London in Two Days: A Family-Friendly Adventure with Clara

With a wonderful weather in our hands, we planned a 2 days weekend getaway from our Watford fortress, to visit the Royal London. So after a full day at Windsor, Almighty London was ready for us early morning. You can also check our Windsor Day Trip: Discovering Legoland and Windsor Castle.

Warm up at Westminster Abbey

With some tickets set for Westminster Abbey at 9:30AM, we arrived near the location early, with an exquisite surprise … free parking. Check here where and when the parking restrictions apply.

Long story short we managed to park the car 200 meters from Westminster Abbey. Once again the tickets were booked in advance and after a round of outside photos we got to our time slot at 9:30. This was my second visit here, but felt like a first, seeing it with different eyes and knowledge than the last time I visited. Also like i’m always saying, at least for me, the weather, the sun makes 50% of the trip more enjoyable. The brilliant way the light hits the stained glass in Chapter House, Henry VII Lady Chapel or the Pyx Chamber reminded me about Sagrada Familia. And of course probably the main attraction, Choir Stalls, which lies in front of the altar.

Surprise Encounter on the Streets of London

Being active on social media, and posting places where we are, has some benefits sometimes. A cousin of mine, who also is a good friend, left me a message that he was also in London and we could meet nearby. So after leaving the church and enjoying a few street performing acts near the Big Ben, we started crossing the Westminster Bridge so that we met with Octav half way. After a short talk, we found out he was leaving later on so decided to team up and explore the surroundings. Could’t miss the chance to ask him to take us a photo with the Palace and Elizabeth Tower.

From here we headed to Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery enjoying the mixed architectural building and parks along the Thames River. As usual the city was full of life with a lot of tourists gathered on different spots, from cafes, restaurants, well known attractions or special events like a festival of lights during the day. Not so late in the day but a great time for lunch we found ourselves near the British Museum where we chose Amarcord Restaurant on Museum Street. We all enjoyed some pasta and grabbed a beer with my friend.

The tour continued to Russell Square Gardens where Clara had a nice encounter with a few squirrels which also reminded me about a similar experience more than 10 years ago. As the clock struck 3PM, we arrived at St. Pancras Renaissance, where our journeys had to part ways. Since most of the day was more about us and less about Clara, we decided to visit The British Library where there were some workshops for kids in progress. Even if we were quite late, she managed to join one and express her abilities in handmade activities.

We didn’t reach this point by surprise, Harry Potter was here as well. To be more precise I’m talking about Platform 9 ¾ which can be found in the St Pancras International train station, which also is a nice place to visit and explore. A huge line was waiting to take a photo with the place where Harry entered the wall. Since our tour to Warners Bros Studios was set, we decided to skip this and just explore the shop. Being a fan of Harry’s adventures, she couldn’t leave the place without the proper wand to fight the evil wizards.

Colorful Way Back

Our car was 3 miles away, so we had to either take the Underground, an Uber or … take a walk back. Even if we were a little bit tired, the route was filled with plenty of things to mention. We made our way through Chinatown until we reached Leicester Square, where much awaited us: the colorful M&M Store, the Lego Store or just a Harry Potter statue on a broom. Being pretty close to our car, we couldn’t resist capturing some beautiful shots of the iconic phone booth next to Big Ben.

For me, London is arguably the best city in the world, blending rich history with cutting-edge innovation. Yet, it’s the Victorian architecture that truly stands out, dominating the bustling streets with its timeless charm and character.

Kensington Palace

Another beautiful Sunday with a pleasant 20°C was ready for us. So for our second day, we decided to dive into some museum hopping—taking things slow, soaking up British culture, and letting our brains do the heavy lifting for once. Thankfully, the weather was still on our side, and best of all, the parking was still free. A win for both our minds and wallets! Energized with an english breakfast and a latte and up we go, to hit the museums downtown. Our first stop was Kensington Palace near Hyde Park in the gardens with the same name. The place has exhibits for grownups mainly, so Clara wasn’t to interested and hurried us to finish the tour in no time.

Hyde Park was buzzing with energy, thanks to a marathon, which made it a bit crowded. But luckily, there was still plenty of room for us to enjoy a leisurely stroll and unwind after our museum adventure.

Natural History Museum

After not so inspired set to visit, but with plenty of things to enjoy for 1-2 hours we continued our museum route to the Natural History Museum, which is free but with the need of booking a time slot. This place is a masterpiece and deserve a solid full day to fully explore all sections and its a children delight with plenty of things to learn and see. Id say its a real pretender to the Smithsonian in WA. Some of the things you shouldn’t miss:

Guy the gorilla – London Zoo’s much-loved former resident,
On the Origin of Species – arguably the most important book in biology by Charles Darwin,
The Birds of America – This one-metre page is from one of the world’s most expensive books.

Science Museum

Being in the same complex, you can jump from one museum to another quite easy, and even if we managed to squeeze these 2 in a day, i recommend to spend one in each for a slow pace experience. Here i was probably more excited than Clara, surrounded by so many rockets, satellites, probes or landers along with their stories and history events.

Besides the main exhibition itself which is also free, you can also attend to events, explore interactive galleries or enjoy an IMAX projection. Here you can check what suits for your party.