101 Best Things to do in London with Kids

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Big-hitter family attractions

  1. Get behind the scenes of the Harry Potter film sets for a magical full-day tour at Warner Brothers Studio.
Albus dumbledore, severus snape, mad eye moody, professor minerva mcgonagall, and other cast member's costumes inside kid-friendly harry potter studios london
  1. Get a taste of the high life on the giant ferris wheel offering fantastic views with the London Eye.
families taking photos while riding the london eye
  1. See sharks, monster catfish and look for Nemo and Dory and more in the SEA LIFE London Aquarium.
kids looking at penguins inside a viewing room at sea life london aquarium
Credit: Gp258 / Wikimedia
  1. Find their future career and try out 50 professions through role-play adventures at Kidzania.
kids having fun with water hoses and role-playing as firemen and firewomen at kidzania london
Credit: Kidzania London
  1. Mix it with the rich and famous at the wax figure museum Madame Tussauds. Fantastic for Star Wars and Marvel fans.
queen elizabeth II and the rest of the royal family's wax versions at family-favorite tourist spot, madame tussauds london museum
Credit: Karen Roe / Wikimedia
  1. Visit the Tower of London, the capital’s premier medieval castle with fantastic exhibits along with the crown jewels.
royal crown and ceptre displayed inside the famous tower of london
Credit: Andrew Bossi / Wikimedia
  1. See London’s famous buildings in miniature and mixture of rides, 4D movies and adventure playgrounds at Legoland Windsor.
kids with their families looking at london's famous buildings in miniature form at miniland inside legoland windsor
Credit: Gary Bembridge / Flickr
  1. Board the magical flying bus, on a quest at Shrek’s Adventure London!
families riding the magical flying bus while on a quest at shrek’s adventure london
Credit: Shrek’s Adventure

Best museums for children

  1. Experience the sleepover of a lifetime with Dino Snores for Kids at the Natural History Museum.
inside natural history museum with kids, looking at dinosaurs tyrannosaurus rex and triceratops fossils
Credit: Matthew Dillon / Flickr
  1. Don’t miss the fantastic and free Natural History Museum.
whale fossil on top of every kid's favorite museum, natural history museum in london
  1. Rocket into outer space or touch a 4 1/2 billion year old meterorite at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
families watching and experiencing amazing planetarium shows
Credit: Royal Museums Greenwich
  1. Become an engineer, scientist or inventor at the Ragged School Museum.
a classroom inside the ragged school museum where kids can learn how to become an engineer, scientist or inventor
Credit: Flickr – Karen Bryan
  1. Visit the Science Museum full of entertaining exhibits including the Command Module of Apollo 10, a spacecraft that went around the moon in 1969.
kids having fun exploring the science museum in london
  1. Visit the kid-friendly British Museum and their stunning exhibitions including Egyptian mummies, The Rosetta Stone and the Elgin (Parthenon) Marbles.
authentic egyptian pharaoh bust and mummies inside the family-favorite, british museum
Credit: Flickr / Paul Hudson
  1. See 100’s of aircrafts from every age of flight at the Royal Air Force Museum.
aircraft playground where kids can play at the royal air force or raf museum in london
Credit: RAF Museum Website
  1. Visit London’s best contemporary art gallery and the dedicated Family Zone at the Tate Modern.
mother and daughter having some artistic fun at the family zone inside the child-friendly tate modern
Credit: Tate Modern
  1. Immersive play scenes and lots of Storytelling sessions at the Discover Children’s Story Centre.
family playing together at the discover children’s story centre
Credit: Discover

Outdoor kids activities

  1. Navigate (or get lost) at the amazing garden maze at Hampton Court Palace.
family looking around the garden maze at hampton court palace
Credit: Elliott Brown / Flickr
  1. Explore several excellent playgrounds or hire a boat at Regent’s Park.
duck or bird photography and boat riding for the whole family at regent's park
  1. Explore the ancient woodlands and 100 lakes and ponds at Epping Forest.
lake where you can do boat riding and explore the ancient woodland at epping forest
Credit: Abi Skipp / Flickr

