Thankfully, my 7 and 8 year old daughters love the show “The Amazing Race,” because that is exactly what the first “leg” of our summer vacation felt like!!!
Travel Tips for a 2 Week Overseas Family Vacation
Some quick travel tips before I get into itinerary…everyone in my immediate family packed for 4 days travel in carry on bags. The kids and Steve brought backpacks too and I had a large “purse.” Every four days, I had strategically booked a 3 bedroom apartment with washer/dryer so our clothing would be fresh and clean. When renting cars in Europe, often much smaller than ours in the US, I’ve found lighter suitcases are easier to fit in tighter trunks. Regional jets tend to have luggage weight limits and checked-bag charges, so having the flexibility to “carry-on” is beneficial. There’s also a great chance of airlines losing luggage on overseas trips…again, why keeping luggage vs checking is recommended!
Laundry can be a complex undertaking. In Europe, to save energy and space, washer/dryer are often the same machine, and about ¼ of the capacity as a nice US unit. Cycles can run 4-5 hours! Get directions from the owner/manager if renting an apartment with a washer/dryer you plan to use.
Print and bring confirmations and bar codes when possible. Book all tours in advance.
Even if traveling to the UK in the middle of summer, pack a raincoat and sweater.
Check hours of operation for the rental car company. Do NOT assume, even if a US-based company, that they are open every day of the week and at the times you would expect them to be!
Ask for help! The London Tube has family rates now and kids under 12 are actually free. The computerized ticket terminal will allow you to pay for kids tickets though. Train personnel stopped us at the terminal on our last day in London to let us know. I estimated an additional 40 pounds of money wasted on transportation for the kids!
Take breaks. There is much to learn and see overseas, but kids need a break! We stopped at the Edinburgh Zoo, various parks and let the kids pick some additional unplanned stops to keep them engaged.
Bring car/train/plane entertainment for the kids. Ours brought a backpack each with activities of their choosing: books, coloring books, stuffed animals.
LAX-Chicago-St Louis-Chicago-Dublin
My mom, daughters and I left from my So Cal house (husband flew separately from Denver, CO to London to Dublin) and realized 5 minutes into the Uber ride to LAX that my mom had left her passport at her house, 4 miles away. We re-routed, picked up the passport and headed to the airport, unaware this first misstep was foreshadowing what was to come…
Our 2:20PM flight to Chicago from LAX on United Airlines left on time, but after hovering over the Chicago O’Hare Airport for 2 hours due to thunderstorms, was re-routed to St Louis. We then sat on the tarmack in St Louis waiting to refuel and for clearance to fly back to Chicago. At 12AM, after sitting for 3 hours, our flight was cancelled, the airplane parked and we took shuttles to the airport terminal. 7 flights had been routed to St Louis, no hotel rooms were to be had and we spent the night in the airport, eating dinner from the vending machines. Fun. Calling the United Airlines customer service meant waiting on hold for an hour before I gave up. Trying the United text messaging feature on my United app also meant waiting indefinitely for a “person” to respond. But…to their credit, the girls’ spirit of adventure kicked in and they likened us to contestants on the Amazing Race…figuring out our next step.
At 5AM, I woke up and got into the physical United customer service line at St Louis Airport. 2 hours later, I had tickets in hand for Chicago-Dublin. At 2PM, after a 2 hour delay and a “hold” on the tarmack to allow another storm to pass, we left St Louis and flew 45 minutes to Chicago. United had re-booked us on the 9:45PM flight to Dublin, but our seats were scattered throughout the plane. I moved us around using the United app, but no premier seats. It was a tight 7 hour, 30 minute flight. And, the plane had mechanical issues so we were delayed another 1 ½ hours in Chicago before taking off.
