Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. All photography is ours.
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United Kingdom with Kids
If you’re planning the United Kingdom with kids, start with a week in London and take the train out of the city at least twice. That’s what we did on our first trip. The day trips to Salisbury and Stonehenge, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and Oxford were as good as the city itself. London is walkable and full of museums, most of them free, and the Tube makes it easy for families.
Scotland should be your second trip. Edinburgh is our favorite city in the UK, and the drive north through the Cairngorms to Fort William for the Jacobite steam train is a day we’d recommend to any family, especially the Harry Potter fans.
Destination guide · Updated November 2026 · Last visited June 2019
Best months
May–June, September
Fly into
LHR · LGW · EDI · MAN
How long
A week for London, 10 days with Scotland
Getting around
Trains, plus a car in the Highlands
Book ahead
Warner Bros. Studio Tour · The Jacobite · Edinburgh Castle
We’ve done the UK several times now. The first was six days in London on our 2015 Europe trip, with the kids’ Harry Potter lists driving most of it. We took a London Walks film locations tour through the City, spent four hours at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and rode the train out to Salisbury and Stonehenge. Carrick got his Wimbledon day with strawberries and cream.
We returned in 2017 for the British Library’s History of Magic exhibition and a second Studio Tour, because the magic really doesn’t get old.
Scotland was a later trip. We landed in Edinburgh, drove north through the Cairngorms and Inverness to Fort William, and rode the Jacobite (yes, the Hogwarts Express) over the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig. Edinburgh came last. Even though it was rainy, we liked it more than London or Dublin and think it’s a great city for families to explore.
Your United Kingdom guide
Enjoy exploring the United Kingdom with kids!
Keep scrolling for the essentials, three trip itineraries, and where to stay.
Essential United Kingdom
Why we love United Kingdom
We think you’ll love it too.
The UK is where we’d send a family for a first trip across the Atlantic. It has the same language, great trains, and enough castles and museums to fill a month. We’ve visited quite a bit of the UK, but there’s always more to explore. Check out our essential United Kingdom below for more ideas.
Harry Potter London Guide
We did a London Walks film locations tour, Oxford, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, which we’ve now done twice. Studio Tour tickets sell out weeks ahead, so book them before your flights.
The Jacobite steam train Guide
We drove up from Edinburgh to ride the Jacobite from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, with fresh seafood at the harbor before the ride back. It only runs in the warmer months, and the seats go fast.
And the rest we’d cross the country for
Salisbury and Stonehenge Guide
Salisbury and Stonehenge was our first London day trip, with London Walks handling the trains and tickets. We saw the Magna Carta and the world’s oldest working clock before the stones, and it’s Cadence’s favorite day trip.
Wimbledon Guide
Wimbledon was only on Carrick’s list, and he talked everyone into it with strawberries and cream. It turned out to be a fun day even for the non-tennis fans.
Oxford Guide
We paired Oxford with the Studio Tour on a guided day trip. Christ Church’s dining hall and the Bodleian’s Divinity School are the Hogwarts stand-ins.
Cairngorms and Inverness AftT Visit
We drove from Edinburgh to Fort William with a stop in the national park for reindeer and a look at Loch Ness. Give it a full day, and you won’t regret it.
Giant’s Causeway Guide
Over 40,000 basalt columns line Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast, and our kids loved the rocky playground. Visiting the stones is free, so go early or in the evening after the tour buses leave.
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge Guide
This rope bridge hangs 30 meters above the sea, fifteen minutes from the Causeway, and with a Carrick in the family we couldn’t skip it. Kids can pick up an Over the Bridge certificate as a keepsake.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is the easy castle day from London, about forty minutes by train. We’re saving it for our next trip.
Bath and the Cotswolds
Bath and the Cotswolds have Roman baths, Georgian streets, and honey-colored villages. It’s a classic two-day add-on from London that we haven’t done yet.
The Lake District
The Lake District has boats, fells, and Beatrix Potter, about three hours north of London by train. It’s on our list.
Wales
Cardiff is a day trip from London by train, and Snowdonia is the mountain trip. Both are still on our list.
Browse
Find your next adventure in United Kingdom
Tell us what you’re planning and we’ll match it up with some great trip ideas.
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Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route – Driving the Antrim Coast
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Routes
Three UK trip itineraries
One country gives you three very different trips. Choose London with day trips, Scotland’s Highlands, or a loop through London, Paris, and Dublin like our 2015 trip. See all the best stops on a map.
Home base
London
Plan six days. Get an Oyster card on day one and walk everywhere else. Our London guide covers the 22 things we’d do first.
Then head to
Salisbury and Stonehenge
Spend a full day with London Walks from Waterloo Station. Our day trips guide has the details and the other options.
Add on
Warner Bros. Studio Tour and Oxford
Book the Studio Tour the day you book flights. We did both in one guided day when tickets were sold out for months. Here’s how.
Start
Edinburgh
Give it a day or two. See the castle first thing or after lunch, then the Royal Mile. Our perfect day works rain or shine.