Free things to do for kids

  1. Take in stunning panoramic views of London (day or night) at the Sky Garden with free entry.
viewing london inside the sky garden with the family
  1. Take a free visit to the Wallace Collection to see real swords, knight’s gear and their armour.
knight's gear and armours inside the family-friendly wallace collection
Credit: M.chohan / Wikimedia
  1. Walk along the Regent’s Canal Path to Hackney, admiring the canal boats along the way. Take a diversion at Victoria Park, which has a fantastic playground.
beautiful view at regent's canal & canal boats where families can also walk along the sidepaths
Credit: Flickr – James Petts
  1. Watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.
outside the buckingham palace where families can watch the changing of guards ceremony
Credit: Flickr / Rennett Stowe
  1. Visit one of the best collections of childhood-related objects in the world at the V&A Museum of Childhood.
carebears pikachu pokemon and other toys at child-friendly v&a museum of childhood
Credit: Flickr / Neil Turner
  1. Watch the world’s most famous street performers at Covent Garden.
families amazed at an incredible street entertainer at covent garden
Credit: Flickr / Dave Catchpole
  1. Browse the cool stalls and see the canal locks in action at Camden Locks and Market.
canal locks being opened to let a boat pass at family-friendly camden locks and market
  1. Stage a photo shoot at the Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens.
peter pan statue famous with teenagers and adults in kensington gardens
Credit: Peter Roberts / Flickr
  1. Soak up 500 years of maritime history and stoke the boiler of a steamship at the National Maritime Museum.
ships, historical and maritime items displayed at the national maritime museum
Credit: Matt Brown / Flickr
  1. Learn about the history of the river Thames at the Museum of London Docklands.
kids watch gigantic screens and learn about the history of the river thames and african slavery at the kid-friendly museum of london docklands.
Credit: Museum of London Docklands
  1. Meet goats, sheep, chickens and rabbits at Hackney City Farm.
small child looking at chickens and a duck at hackney city farm
Credit: Tom Page / Flickr
  1. Explore Brockwell Park, one of South London’s best parks with a fantastic playground, sandpit and paddling pool.
Credit: Train Photos / Flickr
  1. Visit Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station.
child posing in front of harry potter's platform 9 3/4
  1. Visit the Museum of London and learn the capital’s whole history in one fun packed visit.
interior picturesque view of family friendly museum of london
  1. Snap a family photo on the famous crossing outside Abbey Road Studios.
family recreating the Beatles walking pose at the famous crossing outside abbey road studios
Credit: Lars Plougmann / Flickr
  1. Explain the concept of time at the Prime Meridian Line at The Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
  1. Show off or take in tricks at the famous South Bank skate park.
teenager showing off cool skateboarding tricks at the famous south bank skate park
Credit: Wikimedia
  1. Play soldiers at the National Army Museum.
kids playing an interactive battle like real soldiers at the national army museum
Credit: National Army Museum
  1. Go on a free bat walk at various London locations and learn about their place in the capital.
bat walking tour at various london locations
  1. Be amazed by 30 life like dinosaur statues inside Crystal Palace Park.
life like dinosaur statues inside crystal palace park
Credit: Elias Gayles / Flickr
  1. Escape the buzz and visit Hampstead Heath, a huge ancient parkland perfect for a picnic with amazing views of the city skyline.

Best play fountains

  1. Explore a huge wooden pirate ship and take a refreshing dip at the Diana Memorial Playground.
pirate ship for kids at diana memorial playground, kensington gardens in london
Credit: Karen Bryan / Flickr
  1. Cool down in the fountains at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, near the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
kids cooling down at the fountains at queen elizabeth olympic park
Credit: Sludge G / Flickr
  1. Make a splash in the interactive fountain art at the South Bank Center.
families with their kids enjoying the interactive fountain art at the south bank center
Credit: South Bank Centre