Dublin, Ireland
Arriving a day late into Dublin meant scrambling to push 2 days worth of Dublin activities into one afternoon. My mom, the girls and I were picked up at the Dublin airport by John, a driver from the Merrion Hotel, who promptly took us under his care. Communicating via e-mail only with the Merrion prior to arrival, we were very impressed with their customer service…in person, their customer service was outstanding. John dropped us at the Jeanie Johnston boat for a rebooked 2PM 50-minute tour telling the story of the thousands of Irish who fled to America/Canada during the Potato Famine. Then he took our luggage to the Merrion for safekeeping until pick up later in the evening. He also recommended his favorite pub for dinner: An Poitin Stil. My husband, whose flight arrived on time the day before and who was able to spend the night at the Merrion Hotel in our beautiful suite in a comfortable bed, met us at the boat. He raved about the Merrion’s service during his stay there. www.themerrionhotel.com
Jeanie Johnston
The whole family, from my 75 year old mother to my 7 year old daughter, loved this tour. Our guide was entertaining, his comments were often geared to the kids and he was extremely knowledgeable. There are mannequins in the below-deck depicting conditions for travelers during the 6 week journey to North America and, while a bit creepy at first, they well-illustrate the facts shared. I highly recommend booking this during your Dublin travels! www.jeaniejohnston.ie
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Across the street from the Jeanie Johnston is the EPIC museum. Also geared towards all ages, the kids particularly enjoyed the “passports” they were given to stamp in each section of the museum. Plan on spending about an hour here, learning about Irish history, culture, sports, music, etc. Really well done!!! Don’t miss this in Dublin. www.epicchq.com
Trinity College and the Book of Kells
Maybe because we’d spent two days traveling, slept in an airport and on an airplane and barely ate, but by the time we made it to our 4PM tour of Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the kids were pretty tired. We walked about 10 minutes to Trinity College using Google Maps, my go-to in any country. The guide was a Trinity student and the information he shared about the college building and general history was geared for an adult audience. The Book of Kells, located in the old library, is a book of illustrated Gospels dating from 800AD. And it’s absolutely something to include in a trip to Dublin, however, this is not an activity I’d recommend for families with kids under 12 years old. They did not appreciate the college historical information or the extensive build-up to the final Book of Kells showing. www.visitdublin.com
Merrion Hotel
We walked 15 minutes back to the Merrion Hotel in a rainstorm and arrived quite soaked and ready for a snack. Our luggage had already been separated and was waiting for us. The hotel was very accommodating. We were ushered to the No. 23 cocktail bar where we enjoyed champagne, lemonade and cheese sandwiches.
Kilkea, Ireland (County Kildare)
Steve booked an Audi A6 from Hertz at the Dublin Airport to hold our family of 5 plus suitcases and it fit us! Driving in Ireland is an adventure: opposite side of the road and opposite driver’s seat from America. Since Steve arrived the day before us, he had some practice on his own and highly recommends using Google Maps vs a car’s GPS if wifi is available. There are many roundabouts and lots of ways to end up off the highway and onto a tiny back road…which adds more flavor to the drive…and also more time.
We stopped at An Pointin Stil in Rathcoole about 30 minutes south of Dublin and on the path to our Kilkea Castle lodgings, per John the driver’s recommendation. The night we arrived happened to be the Kerry vs Dublin 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Final. This is Gaelic football and is a mix between soccer and rugby and it’s a BIG deal. The game had just finished, with Dublin winning, when we arrived and the pub was packed with families in their team jerseys. Such fun to be an observer! The pub has two ways of service: downstairs seating with a self serve buffet line OR upstairs formal seating. The buffet line was long so we chose upstairs. I split the fish dish and it was excellent. They had a traditional kids’ menu with burgers, chicken tenders, etc. Worth a stop if headed in this direction. www.anpointinstil.ie
Kilkea Castle is not a place to spend less than 24 hours like we did. The original plan was thwarted by the delayed flight and our rushed Dublin stay. For 5 people, this was the ideal accommodations! We had the entire building 5, with 3 separate hotel rooms, 2 stories and one main entrance. The girls picked the queen bedroom and bathroom on the 2nd floor with outdoor terrace; Steve and I picked the suite, with full kitchen, living room, washer/dryer and big bedroom and bathroom; my mom picked the smaller queen bedroom on the 1st floor with a bathroom. The castle has an 18-hole golf course, archery, falconry, an award-winning spa…all of which we did not do! Breakfast was included at the clubhouse the next morning and THIS we absolutely participated in. Prepared food plus menu to order from, plus espresso drinks and alcohol were all free. I really wish we had more time to spend here, but Ireland is a big country and we only had 4 days total, whittled to 3 with our flight delay. www.kilkeacastle.ie
