MULTILINGUAL FAMILY
IN LONDON

In late May 2025, we spent four days in Southampton. With a Peppa Pig-loving toddler at home, the main reason for the trip was, of course, Peppa Pig World, which is part of Paultons Park. Many families visit as a day trip, particularly if they are travelling by car, but we decided to use Southampton as our base for a few days and fit in a seaside excursion as well.

Day 1: London to Southampton

At the time we did not own a car, so we travelled by train. We caught the 11.05 service from London Waterloo and arrived at Southampton Central just after 12.30pm.

By this point our daughter was around 3.5 years old, and train travel had become dramatically easier. A backpack filled with snacks and activities goes a long way.

We usually prefer Airbnbs when travelling with a young child. Not being tied to hotel breakfast times makes mornings much more relaxed, and having a kitchen means we can order takeaway or cook something simple rather than dragging an exhausted child to a restaurant every evening. We also sleep much better when our daughter has her own room. Fortunately, she has always been happy sleeping independently, even in unfamiliar places.

Our Airbnb was spacious, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and within easy walking distance of the city centre and High Street. Being a modern flat building, it also had a lift, which we always appreciate when travelling with a buggy.

After dropping our bags, we grabbed a quick takeaway lunch nearby. My husband had an online meeting to attend, so he stayed at the flat while my daughter and I caught a bus to Southampton Common.

For readers outside the UK, a “common” is typically a large public open space, often more natural and less formally landscaped than a city park. Southampton Common felt exactly that: a huge green space with woodland, open fields and plenty of room to roam.

The adventure playground there was excellent. We bought an ice cream and a coffee from the café, spent some time exploring the nearby woodland, and happily passed the afternoon there.

We headed back into the city centre. Our daughter was hungry, but we struggled to find anything quick and child-friendly nearby, so we ended up buying a sausage roll from Greggs. And she devoured it. To this day, I suspect it may have been the finest sausage roll of her life.

For dinner we played it safe and went to Nando’s at Westquay Shopping Centre. We briefly considered finding somewhere more local and interesting, but travelling with a small child often makes familiar chains look very appealing. The shopping centre itself was pleasant enough, though not particularly memorable.

Day 2: Peppa Pig World

This was the main event of the trip.

Peppa Pig world is located within Paultons Park, a family theme park on the edge of the New Forest. Tickets are not cheap, but children under 100cm enter free, which helps soften the blow. If you have a Peppa Pig fan at home, I would recommend visiting before they outgrow both Peppa Pig and the free entry!

Although there are public buses from Southampton, we ultimately decided to take an Uber for convenience and arrived shortly before 11am.

It was a Saturday, but we had deliberately planned our visit for the week after half. term in the hope of avoiding the crowds. Combined with the slightly drizzly weather, the park was not too busy.

Peppa Pig World itself is not enormous, but it is beautifully designed, with nine rides and plenty of themed attractions. Everything looked exactly as you would imagine from the television series. The pastel colours and miniature buildings were charming, although I suspect the photos would have been even better on a sunny day.

Surprisingly, though, after just a couple of rides and a photo with Peppa and George, our daughter lost interest in Peppa Pig World and declared that she had had enough of Peppa Pig and wanted to try one of the larger rides elsewhere in the park. The ride looked quite intimidating for a three-year-old.

She insisted.

So on she went.

And then she rode it again.

And again.

From that point onwards, Peppa Pig World was forgotten as she enthusiastically explored the rest of Paultons Park.

Although her height ruled out some of the bigger attractions, there were still plenty of child-friendly thrill rides available. Mini Viking ships, gentle drop towers and various family rides turned out to be much more exciting. Until then, I had no idea she was such a thrill-seeker!

Lunch was at Route 83 Diner inside the park, where the burgers were surprisingly decent.

Paultons Park closes around 5.30pm on weekends, and because the last bus leaves earlier, many families start leaving around 3.30pm. Since we planned to take an Uber back, we stayed almost until closing time.

One lesson we learned was not to rely too heavily on ride-hailing apps outside London. Finding a taxi turned out to be far more difficult than expected, and we spent a while waiting before eventually securing a ride back to Southampton.

Day 3: Bournemouth

The third day was dedicated to the seaside.

Fortunately, the weather finally began to cooperate and we woke up to sunshine. Bournemouth is only around 35 minutes from Southampton by train, making it an easy day trip.

After arriving, we set off towards the beach. The walk itself was pleasant enough, but we quickly discovered that getting down to the seafront was less straightforward than expected. Much of Bournemouth’s coastline sits below a cliff-top promenade, and despite being able to see the beach, we somehow struggled to find a route down.

After doing a short detour, we eventually found our way to the sand. The sea was beautiful, though still decidedly chilly in late May. Despite this, plenty of hardy British swimmers were happily wading into the water.

For lunch, I had originally planned to visit Chez Fred, one of Bournemouth’s best-known fish and chip shops, but it turned out to be a little farther away from the beach than I had realised. Instead, we went to a restaurant called Hot Rocks, located right by the seafront. It had all the hallmarks of a classic tourist-spot restaurant, so my expectations were fairly low, but the food was actually pretty good.

After lunch, we spent some time playing on the beach before wandering into Bournemouth town centre. There were several places offering crazy golf, and the area seemed well set up for families looking to spend a afternoon together.

As for our daughter, she spent most of the day alternating between walking and riding in the buggy. I think this may actually have been the last trip on which we brought one.

After a pleasant afternoon exploring Bournemouth, we caught the train back to Southampton.

Day 4: Southampton to London

Before catching our train back to London, we decided to spend a few more hours exploring Southampton.

We took a stroll around the Cultural Quarter, where several parks sit next to one another. Naturally, this involved yet another playground.

One thing that struck me during the trip was how impressive the playgrounds were in Southampton. They were spacious, well-maintained and genuinely fun, even by the standards of a child who spends plenty of time in London’s many parks.

After taking shelter from a sudden shower beneath a tree, we wandered around Southampton’s historic old town, following sections of the ancient city walls.

Overall, Southampton felt noticeably quieter and more relaxed than London. It is not a city packed with famous landmarks or must-see attractions, and I am not sure I would recommend it as a destination in its own right.

That said, the city has more history than it first appears. Southampton was the Titanic’s home port, and many crew members lived locally, making the tragedy a significant part of the city’s history and identity. Today, many visitors still know Southampton primarily as a major cruise port. I wish we had found time to visit SeaCity Museum—sometimes nicknamed Southampton’s “Titanic Museum”—but perhaps that will have to wait for another trip.

As a base for visiting Peppa Pig World and exploring the surrounding coastline, however, it worked perfectly. Being close to both the sea and the New Forest gives the area a very different feel from London,

By early afternoon, it was time to head back to Southampton Central and catch our train home. After a few days of playgrounds, theme parks and beaches, we returned to London with one very happy child. For weeks afterwards, she kept talking about the trip almost every day!