London
24 hours in the heart of London with kids
Insider guide by Sarah Ahern. Exclusively created for guests at The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences.
London is wonderful for kids of all ages. The museums, parks, palaces, shops, and wealth of food and dining options make it a great city to visit as a family. Read on to discover how to spend the perfect day out in London with children.
Breakfast: Galvin at The Athenaeum
Mayfair
116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ, UK
Galvin at The Athenaeum
Start your day with a filling and scrumptious breakfast at Galvin at The Athenaeum. The hotel restaurant offers a wonderful menu of breakfast classics made from British ingredients, including a traditional Full English Breakfast with all the trimmings and waffles with a choice of toppings for little ones with a big appetite.
Morning: British Museum
Bloomsbury
Great Russell St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG, UK
The Great Court at the British Museum
The British Museum is one of the world’s best, and it offers something for everyone. From the Egyptian galleries with mummies and sarcophagi to the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles, the collection is truly remarkable and opens up a world of discovery and history to kids of all ages. The Family Centre in the main atrium can advise on kid-friendly museum trails and offers free activity backpacks and crayons and drawing paper for little ones.
Insider tip: Check out this list of the top 12 objects at the British Museum to see with children or why not make your visit even more memorable by booking our Ginza Insider Experience and private guided Agatha Christie-themed tour of the museum?
Lunch: The Mayfair Chippy
Mayfair
14 N Audley St, Mayfair, London W1K 6WE, UK
The Mayfair Chippy
This AA Rosette restaurant serves quintessentially British comfort foods, including, of course, a killer fish and chips (we would argue that no visit to London is complete without indulging in this most British of meals). Tuck into crispy, flaky, battered fish, fried to perfection and served with the classic accompaniments of mushy peas and tartar sauce. Talk about a crowd pleaser.
Afternoon: Hamleys toy shop
Regent Street
188-196 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 5BT, UK
Discover perfect family gifts from Hamleys
Arranged over seven jaw-dropping floors packed with toys of all kinds, it’s safe to say the world’s largest and oldest toy shop is unlike any other shop you have ever been to. Discover Hamley’s vast offering of soft toys, LEGOs, film and games collectibles, dolls, puzzles, games and so much more. Definitely an unmissable attraction for kids of all ages.
Dinner: Tredwells
Covent Garden
4A Upper St Martin's Ln, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9NY, UK
Tredwells
This relaxed and fun restaurant from celebrity chef Marcus Wareing offers a specially crafted ‘Junior’ menu, as well as a 7-course Culinary Kids tasting menu featuring dishes like BBQ cod cheek with carrot, cumin and smoked yoghurt and marinated pineapple, passion fruit and coconut mousse for dessert. The kids tasting menu also comes with recipe cards for your little chefs to take with them and try out at home. There is also plenty to keep adult tastebuds satisfied, with Chef Patron Chantelle Nicholson’s menu of ‘globally inspired, rooted in London” dishes.