Cobh, Ireland (County Cork)
We left the castle and drove 2 hours to Cobh, on the coastline of Ireland to have lunch, explore and go to the Titanic Experience. Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic. The tour, located in the former White Star Line offices, is super interesting and great for all ages. You receive a passenger’s information at the start and then find out his/her fate in the end…you can ask for a survivor when paying for the trip. My daughters didn’t want to “die.” Park as close as possible. It was very busy when we arrived. www.titanicexperiencecobh.ie
A couple activities we didn’t do, but would come back for: Fota Wildlife Park to see wild animals and the former prison island Spike Island, which is a 15 minute ferry ride from Cobh. www.fotawildlife.ie and www.spikeislandcork.ie
There are lots of restaurants to choose from in Cobh. Charlotte and Emmeline discovered their love for fish and chips! Mimmos is an unassuming restaurant in Casement Square and is all take-out, but the food was great. We originally ordered the girls hot dogs, but they both ended up eating our fish!!! And we ordered wine from the neighboring Arch wine bar where the service was excellent. We were able to eat and drink at tables in the Square. Mimmos doesn’t have a website. www.thearch-cobh.com
Killarney, Ireland (County Kerry)
Post the Titanic Experience tour, we drove 3 more hours to the quaint town of Killarney. My mom booked the Foley Townhouse on High Street for one night. We didn’t know that High Street means Main Street when booking hotels for this trip. You’ve been warned. We benefited from on site parking and shops and restaurants right outside the door, but it was a loud night for the weary travelers! Our family had a large room with two beds on the top floor. My mom had a tiny room on the floor below us. All had issues with noise and room temperature control. She booked this hotel because it was one of the few that didn’t require a 2-night minimum stay. We met our jaunting car (private horse and buggy tour) in front of the Great Southern Hotel the next morning. You may want to check that one out instead! On the website, Great Southern shows family rooms and has Family Special Offers. www.foleystownhouse.com www.greatsouthernkillarney.com
Walk around Killarney and explore. There are countless restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, shops and pubs to try. This town is just too cute!!!
On our jaunting car tour, we explored Killarney National Park and the Ross Castle. The girls were enthralled with our horse, Casey and our driver, Laura, was entertaining. This activity is very much geared towards kids. The castle is basically ruins and there isn’t a tour…just good for pictures and cartwheels in the outdoors. http://www.We grabbed scones and coffee at a place called Bakery, Flour & Meal on High Street and headed back on the highway for our 3 ½ hour drive back to the Dublin Airport. www.killarneyjauntingcars.com
Dublin, Ireland to Edinburgh, Scotland
After 3 days in Southern Ireland, we flew Aer Lingus at 6:30PM a short hour to Edinburgh, Scotland. I booked the flight online and “splurged” for the Plus seating. The tickets were still only $572 total for the 5 of us. Upon arrival, we hopped in a large black taxi and headed to our flat rented through Booking.com in the Old Town of Edinburgh. UK taxis are the best for families, by the way! They typically hold 6 people comfortably and have room for strollers, luggage or wheelchairs as needed.
Our 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom flat was located on the 7th floor of an elevator-less townhome on High Street/Royal Mile, across from the Giles Cathedral. GREAT location for activities. TERRIBLE location for, once again, noise. While climbing 4 flights of steep winding stairs carrying our luggage (glad we packed light!) was a challenge, I was grateful to be on the highest floor because it did mitigate some of the noise from the street performers below. www.booking.com
We discovered quickly that most restaurants with bars in Edinburgh stop serving food at 8PM, but stay open to serve drinks-only. After several failed attempts to “find food” walking Royal Mile at 9PM, we settled on Byrons and were the last group admitted before the restaurant closed for the evening. Good burgers and fries…but Edinburgh is a foodie town and better options abound if you time it right!!!!
Touring Outside Edinburgh
Day 1 in Scotland found us traveling OUT of Edinburgh city proper. We booked the Kelpies, Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle, 9-hours-on-a-bus tour for us all. While the tour guide was entertaining and the sites were worth seeing, this is NOT the tour for a family with kids under 14. Really…it wasn’t a tour for people under 65…70 was the average age of our counterparts I’d bet!
You can take the train direct, one hour, from Edinburgh to Stirling Castle which was the most interesting part of the tour for the kids. Do this instead of a 9-hour tour.
Other things to see outside the city…St Andrews is an hour from Edinburgh or an hour from Stirling Castle. It’s not only a golf destination, but also, I’m told, a neat little town to explore with kids.
I’m told it isn’t worth the 3-hour drive to “see” the Loch Ness Monster. But Harry Potter world is great.
