Hamleys

Best toy store in the world! I love love LOVE this place. I am almost 60, with adult children and no grandkids. I still like going here and typically walk out with a bag of something. It's just exciting and fun to visit. People greet you. There are demonstrators throughout making magic look easy to perform, drones easy to fly, and artsy fingernails east to do and more. 5 levels of toys! I like to go to the top and work my way down circling every floor. It's just plain fun! This time I learned that you can get a water color brush and put nail polish remover in it to clean up the "out of the lines" nail Polish job of an amateur. There's also a hood selection of London "toy" souvenirs. A hood selection of classic games. A great selection of legos for all ages. Really liking the flower arrangements!

I am a fan of this store and have been since my children were very very young.

"I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys 'R Us kid..." Waitasec!
We no longer have massive toy stores in the US or multi-story department stores for kids, so it's a great surprise to find Hamley's in London. 6 floors + basement of toys, games, dolls & collectibles is rarity these days. I am unabashedly a giant kid at heart but now with credit cards, a dangerous combination. I would have really blown my credit limit if not for the fact that I'd have to pack it all up to take back on the plane.

Down in the basement is the Wizardry World of Harry Potter. Where else would put Harry but in a dank basement? Down there are also the video games. Looking at the directory, I knew what I want is on the top floors, so I hop on the escalators, cruising by the toddler & doll toy floors. I'll just have to come back to grab some stuff for my grandnieces. At the top escalator on the 5th floor, you are greeted by a 3m (10ft) Optimus Prime. Here you'll find the traditional "boys" toys, like Hot Wheels & action figures, but I know even girls like my oldest grandniece loves Buzz Lightyear, so grab one of those for her.

Off in the back corner is what I'm hunting for: Corgi & Airfix. Corgi die-cast collectibles are hard to get in the US. I grab a boxed edition of James Bond's Aston Martin V8 from No Time to Die (Pierce Brosnan) for my sister, who is huge Bond fan. I'm looking for an Aston Martin DB5 for myself but they are sold out. I settle for an Airfix DB5 plastic model kit, which I'll have the satisfaction of building myself. Along with that, I grab an Aitfix F-35B Lightning II (Royal Navy version, of course). They also have the full line of Humbrol hobby paints & accessories to build your model.

Up the last set of stairs to the 6th floor, you'll find the LEGO section. Like the LEGO stores back home, there are large size LEGO figures, but in the UK, King Charles III gets the LEGO treatment as well as Queen Elizabeth II. Most of the model sets are the same as in the US and I was looking for unique sets. I end up with getting couple of London double decker buses.

You'll pay premium prices, but nowhere will you find this much variety all in one place. Final damage: £112 (US$135). My credit card got off easy.

This is what childrens and adults dreams are made of. Floors and floors of toys. Every floor has multiple demonstrations for kids to play with. The staff is incredible. I'm happy to know I created a core memory for my children.

After we took my kids to the William Churchill Museum decided they needed some kids fun and so we hit up the FAO Schwartz of London. Or perhaps FAO Schwartz is the Hamleys of NYC. I've been to both in the past year and they are pretty similar...and pretty amazing for even an adult.

My 12 year old couldn't be bothered and ran over to lululemon across the street, but my 10 and 7 year old boys had the best time exploring every floor. My 7 year old asked the next week to find the Hamleys of Paris, but there's just nothing quite like it there or most places.

They have lots of toy demonstrations throughout the store and we got conned into buying some magic trick that I couldn't replicate outside of the store so I'd say stick with buying the toys that you know will work. And they have plenty of toys to choose from.

We also grabbed some gelato on the way out, which was the perfect ending to a fun toy store experience!

This is the older toy store in the world! It's 5 stories and literally has every toy and gadget you could ever want! I got a cool little track that was essentially central London with a battery run car! It was so cute and I got it for a 3 year old little boy! He loves it! The people working there were friendly and helpful to identify UK specific toys! This is a London staple to check out!!

Step aside New York City's FAO Schwarz. There's a new king of the hill and it's Hamleys. Spread across seven floors in London, Hamleys is a toy store filled with every toy you remember, imagine, and didn't know could be.

Expectedly, it gets quite busy. Queues for the lift are long, so consider taking the stairs. There are signs that point you to what's on each floor. It's organized well.

Throughout, staff give demonstrations. We fell for two and regretted one. There's a magic box where you place putty behind your ear to make a saucer fly. DON'T BUY IT. It's 30 pounds and is a con artist. It doesn't fly well nor does the shaver ever turn off leaving you with a busted toy after a few days.

Other than the busted toy, it's a fun experience if you have kids. Just go into it already deciding how much you'll spend and don't get suckered in.

Surprisingly fun (if overwhelming) toy store with lots of options and knowledgeable people.

We came here as a treat for the kids on our first big day of sightseeing in London when we were going to be in London for a month. The space is huge with 6+ floors and lots of different sections. That said, there's lot's of knowledgeable staff and people showing off toys as well as places for kids to actually play for a bit while you're there.

We got a custom double decker bus LEGO, another Star Wars LEGO set, some play doh toys l and few other fun things for the kids to have while we were in London in addition to an hour of pretty cool time in the store.

Definitely worth checking out.

If you have kids, they will die when you get here. 5 floors of toys + Harry Potter/video games basement + an ice cream candy store on top.

Each floor is separated by brands/age/gender like Legos, cars, Nerf, Barbie, etc and there's something for every kid. You will definitely be poorer when you leave.

What a beautiful store, a real paradise for children and adults alike!
My visit to Hamley's during coronation week did not disappoint- they carry such an impressive assortment of toys, books and gadgets that you will not leave the store empty-handed.
Prices are on the higher end for some items. The staff is very attentive and courteous.

This place was fantastic! Toy stores are increasingly rare in the States, so my boys (hubby and son) were thrilled. This location also closes at 9:00 p.m. so it made for a perfect ending to a sight-seeing day. They literally have everything, it was so much fun! Don't miss it if you are in London.