London With Kids: The Ultimate Harry Potter Trip & Itinerary

Why Visit London With Kids

Looking to visit London with your kids? This guide is exactly what you need! I researched for a very long time to find all the best spots to take the kids and I’m proud to say I nailed it. Nobody complained. Everyone had fun.

Also some background: this was not my first time in London. I did a study abroad here, so I lived in London for months and have returned many times since. I’ve done almost everything on this list before I took the kids. I’ll make a list of what I would personally skip with kids at the end and give you some rationale as to why.

I also was not trying to rush to finish my own list of things to see, which helped. There’s plenty of time to see London without my kids when they’re grown, but they’ll only be little and want to spend hours at Hamley’s for a short time! Putting the focus on them made this trip so much better, and I promise I’ll cover all the big spots for you (the adult) as well! This guide has everything you need to plan the perfect trip to London with kids, especially if you’ve got Harry Potter fans in the family.

Arrival in London and How Long to Stay

There are two main airports for international travelers: London Heathrow and London Gatwick. I prefer Heathrow if possible, but they’re both great. For my San Diego friends, there’s a direct flight that operates twice a day from SAN. I booked our flights with credit card points. I used the Travel Freely app to find good credit card bonuses and save my points for our flights!

As for how long to stay in London with kids, that’s a hard one. You could realistically spend WEEKS in London and not see everything. However, for a trip with kids I would give yourself 6–7 days to comfortably see everything, including all the Harry Potter stuff!

Transit and How to Get Around London

The best way to get around London is via the Tube or The London Underground. Public transport in London is fantastic. It’s super easy to use and free for kids. Use your credit card to get on and off and it totals it for you at the end of the day and maxes out at £8. No need to buy tickets or Oyster cards or anything. Be warned, there are many stairs and the elevators are hard to find, so you may be lifting your stroller up and down.

My second choice would be a red double-decker bus. Extra points for getting the seat in the top front and flying over the city like Peter Pan! It’s also a bit easier with a stroller because there are no stairs. The downside to the bus is that it’s slower than the Tube because it’s subject to London traffic and rush hour. It can also be very jerky and leaves the stops quickly, so make sure kids are sitting down or holding on when leaving a station.

Finally, there’s the black cabs. These are usually air conditioned and easy to hail all around London. Simply go to the curb, look for one with the light on, and stick your arm out. The cabbies are friendly and fun to talk to. An electric cab seats six, and you can usually put the stroller in the front seat without folding it. No car seat laws, so kids can ride too without lugging a car seat around. I sit the littlest kid in the center of the middle seat facing backwards, which would be the safest spot in case of a crash.

Where to Stay

A VRBO, Airbnb, or home exchange is a great idea if you want more space, and South Kensington is a lovely area for that route, close to the museums and Hyde Park.

For a hotel, we stayed at St. Ermin’s Hotel in Westminster and loved it. It’s tucked into a quiet courtyard just a five-minute walk from Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and Trafalgar Square, and it’s genuinely kid-friendly, with family suites, a kids’ concierge, and a kid-friendly breakfast. Wherever you stay, you’ll want to make sure you’re in central London. Trying to stay outside the city center will slow down your trip considerably, as the city is massive.

What to Book in Advance

The more things you can book in advance, the smoother your trip will go!

• Cursed Child Tickets
• Warner Bros. Studio Tickets (don’t book the bus tour though, it doesn’t give enough time)
• Magic Bus Tour
• LEGOLAND Windsor
• The London Eye
• The Tower of London

Movies to Watch Before

Having the kids watch movies before they go really helps give them context for what they’re seeing. We started this list a few months before the trip and slowly worked our way through.

