Top 5 in London for the Holidays (with a Toddler!)
We recently returned from a quick trip to London over the Thanksgiving break. Here’s our top 5:
1. Holiday Lights
The light displays on and above the streets of London is what we think makes this a special time of year to visit. Regent Street is probably the most famous and popular, with its beautiful angels:
But we found many other stunning streets just by walking around. Each section of London has a different feel and style of decoration:
There are a number of buses advertising tours to drive you through the various light displays. We opted to walk and we’re glad we did. There was sporadic rain on our trip – perhaps 50% of the time, and we would have been disappointed if we locked ourselves in to a particular day on an open-air bus in the rain. We enjoyed the walks – but it really made the stroller a required item!
You can map these out and go on a marathon march in one night, or divide and conquer. Sunset is around 4 pm this time of year, so it’s not too late to take a stroll, have an early dinner, and then get back to your hotel for an early toddler bedtime.
2. Department Stores
To add to the festive decorations, several of the large department stores have special holiday displays in the storefront windows. Selfridges took the cake for our 4-year-old with Disney-themed window displays:
Even if shopping is not your idea of a vacation, just walking through the Holiday sections of these stores is worth a visit. You might even find a few Christmas gifts for those hard-to-shop-for members of your family … Who wouldn’t want a Royal family ornament?
The toy department in Harrod’s (floor 4) was fantastic as well … especially the Jelly Cat section.
3. See a show!
London’s West End hosts the same quality theater as Broadway in New York City. We love musicals, and any trip to London or New York without seeing a show would be incomplete. This trip was special for us, as it was our daughter’s first musical. We chose to see Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Starlight Express. The music is great, the vibrant costumes are some of the best we’ve ever seen, and (oh by the way) the entire cast is on roller skates. We were hopeful this show would capture our daughter’s attention, and she loved it.
4. Christmas Markets
You might think that the Christmas markets would be on the top of our list, but they were quite underwhelming – especially if you’ve been to German Christmas Markets. Said more directly: don’t go to London just for the Christmas markets! They are small and each market has very similar vendors, without much variety. But they were still fun to wonder around the pop-up shops with a beer or mulled wine in hand.
The market at Leicester Square had an ice skating rink, which can be a fun option for the whole family.
Finally, we think the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is worth a visit. This event is labelled a “tourist trap” by locals, which is probably justified, but it really is fun for all ages. Our for-year-old enjoyed the Ferris wheel and “Jumbo” – an imitation Dumbo ride. Older kids would like the roller coasters and spinning rides, and maybe some of the fair games. Just go expecting a “county fair” experience, not a posh London theme park.
Pre-booking and planning your visit is essential. When you purchase entry tickets, you have to choose a one-hour time window. We chose 3-4 pm on a Friday and there was no wait. But on our way out, 5 pm on a Friday evening, there were hundreds waiting in line – the fast track would have been worth it.
5. Tea
No trip to London should be without a tea, and there are several to choose from geared towards children. We chose the “Princess Tea” at the Hilton Park Lane, and had a great experience. Our daughter loves Disney Princesses, so this wasn’t a tough decision for us, but we strongly recommend picking a tea obviously marketed for kids. Tea can be a formal affair where children could be disruptive, but at the Princess tea we didn’t worry at all – every table had toddlers.
Conclusion
London is a special place around the holidays, and definitely worth a visit. We hope this post makes your trip with a toddler more enjoyable!