Mentioned by Globetotting
45 really fun things to do in London with kids
"Sky Garden pairs epic views with tasty cocktails and an indoors garden, how can you not love that?. Sky Garden has a 360° view all around London and a number of different bars and restaurants inside it. Access to Sky Garden is free but you have to book in advance if you want to skip the queues, don’t worry if you forget about booking, you can still access Sky Garden but you will have to wait a little longer before taking your perfect Instagram shots."
"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"
"Get the lift to the top of 20 Fenchurch Street and let your toddler explore London’s highest public garden. There are 360 degree views of the London skyline, gardens to run around in and a café where you can buy cakes and pastries. Cost – Free, but you need to prebook."
"The sweet treats get scientific at Chin Chin Labs, where all the ice cream is hand-churned with liquid nitrogen. Its short but inventive menu of regular flavours includes tonka bean and burnt butter caramel, with an array of topping options including bee pollen honeycomb and truffle crumble."
"A thick, brownie-like cookie with sweet-and-sticky dulce de leche, toasted hazelnuts and cranberries, it’s luxurious – full of Valhrona chocolate – and super indulgent. 54 Greek St, London W1D 3DS or 49-50 Camden Lock Pl, London NW1 8AF. Open for take-away in the weekends."
"I remember my first Chin Chin ice cream years ago back in Camden Market. At that point the brand was pretty new and out there, making ice cream sundaes using liquid nitrogen. It was theatrical and fun, but also really sweet and delicious."
"If you gave a bunch of five year olds a box of crayons and told them to draw birthday cakes, you’d probably end up with something that looks quite a bit like the celebration cakes at this Soho bakery and café. That’s not a bad thing. Cakes with names like “Strawberry Eat-On Mess”*, “S’Mores”, “Apple Pie” – as a cake, and “Popcorn Drip” are short on cake and very long on globs of frosting, fillings, toppings and childlike humor."
"This sister-owned Soho bakery looks sweet, but isn't saccahrine. Using no more sugar and fat than they need, their inventive and joyfully decorated offerings are delicately, carefully flavoured. Cutter & Squidge’s Dream Cakes make for jaw dropping centrepieces for your big celebration, or can also be enjoyed by the slice in house – the Lychee Kiss is an elegant flavour trio of lychee, raspberry and rose."
"Each one features two biscuit pieces closing in on a layer of cream to create a beautiful dessert sandwich. They’re the perfect sugary pick-me-up and come in a selection of creative flavours. Try the rich billionaire dreambar, which is served with an extra layer of chocolate in the middle."
"With such adorable bear branding, how could you resist a trip to Little Newport Street’s Yunique?. Find them serving up summer coolers, including the refreshing lychee juice with boba or for the watermelon lovers, the watermelon tea with added lychee. For a milky hit, their range of milk teas are next level, including the red bean milk tea."
"Another one sitting at the higher spots of the list of best bubble tea in London is Yunique Tea. My go-to is their Dark Sugar Boba Milk, which was rich and velvety, with the right amount of sweetness. The tapioca was cooked properly into an al dente texture and oozing caramelised flavours."
"The Wellcome Collection puts forward their ideas about the connection of life, medicine, and art through displays of science, medicine and psychology artefacts. It proclaims to be a ” free destination for the incurably curious”. It has some outstanding contemporary and historic exhibitions and collections, the famous Wellcome Library and many more things to explore."
"An museum mostly consisting of art about medicine might seem like a bit of a strange one, but the Wellcome Collection attracts more than 700,000 visitors every year. Inside, you’ll find an oddly fascinating collection of art, books and artefacts relating to the development of medicine around the globe. It’s certainly enough to evoke some morbid curiosity!"
"Blue Ivy opened up in May and is a walk away from Victoria Park, looking out onto Regent's Canal. It's so scenic and dainty and has a large outdoor seating area where you can enjoy your alfresco meal with a gorgeous view of the canal. My recommendations: I mean, look at that plate, I'm sure we can all agree that pancakes stacked with fresh fruit and compote are quite simply irresistible."
"23-27 St James's St, St. James's, London SW1A 1HA Why should you care?. It's been 70 years since the Wiltons group has opened a new restaurant - but they've launched something brand new in St James. Locket's is a brand new cafe and wine bar in the old "Economist Plaza" now redeveloped and renamed Smithson Plaza."
"Oozing with a yellow-tinged salted duck egg custard, the custard bun (£2.50) at Bun House has built a cult following among foodies. Expect the classic Cantonese-style bun, this time filled with a runny mixture that’ll have you licking up every single drop. Not quite sweet, not quite savoury; it’s a lip-smacking mouthful and one of the most affordable desserts in London."