• Harry Potter 1–7
• The Minions Movie (they steal the Crown Jewels!)
• Fantastic Beasts 1–3
• Paddington Movies
• Peter Pan
• Mary Poppins
• 101 Dalmatians
• Sleeping Beauty (familiarize them with castles)

Suggested Itinerary

• Day One, Arrival Day: Harrods, Jellycats (just try to stay awake!)
• Day Two, Harry Potter’s London: Magic Bus, Covent Garden, Transport Museum, LEGO Store Leicester Square, Hamley’s
• Day Three, Royal London: Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Park, Tower of London, Princess Diana Memorial Playground, Peter Pan Statue
• Day Four, Cursed Child: The London Eye, Jubilee Playground, Cursed Child, The Noble Collection, 7 Dials Market
• Day Five, Warner Bros. Studio Tour: Harry Potter Filming Sites
• Day Six, Windsor: Windsor Castle and LEGOLAND
• Day Seven, Travel: King’s Cross and St. Pancras Station, then depart London (we went to Paris next via the train)

Best Things to Do in London With Kids

Big Ben View

My favorite way to start a London trip. Get off at Westminster Tube station and use exit 4. It drops you right at the base of Big Ben and is super impressive to see day or night. This also makes a great stop right after the airport. It’s my “we are in LONDON now” tradition and has impressed every person I’ve done it with. Have a wander across the bridge to see The London Eye!

Magic Bus Tour

I like to start out each trip with a bus tour so we get our bearings and see the monuments before diving into the details of the trip. It helps the kids know what we are seeing. Also great for the first day to fight jet lag.

I was worried my kids would lose interest with a regular Big Bus tour, so I booked the Harry Potter tour and it ended up being the BEST idea. You take a big purple bus around London (like the Knight Bus) and your guide points out filming spots around the city. You are “sorted” into a House when you enter the bus and you get a scarf!

This was a London bus tour too, and my mom (who is NOT a Harry Potter fan) loved it and learned a lot. We passed all the big monuments (except Buckingham Palace). The kids listened to every word because our guide tied in magic and Harry Potter filming locations, like Piccadilly Circus. Think pointing out dragon statues and telling mystical stories about different locations around London.

We got off twice to see Leadenhall Market (Diagon Alley) and the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. They had fun trivia and gave everyone scarves to wear on board! Our guide was super entertaining. 100% book this and don’t look back.

Covent Garden Street Performers

Covent Garden is an open air market and restaurant area that has amazing street performers. Think people you would pay real money to see, like string quartets and opera singers. These are no casual panhandlers.

This is perfect for kids who lose interest quickly, and you can wander from performer to performer.

There’s also some shopping and lots of restaurants. We ate at Chez Antoinette! It was pretty good, would eat there again.

The London Transport Museum

This is in Covent Garden. The kids loved this, as it’s super kid-friendly, but I thought it was a bit overpriced for what was in there, especially considering the rest of the museums are free and are so much bigger! Kids are free though, so that helped.

The kids loved the punch press scavenger hunt, the kids play area, and getting to sit in the driver’s seat of the bus. There’s also games to play.

The London Transport Museum is fun, but you can skip this if you’re pressed for time. The gift shop is free to visit and super fun to look through, and great for London-specific souvenirs, especially if your kids are fascinated by the London transit system like mine are.

The LEGO Store in Leicester Square

Do not skip the LEGO store, especially if you’re into Harry Potter! They have a multi-story Gringotts Bank, Big Ben made from LEGO, and tons of Harry Potter LEGO models. There’s also a LEGO James Bond car. Sometimes there’s a wait to go in, but it’s worth it. Be sure to spot the Mary Poppins statue and the Harry Potter statue out front in Leicester Square!

Hamley’s Toy Store

If you’re visiting London with kids, this spot is a MUST. It’s a seven story toy store with toy demonstrators throughout. Most toys you can test and play with. I would call it more of a toy museum.

Give yourself plenty of time here. We spent two hours, could have spent more. I gave each kid a budget before we went in and they went through and priced out the toys they wanted. I saved the rest of the toys they wanted in a note on my phone for future reference for birthdays. Don’t miss the Harry Potter area in the basement.

We ate at Haidilao Hot Pot after Hamley’s, which is perfect for picky eaters as everyone makes their own food.

Harrods Department Store

I don’t know if I would call this a store or a museum of fashion. It’s a luxury mall with so much to look at, it takes up an entire block. Don’t skip the toy section. It’s heavily featured in Peter Rabbit, where the main character works there and then ends up destroying it in one of the scenes.

They currently have a Jellycat exhibit. If you haven’t heard of Jellycats, consider yourself lucky. They are collectible stuffed animals that people wait in lines to buy! There’s currently a Jellycat airport terminal display at Harrods.

