The best family hotels in London
Written October 2026
Where to sleep in London with kids, which room to ask for, and the small print on the pools.
Picture it: you've found a London hotel with a lovely photo, and then you read the room size. London rooms are small, and a lot of the famous hotels were built for two. So book the room first and the hotel second: a suite, two rooms with a door between them, or an apartment with a kitchenette.
Where you sleep matters more than it does in most cities, because getting around takes real time. Stay near the thing you'll do most. The South Bank for the wheel and Westminster, South Kensington for the museums, Covent Garden or Mayfair for the middle of it all.
Short on time? A pool and a kitchenette on the river: Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. Connecting rooms and a kitchenette by the museums: The Ampersand. An apartment with laundry on site: Citadines Islington or Wilde Liverpool Street. Simple and cheap: Premier Inn London County Hall.
How we picked
These are hotels we'd send a friend with two kids to. The facts under each one come from the hotel's own site and room pages, and from its Play Day listing. If a fact is missing, we couldn't confirm it (not that the answer is no).
A pool on a listing doesn't always mean a pool for your kid. Where a hotel has one, ask about hours for kids when you book.
The South Bank and Westminster
Across the bridge from Big Ben, with the wheel, the river walk and Jubilee Gardens' playground at your door. This is the easy base for a first trip.
Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge
Lambeth
A big hotel at the foot of Westminster Bridge, by the wheel. It has a pool and a kitchenette, and suites if you need more room. Ask for a suite or a room with the kitchenette when you book.
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor, heated
Park Plaza London Riverbank
Vauxhall
The room that works here has a door between two rooms: connecting rooms, with a fridge and a kitchenette, and there's a pool in the hotel. It sits a little upriver, a walk or a short bus from the bridge.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor, heated
Premier Inn London County Hall
Waterloo
The simple pick, next to the London Eye. There's a fridge in the room and cribs are available, which is most of what a family of three needs. Day one of the itinerary starts on the doorstep.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
The Hoxton, Southwark
Southwark
A stylish hotel a short walk from the river and Borough. It has connecting rooms, a fridge and cribs, so a family with a baby can make it work. Book the connecting pair rather than one room.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
Park Hyatt London River Thames
Nine Elms
The splurge on the south bank upriver from Westminster. It has a pool and suites, and the river is on the doorstep, but it's further from the playgrounds than the other South Bank picks.
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor
Covent Garden and the center
The middle of London, a walk from the Transport Museum, Soho and the river.
One Aldwych
Covent Garden
A grand hotel with a pool, suites and cribs, and laundry on site, a few minutes from the Transport Museum. Ask about the suite if you've got more than one kid.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor
- Laundry
- Yes
The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences
Mayfair
On Piccadilly, across from Green Park. The Residences are apartments with a kitchenette and a fridge, there are connecting rooms and laundry on site. Book an apartment for more than three nights.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Kensington and the museums
Stay here if the dinosaurs and the pirate ship are the reason for the trip. Both museums and the playground are a walk or a short ride away.
The Ampersand Hotel
South Kensington
Steps from the museums. It has connecting rooms, suites, a kitchenette, a fridge and cribs, which covers nearly every kind of family. Walk to the dinosaurs on day two.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
Royal Garden Hotel
Kensington
On the edge of Kensington Gardens, a walk from the Diana Memorial Playground. Connecting rooms, suites, cribs and a kitchenette.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
The Berkeley
Knightsbridge
A grand hotel with a pool and connecting rooms, in Knightsbridge. It's the splurge for the Kensington side, and the museums are a walk through the park.
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, heated
North of the park and the east
A little further out, for a different kind of trip: the zoo and the city, or a week with a kitchenette.
Royal Lancaster London
Bayswater
Overlooking Hyde Park, with connecting rooms, suites and cribs. A good base for the Kensington Gardens playground.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
The Landmark London
Marylebone
A grand old hotel near Regent's Park, with a pool, cribs and connecting rooms. The zoo is a short ride away.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor, heated
Citadines Islington London
Islington
An apartment hotel with a kitchenette, a fridge, a crib and laundry on site. It's the one for a week, on a bus line to the zoo and King's Cross.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Fridge
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Wilde Aparthotels London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street
Apartments with a kitchenette, suites and cribs, and laundry on site, by Liverpool Street station. Good for a longer stay, and handy for the Tower of London.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Kitchenette
- Yes
- Laundry
- Yes
Pan Pacific London
Liverpool Street
A big modern hotel with a pool, suites, connecting rooms and cribs, by Liverpool Street station. It's a good base for the Tower of London and the east.
- Cribs
- Yes
- Connecting rooms
- Yes
- Suites
- Yes
- Pool
- Yes, indoor, heated
Pools, and who can use them
Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, Park Plaza Riverbank, One Aldwych, Park Hyatt, The Berkeley, The Landmark and Pan Pacific all list a pool. Whether kids can use it, and when, is a question for the hotel.
Getting in from the airport
From Heathrow, the Elizabeth line and the Piccadilly line both run into the center, and the Heathrow Express goes straight to Paddington. Not every Tube station has a lift, so check the step-free map if you have a stroller.
Questions
Which London hotels have a pool?
Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge, Park Plaza London Riverbank, One Aldwych, Park Hyatt London River Thames, The Berkeley, The Landmark London and Pan Pacific London list a pool. Ask each about hours for kids.
Which London hotels have connecting rooms?
Park Plaza Riverbank, The Hoxton Southwark, The Athenaeum, The Ampersand, Royal Garden, The Berkeley, Royal Lancaster, The Landmark and Pan Pacific.
Where can we get an apartment with a kitchenette in London?
Citadines Islington, Wilde Aparthotels Liverpool Street and The Athenaeum's Residences list a kitchenette. The Ampersand, Royal Garden and both Park Plazas list one too.
Where should we stay in London with kids?
On the South Bank for a short trip, in South Kensington for the museums, or in an apartment for a week.
Photos
Park Plaza London Westminster Bridge: Fæ (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Park Plaza London Riverbank: Charles from Port Chester, New York (CC BY 2.0) · The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences: Anthony O'Neil (CC BY-SA 2.0) · The Ampersand Hotel: SouthKen1 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Royal Garden Hotel: Jim Linwood (CC BY 2.0) · The Landmark London: Ricardalovesmonuments (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pan Pacific London: Matt Brown (CC BY 2.0)
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