For both days four and five of our trip to London with our one-year-old, we spent most of our time in or near the London Bridge area. To see what we did for the first four days of our trip, including information on the first place we stayed, our flight to the UK, and transportation while we were there, click over here to part one of my London with a Toddler series.
Day-by-Day
{Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a map for the first couple of days of this trip.}
Day 4
Sunday Roast at Roast
We knew we wanted to book a fun place for Sunday roast, so when I read about Roast at Borough Market on a list of child-friendly options, I made a reservation. The restaurant is beautiful, and the food was good. It is also definitely child-friendly – they gave Carson a children’s menu with a coloring page and crayons and had high chairs readily available.
The Sunday roast menu is a a three-course menu with appetizer, entree, and dessert options. As I said, the food was good, but I think this was the hardest meal of our trip because Carson just wasn’t feeling it. He didn’t want to sit still. So, we once again pulled out the tablet to try to get a few bites in peace, but even then, he started throwing the tablet on the ground. So, we kind of had to rush through this meal and get out of there so as not to disturb the other diners. I wish I could have paid a little more attention to the food, but so it goes with a toddler.
Trying to get Baby Boy to eat something!
The Shard
Stop #2 on this Sunday was a visit the top of The Shard, the tallest building in the UK. Tickets are expensive – a standard ticket to the top runs about $33 USD per adult, but there are lots of discount sites that offer tickets. Children under 3 are free. We had avoided this stop on previous trips to London because of the price, but I’m glad we did it this time. The views from up there are pretty incredible.
Carson loved looking at all the trains from The Shard too. It was cute to see the skyscraper view of the city through his eyes.
The Airbnb
After Sunday roast and a view from the Shard, it was already time to head to South London to check into our Airbnb. Again, we used Family Transfers to get us and all of our things from our hotel to our Airbnb. You can read my thoughts on the transfer company in part one of this series. Our Airbnb was a beautifully-designed flat in the Crystal Palace area. We relocated from our centrally-located Bermondsey Street hotel for a few reasons; primarily to save some money but also to stay somewhere that was particularly kid-friendly and walking distance to parks. Daniel had planned to be working some hours during the upcoming week, so I needed easy access to activities for Carson.
As soon as we walked into the Airbnb, Carson ran over to this cabinet full of toys. He already loved it! It was the perfect place for us stay the rest of our time in London. The hosts provided all the toys, children’s books, high chair, baby bed, children’s plates and utensils, and children’s movies. It was really nice to not have to worry about packing those things in our already stuffed suitcases.
The hosts, Melinda and Jon, were very friendly and so helpful with recommendations for our stay. The flat is decorated in what they call an industrial vintage style, and the space, while small, is very efficiently structured so that you have everything you need, including a dishwasher and combo washer/dryer. The only couple downsides for us were that there wasn’t a bathtub for Carson (we just made do with the shower) and that the dryer function of the washer/dryer did not work (we just used the provided drying rack but had laundry everywhere due to so much clothing!).
Day 5
The next day we headed right back where we came from the day before! We had intended to go to Borough Market on Sunday while we were already there, but it ends up that the market is closed on Sundays. It worked out for the best because we wouldn’t have had much time to enjoy the market Sunday anyway.
My boys and their funny “excited” faces on the train back to town!
Carson being goofy while waiting on one of the trains at the station. This boy loves trains!
Borough Market
Borough Market is a must-do in London. It is a large market full of good food, locally-made crafts and gifts, flowers, produce, and souvenirs, all from a wide variety of local vendors. We could have spent a lot more time here, but we limited it to just a couple hours of wandering and eating some lunch. Carson enjoyed some food and then took a nice nap in his stroller after we snagged a seat to eat our lunch. As you can tell below, we were really drawn to the cheese and baked goods vendors.
Southwark Cathedral
Our next stop was Southwark Cathedral, an Anglican church just around the corner from Borough Market. We were grateful that Carson was still napping so that we could enjoy the beautiful interior of this church.
Strollers are allowed inside, and there is a wheelchair ramp/elevator that gets you down into the main part of the cathedral. So, it is easy to bring in a sleeping or quiet child. Out of respect, you just wouldn’t want to bring in a loud child and obviously wouldn’t want them to run around the room.
Tate Modern
On recommendation from Jon, one of our Airbnb hosts, we walked over to the Tate Modern to spend a few hours. Jon had talked about how child-friendly this museum was, and we would never have considered it for a toddler if he hadn’t. We are so glad we went! There are entire sections of the museum dedicated to children. Carson even enjoyed parts of the museum that weren’t geared toward children from his stroller.
I think Carson’s favorite part was the giant open ramp area on the ground level of the museum where lots of kids of all ages were running around.
After wandering several exhibits of the museum, we made our way to the members-only cafe at the top with a view of the Thames. Our Airbnb hosts offer a members pass to the Tate Modern for guests of their flat, and it was a nice perk to have. We were the crazy family that sat outside on the patio to eat our afternoon snack on this cold and rainy day. It was only a little cold, and the view from the patio was unobstructed.
Tonkotsu Ramen Bankside
Since it was cold and rainy, I had a serious ramen craving. If you’ve read some of my previous Travel with Me posts, you will know this is not a rare craving for me on a trip! Luckily enough, there was a wonderful ramen restaurant just minutes from the door of the museum. We shared a bowl of ramen and some small bites before beginning the long walk back to London Bridge Station to catch our train back to our Airbnb in Crystal Palace.
This ends Part Two of our trip to London with a toddler. The next day we picked up a rental car and headed to the Cotswolds for a couple days, but for Part Three of this series, I’m going to share our final days in London before I share my guide to the Cotswolds with a toddler.
Click here to read Part One of this London with a Toddler series.
{Thanks for reading! Want to know a little more about me? I’m a CPA learning how to balance a career with motherhood and regular travel while planting roots at home in the Austin, TX area. When I’m not exploring my home city with my husband Daniel and baby boy Carson or cuddling with my chubby orange cat Banana, I’m probably either out on a playdate with my son or planning, packing for, traveling to, or daydreaming about our next adventure. After all, my travel mug collection is never complete. If you have wanderlust too, be sure to follow me on Instagram (and InstaStories!), Pinterest, and Facebook, or subscribe to my blog!}
