London and Barcelona with a 10 year old

We were there last summer with our 11 and 8 year olds.  We went to La Sagrada Familia, which the kids liked and we walked down the long winding staircase.

Park Guell was a lot of fun for all of us, and I do recommend it.

This might be helpful also:  https://flybytheseatofourpants.com/barcelona-with-kids/

Have a great time!

We traveled to Europe when my daughter was 10. Rome, Venice, and London. We rented bikes in each city. I highly recommend looking for bike rentals, preferably in parks/non-auto areas. Have fun! Several years ago, without kids, I went on a horseback tour outside of Barcelona in Costa Brava, that would also be fun.

Oh my gosh everywhere in London is so cool for a kid. We went when my son was 9 in 2019. 
My son loved Westminster Abbey, The British Museum gives out free backpacks with a kit for kids… but get there early because they were out of them when we got there. The Tower of London was a blast. We also did long walks in Hyde Park and Hampstead Heath. There is ice cream everywhere in these little trucks. You can get it with this chocolate on top called “flake”

A highlight for us was the British Library. We weren’t expecting it to be so cool- original documents from the Beatles, Mozart, Gandhi and it is right near St Pancras station with lots to do.
Pretty much whatever your child is into you can probably find something fun about it in London. 

We stayed half the time in Camden. That was a great area. The other half we stayed in Southwark by the Globe theater and Borough Market. That combo was great- both super cool areas and super different. 

I know there is a lot more but those are just some of the things we got to 

If you have time for a side trip - we went to Brighton - about 90 minutes away. We stayed for a few days but a day trip would be fine - we ride all the rides. Its like the Santa Cruz boardwalk but of course in England. . 

We also went to Barcelona a few years earlier. Again the ice cream is amazing. I wish we had stayed near the beach because the beaches are really nice. There are a few big parks-  we spent some time in the Ciutadella park. My son loved the Sagrada Familia - we didn’t pay for a big tour - just went in and looked around an hour before closing. It wasn’t crowded then. We did the Park Guell also. 

Traveled to both cities with an 8 and 11 year old. For London definitely try Harry Potter Studios, which is outside of London. Tickets sell out months ahead but keep checking the website in case there are last minute cancellations. FYI if you do get tickets, take the train, it’s cheap and very easy. Tower of London was also interesting. For Barcelona, be aware they eat dinner very late. This was the single hardest thing for us, as our 8 year old couldn’t wait that long. The rest of Barcelona was very child friendly. Check out all the Gaudi museums and the big park, and there are tons of smaller museums that are also child friendly. I think we went to the Maritime Museum and it was fun. We also joined private tours at both places and asked the tour guide to tailor it for kids. We did food tours in Barcelona and they took us to a neighborhood food market (not the touristy one) and our 8 year old had a wonderful time. 

We used to live in London until our kids were 3 and have been back many times for visits! There are SO many fun things to do in London with 10 year olds. Museums are generally free (except for special exhibitions) so you can just go for short stints - V&A is my personal all-time fave and has a nice courtyard with a cafe too, The Museum of London is surprisingly quite cool - the exhibits about the Fire of London and the London 2012 Olympics are memorable. Tower of London is always fun, I'm not sure if it's still there but last year they filled the moat with these incredible wildflowers you could walk through and all the stories of people locked up plus the tour of the Crown Jewels is great. If your kid, like mine, is into all the wild and crazy history you might enjoy a Thames Horrible Histories boat tour, which my then 8 year olds were just old enough for and would be perfect for a 10 year old (murder! mayhem! gross stuff!). My kids have always enjoyed running around the Barbican and I enjoy the mid century Brutalist architecture (same for the Southbank which also has the Tate Modern and a well-known skate park if your kid into that). I haven't been but friends in London really like the 'Skygarden' at the 'Walkie Talkie' - same with the new-ish gondola that goes over the river at Greenwich (which in general is fun w the Maritime museum, Cutty Sark and good pubs). There are many many incredible parks in London, I'd skip Regents park and Kensington Gardens and head up to Primrose Hill (which is a cute neighborhood also) or Hampstead Heath. I could go on forever but this will hopefully get you started (also remember that the Harry Potter tours have to be booked very far in advance and are outside of the city so plan ahead!)

Our family was just in London with our 9 and 11 year olds, and they both very much enjoyed the Balloon Museum. It's expensive, and kind of cruddy, and not really a museum, and I can see how it would be hellish on a weekend with a lot of other people there. But the kids liked it. They also enjoyed riding in a black taxi, and riding the river boat taxis (which I believe are called "Uber Boat by Thames Clippers"). They loved the British Museum, which can get very crowded. Have fun!

Barcelona—there is a Ferris wheel on the water front, that would be fun. The Bunkers are a bus ride or long walk up to the hills (last steep part on foot), the famous Gaudi Park. Maybe find a cooking class? And of course the cathedral on a sunny day.

London:

The Museum of the City of London. The V&A should have something for everyone. The Tower of London and Hampton Court are worthwhile. There is a boat ride to Hampton Court.  What are the 10 yo’s interests? Someone just posted in London with Kids about all the Manga opportunities in London…