One of the things that you cannot miss if you are going to travel to the British capital with children is to visit one of the famous toy stores in London.
London has some of the most famous shopping streets in the world, such as Regent Street and Oxford Street, where we can find thousands of fashion clothing and accessories stores, but in addition to the shopping streets, shopping in London can be quite an experience unique, being able to go every day of the week to one of the most famous London markets. But, one of the things that sometimes go unnoticed, are the beautiful toy stores that we can find in London. Some, located in the center of some of the most important commercial streets of the city, but others a little more hidden.
And it is not surprising that London is an important city when it comes to toy stores, since it is where we find the largest Lego store in the world or the largest Disney store in Europe. We tell you which are our favorite toy stores in London below.
Hamleys
Hamleys is the star toy store in London, and one of the places that you almost have to visit, especially if you are going to visit London with children. It is the largest historical toy store in the city, and is located on Regent Street, one of the most important shopping streets in central London, one of the best places to go shopping in London.
This fantastic toy store in London has 7 floors of pure fun, where imagination mixes with live toy demonstrations, where the youngest members of the family will undoubtedly lose their senses.
- Location: Regent Street
- Nearest tube stop: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Street
Benjamin Pollock’s Toy Shop
This toy store, although it is much smaller than Hamleys, is one of the toy stores in London that I like the most, because when you enter it makes you go back a little bit to the past. And it is that these are two very different stores, since Benjamin Pollock’s Toy Shop is specialized in the sale of toys from the Victorian era, and the traditional toy paper theaters that we can find in this store are famous in England, since it is possible to find both original pieces and perfect reproductions. In addition, here we find a large selection of traditional toys, many of them related to the theater, without missing puppets or marionettes.
- Location: Covent Garden
- Nearest tube stop: Covent Garden
Disney Store
Located on Oxford Street, one of the main shopping streets in London, the Disney Toy Store is the largest Disney Toy Store in Europe. For this reason we believe that it is one of the toy stores in London that you should not miss if you are going to visit London with children, or if you want to go in search of a special gift!
- Location: Oxford Street
- Nearest tube station: Oxford Circus
Lego Store
In Leicester Square we find another of the most famous and most visited toy stores in London, the largest Lego store in the world. Entering this store gives the feeling of having entered a museum, since you will find yourself admiring the giant sculptures that are scattered around the store made exclusively with millions of Lego pieces. Among them, some famous icons of London stand out, such as Big Ben or a life-size subway car in which you can sit.
- Location: Leicester Square
- Nearest tube stop: Leicester Square
Paddington Bear
The Paddington bear is the London bear par excellence, and although it is well known in the United Kingdom and one can be found in every souvenir shop, it was not until relatively recently that it became known throughout the world, thanks to the recent films.
And of course, a store dedicated exclusively to Paddington Bear in London could not be missing, and obviously this store is located in nothing more and nothing less than the Paddington train station in London. Here you will find everything you can imagine from Paddington Bear, from teddy bears to stationery. As well as the shop at Paddington Station there are also a couple of Paddington Bear statues that you won’t be able to resist taking a photo of!
- Location: Paddington Station
- Nearest Tube: Paddington Station
Harrods toy store
Harrods department store in London could not be missing from our list of the best toy stores in London, simply because the toy store is impressive. The Harrods toy section is located on the third floor, and here we will find, in addition to London souvenir toys, many children’s books as well as traditional wooden toys. There is no shortage of giant stuffed animals, or the famous bear from Harrods.
- Location: 87 – 135 Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL
- Nearest tube stop: Knightsbridge
Puppet Planet
Puppet Planet is a store dedicated exclusively to the sale of puppets of all kinds. Here we will find vintage puppets as well as more modern puppets, and obviously the famous characters from Punch and Judy cannot be left out.
- Location: 787 Wandsworth Rd, Clapham, London
Sylvanian Families
In the Sylvanian Families shop you will find more than 400 items from these families of toy animals, ideal for both children and collectors, since here you can find everything from the most famous to the least seen items, and from time to time real collector’s pieces.
- Location: 68 Mountgrove Road, Highbury, London, N5 2LT
- Nearest Tube: Finsbury Park
Fagins Toys
This toy store in London is dedicated to the sale of traditional toys, although we can also find a large selection of modern toys. It is one of the most preferred toy stores in London by locals, and it is one that you can visit even though it is a bit far from the city center.
- Location: 84 Fortis Green Rd, Muswell Hill, London N10 3HN
- Closest Tube: Highgate (Although Highgate tube station is quite a walk, so from here it is also advisable to take the public bus)
Science museum toy section
Although museum shops are not usually mentioned in the articles of the best toy stores, I think that in this case it is worth highlighting the Science Museum in London. The museum is rather created for children, with many exhibitions that are interactive and educational for the youngest members of the family, and the toy section of its store was not going to be for less.
Here you will find a multitude of toys for the development of children’s imagination, as well as creative and educational toys.
- Location: Exhibition Rd, Kensington, London SW7 2DD
- Nearest Tube: South Kensington
Other toy stores in London
Other toy stores in London that deserve mention are:
- The M&M’s store located in Leicester Square.
- International Magic Shop
- The Guards Toy Soldier Center
- Toy section of the Transport Museum in Covent Garden
- Forbidden Planet, which is the world’s largest comic book store with merchandising and events.