The Ultimate Guide to Notting Hill’s Parks, Pastel Houses & Local Gems
Notting Hill is one of my favourite areas of London, known for its beautiful pastel coloured streets, Portobello Road Market and of course, the iconic film, Notting Hill. I would highly recommend visiting Notting Hill. In this guide, I’ll be sharing the best things to do in Notting Hill, London with kids, so read on!
When we explore, it’s not fully child-focused, so in this guide, you will find something for everyone in the family to enjoy. This travel guide will cover everything you need to know about visiting Notting Hill as a family. Including fun things for kids, where to find the most beautiful colourful houses in Notting Hill, family-friendly places to eat and more!
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Where is Notting Hill?
Notting Hill is a small neighbourhood in West London, located within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is best known for its pretty pastel coloured houses and the iconic Portobello Road Market.
Getting to Notting Hill with Kids
There is technically not a train station in Notting Hill; however, Shepherd’s Bush Station is on the border, and Paddington Station is only a short walk away. Both of these stations are accessible stations, making them great choices for families with pushchairs (strollers).
If you’re coming from Central London to Notting Hill, there are multiple tube stations, including Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park on the Central Line and Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road on the Hammersmith and District & Circle lines. Unfortunately, all of these do have stairs. So if you have young children, you may want ot get off at Earls Court, where they have a lift (elevator).
The first time we visited, I researched the best streets to visit before we went, and the route I wanted to do started at Notting Hill Gate. We took the London Underground there. Unfortunately, this is not an accessible station, so we had to get the pushchair (stroller) up two escalators and some steps.
If you’re coming to visit London and plan on using the underground a lot, I’d recommend a lightweight travel pushchair. We LOVE our Joolz Aer+, and you can READ MY FULL JOOLZ AER+ REVIEW HERE. On this occasion, we actually used our everyday pushchair (UppaBaby Vista, which I also highly recommend!)
Things to do in Notting Hill with Kids
Notting Hill Parks & Playgrounds
There are a few small playgrounds in Notting Hill. I love to find a playground as it breaks up the sightseeing and allows kids to burn some energy.
We usually visit Colville Square Playground, it is a perfect spot for small kids, and ours always enjoy it!
Located just outside Notting Hill is Holland Park, which is a large park and is well worth visiting. I will talk more about this below!
Admire the Colourful Houses in Notting Hill
Enjoying the pretty pastel houses in Notting Hill was really a mummy activity! I love the pink, the cuteness and wandering the streets of London.
If you’re wondering exactly where are the colourful houses in Notting Hill? The map below shows a detailed route. It takes about an hour to walk this route. Surprisingly, our 4-year-old really enjoyed looking around as well. We timed this for our baby’s morning nap as I knew he wouldn’t love being in the pushchair for an hour.
If you want to simplify this route, I’d suggest Farm Place and the surrounding roads (Uxbridge Street and Callott Street). These were our favourites, then head straight to Elgin Crescent for the best of Notting Hill’s colourful houses.
Kid Tip: There is a very sweet playground at Colville Square, and we stopped here to break up the walk for our 4-year-old.
From Left: Elgin Crescent | Portland Road | Farm Place
Visit the Famous Portobello Road Market
Portobello Road Market, located on Portobello Road, is full of vintage goods, food sellers and lots of other stalls. Kids will love to look at everything that’s on offer and maybe pick up a snack or sweet treat to eat! Browsing (or shopping) at the market is main attractions in Notting Hill, but there are plenty of other things to do near Portobello Market as well!
A couple of must-see places on Portobello Road are:
- Alice’s – the most famous antique shop on Portobello Road. This colourful store is located at number 86 Portobello Rd. Children may recognise it as the filming location for Mr Gruber’s Shop in the Paddington Bear films.
- The Travel Book Shop—If you’re a fan of the movie Notting Hill, the gift shop at 142 Portobello Road was used for the exterior shots in the movie. The inspiration for the store was actually from The Notting Hill Bookshop, which can be found at 13 Blenheim Crescent, also in Notting Hill.
