I'm contemplating a trip to the UK for family of 4 next Summer.

It's myself, wife, daughter (15) and son (13)

I've been to Europe several times but never to London. Wife only once to Florence with me 16 years ago.

Kids never been anywhere in Europe

I'd like to center trip around London.

I'm entertaining day trips to places like Bath, Stonehenge, Cotswold. In London would like to catch a show, see usual sights (buckingham palace, London bridge, etc…)

We'd go from Friday to Sunday (9 days) most I can realistically take off of work.

Any suggestions on must do's or don'ts?

Is it pushing it to try and go up to Scotland for a few days at the beginning/end (with one leg of flight to Edinburg?

Thanks

my first suggestion is make sure you find a hotel with good a/c. having experienced my first summer here, i noticed that many public attractions, museums, even some of the public transport, doesn't have it. it's not miserably hot, it maybe got up to the mid 80s on the hottest days, but on the day we went to the british museum it was warm and when you add thousands of visitors to the place it's not pleasant.

if you've never been before, you probably want 4 or 5 days in london at least to see things. the british museum for example, is enormous and can easily take a full day and not see the whole thing. you'd be doing good with a family to go to two attractions/sights in one day.

then maybe from there you could spend a few days out in the cotswolds and relax and explore around there.

i wouldn't try and squeeze in scotland on top, i would pick either scotland or cotswolds as part 2.

Imo Bath and Stonehenge aren't worth it. I agree with the previous poster to do either the Cotswolds or Scotland. With 4 to five days in London and a travel day to get to Scotland you aren't left with much time to explore.

Top London Attractions:
Imperial War Museum
British Museum
St. Paul's
Buckingham Palace / Parliament
Olympic Park if you want something different
Walk along the Thames
Any of the various parks (Regent's or Hyde)
Burough Market

I only spent a two days in Edinburgh and thought that was adequate. If you go, don't miss the Brittania. https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/.

AS the others have said, for only a 9 day trip it's best to stay with the London area.
you have to figure even if you fly out on a Thursday, that Friday will be almost shot as your body clock is having to adjust to being 6hours ahead. You might get some things in, but you'll want to be in bed by 7pm.

Same with the return flight as that whole day is spent travelling.
SO you really end up with about 6-7days and there is a lot to see and do in that time.

Others have given good suggestions, I also suggest taking the train down to Brighton and checking out the coast. only about 1hr train ride so it makes a good day trip.

Thanks for the tips. I think staying in London makes the most sense so we'll plan on that.

As far as finding a hotel, any suggestions? Specific hotels or parts of the. It's I should look at?

I'll ask my wife (we're planning a 2wk trip at Christmas to go see her family and friends (She's British) and I don't know where we'll be staying yet).

I know last time I was over there to visit her (while waiting on the green card) other than 3 nights at her Gran's house at the start of the trip, we stayed several nights at a AirBnB in Brighton and then a BnB inn at a gastro-pub in Wandsworth.

I know she loves The South Bank on the river and the views there.
Keep in mind with the underground and busses it's pretty easy to get around the city so you don't have to stay directly next to where you want to go.

Aggie71013 said:

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Imo Bath and Stonehenge aren't worth it. I agree with the previous poster to do either the Cotswolds or Scotland. With 4 to five days in London and a travel day to get to Scotland you aren't left with much time to explore.

Top London Attractions:
Imperial War Museum
British Museum
St. Paul's
Buckingham Palace / Parliament
Olympic Park if you want something different
Walk along the Thames
Any of the various parks (Regent's or Hyde)
Burough Market

I only spent a two days in Edinburgh and thought that was adequate. If you go, don't miss the Brittania. https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/.

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This is pretty accurate, though I did enjoy visiting Stonehenge.

Just FYI but Taylor Swift is playing London in mid June so hotel prices may be higher than normal.

I would do Scotland. It is stunning.

Scruffy said:

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AS the others have said, for only a 9 day trip it's best to stay with the London area.
you have to figure even if you fly out on a Thursday, that Friday will be almost shot as your body clock is having to adjust to being 6hours ahead. You might get some things in, but you'll want to be in bed by 7pm.

Same with the return flight as that whole day is spent travelling.
SO you really end up with about 6-7days and there is a lot to see and do in that time.

Others have given good suggestions, I also suggest taking the train down to Brighton and checking out the coast. only about 1hr train ride so it makes a good day trip.

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Man trying to be nice but I'm completely opposite of much of this.

I live in London and you can absolutely find 9 days worth of stuff to do here and not be bored, but if it is a family trip which you'd make probably once together, go see Edinburgh for 2 days. It is a very beautiful, easy to get to from London and can be done in a couple days.

I also disagree with going to Brighton for the exact same reasons. I go to Brighton a fair bit because I can be there quickly from where I live in London and it is a fun day trip for the kids. But I'm local too. Sending somebody to Brighton would be the equivalent of somebody going to New York City and saying go check out the Jersey Shore. I mean it's pretty and it is fun… but if somebody is going to NY to visit and they might only go once in their life, you aren't sending them to the Jersey Shore.

