I had no idea when I arrived in London that it was the perfect destination for a family or anyone needing to entertain a toddler – especially if you’re on a budget.  Let’s be honest, all you need as a parent is a good playground and a pub.  The first reason is because of the public transport available (or usually available if there are no train strikes haha), and the enormous green parks that are beautifully manicured in London. There are so many frequent buses, trains and trams to get all over the city, which makes travelling with a baby SO much better.  You’re not trapped in a car, travelling across one of the busiest city-locked traffic cities in the world trying to put them to sleep or keep them entertained.  You are cosily on a train, easily fed, breastfed with no difficulties, or doing whatever it takes to get your toddler home.  

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Most babies are obsessed with the playground (well mine is!) and this is the city to explore every playground there is, so let me make it really easy for you with my top 10 playgrounds!!

1. Battersea Park Playground with a Goo Ape Adventure playground is a must-see. The huge green park has a circular walking track all the way through the park, multiple really nice cafes within the park, two playgrounds for kids and big cycleways for bikes. So many options of biking, playing ball, doing a picnic along the River Thames, or visiting the very exciting playground.  The playground equipment here is amazing with multiple swing sets, an area for all ages and lots of different play areas that will entertain your baby, toddler and older kids for hours.  The highlight of the playground (for us!) is that the Go Ape Cafe, attached to the playground, is so delicious for wood-fired pizza, Italian food and drinks.  It is so easy for parents catching up with friends at the cafe because you can easily tag team to the playground or let your bigger kids let loose to play while you enjoy lunch. For dinner, you can always stay that toddler-friendly hour, make your way towards the River Thames, and go down the pram-friendly lift to the river which is lined with cute restaurants. It was our absolute highlight for us! We visited this park so many times and it was never disappointing! Nearer the River Thames is another playground near Pear and Tree Cafe (positioned on the park’s lagoon/lake).  This playground has a great adult and baby seesaw and some great climbing equipment. The cafe is known for a great brunch with Aussie vibes and seats by the lake, also if you’re there in the afternoon you can happily buy mojitos in a can and drink wherever you like. 

