How Many Days Do You Need in London With Kids?
How Many Days Do You Need in London With Kids?
Short answer: If you can choose the length of your stay, 4-5 days will allow you to see many of London’s major highlights.
We spent six days in London as a family of four, which gave us enough time to include a couple of day trips, too.
However, any amount of time you have available is enough to make it “worth it.”
What We Recommend for Families with Kids
If You Just Want the Highlights: 2–3 Days
This is a good choice for a quick introduction to London. Focus on your absolute must-see attractions and don't try to squeeze in day trips.
If You Want to See the Major Sights Without Rushing: 4 Days
Four days gives you enough time for several major attractions while still leaving room for meals, parks, playgrounds, and exploring the city.
If You Want the Full First-Time London Experience: 5–6 Days
This is what we'd recommend if you have the flexibility. You'll have enough time for London's major highlights and can potentially add a day trip or two.
If You Want a Slower Trip or Multiple Day Trips: 7+ Days
A week or more gives you room to explore neighborhoods, take additional day trips, and build in flexibility for weather or tired kids.
For our family, six days worked great because we could see all our absolute must-see sites in London and add a few bucket-list day trips to Stonehenge and the Harry Potter Studios Tour.
What Your London Trip Can Look Like at Different Lengths
If You Have 2–3 Days
Pick your top 3-4 sites. These should be the attractions you’d forever regret not seeing.
For example, maybe you can’t live without seeing Big Ben, the Tower of London, and the British Museum. Prioritize those sites, and then if you have extra time, that’s just an added bonus!
Pick a central location to stay in (we had a great experience in South Bank). This will offer quick and convenient to transportation and restaurants.
Don’t try to add in excursions outside of the city. While there are some awesome day trips nearby, we wouldn’t recommend them if you’re only in London for 2-3 days.
With just a couple of days in London, you have enough time to see a few highlights, like seeing the Parthenon Sculptures at the British Museum.
If You Have 4 Days
Four days in London will give you a little more time to explore.
You’ll have enough time to see the top sites, and you’ll have some time for taking in the city, enjoying leisurely meals, and exploring parks and playgrounds.
If this is your first time visiting London, we wouldn’t recommend adding in a day trip. The city has plenty of heavy-hitting attractions to offer.
With four days in London, you have a little more time to enjoy exploring the city. We enjoyed strolling through St. James’s Park on our way to Buckingham Palace.
If You Have 5–6 Days
We spent 6 days in London with our kids, and it felt like the perfect amount of time for us as first-time visitors.
Our trip included sites like:
Buckingham Palace
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Stonehenge
Windsor Castle
Tower of London
Borough Market
Globe Theatre
Harry Potter Studio Tour
British Museum
British Library
We felt like this was the perfect trip length for our family. Every day felt new and exciting, and by the end of the vacation we felt like we’d seen everything we “needed” to see, especially within the city of London.
With 5-6 days in London, you have time to add in a couple of day trips. We loved going on the Harry Potter Studio Tour!
If You Have 7 Days or More
With a week or more in London, you’ll have time to see the major attractions, explore different neighborhoods, and take more day trips.
If we’d had extra time in London, we would have loved to see a show in the West End and to take a day trip to Hampton Court Palace.
With 7 or more days, you can take more day trips (such as visiting Stoneheng) or enjoy a more leisurely time exploring the city of London.
Don't Forget About Travel Days
Keep in mind that travel days don’t usually count as full days in a city.
In our case, our six full days in London actually did include the morning our plane landed. We landed early in the morning and wanted to try to fight jet lag, so we dropped our bags off at our hotel and jumped straight into sightseeing.
In general, you’ll be tired the day you arrive and will likely have limited time, if any, the day you leave.
The recommendations listed above were based on full days in London, not including travel days.
What About Day Trips From London?
If you’re interested in taking day trips from London, we’d recommend staying in London for at least 4-5 full days. That will allow you time for 1-2 day trips, depending on your sightseeing priorities.
With 6 full days in London, we were able to visit Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, and do the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
How We Spent Six Days in London With Kids
Here’s a look at the major highlights we focused on during our trip to London:
Day 1:
Buckingham Palace
Natural History Museum
Princess Diana Memorial Playground
Day 2:
Stonehenge
Science Museum
Day 3:
Windsor Castle
Day 4:
Tower of London
Borough Market
Globe Theater
Day 5:
Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 6:
British Museum
British Library Treasures Gallery
How to Decide How Many Days Your Family Needs
Plan for fewer days if you:
have a limited number of vacation days
want to focus on a few major sights
aren't interested in day trips
have been to London before
Plan for more days if you:
want a slower pace
have never been to London
want to take day trips
want flexibility for tired days/weather
have the option of taking a longer vacation
Our Recommendation
If you are visiting for the first time and have the option available, we suggest aiming for 5-6 days in London, especially if you want to include a day trip or two. This will allow you to visit the major sites without feeling rushed or like you left one of your “must-sees” out.
However, if you have limited time, we wouldn’t let that stop you from checking London off your bucket list. There is plenty to see, and you can squeeze a lot into a short amount of time with careful planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 3 days enough for London with kids?
Yes, definitely. It will allow you to see a few major attractions and mark off some bucket list items. Just don’t try to do everything London has to offer. Consider it a sampler of the city.
Is 5 days enough for London with kids?
Yes, 5 days will allow you time to see some must-see attractions, and maybe even fit in a day trip!
Is 7 days too long for London with kids?
For our family, 7 days is about the maximum length we’d spend in a single city. It allows us plenty of time to go sightseeing and fit in some unforgettable day trips. However, in our experience, about a week into visiting a city, our kids start missing home.
Should you spend more time in London if you want to take day trips?
Yes, we’d recommend staying for a minimum of 4 full days (not including travel days) if you want to squeeze in a day trip.
What is the best area to stay in London with kids?
We had a great experience staying in South Bank. We appreciated the location’s convenience to many sites and easy access to transportation and food. It’s a touristy area, but we didn’t mind. After all, we’re tourists!
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how many days you should spend in London. For most Americans especially, the number will largely depend on how many vacation days you’re willing to spend there.
If you have the flexibility, we found six full days to be perfect for our family. We saw everything we felt like we had to see, including a few epic day trips. And if we never got the opportunity to return, we felt satisfied that we saw the things we absolutely had to see.
However, if you only have a few days, it’s still worth the trip to get a taste of the city and see a couple of its can’t-miss attractions. And that can help you decide if you’d like to plan a return trip one day.
Continue Planning Your London Trip
Planning a trip to London can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be.
We've put together practical guides based on our family's experience to help you make the most of your vacation—from choosing what to see to building a realistic itinerary.
Check out the articles below to continue planning your trip:
