London with Kids - Which Area of City to Stay in?

[Anonymous]

I'm looking forward to planning my kids' first overseas trip for next summer -- planning to take them to London for about a week. They will be 11 and 8. We plan to go through VRBO, most likely, to book accommodations, rather than stay in a hotel. What part(s) of the city would you suggest we consider as home-base? Interested in walking to restaurants/ shopping as well as easy access to the ususal suspects in terms of places to visit. Thanks for any tips!

[Anonymous]

OP here, and thank you so much! This is just the kind of advice I'm looking for, so any other thoughts are welcome. Both DH and I are fairly well-traveled but for whatever reason, London is not a city we've spent much time in or know much about. It's been 12+ years since I've been there myself.

Time frame is about a week - 10 days. I'm thinking that we will stay in one place the entire time and try to do as much as we can from there, without trying to tack on additional stops in the UK. Very open to day trips out of London, however, if you or anyone else has ideas to suggest.

I prefer to go the VRBO/ flat route for accommodations, rather than a hotel, to give us more room and comfort. No real budget set -- I'm not looking to spend money unnecessarily, of course, but not trying to go on the cheap either. (I'm too old for that!)

[Anonymous]

Oxford, cambridge or canterbury make nice day trips.

[Anonymous]

We are in London right now with our two kids who are 9 and 7. We rented and apt. Through airbnb and are staying in Mayfair. Very convenient to everything, but not that family friendly. Mostly office workers during the day and very expensive as far as dining goes (but all of London is expensive!). That said we have been walking everywhere and it is a great location for that. That said, We went to visit a friend in Belsize Park yesterday and it was teeming with kids. It's on the Northern Line and seemed very family friendly. But it's a bit more out of the way - kind of like staying in Arlington or Bethesda rather than Washington, DC. I would definitely recommend getting a 7 day Travelcard for the Tube while you are here. Kids 10 and under are free and it is so quick and efficient. My kids love it, too! We are not doing a day trip while we are here - thought about it, but there is just so much to see in the city. It's a great city -you will have a blast!