I recently came back from a quick trip to London. Ok, it was a business trip and I didn't have the kids with me. But my kids were definitely on my mind and as I used my very limited spare time, I was thinking about whether London was a good place to visit with toddlers.
First, the bad news. London is expensive and especially if you're traveling from the US and have to accept a less than favorable exchange rate. Simple meals in London can be very expensive. But like all big cities, there are ways to keep costs down and eat on the cheap. Think hotel breakfasts, pack your own lunch, and plan simple dinners.
Now the good news is that it's relatively easy to get around London. You can take the Heathrow Express or the tube to get from the airport to your hotel. Pack light and you just made it even easier for yourself.
Once you are in London, the hard part is picking what to do. I had a very short amount of time and relied on TripConnect users to tell me what to do with One Day in London. You can check out my guide on London to see what I ended up doing in detail. In short, the Tower of London was worth the half day, but I would keep young ones out of the audio tour which emphasizes aspects of the Tower's gruesome history. You can save a little bit of money and time if you buy your tickets online. I made a quick visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum which I found very interesting, but it may be too much for very young kids. My advice; give it a shot and if the kid(s) don't cooperate, you can always bail out for another activity. I visited Buckingham Palace, but did not have a chance to take a tour. I'm guessing young kids would enjoy seeing the Royal Mews or the changing the guard. I had my dinners at pubs, but many of them may not be suitable for young kids.
Bottom line, my advice is go for it if you can get a reasonable deal on airfare and hotel.