Search the travel forum for "London". There are a bunch of old threads with good info.

I've been going to London since 1984 for work and vacation and it's my favorite city in the world. As a first timer, you can't miss Westminster Abbey and The Tower. I agree to delay Scotland for another trip. You could spend the 9 days in the London area w/o a problem. What do the kids want to do? That would drive a lot of the vacation for me.

I disagree with the above about Bath and Stonehenge. You can get a bus tour off of TripAdvisor and it's a fun day. You could also get a bus trip to Dover and Canterbury.

I don't really care for Brighton but maybe your kids would.

Rick Steves has two episodes (that I know of) on London. They're a bit out of date but you could find them on YouTube and watch them with your kids and get a feel for what they might want to do.

I think you can totally do both England and Scotland. It's hard for me to recommend skipping Scotland. It's incredible, and IMO much better than England (save London, which is a must visit).

Do the tried and true method of flying into London and out of Edinburgh or vice versa. Hang out in the city and see the big sites, go on some day trips, and train your way across the country. You'll have a great time!

I'm currently on the tail end of a trip to the UK. We focused primarily on Scotland by flying into Glasgow and then traveling around and ending up in Edinburgh. Took the train down to London for two nights and leaving tomorrow.

I'd try to make it to Edinburgh for two nights if you can. The train into London is pretty simple (just over 4 hours) and I enjoyed the overall vibe of Edinburgh more than I have London.

London obviously has all the history and touristy spots to visit. But it also has a lot of people and traffic. Edinburgh felt a little slower but still had the nice amenities of a city.

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Caledonia in Edinburgh and enjoyed it. It was centrally located so we could walk everywhere. Was our first hotel up there with AC so we slept great for the first time all trip!

Completely agree about Brighton. Not worth a trip unless you're local.

Thanks to all on the tips. Obviously it comes down to personal preference for going to Scotland while in England… it's nice to hear the different perspectives.

Concerning hotels, did you find one London you liked with AC?

I'd probably prioritize that. I know it's likely to be cool in June but I don't want to spend this much and risk that.

As far as hotel, my favorite for price and location is The Grand at Trafalgar Square. Nice hotel, good price and perfect location.

I live in the UK and there is no way I would take my family down to London for 9 days. I have younger kids and 3 days tops does it for us in London.

My recommendation is a few days in London, head up to Edinburgh for 2 days, then over to Oban & Glencoe to see the west coast & highlands. That will give you some decent variety.

We stayed at the Corinthia in Westminster and loved it. It was pricey though. Not sure what your budget looks like for the whole family but I think our room was just under 1,000 per night. It was just my fiance and I, and last hotel of the trip, so I wanted to splurge a bit.

This is similar to what we did. Started in Glasgow which I didn't love. But then did Oban and Glencoe and then to Edinburgh. Then train to London.

We just got back from a 12 day trip to Europe and London was our first stop.

We stayed in the Covent Garden area and really enjoyed it. It's central location made it easy to get around the city.

Keep in mind the hotels in London (and Europe in general) are very small on a sq. footage basis.

Scotland is number 1 on my list and my trip was covid cancelled in 2020. It will be exclusively Scotland because I want to spend a lot of time in the highlands.

I took my kids (10 and 8) to Europe for the first time this past May. We stayed two nights in Paris before travelling to Bath and finished in London. We visited Stonehenge and the Cotswolds from Bath.

-The sunset VIP reservations for Stonehenge was a highlight. Exceeded expectations in cool factor.
-The Cotswolds were much too crowded to carry any charm for my family.

-London was great. We stayed at the St. Ermin's hotel which had rooms large enough to accommodate the four of us. I can't say enough great things about St. Ermin's and their staff's treatment of my kids. Your teenagers may be too old to appreciate the kid friendliness here.
-The Tower of London was great. The Beefeater tour guide was very funny.
-The Phantom of the Opera was everyone's favorite part of the trip. My wife had tears of joy when the chandelier dropped.

We also did Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, double-decker bus, Hamley's, most all the primary tourist attractions. Just looking at the centuries of wealth accumulation in downtown London is worth the trip.

T dizl televizl said:

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We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Caledonia in Edinburgh and enjoyed it. It was centrally located so we could walk everywhere. Was our first hotel up there with AC so we slept great for the first time all trip!

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If you wind up visiting Edinburgh, I second this recommendation. Great hotel and great location.

If you can book an open jaw flight (arrive in London, depart from Edinburgh, or vice versa), you could do London and Edinburgh, but you don't have enough time to see much of anything outside the cities if you do that. If you fly on Friday, you arrive on Saturday, then depart 8 days later. Arrival day is usually not a great day for seeing things as you will be dealing with jet lag, so, you've really only got a week to do any serious site seeing. Under those circumstances, I would probably stick with London, but take a day trip someplace (we did Oxford and Blenheim) to break things up. Going to Hampton Court or Windsor also sort of breaks up your time in the city.