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1. Serpentine Lido at Hyde Park has to be one of my favourite places in London.  It is a stunning green park, full of amazing sections such as the rose gardens, monument statues, the Lido (beach) on the lake, and my favourite walking path around the entire lake, greeting you with stunning outlooks over the water to the connecting Serpentine Bridge of Kensington Palace.  Such a win for a beach lover in a non-beach city with two kids’ playgrounds to choose from.  The Lido (meaning beach) is a great area to swim in the Serpentine lake during summer or hire a little paddle boat to go around the lake. Also, you can find a playground there as well which offers a great stop for your toddlers.  Most kids will happily walk the Serpentine Lake and be fascinated at the number of swans, geese and ducks wandering the shore of the lake, flapping their wings and making lots of noise, all while you sip a cocktail or coffee from one of the cafes along the water.   Once you’ve finished your beverage, you can make your way to the Diana Memorial Fountain to dip your feet in the water. So many kids love playing in the shallow pools of the fountain.  The lake is huge, so is a great day out for you and your toddlers. 
2. Hyde Park leads into Kensington Palace if you cross from the Serpentine Bridge, which is surrounded by enormous grounds.  The Palace’s stunning green park has so much to offer for a family day out.  If you walk into the grounds from Hyde Park it’s just gorgeous.  So many tree-lined pathways into the Palace which happily sits on the back end of the Grounds. You will happily get the most stunning outlook of Kensington Palace as the lake appears, and its backdrop is the Palace. This lake is also full of geese, swans and ducks for your toddler to watch, run and play around, which is such a fun activity.  To the left of the Palace the Princess Diana Memorial Playground has to be one of the most well-used, fun playgrounds for kids in the City.  Diana’s love of children certainly is shown in this playground, for its hidden pathways, huge playground equipment, music note areas and so much to find for your kids.  It’s for all ages, with wooden tractors, sheep, hidden slides and a massive ship in the middle of the playground with sand play.  In the height of summer, you may even find it does have a queue into the playground as it’s so popular.  The kids could honestly spend hours here.  For the adults there is always a tour of the Palace, followed by High Tea at the Tea Rooms next door or just a beer at the Palace cafe will do.  We also loved The Champion for its classic British pub vibes, with fantastic food and drinks.
3. Greenwich Park and Playground are certainly a must-visit for you.  Greenwich was definitely one of our favourite suburbs on the River Thames, with restaurants galore, the Cutty Sark, the Observatory, Park and a fantastic playground.  We found this late in our trip and wish I had realised sooner.  It has SO many options in the playground for kids of all ages, also with hidden pathways that lead to new areas of the playground, wooden sheep, swing sets, a small lake for boating in summer, and so many slides for all toddlers.  There is also the Cutty Sark parked on the front of the River Thames, which is a huge clipper ship the sole surviving clipper in the world known for its speed in the water and for transporting all the Tea to Britain in its time. Book a tour here or walk by near the River Thames.  The National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House, and Observatory are also right there in the heart of Greenwich, for book-reading, and history-loving kids, or just to walk past and enjoy their fabulous architecture. We caught the train to Blackheath, such a cute little antique-feel suburb, with a lot of restaurant options and then walked down the hill to the Greenwich playground. A visit to Gail’s bakery is a must when around this area for some delicious bakery goods. You won’t be disappointed. The best bakery I’ve personally found in London so far. It has many locations but Blackheath, and Gails Bakery, was certainly a vibe for us Aussie’s.
4. St James Park Playground is very iconic and great for a Royal visit when heading into Buckingham Palace.  If you take the Victoria Station stop you can walk past Buckingham Palace along the way, waving to the King if the Royal Flag waves.  There are some fantastic coffee shops at the Victoria Station area for brunch before you set off on your day’s adventure.  Our personal favourites are Timmy Green and Rail House Victoria. Once you are approaching the park, there are some fantastic Palace views as you cross the pond via St James Park – The Blue Bridge, spotting the ducks and geese. Make your way towards Green Park which is a fantastic spot to run, play and picnic on the green grass and deck chairs.  
5. Jubilee Gardens Playground (near the London Eye) is a sight to see, with a massive wooden ship to explore and climb.  This park is ideal for slightly bigger kids, but there is something for everyone in the heart of the city.  Such a busy, active thriving part of the city.  You are alongside the River Thames and all the city has to offer to do a big walk along the water and see all the sites.  It’s close to the London Eye to take some photos, the SEA LIFE Centre Aquarium, go to restaurants, or walk the bridge to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
6. If you are a fan of walking, you can start off near the London Eye, find a lift over one of the many bridges, my favourite is Waterloo Bridge to cross the River Thames to the other side of the City, towards Big Ben, and find a few of the playgrounds lining the river – Walk past Big Ben to a cute playground called Horseferry Playground (near Victoria’s tower with huge green grass area for a picnic).  Also if visiting the Convent Gardens area the Victoria Embankment Playground is quite close and worth a cute visit past all the very nice architectural buildings. 
7. Crystal Palace playground and grounds is a fantastic day out.  It is a relaxing park visit to see the ruins of Crystal Palace, and also offers a cute playground, an iconic collection of dinosaur statues around the river, and the Brown & Green Life cafe near the playground.  The cafe is a stunning architectural building that had fantastic green park views.  
8. National Trust Knole in Seven Oaks is a fabulous destination for viewing the Castle and its grounds, with the extra bonus of seeing roaming deer around the grounds.  It is such a scenic hilly walk through the grounds to the top of this hill to see the castle and enjoy the cafe.  You can book and do a tour for history lovers or just enjoy the grounds on a sunny day.  Next to the castle is a great little hill to climb and have a small picnic up the top (beware of the roaming deers if you are carrying food – we learnt that the hard way haha).  Seven Oaks is a short train ride away from the city, and such a quaint English town with pretty boutique shops and cafes.  
9. Hampstead Heath is also slightly out of the city, but known for its pretty location and hilly views of London and enormous green parklands.  This quant English suburb is known for its woodlands, playgrounds, lid0 and hilly grounds that will entertain for hours.  It also has the famous Hampstead Heath pub which is must stop for those tourists to tick off the list, or many very good cafes and coffee stops in the quaint town. It’s absolutely a must-see. 

I haven’t even covered all of the favourite spots in London, however, you also must see The Tower of London, known for the tour of the Crown Jewels, but during the summer The Tower Moat tour was fantastic – a tour of all the wildflowers around the Tower’s Moat making the Towers colourful and beautiful in the middle of the city. It was stunning and interesting for my toddler to do a walk-through and see all the different flowers and bees in summer. The Tower Bridge also offers fantastic views and a small fee to do a walk through the bridge, with a glass floor experience!  Visit St Katherine’s Dock for lunch or dinner with plenty of food options to choose from. 

I mean, who could go wrong with this list – this will entertain you for at least two weeks on park grounds alone. You haven’t even started on Hamleys Toy Store, Oxford Street Shopping, the Museums full of British history or the Borough Markets for fresh food goodness.  Everything can be found in and around the heart of London for you and your toddler.