Transport attractions for children

  1. Experience afternoon tea with a difference onboard a double decker London Bus.
  1. Drive an underground train or dress up as a bus conductor at the London Transport Museum.
kids playing with a london map at london transport museum
Credit: London Transport Museum
  1. Climb aboard and explore seven levels of Europe’s largest preserved WWII warship, HMS Belfast.
child having role-playing as the captain of europe's largest preserved WWII war ship, hms belfast
Credit: Imperial War Museums
  1. Find out what life was like onboard the world’s last surviving tea clipper, the Cutty Sark.
child holding the helm or a ship's steering wheel at the cutty sark
Credit: Flickr / Dark Dwarf
  1. See over 100 original vehicles and artefacts from all 24 James Bond films at the London Film Museum.
wax figure of james bond and his car at kid-friendly london film museum
Credit: Flickr / Daniel
  1. See London by night with an open-top sightseeing bus tour of the capital’s landmarks.
  1. Ride the Routemaster and enjoy the sights on London on a proper double decker bus. This is not a tour but a lot cheaper.
red double decker bus called the routemaster in london
Credit: Andy Ducker / Flickr
  1. Hop aboard The Golden Hinde, a full-scale reconstruction of the first English ship to sail around the world, captained by Sir Francis Drake.
kids having and posing in pirate costumes aboard the golden hinde
Credit: Seamus McCauley / Flickr
  1. Sit up front on the driverless Docklands Light Railway train and pretend you’re the driver.
red driverless docklands light railway train in london
Credit: Flickr / Sludge G
  1. Step aboard the classic Concorde and enjoy a virtual flight at the Brooklands Museum.
families including kids and grandparents enjoying classic concorde ride at the brooklands museum
Credit: Brooklands Museum

Family-friendly restaurants

  1. Soak up the sights and sounds of the jungle at the Rainforest Cafe, London’s wildest family dining experience.
frog signage of kid-friendly rainforest cafe
Credit: Mario Sánchez Prada / Flickr
  1. Breathe in and sample delicious food stalls at Borough Market, also a Harry Potter filming location for the Leaky Cauldron.
families shopping around food stalls at the borough market, filming location of leaky cauldron for harry potter movies
Credit: Flickr / Garry Knight
  1. Tumble down the rabbit hole and discover a tea party at Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea at Sanderson.
beautifully designed tea party at mad hatter's afternoon tea at sanderson
Credit: Sanderson London
  1. Eat, drink and feel famous at the memorabilia-filled surroundings at Planet Hollywood.
teenagers taking a photo with Terminator robot at planet hollywood
Credit: Planet Hollywood
  1. Tuck into scrumptious ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen at Chin Chin Labs.
scrumptious ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen at chin chin labs
Credit: Chin Chin
  1. Satisfy that sweet tooth and tuck into the Charlie & the Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea at One Aldwych.
sweet chocolate dessert at charlie & the chocolate factory afternoon tea at one aldwych
Credit: One Aldwych
  1. Skip-the-line and tuck into American cuisine at the legendary Hard Rock Cafe.
memorabilia from the world's most popular in the music scene like the beatles and jimi hendrix displayed at legendary hard rock cafe
Credit: Corrado Forino / Flickr

Activities for teenagers

  1. Get 360-degree views of London from the 72nd floor of London’s tallest skyscraper, The Shard.
  1. Prepare to be scared silly and dip into the city’s dark and gruesome history at the London Dungeon.
teenagers posing on the scary  guillotine as they learn about london's dark and gruesome history at the london dungeon
Credit: Andrew / Flickr
  1. Visit St Paul’s, with its world-famous dome, fascinating history and awe-inspiring interior.
close-up image of the world-famous dome at st. pauls
Credit: Flickr / Dmitry Djouce
  1. Explore what makes us human at Body World, an engaging mix of art, science and health education.
child marvelling at a human body at body worlds london
Credit: Body Worlds London
  1. Take a full-day tour from London and enjoy two iconic English historical sites: Stonehenge & Roman Baths.
night time scene at famous family attraction, stonehenge in london
  1. Let the older children see how the UK government works during Question Time at the Houses of Parliament.
teenager posing outside before going inside to see how the uk government works during question time at the houses of parliament
Credit: Vivian Evans / Flickr
  1. Show your older children you’re down with the youth and take them shopping on Carnaby Street.
  1. Follow in the footsteps of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell and experience the history of free speech from the soap boxes at Speakers’ Corner.
one of the soap boxes at speakers' corner
Credit: Newtown grafitti / Flickr
  1. Get the ultimate adrenaline rush and take a speedboat tour of the River Thames.
family getting a thrilling speedboat tour af the river thames
Credit: Garry Knight / Flickr
  1. Head underground into the Churchill War Rooms and soak up the tense wartime atmosphere.
people at the underground exploring the family friendly churchill war rooms
Credit: Imperial War Museum
  1. Take a fantastic and child-friendly all day walking tour of London.
people taking a fantastic and child-friendly all day walking tour of london
  1. See the best of central London on two wheels with this Classic London 3.5 Hour Bike Tour.
red bike and people doing a biking tour in london
Credit: Jaanus Silla / Flickr
  1. Experience the thrills and a few spills at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.
teenagers experience a thrilling white water rafting ride at the lee valley white water centre
Credit: Barry Badcock / Flickr

