Highlights
- Cycle around London's parks and palaces by vintage bicycle
- Head to Hogwarts on an immersive Harry Potter studio tour
- Ride a restored steam train through the Cotswolds countryside
- Cruise past Bath's Georgian architecture on a private boat cruise
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in London, Free Afternoon to Explore | London |
| Day 2 | Square Mile Discovery Walk, Visit the Tower of London | London |
| Day 3 | Family London Highlights by Bike, See "Harry Potter & the Cursed Child" | London |
| Day 4 | Harry Potter Studio Tour, Charles Dickens Storytelling Walk | London |
| Day 5 | Drive to Broadway & the Cotswolds via Oxford | Broadway |
| Day 6 | Explore the Northern Cotswolds, Vintage Steam Railway Experience | Broadway |
| Day 7 | Drive to Bath via the Southern Cotswolds | Bath |
| Day 8 | Explore Bath by Boat & Bike, Artisan Food Tasting Walk | Bath |
| Day 9 | Drive to London via Stonehenge | London |
| Day 10 | Depart London |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in London, Free Afternoon to Explore
Welcome to England! Upon arrival at the airport, you and your family will be met by your driver and transferred to your London hotel. England's capital is a dynamic, family-friendly city filled with inspiring museums, parks, and attractions for kids of all ages and interests.
After a rest and refresh at the hotel, the rest of the day is yours to spend however you please. If the weather's fine, grab a picnic and head to one of the city's many green spaces. St James's Park is a great option for families. Shaped over the centuries by Britain's monarchs and bordered by three royal palaces, you'll find plenty of history here and beautiful gardens for the kids to run around in. Best of all, you're within walking distance from sights such as Westminster Abbey and every young child's favorite toy shop—Hamleys.
Day 2: Square Mile Discovery Walk, Visit the Tower of London
Your first full day in London kicks off with a guided walk around the City of London (known as the "Square Mile"), where you can experience 2,000 years of history in just two hours as your entertaining, kid-friendly guide leads you from St Paul's Cathedral to the Tower of London. Highlights include channeling Mary Poppins on the steps of the Bank of England, stopping by Pudding Lane to learn about the Great Fire of 1666, and ducking under the Gothic arches of St Dunstan-in-the-East to explore a medieval church-turned-secret garden.
You'll part ways with your guide outside the Tower of London, leaving you perfectly placed to spend the afternoon exploring the attraction's many family-focused exhibits on your own. Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, this landmark has served as a castle, a royal palace, a prison, and a place of execution. The kids will love exploring the ancient corridors and dungeons as they learn about the site's connections to ravens, ghosts, and Tudor kings and queens. End with a family pic alongside a Yeomen Warder (Beefeater), whose rank has guarded the tower since Tudor times.
Day 3: Harry Potter Studio Tour, Charles Dickens Storytelling Walk
Harry Potter fans will be delighted with this morning's half-day visit to the Warner Bros. Studio, located an hour northwest of the city. Your foray into the wizarding world starts just where Harry's did, in the cupboard under the stairs. Then, after an introductory video featuring favorite cast characters, you'll be welcomed into the Hogwarts Great Hall, where no detail has been spared. With the dining table set for a feast, you'll see the costumes and wigs worn by prominent cast members and witness the talent, craftsmanship, and imagination that went into bringing this beloved world to life.
The tour continues to many more familiar sets with plenty of famous characters. You'll stop at the Forbidden Forest, see masked Death Eaters, visit Aragog's Lair, walk along iconic Platform 9¾, and step inside the Hogwarts Express. The kids will be bowled over when you finally reach Diagon Alley, home to dusty Ollivanders Wand Shop, where inside, you'll find 17,000 individually labeled wand boxes.
After transferring back to London, you'll have the rest of the afternoon free to rest up or continue exploring. Bookworms and teens might want to continue the day's imaginative theme by diving into the world of Charles Dickens on a 90-minute storytelling walk. Learn how the author drew on the "sooty spectre" of Victorian London as an endless source of inspiration for his novels, and trace the footsteps of beloved characters like David Copperfield and Amy Dorrit as you uncover the real locations featured in Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House, and more.
Day 4: Family London Highlights by Bike, See "Harry Potter & the Cursed Child"
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Start this morning with a 3.5-hour jaunt around Central London, pairing each family member with a perfectly sized Pashley bicycle for a gentle pedal past the city's monuments, palaces, and parks. Joined by a private guide, you'll follow a safe route along traffic-calmed backstreets and shaded park cycling lanes to reach iconic landmarks like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. Plenty of breaks along the way ensure even the littlest legs can keep up, while stops for ice cream, street performers, and a spot of hands-on graffiti keep all ages entertained and engaged.
Little ones might want to grab a nap back at the hotel in the afternoon before this evening's trip to the West End theater district to see the award-winning Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, this exclusive adventure, which takes place 19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, premiered in 2016 and has racked up an impressive 22 awards in the UK alone. As the Hollywood Reporter put it, get ready for "thrilling theatricality and pulse-pounding storytelling."
Day 5: Drive to Broadway & the Cotswolds via Oxford
Today marks the start of your adventure west, when, after breakfast, you pick up your rental car and drive a couple of hours to Oxford. Dubbed the "City of Dreaming Spires," the town is home to one of England's oldest and most prestigious universities. Spend the day exploring, perhaps starting with a relaxing tour of the city along the River Cherwell. You'll travel on a chauffeured punt (flat-bottomed riverboat), gliding gently along the water and passing the city's iconic sights as you and your family enjoy a light lunch from a picnic hamper.
You could also spend some time discovering the university's interiors. Start with a visit to the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest in Europe, then stop by New College and Christ Church, and take a peek at the Tudor Dining Hall, whose resplendent, portrait-lined interiors inspired the Hogwarts Dining Hall. Later in the afternoon, it's time to get back on the road again for the 1.5-hour drive northwest to Broadway, a historic village that will serve as your base for the next two nights as you explore the rolling countryside and honey-colored villages of the Cotswolds.
Day 6: Explore the Northern Cotswolds, Vintage Steam Railway Experience
Settle into the English countryside today with activities that suit your family's ages and interests. Older kids might want to start with an out-and-back hike to the nearby Broadway Tower, an 18th-century folly that sits on the second-highest point in the Cotswolds. Littler ones can stroll over to the village's state-of-the-art play area, located just off the High Street. If you're keen to explore farther afield, hop in the car for a self-guided tour around the region's rolling hills, thatched-roof cottages, and ancient church towers, stopping by villages like Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, and Bourton-on-the-Water en route.
If there are train enthusiasts in the family, you can also opt to climb aboard a vintage train carriage for a scenic ride on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. This volunteer-run heritage railway offers an evocative journey through some of the most spectacular scenery in the region, winding through a landscape of sleepy hamlets, honey-colored villages, and green fields as it puffs its way between Broadway and Cheltenham. A roundtrip ticket allows you to hop on and off en route, pausing in cozy station cafés to refuel with some sandwiches and tea.
Day 7: Drive to Bath via the Southern Cotswolds
Today you're off to Bath, a UNESCO-listed city known for its Roman ruins and elegant Georgian architecture. The door-to-door drive takes under two hours, but you'll turn the journey into a full-day event, taking your time as you embark on a relaxed family road trip through the quieter southern Cotswolds. Highlights along the first section of the route include Cirencester, home to the remains of one of the largest Roman amphitheaters in Britain, and Bibury, a picture-perfect village along the River Coln.
As you continue south, the rolling hills and honey-colored villages of Gloucestershire give way to Wiltshire's more rural landscape of chalk grasslands and ancient forests. Stop by Tetbury to pick up some treats sourced from King Charles III's neighboring estate, then head to the nearby Westonbirt Arboretum, where the kids can stretch their legs along the treetop walkway and Gruffalo-themed sculpture trail (older ages can tackle the higher-octane rope and zipline course).
Don't miss a visit to Castle Combe, a tiny village that looks straight out of a children's storybook, and save some time to explore Lacock's half-timbered architecture and a 13th-century CE abbey. Wander the abbey grounds to spot the cloisters and corridors that doubled as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, let the kids burn off some energy on the playground and activity trails, and stroll into the village for some scones and clotted cream at a local tearoom. Back on the road, another 45 minutes takes you into Somerset and on to Bath, where you'll get checked into your hotel in time for an early dinner.
Day 8: Explore Bath by Boat & Bike, Artisan Food Tasting Walk
After a busy week of travel, you might want to take it easy this morning and put your feet up on a private one-hour boat trip along the River Avon. Paired with a local skipper and a vintage wooden river launch, you'll glide past Bath's Georgian architecture, historic bridges, riverside gardens, and the graceful rapids of the Pulteney Weir—getting a different view of the UNESCO-listed city along the way. Complete the experience by bringing your own picnic or purchasing snacks and refreshments on board.
If older kids and teens are craving something more active, you could always grab a bike and set off on a two-hour guided pedal around Bath, passing Georgian crescents and city parks before looping into the countryside for a relaxed riverside stretch along the Kennet and Avon Towpath. You'll pass colorful, narrow boats and old stone bridges as you weave your way through the idyllic Avon Valley, crossing bridges and passing through old railway tunnels before ending back in the city center.
After everyone's worked up an appetite on the city's famous hills, treat the family to a relaxed tasting walk that celebrates Bath's renowned artisan food scene. Following a surprise itinerary customized to suit your kids' tastes, your private guide will lead you to the finest independent cafés, bakeries, markets, and food shops to sample local specialties like Somerset cheeses, sweet Sally Lunn buns, and heritage-breed charcuterie—strolling past landmarks like Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths en route.
Day 9: Drive to London via Stonehenge
It's the penultimate day of your trip, and time to head back to London. An hour into your drive, you'll stop to see one of the UK's most fascinating landmarks and a testament to human ingenuity: Stonehenge, a prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain. Explore the site at your own pace and discover the theories surrounding the construction of the mighty sarsens and bluestones at the visitor center. Although you and the kids won't be able to touch the stones themselves, you can get close enough for the mysterious stone circle to leave a lasting impression.
Day 10: Depart London
Your family holiday in England has come to an end. When the time comes, a driver will pick you up and take you to the airport to catch your flight home or to continue your European adventure. Safe travels!
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