Edinburgh, Scotland
The city is VERY walkable, even with kids. Old Town, where we stayed, is bookended by Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, both worth seeing with kids. They’re about 2 miles apart with shops, museums and restaurants to explore along the way. New Town is just across the bridge below Edinburgh Castle from Old Town and on that bridge you’ll find the train station. SO CONVENIENT! Old Town’s distinct 1700s stone architecture sets it apart from the “newer” look of New Town.
If your kids are too small to walk a few miles in a day, there are plentiful cabs as well as Hop On/Hop Off buses that will take you around Old and New Town popular areas. Old Town is quite hilly and our kids climbed more steps in our 4 days here than they do in a month at home!
Quick itinerary from our time in Edinburgh…
On Day 2, we toured Edinburgh Castle for 3 hours, had lunch with a scotch tasting at Devil’s Advocate off the Royal Mile, walked to St Andrew’s Square in New Town and picked up the Hop On/Hop Off bus to Grassmarket for coffee, jumped back on the Hop On/Hop Off bus at Grassmarket and got off on Calton Hill to climb/see the statues there, walked to The Balmoral Hotel for champagne/juice and walked to dinner at Le Petit Beefbar there. www.devilsadvocateedinburgh.com.uk www.roccofortehotels.com
On Day 3, we taxied to the Edinburgh Zoo and spent 3 hours there, did the audio tour of Holyrood Palace, went through the Peoples’ Museum on our walk back to the apt on the Royal Mile, then walked to and from Locanda di Gusti for dinner in New Town. www.locandadegusti.com
On Day 4, we walked to the train station and took an LNER train from Edinburgh to London, then rented a car in London to drive to the Cotswolds. www.lner.co.uk
Buy tickets in advance mainly through www.getyourguide.com to see…
Edinburgh Castle
You can’t miss this one! And trust me…we saw A LOT of castles on this trip! Edinburgh Castle is full of historic tales of attacks, power struggles and prisoners. My mom booked a 9AM walking tour conveniently departing from the NERO Coffee across the street from our apartment. It was led by an animated guide who kept the kids’ attention though this wasn’t specifically a “family tour” and ours were the only kids on it. The tour was 3 hours, but it went quickly. www.edinburghcastle.scot
The Palace of Holyroodhouse
This is where the British monarchy stay when in Edinburgh and there are many rooms open to the public. There is an option to choose Family Tour on the audio guide which gave the girls “fun facts” geared to kids. They thoroughly enjoyed the decorated rooms and stories in this palace. Plan to spend an hour here. Next to Holyrood, a short 15 min walk away is the Peak. We didn’t do the walk to the top, but it’s about 30 minutes, I’m told, and worth it; steady climb on a smooth path. www.rct.uk
Edinburgh Zoo
A 15 minute taxi cab ride outside Edinburgh’s Old Town, the Zoo was the highlight of my husband and daughters’ Scotland experience. The Zoo is easy to navigate and chock full of interesting animals including Giant Pandas. We spent 3 hours at the Zoo, including an excellent lunch at the fish restaurant and saw everything. This was a good break from castles and palaces for the kids. www.edinburghzoo.org.uk
Peoples Museum
Towards Holyrood Palace, on the Royal Mile, we happened upon an interesting museum that all ages enjoyed: The Peoples Museum. Using mannequins and objects from the past, the museum tells the story of what life was like for the people who populated Edinburgh, especially the Old Town, throughout its history. Super fascinating… No reservation required and it’s free, but we made a donation. www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
Fringe Festival
This is an artistic expression festival that begins early August and lasts 3 weeks in Edinburgh. There are comedians, actors, musicians, etc performing throughout the Old and New Towns in existing and constructed venues. People from all over Europe come to Edinburgh and pay to see the shows. BUT, while they say there are some kid appropriate performers, very little is geared towards families. There are posters put up all over the city to advertise the various offerings…and since my kids can read, I was asked about Girly Boys and several other phrases I didn’t think my 7 and 8 year old would get exposed to. Also, the town became packed with street performers and visitors, especially on the Royal Mile, a day prior to the Festival’s beginning. It was so congested that we could barely walk through to get to our apartment. Had I known about the Festival, I would have chosen different dates to see Edinburgh with my family. www.edfringe.com
Edinburgh, London and then The Cotswolds, England
Our 9AM LNER train leaving Edinburgh was cancelled. We were told to just try to get on to the 10AM train in any class even though we paid for First. The 10AM train was fully booked, so we were told we could stand in the aisles. The journey to London is 5 hours. We got off the 10AM train and sought an LNER employee who could help us. Luckily, our kids are cute and we found most service-workers in Ireland and now Scotland LOVE kids. We were ushered into the First Class lounge we didn’t know existed and told to wait with coffee, tea and snacks while the LNER team sorted tickets out for us. We were then brought to 5 reserved seats on the allegedly (according to the LNER reservation website) fully booked 11AM train in First Class. I could have kissed the LNER manager who helped us! She was a grandma and so kind to our family. A hectic, stressful morning turned into a relaxing train ride with food service and wine.