Note: Portobello Market does not open on Sundays. If you’re keen to see the market, avoid Sundays. It’s also important to note that with the market comes big crowds. If you’re visiting this neighbourhood with kids, I would try and do a weekday if you can.
The Museum of Brands
If you’re in need of rainy-day Notting Hill activities to do with kids, a museum is always a good option. There is one museum in Notting Hill called The Museum of Brands. Here, you’ll be transported through the history of brands’ packaging and advertising.
We haven’t been to this one yet, but hopefully I’ll be able to write a full review soon.
Adult tickets cost £11.50, children aged 7-16 cost £6.50 and under 7’s go free.
BOOK TICKETS FOR THE MUSEUM OF BRANDS HERE.
See A Film at the Electric Cinema
The Electric Cinema in Notting Hill is one of the oldest working cinemas in Britain. Instead of the usual cinema seats, you can watch the movie from the comfort of leather armchairs or a sofa, while enjoying a drink from the bar!
They also show a kids’ film every Saturday at 10 am.
See the current schedule of what films are showing here.
Enjoy Notting Hill Carnival
Every year, on the August bank holiday weekend, there is the Notting Hill Carnival. A big event including a parade and festival of Caribbean culture. There is a lot of dressing up, music and dancing.
The Sunday of the bank holiday weekend is usually Children’s day (or family day) if you plan on visiting with small children, this is definitely the best day to do it, as the general carnival can get a little rowdy!
If you’re not a fan of big crowds, you’d best plan your day trip to Notting Hill for a different time!
The Best Things to Do Near Notting Hill with Kids
As the Notting Hill neighbourhood is so small, there are a couple of great things located right on its border that are great for families. So I will still mention them here!
Explore the Beautiful Holland Park
Holland Park is one of London’s Royal Parks. It is ever so beautiful, which I love and has two great playgrounds, that my kids love! There is plenty for families to do in Holland Park. I’ll list things not to miss below:
- The Adventure Playground – aimed at children 5+, this is a huge playground that older kids will absolutely love.
- The Toddlers Playground – this one is aimed at smaller children. It is a large sandy playground with traditional things for little ones to play on.
- The Dutch Gardens – the first Holland Park Garden, which is full of beautiful flowers, sculptures and a giant chessboard. You’ll often see wild peacocks wandering through here.
- The Kyoto Gardens – there is also a Japanese Garden in Holland Park. Again, this is very pretty. Kids will love to see the huge fish in the pond and hop over the stepping stones by the waterfall.
Where to Eat in Notting Hill with Kids
Snacks & Sweet Treats
There are plenty of cafes and coffee shops in Notting Hill.
My boys cannot resist doughnuts. My 4-year-old practically dragged us inside Doughnut Time. A doughnut wouldn’t usually be my first choice, but these were so good!
Just next door is the bookshop used in filming the movie Notting Hill, which is pretty cool.
Another famous shop in Notting Hill is Biscuiteers. If you’d like a beautifully iced biscuit, this is the place for you. Lots of people also like to take these home as souvenirs.
Visit a British Pub
A trip to London wouldn’t be complete without visiting a pub. The Churchill Arms is a cool-looking pub, but the menu is Thai, which is strange for a British pub. We chose The Mitre and managed to get an outside table (it was a beautiful sunny day). Their fish and chips went down well, and so did my cocktail!
We’ve also eaten at The Duke of Wellington Pub on Portobello Road; the food here was great, and it was very child-friendly.
Kid Tip: Get them dinner while you enjoy your drink. They sit much more nicely when they’re eating!
Where to Stay in Notting Hill as a Family
Looking to turn your family day in Notting Hill into a weekend visit (or even longer), here are some family-friendly hotel options:
- Ruby Zoe Hotel – a boutique hotel with adjoining rooms for families.
- Notting Hill House – an affordable option in a great location with family rooms.
Note: Notting Hill is a beautiful area of London, but it isn’t the most central. If this is your first time in London, read this guide for more ideas on the best areas to stay in!
Thank you so much for reading our guide on the best things to do in Notting Hill, London with kids. We hope we’ve helped you find some things to see in Notting Hill, and you enjoy your visit!
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Happy Exploring,
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