I am such a huge fan of London. There is something to love for every age and when I was talking to my mother-in-law about family trip ideas for the Thanksgiving break and suggested London she immediately said yes, let’s do it. My in-laws have traveled the world but somehow my father-in-law had never been to London – and to top it off, he has family there that they had not seen in years – so it was a no brainer and off we went to start planning and scheming for a visit to London for eight people ranging in ages from 11-70-ish. :). Thankful for my incredible travel agent for helping us pull together the perfect itinerary.
I thought the schedule was a great one – I might have made a few modest changes (for one, do not eat lunch at the Chelsea Football Stadium) but overall we covered a lot of ground, while still working in enough rest time for everyone, got to visit with the British cousins twice, and most importantly, bonded over a shared experience. And isn’t that the best part of traveling??
Please enjoy this guide. I thought about it and researched it a lot because I wanted it to be a positive experience for all so I hope it will be for you, too. London is truly spectacular.
TRAVEL TIP
I am always looking for ways to make travel less stressful and more enjoyable, especially on trips that involve multiple people. One of the best tips anyone ever gave me and which I still consider and use on every trip is VIP Greeter services. Most airports offer these services and they can be such a game changer if you have little children, anyone with mobility issues, or you just hate waiting in line (I see you, Todd Weiss). The services are expensive and often may not be necessary depending on the crowds, but they can also be life savers during busy travel times. We used the VIP greeter for arrival and departure on this trip and it saved us hours of waiting in line. Plus, they help carry bags.
Day One: Arrive London, travel to The Rubens at the Palace located a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. Get settled, nap, have a snack or late lunch, take a walk around in the chilly London weather to fight off the jet lag, dinner at The Ivy.
A Note on The Rubens at the Palace:
This is a lovely little hotel in a great location by Buckingham Palace. The price is also right – the holidays are obviously one of the busiest and most expensive seasons in London. The rate per room at this hotel is approximately 350 pounds per night (a bargain compared to many hotels during this time), which includes a full breakfast both à la cart and buffet. All that being said, the rooms are small and basic so if fancy rooms are your thing, this might not be the hotel for you. I thought it was perfect for what we needed (four total rooms with two connecting, a place to gather for drinks and breakfast, a helpful and patient concierge, and again you cannot beat the location.
Day Two: Get a good night’s sleep, have a delicious (and included) breakfast at the hotel (giant hot mugs of cappuccino!), head to the National Portrait Gallery. Back to the hotel for lunch at a nearby pub. Because I cannot sit still I headed over to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the sold-out Chanel Manifesto exhibit (now closed but the V&A is a great place to visit – read my review and tips here.) Next, head to The London Eye (with your pre-purchased fast pass tickets for NO LINE!). My twins and I wanted to see the Fortnum & Mason holiday decorations and buy some treats so we hopped in a taxi and headed there after the London Eye. Dinner at Wilton’s for the adults. Room service or lobby restaurant for the teens and kiddos.
A Note on the London Eye:
Fast Track Tickets for the London Eye
So many people advise skipping the London Eye because it is a little slow but I completely disagree especially f you have never been to London before. I think it is a great activity, especially on your first afternoon when you are jet lagged and tired. It gives you an incredible view of the city and you can take it all in before you start your tours the following day. I especially think it is a good option for multi generational groups because everyone can enjoy it together. And you absolutely MUST buy the fast pass tickets because you enter in a separate line, there’s no waiting at all so no one is frustrated (or in my twins’ case, whining – lol), and you can maximize your time.
Day Three: Tour Guide Day – met our Blue Badge Tour Guide (a must) in the hotel lobby at 9 AM for a full day London tour to include the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral (climb 528 steps to the top!). Excellent pizza lunch across the street from the Cathedral at Franco Manca which I think is a chain but it’s really good. Back to the hotel to change for dinner, head to Claridge’s for afternoon tea and champagne before a show. We saw “Crazy for You” at the Gillian Lynne Theatre which is one of the very best shows I have ever seen (and I am a theatre geek). Everyone absolutely loved it and I will be honest, I was definitely sweating this choice with four boys in tow! Sadly it is no longer running but there are many other great choices and I highly recommend the London theatre experience. (Other great choices, “Mamma Mia” and “Guys and Dolls”.)
A Note on Afternoon Tea:
This can be a lot with teenagers and younger kids because there isn’t much to do but eat sweets and drink tea. The service is elaborate and entertaining but that only gets you so far. We took crossword puzzles and Uno everywhere which helped. But the best plan in my opinion is to schedule tea before you go to a show – it ends up serving as dinner so you can kill two birds with one stone (having the tea experience & filling that awkward dinner time slot before a show).
Day Four: Morning tour of the Chelsea Football Stadium – this was awesome, such a great tour and I recommend to all. There was not a game scheduled when we were there but it would have been a really fun activity. (Note – We had lunch at the stadium afterwards. Do not do this. Very disappointing. Instead find a great restaurant in Chelsea and have lunch there afterwards.). Afternoon tour of the Churchill War Rooms (make sure to get the timed tickets.). My twins and I had been to the war rooms before so we opted instead to visit the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. In keeping with the Churchill theme, dinner at the Churchill Arms. This received mixed reviews – it is an iconic pub in London that serves Thai food (yes Thai food) rather than fish and chips. It is completely done up for the holidays so you’re not really there for the food – it is a tourist attraction.
A Note on Hyde Park Winter Wonderland:
We absolutely loved this experience – I pre-purchased tickets to rides so we didn’t have to wait in line (I just picked a few at random that I thought they would enjoy and they were all in my Apple wallet when we arrived – super easy). Another tip is to go when it is daylight because we were able to find our way around – it turned dark around the time we were leaving and I remember thinking how glad I was that we weren’t trying to navigate the park at night. I think we went around 4 PM or so. So my top tips to enjoy this would be to go in the afternoon and pre-purchase tickets. It was magical for us – we rode rides and bought hot chocolate and just enjoyed all the holiday and Christmasy feelings.
Day Five: Another Blue Badge Tour Guide day. Driver picked us up from the hotel and took us to Hampton Court Palace, King Henry VIII’s summer palace about thirty minutes outside of London, and over to the neighborhood of Richmond and home of the Ted Lasso set where we walked around, took lots of pictures and had a pint at the local pub. Headed back to the hotel and then went for drinks at The Dorchester and their newly renovated Vesper Bar, followed by a “Thanksgiving dinner” at The Colony Grill Room which we weren’t so sure about but ended up being a great option for us. It was fun to have a little taste of home on my favorite holiday.
Day Six: And on Day Six, we rest. But only a little. Behind the scenes tour of the Changing of the Guard followed by a tour of Westminster Abbey and then some free time (shopping!). Pub dinner near the hotel and home to pack and get some rest for early flights.
The End! I can’t wait to go back.
