London: Two Family Trips

London has to be one of the most awesome cities in the world and so over recent years we’ve taken the family there for two trips.  We’re originally from the UK and lived in London for a couple of years in between our backpacking travels so we know it well and, since moving to New Zealand in 2004, when we go back to England to visit the family, we always make time for at least a couple of nights in the capital. There’s so much cool stuff to do that each time we visit there’s something new and exciting and each time we go back the kids are at a different age and so we find different attractions each time that all of us love.

On our most recent trip in 2022 we were keen to explore a few of the museums as the kids were now at an age to appreciate what they were seeing. First stop was the Natural History Museum – home to some of the world’s most amazing specimens, including a giant blue whale and a T-Rex skeleton. We all loved exploring the exhibits but had to choose just a few areas as in 4 hours we only got around part of the museum as it’s so huge. 

The following day was the Science Museum. Another great museum for families and easier to get around in a day. We all enjoyed learning about everything from space travel to medicine, and there were plenty of interactive exhibits to keep us all entertained. There was a great local pub nearby for an awesome English pub lunch and a pint too, which was much needed by the time we got there. It was a small stroll up the road then to look around Harrods which the kids were fascinated with. 

A little out of London but so worth the trip was The Harry Potter Studio Tour. We literally spent the whole day there starting with brunch in the fantastic on-site restaurant. Our kids love the books and movies and, for us as video producers, the behind the scenes on how things were filmed was awesome. We must have taken a hundred photos at the sets throughout the tour – from the Hogwarts Express to the Great Hall, you get to see it all. There’s a great halfway stop for Butterbear and a rest too which is much needed by the time you get there. You get to keep the branded mugs too which is a fab souvenir. The gift shop is, of course, a little overpriced but can you really leave without a wand?

We rounded our trip out with a walk through Hyde Park on our last day before getting the tube out to Heathrow. Great to stretch our legs before the big trip to Auckland.

In our previous trip at the end of summer 2018, a few months before pretty much all travel was halted in and out of NZ, we spent three nights staying in an AirBnB in the suburb of Islington, which we used to live in.. With kids aged 6 and 8, it was an easy option to explore by day and then eat locally somewhere along Upper Street by night, with its dozens of food options. 

On this trip, we each chose one thing we wanted to see. Carmen chose Buckingham Palace and so we had an amazing walk through the city along Piccadilly, through Green Park to the Palace and then on to Westminster and the Thames. Jarvis chose the London Eye so we then got to see the city from up high. The ride takes about 30 minutes and we bought our tickets online in advance. 

Rob chose a visit to Greenwich so we got up early one morning and headed to get the boat along the Thames. A nice walk around Greenwich village to find breakfast, then through the park and a stop at the Prime Meridian line which demarcates the world’s western and eastern hemispheres. We then headed into the National Maritime museum (free!) for a couple of hours. 

For our last day, I chose the Tower of London because I’d never been and was keen to see some proper English history. Exploring the towers, seeing the Crown Jewels, the ravens and seeing where a few people lost their heads was interesting for everyone. 

Literally you could stay for weeks in London though and still not see it all. I’m sure there’ll be more London family trips to come as we visit our homeland and many more sites still to see.