When we arrived, 2 hours late, into the St Pancras station in London, confusion was the theme! We needed to locate the Sixt rental car pick up for a pre-booked large SUV and there is NO signage directing anyone to rental cars in this very busy international train/bus station. We kept asking people in uniform for directions and eventually found the rental car garage located below ground, on the backside of St Pancras.
This is where travel tip #3 comes in handy…check the rental car company’s hours ahead of booking. Sixt closes at 1PM on Saturdays. We arrived at 4:15PM. Hertz still had a couple workers at their desk despite 8-4PM hours of operation. We cancelled the Sixt booking online because there was no notice for us or information left outside the dark, locked office and were able to get a refund. We spent 3 times more at Hertz, but left with an automatic Volvo SUV.
We got on the road for our 2 ½ hour drive to the Cotswolds using GPS directions the Hertz manager put into our car to specifically avoid the London City Centre which charges an extra 30 pounds per car now during rush hour. Apparently they have cameras that take a picture of your license plate!
The Cotswolds are known for storybook-like villages, sheep, farms and natural beauty. There are lots of lodging options, but I took the recommendation of a California friend who visits every Easter with her family because her sister lives in London: Calcot and Spa. We spent 2 full days in the Cotswolds.
Calcot is VERY family friendly, starting with the room options. I booked the Cozy Family room with two bedrooms and one bath since I didn’t book far enough in advance. Cozy Family room is the smallest option, but we still loved it. After our long day of training and driving, the girls were pleased to find their child-size bunk beds with bags of treats with their names on them. They were also given children’s bathrobes and special shampoo. The room was stocked with free snacks and drinks for the family. Steve and I had a king bed in our room.
We had dinner at 8PM in the restaurant and it was lovely, but quite expensive. I didn’t know at the time that this is the only restaurant on property for dinner and it has the same menu every night…we ate there the 2nd night as well…then went “off campus” our 3rd and final night. www.calcot.co
Cotswolds Day Trips
My mom had researched towns to visit while in the Cotswolds and, while we were reluctant to leave the Calcot and its many activities for kids and adults, we headed to on Day 1 to Bibury for lunch. This town was teeming with tourists who kept arriving in huge buses the town’s parking spaces couldn’t accommodate. We bypassed the popular crowded restaurants and almost gave up, when we found The Twig. I had a hot panini sandwich filled with goat cheese, caramelized onions, fig and chorizo; Steve had a decadent grilled cheese…there were prosciutto and mozzarella Focaccia bread sandwiches and other offerings too. SO GOOD. No line. There are no eat-in options, but we took our lunch to the fish restaurant and ate at their tables outside. www.bazfred.com
On Day 2, we drove to Warwick Castle, stopping at Bourton-on-the-Water along the way. This town, bisected by a river connected for pedestrians by stone bridges, is like going back in time to the 1800s. It’s movie-set adorable and worth visiting. No buses full of tourists…it was a completed different experience. I’m so glad we gave the “storybook villages” another chance! www.bourtoninfo.com
Warwick Castle is an hour ½ drive from Tetbury, where Calcot is located. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly short distances when mapping an itinerary for the Cotswolds ahead of a trip there. EVERYTHING TAKES LONGER THAN IT LOOKS. Expect narrow country roads, lots of round-a-bouts and the occasional car accident clogging a two-lane road. Warwick is a castle geared towards kids up to 12. It’s operated by Merlin Entertainment which runs several amusements in the UK. Warwick was our daughters’ favorite memory from the Cotswolds. We arrived in time to support the White Rose team in the War of the Roses jousting show and it was very well done. The girls also learned archery and how to sword fight. There is also a falconry show with giant birds flying above; a comedy/history/musical show and a castle tour with realistic wax figurines. Check activity schedule immediately upon arrival. We spent 4 hours at Warwick including a lunch of pizza and salads. www.warwick-castle.com
On our way back we stopped at The Ivy Montpellier Brasserie in Cheltenham for dinner. I loved the décor, but Steve and I made the mistake of ordering off the Asian menu to get a different flavor. My mom loved her non-Asian salad and the girls had butter pasta. It was very expensive and considering we passed up several other good options on our way to The Ivy, I should have researched the town’s restaurants better! www.ivycollection.com
London, England
After a refreshing couple days in the country, we packed up and drove the 2 ½ hours back to London. Hertz is closed at the St Pancras location on Mondays and Tuesdays and, this being a Tuesday, I asked another rental car company for help and was directed to the key drop box behind the Hertz kiosk.
