United Kingdom with the Kids

We had to accommodate our youngest child, age 12, so we chose the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud's, and London Dungeon for her. Actually, these sites were my favorites as well, especially the Tower of London. Being history buffs, my husband and I really enjoyed the tour. I enjoyed the Crown Jewels the most. There was so much to do and we only had 4 days, so we had to carefully pick and choose our activities. I only regret that we did not have more time.

When traveling with children (teens), keeping everyone happy is important, along with enlightening them with a little knowledge about the area. That is why it is important that you balance the day carefully. Allow everyone an opportunity to suggest a place to visit and do a little compromising. I also bought a journal for each of my girls and had them write and sketch things they remembered each night. This has been fun to read now that they are older.

Quick Tips:

Passes are available for discounts, but we only had 4 days here, so this would not help us. Just expect everything to be expensive, so select carefully the places to visit.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxi rides were cheaper for us since we were a family of five. We also did a lot of walking to get a better feel of the place.

This hotel was located at the corner of Piccadilly and Berkley Streets. The location was perfect for walks to restaurants, theatres, clubs, etc. Nearby were Buckingham Palace and many touristy must-sees. Across the street was Green Park, with transportation via the Tube. The hotel was beautiful and had nice furnishings.

Only two are allowed in each room, so that makes it pricey when traveling with kids. However, I began calling 3 months early to check rates. I actually saved 75% off the rack rate at arrival. And with the price of food there, that was amazing.

The worst part of our trip was finding food that was affordable and tasty at the same time. England is obviously not known for its culinary flair, so this became a task. Finally, we found that the Hard Rock was within walking distance of our hotel. Never has a hamburger and fries tasted so wonderful. In fact, the line to get in stretched around the block. It was mostly hungry American tourists.