Dublin, London & Edinburgh with Kids: One Family’s Summer Adventure

In this episode, Travel Mom Natalia takes us through her family’s unforgettable summer adventure across Dublin, London, and Edinburgh. Traveling with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Victoria, Natalia shares how they used the KeeKee’s Big Adventures in London book to bring the city to life for their toddler.

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Tell Us About Your Adventure

The itinerary had a very specific spark. Natalia and her husband are devoted fans of Oasis, and when the legendary British band reunited after 16 years for a UK tour with Dublin on the setlist, they knew they had to go. Since they were already heading to Europe, London and Edinburgh were natural additions.

The family flew from Sarasota to Chicago, then on to Dublin. They wrapped up the trip with a few days back in Chicago before heading home, a smart strategy that gave Victoria a gentle transition back to familiar routines before returning to Florida.

Dublin: Warm and Family-Friendly

Dublin was a wonderful first stop. The city’s charm and warmth translated easily for a family traveling with a toddler. The family spent four days exploring and found Dublin to be genuinely family-friendly from the start.

Highlights included:

• The Dublin Zoo, which Victoria loved, especially a red panda that stole the show.

• The Guinness Storehouse, which turned out to be far more family-friendly than expected, with interactive exhibits walking kids through the brewing process and live music throughout.

• A museum dedicated to medieval Dublin and its Viking history.

• August weather that was just right, not too hot, not too cold.

London: KeeKee as our Tour Guide

London was the heart of the trip, and the KeeKee’s Big Adventures in London book made all the difference.

Natalia brought the book along and used it to plan their days with Victoria. Whatever Victoria had seen KeeKee do in the book, she wanted to do in person. They checked off landmarks as they went and created one of the most creative souvenirs we’ve heard about: holding the illustrated pages up next to the real monuments and photographing them side by side.

“We’d put Big Ben next to the actual Big Ben and take pictures. She knew exactly what she was seeing.”

Victoria wasn’t just visiting London — she was following KeeKee. She rode the double-decker buses KeeKee rode. She stood where KeeKee stood. At Buckingham Palace, she asked about Queen Elizabeth and marveled at the beautiful gardens inside.

Standout London moments included:

• Buckingham Palace and the State Rooms (open to visitors in August).

• Hyde Park and Green Park for unstructured time to run, explore, and recharge.

• Afternoon tea at The Langham, the historic hotel credited as the birthplace of the afternoon tea tradition in the 1860s, a memory Victoria still talks about at home.

One honest note: the London Eye was not the hit they expected. Victoria was underwhelmed. The double-decker buses? Those she loved completely. Toddlers have their own agenda.

Edinburgh: Breathtaking, with a Festival Bonus

Edinburgh rounded out the trip with four days of striking architecture, the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, and the buzz of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe — one of the world’s largest arts festivals, filling the streets with performers, musicians, and outdoor theater.

Natalia is candid about Edinburgh with very young children: the Harry Potter connections and gothic architecture are stunning, but the magic lands differently for kids who haven’t grown up with Hogwarts yet. That said, Victoria was charmed by the street musicians during the Fringe, and the city’s beauty is undeniable at any age.

Family Travel Tips from Natalia

Natalia came away from this trip with clear advice she wanted to share with other families.

1. Involve your kids in the planning, no matter their age. Even a toddler can look at pictures, read a book, and start to care about what they’ll see. Excitement before the trip makes everything richer when you’re there.

2. Use books and pictures to build context. For younger kids, a picture book like KeeKee’s Big Adventures in London is the perfect way to introduce landmarks before you visit. For older kids, stories and history bring destinations to life.

3. Treat flexibility as a life lesson. When Victoria’s usual yogurt wasn’t available on the trip, Natalia turned it into a teachable moment. They tried a different one, and it was fine. She still refers back to it. Travel teaches kids to adapt, and that’s a gift.

4. Build in downtime. Parks and open spaces gave Victoria room to run and gave her parents a moment to breathe. Not everything has to be scheduled.

5. It’s never too early to start. Victoria won’t remember every detail, but she’ll remember how it felt. Keep bringing those memories up at home so they don’t fade.

6. Use a transition stop on the way home. A few days in a familiar city like Chicago helped ease jet lag and the shift in routine before returning home.

Favorite Moments

Natalia’s favorites: the Oasis concert in Dublin, long afternoons in London’s parks, and just watching Victoria run and exploring the city at a slower pace.

Her husband’s favorites: also the concert, and the unplanned gift of spending full days with his daughter, with nowhere to be and nothing to do but play.

Victoria’s favorites: the double-decker buses, afternoon tea at The Langham, and anything KeeKee did in the book.

Why Dublin, London & Edinburgh Should Be on Your Family’s List

This three-city itinerary delivers an incredible range of experiences — a vibrant, welcoming city in Dublin, the world-class history and culture of London, and the dramatic beauty of Edinburgh. With the right books, a little prep, and a willingness to follow your toddler’s lead (even when the London Eye falls flat), this kind of trip creates memories that last. As Natalia put it best: “I don’t want her to have a thousand toys. I want her to have a thousand memories.”

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