I can't recommend any hotels, but have you considered renting an apartment (VRBO or AirBnB)? For a family staying one week in the same place, an apartment is really optimal, as it gives you a gathering place that you don't get with hotel rooms. The one downside I see is that the best deals on rentals are usually one week (with Saturday as check in/check out day). If you are committed to a hotel, what's your budget? London hotels are not cheap.

twk said:

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I can't recommend any hotels, but have you considered renting an apartment (VRBO or AirBnB)? For a family staying one week in the same place, an apartment is really optimal, as it gives you a gathering place that you don't get with hotel rooms. The one downside I see is that the best deals on rentals are usually one week (with Saturday as check in/check out day). If you are committed to a hotel, what's your budget? London hotels are not cheap.

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Most Airbnbs particularly in central London won't have AC and Airbnbs aren't THAT much cheaper than hotels here. Other thing is that I'm not very far out of central… a few visitors I've had have opted to Airbnb in central London to save a few bucks and have had more bad experiences than good with the 'bargains". So just be careful if you go this route.

I'll add to this thread. In both 2021 & 2022 I went to London and stayed at Club Quarters, Trafalgar Square ( same place as the Grand, posted earlier ). The best location for both Embankment & Charing Cross Stations. As far as transportation to/from Heathrow, I highly recommend Eddie Manning's Transfer Service.

Flew out on a Wednesday, arrived Thursday and left the following Friday. Below is what I did in 2021.

Day 1: Toured Trafalgar Square and found the Republic of Texas plaque ( old embassy ).
Day 2: Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey & 10 Downing St.
Day 3: Abbey Road Studios and just touring around on my own.
Day 4: Changing of the Guards @ Buckingham Palace and Wimbledon tour
Day 5: Windsor Castle, then walked over the Eton College
Day 6: Greenwich ( Cutty Sark ), Harrod's and just some other small stuff
Day 7: Tower of London, Tower Bridge and View from the Shard
Day 8: Kensington Palace & Gardens, Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park
Day 9: Flight back.

In 2022 ( off the top of my head, I don't have the detailed list here at the office like I do for 2021 ). Stay at the same hotel again and used Eddie for transportation.
-St. Paul's Cathedral
-Temple Church
-Camden & Borough Markets
-Buckingham Palace Tour
-Bath ( I did enjoy the Roman Baths, but nothing else in town was an interest to me )
-Hampton Court Palace
-Fuller's Brewery Tour

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks that helps.

At this point more strongly considering Edinburgh sat, sun, Mon. London tue-sun

Definitely like the Waldorf as mentioned above for Edinburgh. Strongly considering the grand as you and others have mentioned

The Grinder (99) said:

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Thanks that helps.

At this point more strongly considering Edinburgh sat, sun, Mon. London tue-sun

Definitely like the Waldorf as mentioned above for Edinburgh. Strongly considering the grand as you and others have mentioned

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Club Quarters and the Grand are one and the same. Same ownership. They use to be two separate entities within the same building. They use the same reception desk and everything.

Txgunrnnr said:

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Day 3: Abbey Road Studios and just touring around on my own.

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Oh jeez… this isn't code for you gave somebody your phone and had them take a picture of you walking across the Abbey Road zebra cross is it?

ATM9000 said:

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Txgunrnnr said:

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Day 3: Abbey Road Studios and just touring around on my own.

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Oh jeez… this isn't code for you gave somebody your phone and had them take a picture of you walking across the Abbey Road zebra cross is it?

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Nope. I wish I had that pic, but just a selfie from the sidewalk.

Txgunrnnr,

What's Eddie's price from Heathrow to The Grand? I've always used the tube but at 60, my wife is starting to ***** about the tube.

whasty said:

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Txgunrnnr,

What's Eddie's price from Heathrow to The Grand? I've always used the tube but at 60, my wife is starting to ***** about the tube.

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I've had good luck with the Heathrow Express (drops at Paddington). A bit more than the tube but way faster.

whasty said:

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Txgunrnnr,

What's Eddie's price from Heathrow to The Grand? I've always used the tube but at 60, my wife is starting to ***** about the tube.

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The two years I went it was right around $150 ( including tip ) each way. Your required to make two reservations ( one from Heathrow to the hotel and then from the hotel back to Heathrow ). It feels good to be picked up in a Mercedes, and only takes about 30mins. Hope this helps.

https://www.limo.co.uk/

It's a little more than a cab. Not bad. I paid 75 pounds +tip from The Grand to Heathrow a few years ago.

If your taking a train, the new Elisabeth line is better than the Heathrow express.

Just got back from the UK - everyone has their preferences, but Scotland is great. I'd pick that 10 times outta 10

Scotland and Wales are the best parts of the UK. Once you've done London it's time to get out of the cities and explore the country.