That done, on Day 1 we hopped in a giant British cab and headed to The Rosewood London hotel for a 12:45PM proper tea. The Rosewood is a beautiful hotel full of beautiful people in beautiful clothing…and I didn’t see a child the whole time we were there…except for ours. I booked this tea as a contrast to the more traditional tea at The Ritz Hotel. Every few months, The Rosewood tea is reimagined and inspired by an artist. Online, it looked amazing. In person it was impressive. They have a kids menu, but my kids didn’t like any of the sandwiches. Too much mayo. They liked the desserts and the ability to decorate one of the cakes. www.rosewoodhotels.com
We’d called ahead and the Rosewood gave us permission to park our luggage at the hotel for a few hours despite not having a room reservation.
We then hopped in another cab (it was raining) to be dropped at the Churchill War Rooms Museum for a 3:30PM booking. Because we were early, we caught the Changing of the King’s Life Guard at the Horse Guards Parade before. www.changing-guard.com
Do not miss the Churchill War Rooms. We prepped our daughters ahead of time by purchasing and reading the book Who Was Winston Churchill. They were well-versed in WW II, the Blitz and Churchill as Prime Minister when we went to the museum and this preparation made it more worthwhile for them. Buy tickets a month or so before your trip and expect to wait in line anyway. www.iwm.org.uk
It’s a 15 minute walk along St James’ Park, past Big Ben and Parliament and over the Westminster Bridge to get to the London Eye, London’s giant Ferris wheel. Book tickets ahead and arrive at your ticketed time. Ignore the warnings to arrive 30 minutes before. You will just wait longer. www.londoneye.com
We took a cab from the Eye to Rosewood, picked up luggage while the cab waited and went to our 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in South Kensington. Kensington and Notting Hill were the top two neighborhoods for families based on my research. Our apartment was a 5 minute walk from the District and Circle lines tube stop and had several cab stops nearby…plus it was walkable to lots of restaurants, shops and Kensington Palace and Gardens. Amazing location!!!
The apartment was rented through Marriott Bonvoy so we could get Marriott points. There was an elevator thankfully because we were once again on the top floor. BUT, no air conditioning. After 10 days of rain on our trip, the sun came out strong in London and it was hot. www.marriott.com
On Day 2 in London, I ran in Kensington Gardens nearby, then we had lite breakfast from Farm Girl in our South Kensington neighborhood and took the District Line (using Google Maps) to the Borough Market in South London. I had booked a 3-hour eating/walking tour of the Borough Market through Eating Europe and we were joined by my college friend Anne Vanderkamp and her family of 5. They happened to be in London at the same time from Chicago. This was my third Eating Europe tour and they continue to be consistently great. The kids enjoyed sausage rolls and fruit crumbles and the adults had cider beer. www.eatingeurope.com
After the tour, our family went to the Clink Prison Museum near the Borough Market. Do not take your kids under 12 here! Ooops. It’s a graphic depiction of one of London’s most notorious prisons. We thought it would be a great history lesson. I practically ran through it like a haunted house! www.clink.co.uk
We then took the Tube back to Kensington to prepare for our dinner and musical evening. We walked 15 minutes to dinner at Dishoom Kensington for our 5PM reservation. This Indian restaurant has multiple locations and was highly recommended. Even the kids liked it! London is known for excellent Indian food. This one was very family friendly. www.dishoom.com
From Dishoom, we grabbed the Tube to Covent Garden, London’s “West End,” where we had 3rd row tickets for The Lion King. It’s played at the Lyceum Theatre, 200 year old theater in London, since 1999. Children must be over 3 years old to attend. It is magical! The adults had seen the musical before, but for the kids…they were blown away by the costumes and performance. www.seetickets.com
Day 3, we took the Tube to Buckingham Palace for our “behind the gates” State Rooms tour. This was VERY special and is only available 10 weeks each summer. Book WELL in advance. We were also able to view coronation robes and details since we went in 2023. We all enjoyed the audio tour guiding us through these exclusive rooms in the Palace. Note: if your child needs to use the restroom on the tour, ask a uniformed guide…restrooms are hidden in the walls! Tickets can be purchased at www.rct.uk
From Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, it’s a 15 minute walk and takes you by St James Park where the kids may want to run around and explore. We did the audio tour of Westminster Abbey after grabbing a decent hot dog at the kiosk in front of the entrance for the kids. We showed the kids some of the coronation ahead of the trip so they would have some context when touring the Abbey. Again, buy tickets in advance, but they still let us in on the day before our actual ticketed date: www.westminster-abbey.com
After the Abbey, which took about an hour to tour with kids, we took the Tube 10 minutes to The Ritz Hotel for our 3:30PM proper tea reservation. Jackets and ties are required for men. We wore dresses and nice sandals. We went right from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey to the Ritz because all are located relatively close to each other.
