Three Days in London with Kids on a Budget

This summer, we spent a month traveling across the UK as part of our preparation for an upcoming gap year in 2025. Our first stop was London! Although it was the most expensive stop on our trip, we made the most of a short three days in London with kids and had an unforgettable time.

Three Days in London with Kids

Where to stay in London with kids on a budget?
Getting Around London with Kids
What to do with one Weekend in London with Kids?
Where to Eat in London with Kids?
See Our Other Posts about Traveling with Kids!

Where to stay in London with kids on a budget?

When researching, I found that the cheapest hotels in London were still upwards of $300 a night – most with terrifying reviews. We decided on our first hostel adventure and we were so glad we did.

We stayed at the YHA London Central Hostel, and the kids had a blast! Our private room, equipped with three bunk beds and a convenient in-room sink, made things comfortable and easy. While the bathrooms and showers were shared, the hostel had a friendly, vibrant vibe, with most guests being teen groups or other families like us.

YHA is a charity with the mission to “transform young lives forever through travel and real adventure.” They operate a network of hostels across England and Wales, offering affordable stays to young people and families. Looking back, I wish we had stayed at more of them. The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, and my kids appreciated being surrounded by other young travelers.

The YHA London Central Hostel downstairs common area was comfortable, with pizza available during the day and desserts, wine, and beer in the evenings. We spent several evenings there playing board games as a family, which were some of the most memorable nights of our trip.

Getting Around London with Kids

Using the London Underground with Kids

We exclusively used the London Underground to get around London with kids. It is safe and very manageable. I ordered a prepaid Oyster card which came in the mail prior to our trip. This was nice to have in hand after an overnight flight so we could get right on the subway.

I also recommend downloading the ap TFL Go. It gives up to date directions and train arrival times.

How to get from Heathrow Airport to Central London with Kids?

The Elizabeth Line is a newer train line that gets from Heathrow to central London in less than 45 minutes. Alternatively, you can take the Heathrow Express which is a non-stop train that runs every 15 minutes to Paddington station where you can then transfer to the London Underground. This is a great blog post summarizing the options.

We recommend taking the Elizabeth Line. It’s affordable, and the trains are new. It’s a fun ride to see the outskirts of the city, and you can pay with your Oyster card making it quick and convenient if you purchase one ahead of time.

Children under 11 travel free on the London Underground with a fare-paying adult. You will need to go through the wide luggage gate instead of the turnstiles. It made us nervous at first, but there is plenty of staff around if you have questions.

Taking a Taxi in London with Kids

If you do use a taxi service, I would recommend using London Black Taxis (hackney carriages). With a rich history, London Black Taxi drivers must pass a test called “The Knowledge” demonstrating their competence in the geography of London. GetTaxi and Hailo are two aps available that can hail these cabs, although they are often easy to find from the street or airport.

While Uber and Lyft are often great to use internationally, I found the services unreliable with poor drivers in London.

What to do with one Weekend in London with Kids?

The Tower of London with Kids

The Tower of London was a must see for us. I highly recommend booking tickets in advance, as the day we went it was sold out. We went later in the day at 2PM, and that was plenty of time to see sites of interest without the kids getting to bored.

I had heard the Yeoman Warder tours were excellent. They are free and begin every 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the one we saw was entirely too crowded and you couldn’t hear the tour guide so we elected to explore the grounds on our own.

We spent a lot of time exploring the Battlements and the Medieval Palace. There were lots of tunnel like corridors and coiling castle like steps that made the boys feel like they were exploring.

We particularly enjoyed the exhibit about the Royal Menagerie which described the experiences of a collection of wild animals that were kept at the Tower of London from the 1200s to the 1800s.

We also saw the Crown Jewels, which is worth a visit. The line can get quite long, so we did this at the end of our visit when the crowds had thinned.

We skipped the White Tower because our kids were a bit castled out, and there are quite a few steps in this exhibit.

British Museum

The British Museum was another must see on our list for London with kids. With free entry, this was a perfect fit for our budget after our pricey Tower of London tickets.

You must reserve tickets ahead of time at the British Museum. You will get a time slot of entry. When you arrive, the line wraps around the gate and far down the road. We aren’t ones to suffer for a tourist attraction, and we almost turned around. However, the line moves really fast and within 15 minutes we went from being out in front of the museum, to into the security check point.