Then head to
Cairngorms and Inverness
Drive north through the national park and stop at Loch Ness. Sleep in Fort William so you’re at the station early.
Finish
Fort William and Mallaig
Take the morning Jacobite to Mallaig, have lunch on the harbor, and ride the afternoon train back. Our guide tells you where to stand for the viaduct photo.
Start
London
Fly into Heathrow and give London the most days. A loop like the one we did in 2015 with the kids.
Then head to
Paris by Eurostar
Paris is two and a half hours from St Pancras. We timed ours for Bastille Day. Our Paris guide has the fireworks plan.
Finish
Dublin
Take a short flight, then spend two or three days. Our Dublin guide starts at the Long Room.
When to go
Time your visits with the weather and the region
We’ve done London in July and Edinburgh in the rain, and both worked. The UK is usually never hot and rarely bitter cold, just wet. Late spring and September give you the longest days and the smallest crowds. The Jacobite only runs in the warmer months, so a Scotland trip is a summer trip.
Swipe the chart sideways to see the full year.
May – June
The days are long, gardens are in bloom, and the Jacobite is back on the rails. This is our pick for a first trip.
July – August
Expect peak crowds and school holidays across Europe. It’s still comfortable, and it’s when we went. Book the Studio Tour and the train months out.
September
The crowds go home, the weather holds, and London hotels get cheaper. It’s a close second to spring.
October – April
Expect short, wet days and the best hotel rates. London’s museums don’t care about the weather. London at Christmas is on our list.
Where to stay
Pick a good base to start your UK adventure
Stay near a Tube station in London and near the castle in Edinburgh, and let the trains do the rest. Here’s where we’d stay for each.
City trips
London
Pick a neighborhood on the Tube and don’t overthink it. Kensington and Bloomsbury put you next to the big museums. London is dense with chain hotels, which makes it one of the easiest cities in Europe to book on points.
- Our London guide
- Kensington for the museums, Bloomsbury for the British Museum
- Book refundable, then re-check monthly
Scotland trips
Edinburgh Old Town
Stay in Old Town and the castle, the Royal Mile, and the museums are a walk away. Festival season in August fills every room in the city months ahead.
- Our Edinburgh day
- Old Town for walking, New Town for quieter nights
- Avoid August unless you’re going for the Fringe
Highland trips
Fort William
Fort William is the base for the Jacobite and Ben Nevis. It’s a small town, so lodging is mostly guest houses and a few hotels. Book the night before your train so you can be at the station early for photos.
- Fort William for the morning train
- Inverness if you want a bigger town and Loch Ness
- Our Jacobite guide
Good to know
Questions families ask us about United Kingdom
United Kingdom at a glance
The practical stuff families ask us before they book.
Language: English, plus Welsh and Scottish Gaelic
Population: About 69 million
Capital: London
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP)
Power outlet: Type G, 230 V
Time difference: 6 hours ahead of Central (summer)
Entry for US passports: UK ETA required, no visa for short visits
Driving: On the left
Emergency number: 999 or 112
Tipping: 10 to 15 percent at restaurants, if service isn’t included
You’ll want five or six, with at least two day trips. We had six days and still didn’t finish our list. The museums are free and the Tube is easy. The day trips to Salisbury, Stonehenge, Oxford, and the Studio Tour were as memorable as anything in the city. Our London guide and day trips guide are the two posts to read first.
For a Harry Potter family, it’s the single best thing we’ve done in London, and we’ve been twice. Plan four hours, buy tickets months ahead, and don’t panic if you arrive a few minutes late. When it was sold out we booked a guided day with Oxford instead. Our guide has the details.
You don’t need one for London, Edinburgh, or the day trips. Trains cover all of it. For the Highlands, you do. We drove from Edinburgh to Fort William, and driving on the left was easier than we expected once we were out of the city.
As of 2026 you need a UK ETA, an online travel authorization you apply for before you fly. It’s quick and cheap, but it’s not optional. Check gov.uk for the current rules before booking.
Edinburgh is very good for kids. It felt more fun and youthful than we expected. The castle, the one o’clock gun, and the Royal Mile filled a full day, even in the rain. Pair it with the Jacobite and you have a week.
The Jacobite runs from roughly April to October, with two departures a day in summer. Seats sell out well in advance. We took the morning train and drove back to Edinburgh that afternoon. Here’s what to expect.
Yes, and it’s an easy add from Dublin. We flew into Dublin, drove about three hours north to Carrick-a-Rede, and spent our first evening at the Giant’s Causeway. Kids love climbing on the columns. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, so the same ETA covers it and the currency is the pound. Our Antrim Coast guide has the whole route.
There are four of them: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England, Scotland, and Wales share the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate country. One ETA covers all four, and the pound works everywhere. The train from London to Edinburgh takes about four and a half hours, so it’s easy to see more than one with kids.
Map
Essential United Kingdom, mapped
Keep exploring
Where to go next
Ireland with Kids
Ireland is a short flight from London, with Dublin, the Antrim Coast, and the Wild Atlantic Way.
France with Kids
Paris is two and a half hours from London by Eurostar. We did Paris on Bastille Day.