"Possibly the best thing about Bun House is that it’s two restaurants in one. At street level, you’ll find the Bun House itself, with a counter full of wicker baskets gently steaming away. This is the place to grab a pillowy soft bun, stuffed with pork, lamb, chicken, fish, or vegetables, and take a wander through Soho."
"This Cantonese cafeteria specializes in steamed buns, made fresh whether you eat in-house or get them to-go. Soft and fluffy, they're stuffed with a range of different ingredients — including vegan options. Plus, they're open late and serve booze."
"For the most authentic (yes, really) Chinese food in London, a visit to Teddington (albeit the less fashionable side) is a must. While the exterior is in need of a little TLC, don’t let that put you off from experiencing the best dim sum in west London. The preparation that goes into each dish is more than a match for more celebrated joints dotted around the capital’s more visually appealing areas."
"Visit one of the largest Chinatown London restaurants for Cantonese dishes and a wide choice of dim sum, with a focus on seafood. Housed over three floors and featuring karaoke rooms and even its own carp pond, Imperial China London knows how to impress. During the weekend, you're also able to delve into a roast meat platter featuring roast duck and barbecued pork."
"While everywhere claims to serve the best ice cream in town – and Bears do too – they do at least have a sense of humour about what they do. Ice cream here is fun: all sorts of flavours (with the owners clearly having a sweet tooth), often piled high with hundreds and thousands, brownie bites, Lotus biscuits, Smarties, and sauces galore. The little bears – designed to look like, you guessed it, baby bears – are particularly adorable."
"Made from Jersey milk, the ice creams at Bears Ice Cream are rich and luxurious without being overwhelmingly sweet. They’re the sort of scoops you want to ease yourself into after a hard day; the dairy equivalent of a Tempur mattress. Flavours like rhubarb crumble and custard – a personal fave that's given a slightly savoury edge by the presence of Maldon salt – and the Golden Syrup sponge ice cream exemplify what Bears is all about."
"The Goldhawk Road shop specialises in Icelandic style soft serve ice cream, with flavours like golden syrup sponge; peanut butter, banana & chocolate shard; and rhubarb crumble & custard, which can be topped with all manner of fruit, sauces and chocolate."
"You don't actually have to cross town for these, not now they've got vans, bars and stockists all over the place. You would, though, if you had to — for somewhere among the Standards, the Mini Bites and the Seasonal Specials is the doughnut of your dreams. They use sourdough for a denser, chewier doughnut at Crosstown, one thing which sets them apart from the doughnut masses."
"For something fresh and unique, we suggest trying one of Crosstown Doughnuts’ multiple locations. The bakery makes its doughnuts with rising sourdough bread and leans heavily towards fruit flavoring. Some of the options you can get there include Peach & Nectarine, Homemade Raspberry Jam, and Yuzu & Passionfruit."
"The Blackberry & Pear – one of our banging new seasonal (vegan) flavours available in-store and on-demand across London, direct from the Crosstown website. 🍐🍩✖️ #crosstown#vegancrosstown#crosstowndoughnuts. 📸: chefclarisseflon 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/SV4poI3Jr6"
"The name “La Gelatiera” refers to the traditional gelato churn that’s been used by well-trained ice cream artisans to make gelato for centuries. La Gelatiera carries on that tradition in its laboratory while also incorporating more modern twists through Heston Blumenthal-esque flavours such as basil and chilli or porcini chocolate cream. The latter is a flavour totally unique to La Gelatiera – a blend that marries the earthy notes of a porcini mushroom with sweet and creamy chocolate."
"Restaurants Ice-cream parlours Stratford. If putting a smile on people’s faces was an Olympic sport, La Gelatiera would definitely go home with a gold. Their spot in East Village, E20 in Stratford, is more sociable than the Covent Garden original, with a ‘theatre’ where you can watch the gelato being made."
"The V&A's Theatre Collections hold the UK's national collection of material about live performance in the UK since Shakespeare's day, covering drama, dance, musical theatre, circus, music hall, rock and pop, and other forms of live entertainment. Theatre and Performance galleries dedicated to the performing arts, display works of art, costumes, ephemera, video recordings, puppets, posters and photographs."
"PRACTICAL INFORMATION: The museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm. Tickets cost £20 GBP (around $26 USD). Make sure to book your tickets and pick a time-slot in advance directly on the museum website."
"Ham House is a dreamy place to go if you want to escape the inner city for a while. Explore magical gardens and immerse yourself in the 17th Century. COVID-19 UPDATE: The gardens at Ham House have reopened to the public, but you’ll need to book your visit in advance."
"Ham House is located in an idyllic spot on the River Thames in Ham (in South West London). The house was built in 1610 and is owned by the National Trust. The beautiful gardens have recently been restored to their former plan from the 1600s."
"Housed in the old ordnance factory, displays of local history with maps, photos and artefacts from the Roman era to the 20th century."