Beyond the toy store, Harrods is full of luxury items, probably out of the budget for most of us but very fun to walk through. The escalators are interesting and have a kind of unusual statue of Princess Diana. There’s also a food hall and a cafe!

Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Park

Combine this landmark with this cute park nearby and you’ve got a kid-friendly and cultural outing. Begin by walking down The Mall to the palace. The front of the palace itself is generally very crowded, and hot if you’re there in summer. Great for a quick photo and then over to St. James’s Park. The kids did say they would like to be friends with the kids who live there because they think their RC car could go “really fast down the halls.”

When you’re done at Buckingham, pop around the corner to St. James’s Park. Very close to Buckingham, and actually you can still see Buckingham Palace from the park. It’s shady and wonderful, cannot recommend enough. Finish with ice cream and then there’s a nearby Tube station to go to your next destination.

There’s also the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, which is fun for kids to see! Check their website for dates and times. It’s free to view, but arrive early to get a spot.

The Tower of London

I was very wary of trying this place with kids, it can get so crowded and it’s a little dark. If you don’t know what the Tower of London is, it’s a royal palace turned prison where some of the most grisly beheadings happened, like Anne Boleyn. It also has the Crown Jewels and the Royal Armouries! It’s a great way to learn about London history. I did book these tickets in advance, by the way, but they are all-day tickets, not timed.

When you get there, beeline for the Crown Jewels first. The line can get long. I was surprised by how much the kids loved the Crown Jewels. They wanted to go through twice. Apparently the Minions try to steal them in the Minions movie, so they had a frame of reference.

Then we tried a Yeoman Warders tour. That was a big mistake. It was gory and violent, with lots of details about beheadings. Both kids were plugging their ears, so we had to leave. Do not try to do the Bloody Tower or torture chamber unless you want them to have nightmares.

Quick trip through the armory next (they liked the child armor and King Henry’s giant codpiece) and we moved on with our day. I would only stay 1–2 hours at this place if you have kids. Don’t skip the photo op with the Tower Bridge out front though. It’s one of the best photo spots in London.

We tried to go get food at Borough Market after and it was a fail. It’s so crowded you can’t walk at all, and my kids don’t care to wait hours in line for viral Instagram food.

Hyde Park

When at Hyde Park, don’t skip the Peter Pan statue and the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The Peter Pan statue is just a quick look, but you’ll want to linger at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. Just redone in August of 2026, you should absolutely make a point of checking it out, maybe more than once on your trip. It’s gorgeous and has a huge pirate ship. Supposed to be one of the best playgrounds in the UK!

I also LOVE Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, and their Orangerie there. It’s a great spot to get afternoon tea.

The London Eye & Jubilee Playground

When booking The London Eye, get the first time slot of the day. Just because you have a reservation does not mean they won’t make you wait, they tend to overbook it. We booked 10 am and had no lines for security or to get on. Huge crowd at 11 am.

I did book tickets in advance, which is a little cheaper, and they’re super easy to adjust as needed. We had to adjust them twice on our trip and it was free to do and easy online.

We spotted Jubilee Playground from the sky and had to go visit! It was huge and the kids stayed for a long time. I popped around the corner and got everyone breakfast sandwiches from Gail’s. We ate at the park and it was perfect. Restaurants with kids are hard, they are so wiggly.

The Cursed Child Harry Potter Play or Another Musical

The Cursed Child is amazing! This is the story of Harry Potter after the books end, so it’s about his son. Lots of themes about parenting and nods to the original story. My mom is not a Harry Potter fan and she enjoyed it for the special effects alone. It used to be in two parts, it is now one part with a long intermission. I would take kids ages 8+. My 6 year old was too scared. My 9 year old loved every second.

It’s at the Palace Theatre, which is a landmark itself. Get there early or stay after to explore The 7 Dials Market and visit The Noble Collection. Trafalgar Square is also nearby, as is The National Portrait Gallery.

You can also see many other musicals and theater productions! The Lion King is very popular with kids.

The 7 Dials Market

We ate at Homeslice in the 7 Dials Market and it was my favorite meal in London, especially the mozzarella garlic bread.