Tea at The Ritz in London is a family tradition started by my mom during my first trip to London with her when I was 12 years old and continued every trip, whether with friends or family, ever since. It was fun to pass this on to our daughters! And they loved this more traditional tea and its sandwiches and pastries more than the artsy Rosewood tea. Their favorite was the cucumber sandwich…and I think the waiter probably served us 8 more in addition to the one-each they initially received. Great service!!! There were also several decaffeinated teas to choose from versus just 2 at the Rosewood. We left STUFFED. The adults added a glass of champagne to our tea, then ordered another bottle… www.theritzlondon.com
Dinner was from Harrods’ Food Halls that evening. We were still quite full so we just grabbed some dim sum and pasta and took it back to the apartment. We watched the movie The King’s Speech that night with the kids and despite some choice language, it brought what we’d seen in the Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace State Rooms and at Westminster Abbey to life for them. www.harrods.com
On our final day, Day 4, in London, we took the Tube to the Tower of London and stayed for 4 hours! In addition to the Who Was Churchill book, we’d also studied Who Was Elizabeth the 1st, Who was Henry VIII and Where is the Tower of London. They were well prepared for the audio tour and very interested in all the beheadings, the Princes in the Tower, etc. www.hrp.org.uk
We got ice cream from a kiosk near the Tower of London afterwards, but though it said “soft” we were fooled! London has some of the BEST soft serve ice cream on the planet…but it has to be a 99 or 99 Flake, which includes a Cadbury’s 99 chocolate Flake. They’re sold by Mr. Whippy’s ice cream vans throughout the city. Just keep your eye out.
Steve and I did a date night out while my mom watched the girls and took them to an Italian restaurant in Kensingon. We hopped in a cab and went to The Cock and Bottle in Notting Hill for a pre-dinner pint, recommended by my friend Jonathan who works nearby. It’s the very much the proper British after-work neighborhood pub. www.cockandbottlew11.com
Dinner was at The Ledbury, a 5 minute walk from the pub. The Ledbury was also recommended by a local friend in London. It’s tasting-menu only and boasts 2 Michelin stars. No kids allowed. Very pricey and very delicious. We dined and drank for 3 hours. Book well in advance. www.theledbury.com
A fine dining restaurant also recommended, that DOES serve children in the Kensington area is Core by Clare Smyth. Just in case you don’t have a babysitter and want to indulge…though I don’t know how kid-friendly the tasting menu might be. www.corebyclaresmyth.com
London to LAX
Because we could schedule Uber in advance and didn’t want to leave transportation to chance, we took an Uber mini van to the airport at 8:30AM Saturday morning for our 11:25AM flight out of Heathrow Airport. We were able to fly direct to LAX, about 11 hours, arriving at 2:30PM Pacific time the same day. Everyone stayed awake on the long flight home to attempt to avoid jet lag. We all still went to bed around 8PM and woke up around 5AM for the next few nights, but adjusted back relatively quickly.
For the kids’, the difference in age between this trip to Europe and the last two we took, made an impact in their ability to absorb and understand history. They embraced learning about kings and queens; World War II; other leaders; what daily life was like for average people in the 1700s, 1800s, etc in these cities; Irish immigration; and on and one. It was fun to watch their young minds grow. Our next overseas trip is to Italy next year…and we can’t wait!
We Don’t Sit Still 