if you have to pick. Knew we had to get to Churchill Museum, so we didn't wait in the (fairly long) line to get to the tip top. We did eat in their basement cafeteria, and it was very good. On the backside of the altar, there is a large book containing the names of every American soldier who died during WWII (or D-Day, can't remember). It was very moving - the British have not forgotten the sacrifice.
3:30 Churchill Museum. We loved it (ok, we loved everything) and were the last ones out.
Saw a musical that night.

Day 5:

Took the train out to Hampton Court Palace. LOVED. Many times we commented that the kids would like this, or that.
Working kitchen that makes food Henry VIII would have eaten, big maze, largest grape vine in the world, etc.

We stayed from open until 3:1ish.

Did more wandering (we'd been wandering a bit the other days, too)
Decided we were too exhausted to go the Globe Theater that night. Regret that decision, but we were tired!

Day 6:
9:30 Westminster Abbey, which is beautiful. Lots of statues to look at. Just happened to be in the right spot at the right time, but got to go up the stairs, behind the altar, to a brief prayer service. This is the area where the brides/grooms go during royal weddings to sign papers or something, as well as being the destination for centuries of pilgrims. Cool.

1:00 Almost missed our reservation to Buckingham Palace. Loved the exhibit about the Queens coronation. The exhibit was one of my favorite parts of the trip, but I'm not sure I'd take the kids to the palace.

In the nick of time to see the Mews. Cars, Carriages, Horses, including the gold coronation coach.

5:00ish went to Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Cool experience, not doing it again.

We then left London, went to Salisbury (Stonehenge, Cathedral, Old Sarum), took a train to Portsmouth and took an overnight ship to France, where we spent the day visiting the D-Day sights.

Point of all this....I think we saw 3 things a day and felt rushed. I really think you will regret Day 2, because you will barely see anything at any of the places you go.

Enjoy!

Note, if thinking Natural History Museum, that the big dinosaur skeleton has just been removed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38931313

Do you want to look at them or go inside? Usually two major sites per day (one am/one pm) is all we plan for if we're going inside - and you definitely want to go inside most sites! You'll also discover things between your planned visits that will interest you and take time.

I'd combine Tower of London with Greenwich. Go to Tower early then grab the boat ride to Greenwich. You'll still have plenty of time to see something else on the way back

It's a nice list but I think it's a bit ambitious, especially with kids, unless you are planning to just walk by and taking pictures of some of these things. That's what we did for London Bridge after visiting Tower of London and we just took pictures of Kensington palace, Buckingham Place (didn't bother with the changing of the guards), London Eye, Westminster Abby and Parliament. Though London is an efficient city and you can get a lot done in a day, I think it would be best to linger on the things you really want to do. Leave yourself time to enjoy the city itself.

You could do Hyde Park on Day 1 after you drop of your bags at your hotel. It's best to just walk around the city or a park the first day, take pictures, and have dinner and get to bed early. You'll be delirious by the end of the first day. It's important to keep moving though until bedtime.

What I did when planning for our 5 day trip was to plan two must-do things for each day and an optional thing if time permitted. We spent two days enjoying attractions in the city, took one day trip outside of the city (Eastbourne), and one trip on a train to an attraction close by (Hampton Court Palace) and went to a play that evening. I left one day open for things we really wanted to do but didn't make it to, souvenir shopping, or museums. We opted for souvenir shopping at Camden Market to purchase Christmas presents for family.

Unless you really love shopping I would maybe take Harrod's off the list. We went to get some Christmas ornaments as gifts and it was a real time suck. Unless you have lots of time and enjoy shopping, go to one of the open air markets instead. That way you get to enjoy the city atmosphere while you shop. Harrod's is like a huge maze with no signs or maps. It's just a glorified mall. You can see that at home. At least that was my experience.

Unless you are going to see one specific exhibit I would think British Museum, like Tower of London, would take at least half a day. We didn't go to British Museum. There was a nice little armor museum inside Tower of London that satisfied our museum requirement.

I can't wait to go back to see the things we didn't get to see on the first trip.

I'll just agree with several other comments above: Harrods is just a very large and busy department store. If your kids like large, busy department stores, they may like it. But I remember hating them as a kid - too overwhelming, too much "adult stuff" I didn't care about like clothes and housewares, and too hard to get out in a hurry when I was overstimulated; not to mention that getting to a bathroom always took time. Plus, you can see a department store at home. Unless you have a specific reason for going there, use the time for something else.

That's a very well-located hotel. I wouldn't change it.

I don't really understand why so many people on this site tend to head west towards Victoria, Mayfair, Kensington etc - Blackfriars is bang in the centre of things, near St Paul's, Shakespeare's Globe and right by the Thames.

I suggest an apartment for your $300 per night. Try London Connection and aim for Soho or Covent Garden. Super central and will cut your to-and-from travel times a bit.

I agree with others that your days are over-loaded. I like David's idea of a walk and the London Eye on arrival day. Settle into your digs, go for a walk, ride the Eye and call it a day.

I like to plan two major sites at most per day, but I have my little list of other places to pop into if we have time and energy. Don't be afraid to drop something if everyone is exhausted or if something else strikes your fancy. The family experience is more important then ticking off the bucket list.

Love the suggestions! Do you think St Paul's and Hyde Park are wise choices for day 1? I figure we will be close to St Pauls and the we can walk around Hyde Park for a bit before grabbing dinner.