Don’t skip Neal’s Yard (an amazing, cute square perfect for photo ops) and The Noble Collection.

The Noble Collection

If you’re a HP fan, The Noble Collection is a must. It’s where all the wands they sell at Universal come from, and they have a huge collection of signed wands in the basement. My son and I spent a lot of time geeking out and studying the signatures. There’s also memorabilia from other fandoms like Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Minecraft, and more.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

The Warner Bros. Studio has all the props and sets from the Harry Potter movies arranged so tourists can see them! This is an all-day outing.

The Studio Tour is actually located outside London, so we booked Golden Tours from Victoria Station to get there. However, if I had to do it over, I would NOT use Golden Tours. It simply wasn’t enough time to see everything and we felt very rushed. I also found their staff to be unfriendly to our kids.

If I had it to do over, I would take the train from London Euston to Watford Junction station and then the free shuttle that leaves every 20–30 minutes from there.

You don’t really need a plan beyond how to get to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I watched so many videos that told me “do this, don’t do this” so I was nervous. There’s a clear path through and it’s pretty clear where to go next. I would not book a guided tour, though, it’s more fun to do on your own. Definitely ask the attendants for their favorite Harry Potter fun facts. They are a wealth of knowledge.

You start with security and then a little intro video about the studio featuring some of the actors. Before you go in there’s a cafe where you can grab snacks if needed. Then you go into a movie theater and they play some behind-the-scenes footage. After you’re ushered into the Great Hall and it’s pretty clear from there where to go next! There are two large buildings to explore with a cafe between them. You will want to take your time, especially if you’re a Harry Potter fan. Plan for 4–6 hours. Four felt rushed. Six would have been perfect for me (big HP fan).

Between the two buildings there’s a cafe with fairly priced food, and it’s all themed. The Butterbeer cafe is next to the main cafe. Stop there for Butterbeer after lunch! It’s super cute, so peek inside even if you’re not ordering anything.

There’s a little courtyard by the cafe that has Privet Drive, the Hogwarts bridge they walk across, the Knight Bus, and the Herbology Greenhouse. Make sure to go in all of these, as they were some of my favorite sets to view. Then you’ll go into the next building that has costumes, props, the Gringotts building, and then finally Hogwarts itself.

Leave plenty of time at the end for the gift shop. It has some of the best Harry Potter merch I’ve ever seen. We ended up with three wands!

Then we had to rush back to the bus to get back to London. I would say plan for 4–6 hours at the studio. Four was quick. Five to six and you can linger and study everything you want.

Windsor Castle & Windsor

Here’s my full guide to LEGOLAND Windsor.

To get to Windsor from London you can take the train, bus, or taxi. The 702 bus (Windsor Express) that leaves from Hyde Park Corner is an affordable way to get there, and it’s cheaper than a taxi.

Stop at the castle first. Check out The Long Walk up to the castle. When we went it was closed, so we ventured around the perimeter instead. Sometimes they allow tours, sometimes they don’t.

There’s a cute downtown area right next to the castle and a McDonald’s right across the street with views of the castle.

You can taxi or bus from Windsor Castle to LEGOLAND. This would be too far to walk, so definitely bus or taxi.

LEGOLAND Windsor

If you’re worried about “wasting” a day of your cultural trip, don’t be. This was one of our best days with the kids on this trip. Also, you’ll see all the monuments in miniature and spend time interacting with the locals in line and at the playground.

It’s LEGOLAND, but there’s a distinct English spin on it, and there’s something poetic about seeing people from every country also struggle with their children. I asked my kids to point out things that are different and the same as their LEGOLAND. The first thing they pointed out was that bathrooms are called toilets. It was just the right amount of culture with something familiar for them thrown in (we are LEGOLAND California passholders).

The first thing to know about LEGOLAND Windsor is that it’s very, very big compared to the American parks. People visit from all over Europe. It’s the largest LEGOLAND, in fact. There are paths between each land and everything is quite spread out. So come ready to walk! If you only have a day, definitely get the skip-the-line pass. We were able to do everything we wanted to in one day.

We bought the Fast Track for the rides, so we got to skip six lines for £55 per person. Worth it. It was a crowded day. This will allow you to enter the line through the Fast Track entrance and skip the regular line.

