Kid & Coe founder and Ibiza resident Zoie Kingsbery-Coe spends a long weekend London at Christmas with her family. Here’s her 5-day itinerary for a festive trip in the capital…
Thursday
My husband is from England and we have lived in London on and off through the year. This time when we came for a 5-day city break, we decided to stay in central London so the kids could enjoy the magic that is central London at Christmas time.
In my humble opinion, London is the most festive city in the world at Christmas.
We arrived late from Ibiza, but checked in easily to the Harley Street Residence. Thank goodness it had an elevator because we had a lot of bags. We went straight to a Michelin starred Indian restaurant Pahli Hill. It was quite spicy, which was a little challenging for the kids, but we managed some stuff on the menu that they were happy with.
Friday
One of the great things about staying in a Kid & Coe house is you can piece together your own meals. We lightly stocked the fridge with breakfast bits, and the kids ate before we set off for ice-skating at Battersea Glide. We took the tube from Tottenham Court Road straight to Battersea power station.
The kids ice skated for a few hours, rode the Christmas carousel and ate way too many sweeties from the Christmas sweet stall. We had a great lunch at Fiume (restaurant selection is VERY important to my husband) and everybody was happy. Friday night we had booked a family classic: The Snowman at Sadler Wells.
Saturday
Saturday morning we hit the shops on Oxford Street and Carnaby Street, making sure to stop at Liberty, our favorite iconic London department store.
We had lunch on Marylebone High Street at Carlotta, which the kids loved and had the coolest bathroom I’ve ever seen. Saturday afternoon, we went to King’s Road for more festive shopping, and did a gingerbread house workshop at the Gingerbread City.
Sunday
Sunday morning we went to Winter Wonderland, which we like to do in the morning before because it gets really crowded at night. It means you don’t get to see all of the wonderful lights, but it’s a little bit calmer with young children.
Sunday lunch we had a big family festive lunch at the Phoenix, a great Chinese restaurant near Regents Park which always feels festive, and had a lovely family walk. Come Sunday night we watched a carol service at my son’s school.
Monday
We took the kids to an art exhibit at the nearby Royal Academy of Arts for about an hour and then went for afternoon tea at the Langham Hotel. A classic English tradition and the kids loved it! They even had kids champagne and a kid’s tea.
We also went and saw Santa at John Lewis, which the kids loved.
Book a Long Weekend in London
Ready to book a long weekend in London? Check out our family-friendly vacation rentals in London or learn more about where to stay in the capital with kids.
- https://www.kidandcoe.com/destinations/kensington-chelsea/the-edith-residence
- https://www.kidandcoe.com/destinations/camden-town/the-camden-town-residence
- https://www.kidandcoe.com/destinations/queen-s-park/the-queens-park-residence
- https://www.kidandcoe.com/destinations/marylebone/the-york-street-mews-ii-residence
- https://www.kidandcoe.com/destinations/marylebone/the-harley-street-residence