The British Museum website has a list of Family Object Trails that can guide you to things that are interesting to kids. We chose the one hour trail and the boys really enjoyed trying to find every piece on the list. Highlights were the Rosetta Stone, the Bust of Ramesses the Great, and Samurai armour.

Don’t miss the interactive tables set up by museum employees! Our boys got to hold artifacts that were thousands of years old, and learn about their history. There is also an interesting news story involving these tables that is worth reading if you plan a visit: Art Student Pulls Off a (Very Brief) Coin Heist at the British Museum.

Harry Potter Studio Tour

If you are a family has seen any of the Harry Potter movies more than once, the studio tour is 100% worth it. Our boys are pretty big fans, and this was definitely a highlight of our London weekend.

When reserving your tickets, you will be offered all sorts of packages and upsells. We were on a budget, and enjoyed the experience with just the basic studio tour tickets.

You will need to take the subway to Watford Junction. From here, there is a very clearly marked shuttle to the studio that runs every 30 minutes.

We planned our arrival about an hour prior to our entry time to avoid feeling rushed. We got dinner in the cafe. It was very mediocre, but the kids didn’t seem to notice and they were excited just to be there. There is also a cafe with coffee selections and an Ice Cream shop prior to entering the tour if you have time to kill.

Do NOT purchase the audio guide. The studio tour has a tremendous amount of information with tons to read, and movies and videos along the way. They actually warned us that the audio guides weren’t recommended for kids and my son wanted it anyways. It ended up being an annoying mistake that we had to carry around for the entirety of our tour.

The studio tour was truly amazing, and you could spend easily 4 hours exploring everything that is there. For little ones there are buttons and interactive exhibits, and for older children and adults there are exhibits from set design to special effects and beyond. There is a cafe with Butterbeer around the half way mark if you need to take a break. Be prepared for a fair amount of walking, but everything is really cool to see and you won’t want to skip.

There are a couple of upsell interactive exhibits along the studio tour, one with a broom riding experience and one that simulates a ride on the Hogwart’s Express. You can do them both without purchasing the pictures, but it does feel a bit like a trap. Don’t feel bad if you skip them, there is so much more to do further in the tour.

The tour was very stroller friendly if you have little ones.

St. James’s Park

We really enjoyed getting lost in St. James’s Park in front of Buckingham Palace. There was a delightful playground that our 6 year old really enjoyed with a snack bar with healthy treats right next to it. It was a great place to burn some energy after a longer day of site seeing.

Horse Guards Parade

The Horse Guards Parade was a great tip that I got from another blogger. Many people wait in crowded mobs to observe the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, while this is arguably cooler for kids and much less crowded.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11 AM, you can catch the ceremonial Horse Guards’ Changing of the Guard. There’s ample space for visitors to watch, making it easy to find a good spot. While we didn’t explore the museum, I’ve heard it’s both engaging and a great experience for kids, offering a closer look at the history behind the tradition.

Where to Eat in London with Kids?

Borough Market

Borough Market was our favorite foodie spot on our trip to London. It has been around since the 12th century and is located at the foot of London Bridge.

The market itself is expansive with a large amount of specialty prepared items that make an afternoon of browsing and grazing a food lovers dream. There are mouth watering fresh dipped chocolate strawberries, delicious fresh juices, and a wide array of international hot cooked foods.

Our 6-year-old opted for a steaming bowl of Thai noodles, while the 9-year-old went for gourmet mac and cheese. I treated myself to a classic British meat pie and couldn’t resist introducing the boys to Turkish Delight—though it wasn’t exactly a hit with them. The variety of food was incredible. We easily could have dined here every day and still found something new to enjoy.

Restaurants

I made several reservations preparing for our trip to London, and then ended up cancelling them all! We typically ended up half way across town, or the reservation didn’t seem to make sense once our days played out. We had no problem popping into restaurants at an earlier hour and getting a table.

However, we did have some great food. We had a lovely Italian meal at Conchiglia in Fitzrovia. We had an enjoyable, down to earth breakfast at Bar Bruno in Soho. Lastly, our kids love Indian food and we had a delicious budget friendly meal at Ragam in Fitzrovia.