It was most crowded in the middle of the day. The crowds decreased throughout the day until we saw very little crowds two hours before close. We got a lot of rides done then.

Do not skip Miniland, where you can see Big Ben, The London Eye, and Buckingham Palace in LEGO form. I would recommend putting LEGOLAND at the end of your trip if you can! The kids loved pointing out all the places they’ve been.

This park tends to have a bit more thrilling rides than the California LEGOLAND, so the age range tends older, but there’s lots for toddlers too.

Here are the things not to miss (we did them in this order, but you don’t have to, especially if you have the Fast Track):

• The Dragon: Much larger than the coaster in California and it goes through the trees behind a real castle.
• Jolly Rocker: Giant pirate ship ride my kids loved.
• Pirate Playground: One of the coolest playgrounds.
• Minifigure Speedway: Large roller coaster up on a hill where you can race the other car!
• Flight of the Sky Lion: A Soarin’ Over California type ride, with tons of effects. Very well done, don’t skip.
• Hydra’s Challenge: Loved this ride, super fun for kids and adults. It’s an interactive water ride with cannons you can trigger to splash the riders.
• LEGOLAND Express: Takes you all around the park and great for getting your bearings. It does spray water, so watch out!
• Haunted House Monster Party: This ride was wild, I’m going to leave it as a surprise what it is. Please send me a message either here or on IG after you ride, we can process the experience together.
• Fairy Tale Brook: They have variations on this in other parks, but this one was SO cute and well done.

Overall we had SO much fun here and I’m so glad we added it to the itinerary. Add it and don’t look back!

King’s Cross Station & The British Library

This makes a great stop on your way out of London, especially if you’re taking the train. King’s Cross has a photo op and a big Harry Potter merch store. Go early to avoid lines!

St. Pancras across the way is also a filming location, notably the building used for the exterior shots of “King’s Cross” where Harry and Ron took off in the flying car!

The British Library is nearby too, if you’ve got the time. They have Beatles memorabilia, an original manuscript of Alice in Wonderland, and so much more. Also the library is just cool to check out, it’s very big and old.

Things We Didn’t Get Time to Do

But would be fun to do with more days!

• Natural History Museum
• Victoria & Albert Museum
• Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
• Shrek’s Adventure
• St. Paul’s, specifically going up the dome (HP filming location!)
• Hampton Court Palace
• Notting Hill Market
• The London Dungeon

What I Would Skip With Kids in London

It’s not that these aren’t wonderful things to do, they are just things I would save for another trip when you haven’t got kids with you.

• British Museum: Very large and not super interesting for kids. Lots of stuff you can’t touch. They do have The Rosetta Stone!
• Science Museum: Same, mostly displays kids can’t touch.
• Any of the big art museums (Tate Modern, etc.): Unless your kids are into art I would skip these or save for another trip. They are free though!
• Greenwich Mean Time: I did it, it isn’t much. You stand on a line. And it’s pretty out of the way.
• Borough Market: Very crowded, not kid-friendly.
• Westminster Abbey: Great if you have the time, but it’s mostly graves. Cooler from the outside IMO.
• The London Zoo: It’s fun, but it’s a zoo with similar animals to other places you might visit.
• Churchill War Rooms: Not terribly interesting for kids unless they are into war.

Thanks for reading and have an amazing time in London!

---

Hi! I’m Camille, a San Diego mom who loves to explore with her kids both in San Diego and beyond! I’m a huge Harry Potter, Disney, and LEGOLAND nut, and I love breaking down complicated destinations for other moms to easily understand.

You can find tons more guides on my website, including my guide to Paris With Kids, Disneyland Paris With Kids, plus LEGOLAND Windsor and so much more!

If you love travel and practical tips for adventures with kids, follow me on Instagram or Facebook under @sandiego.mamas.

And if you’re in San Diego, make sure to follow me on Instagram and sign up for my weekly newsletter, where I share all the best events coming to San Diego and travel deals from San Diego.

Thanks for stopping by, and please comment, email me, or send me a DM on Instagram if you have any questions! Have so much fun in London with your kids. You got this, it’s gonna be so fun!