The Perfect 1-day London Itinerary for Families (That Actually Works): Covent Garden Edition

If you’re anything like me, you know how easy it is to become overwhelmed when planning the perfect day out. A day that won’t result in tears, either children’s or yours. London has so much to offer, it’s really easy to plan too much and try to fit too much in, which inevitably ends in upset parents and children (believe me, I’ve been there). That’s why I’m creating family friendly London Itineraries that you can mix and match depending on how busy or relaxed you want your day to be.

Start the Day

Covent Garden is easily reachable via tube, but hop off at Leicester Square to avoid the steps and crowds at Covent Garden station. Another option is Charing Cross or if you need step free access, Tottenham Court Road, which is a 10 to 15 minute walk away from Covent Garden piazza. If you get off at Tottenham Court Road, children will love a quick pit stop at Outernet looking at giant and often interactive displays.

If you skipped breakfast or need a mid-morning snack, I recommend Drury Cafe on 188-189 Drury Lane, a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station. They serve delicious brunch style food, pastries and pancakes. You may have to wait to be seated, but the queue moves quickly. Another option is Arôme bakery on Mercer Street in Covent Garden. It’s a small café with perfect pastries bringing together French baking techniques and Asian flavours. Our children’s favourite is the delicious honey butter toast. The only downside to this café is its popularity as you may have to wait to be seated. A cafe we love for it’s inclusivity is Fair Shot Cafe in St Martin’s Courtyard (Cevent Garden). It’s a social enterprise training young adults with learning difficulties helping them find sustaibale jobs. The staff is extremely lovely and friendly and we love returning.

Plan One Big Activity

Covent Garden is always busy, there’s plenty of buskers (street performers), head to the market and if you’re lucky, you’ll experience the lovely acoustics of the place and enjoy listening to famous opera tunes.

Children who love buses and trains will have the best time at the Transport Museum (Adults – £25.00, children free, but need a timed entry ticket). All tickets are annual, so you can return multiple times.

Read more about our favourite museums here.

There’s a buggy park and a cloakroom where you can leave bulky objects before heading off to explore. Pick up a stamp card and find all the stops to collect all the stamps. No matter how many times we return to the Transport Museum, our children love stamping their cards. This isn’t the only interactive activity, there’s buses visitors can climb on and pretend to drive, you can sit in a 1960s tube carriage and test yourself as a tube driver on both the old and new system. There’s mini games that will test your logic as you try to lead “trains” down the correct lines or build a tunnel. Two mini play areas keep the under 8s engaged and there’s areas where you can sit down and eat your picnic lunch or buy food from the café. There’s a restaurant serving basic hot food as well.

The Transport Museum is one of the smaller museums and it doesn’t get too overwhelming as you can enjoy it at a leisurely pace.

Stress Free Lunch

There’s plenty of options for a relaxed lunch in Covent Garden, our most visited are either Franco Manca or Wagamama. Both offer children’s menu and usually provide a colouring sheet or similar (pencils or crayons aren’t always available, you might want to bring your own). These restaurants also have their loyalty app and if you’re planning on eating there more often (as there’s chains across London), it’s worth installing them for free pizza or food.

If your children eat more than pizza and fried chicken, you will want to explore the street food inside the Seven Dials Market on Earlham Street where everybody can choose food to their taste. Or maybe grab a slice of a giant pizza at Homeslice in Neal’s Yard surrounded by colourful houses. If you look hard, you might even spot the Monty Python plaque on the wall.

Outdoor Areas to Wind Down

Weather permitting, cross the Strand and head down to Victoria Embankment Gardens as there’s a small playground where children can release some energy and parents can sit on a bench. If you walk down Carting Lane, you will also pass the last remaining sewer gas destructor lamp in London adding to your list of quirky London landmarks. Take a stroll through Victoria Embankment Gardens and if you’re lucky, you might catch an orchestra playing close to the Embankment Station. And if you’ve come equipped with colouring books and it’s not raining, maybe grab a glass of wine at Gordon’s, London’s oldest wine bar established in 1890.

For those who want to extend their day out in London with the kids, you can continue walking through the gardens, crossing Northumberland Ave and spending some more time in Victoria Embankment Gardens, looking at the statues and the London Eye through the trees. Your walk continues past the Ministry of Defence, a variety of War Memorials and New Scotland Yard, and soon you will notice Elizabeth Tower, the home of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

If you turn right by Westminster Bridge and follow Bridge Street to Great George Street and Birdcage Walk, you will be on the doorstep of one of our favourite parks, St James’s Park. I suggest you walk to the Blue Bridge to observe the wildlife and one of the protected lines of sight between the Buckingham Palace and Whitehall. St James’s Park also has a lovely playground that children will enjoy after all the walking.

Read more about London playgrounds here.