Action-packed things to do

  1. Soar above the river Thames with the Emirates Air Line cable car with fantastic views of London. Combine with an adrenaline filled boat ride.
aboard the emirates air line cable car with the family overlooking north greenwich arena in london
Credit: Flickr / Warren Christmas

Travelling in London with children

  1. Hire a rowing boat or paddling boat on the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park.
father and daughter riding a boat at family-friendly serptentine lake hyde park
Credit: Farah Tsai / Flickr
  1. Don’t miss the treetop walkway and badger caves at Kew Gardens.
entrance to the badger cave in an explorable family park, kew gardens london
Credit: Flickr / Jim Linwood
  1. Enjoy hours of fun in a safe and stimulating 7-acre playground and park at Coram’s Fields in Holborn.
kids playing around the children's playground at coram's fields
Credit: London looks / Flickr
  1. Climb the roof of the O2 with Up at The O2 for an exhilarating experience and rewarded with incredible views of London.
a family taking photos at Up at The O2 with breathtaking view of london
  1. Learn to climb for the over-4s at Chelsea’s Clip n’ Climb.
child learning how to do wall climbing at chelsea's clip n' climb
Credit: ClipnClimb
  1. Ride a horse like British royalty in Hyde Park.
teenagers and kids riding horses like british royalty at hyde park
Credit: nikoretro / Flickr

Film locations and movie experiences

  1. Enjoy a sirius-ly good Harry Potter walking tour of some of the inspirations for the movies including the real Diagon Alley.
family friendly harry potter tour
Credit: Diliff / Wikimedia
  1. Take in a flick at the beautiful Ritzy Cinema, Brixton, perfect for a rainy day adventure.
night time view of the beautiful old-school family-friendly ritzy cinema in brixton
Credit: bongo vongo / Flickr
  1. Sit back and soak up the world’s most immersive movie experience at the Science Museum’s IMAX 3D cinema.
world's most immersive movie experience at the science museum’s IMAX 3D cinema.
Credit: Imax

London zoos & farms

  1. Up close and personal with tigers, gorillas, lions, penguins and many more at ZSL London Zoo.
kids feeding a giraffe at zsl london zoo
Credit: Wikimedia /Scout3
  1. Go looking for herds of deer at the picturesque Richmond Park.
rare black deer sitting in lush greenery at family-friendly richmond park
  1. Watch the pelican feeding time at St James’s Park.
beautiful fountain and pelicans waiting for feeding time at a family park in london, st james’s park
  1. Meet meerkats, monkeys and more close up at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.
kids feeding kangaroos and other animals at battersea park children's zoo
Credit: Battersea Zoo
  1. Explore an urban oasis close to central London and spot birds, otters and much more at the WWT London Wetland Centre.
numerous flocks of different birds at family-frendly wwt london wetland centre
Credit: James Petts / Flickr

Theatre for kids

  1. Enjoy one of London’s theatre shows for kids.
glinda and elphaba wicked witch of the west from wicked london theatre show for kids
Credit: U.S. Department of Commerce / Flickr
  1. Learn all about the master bard and take a tour at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
families waiting for a performance at shakespeare’s globe theatre
Credit: Andrew Wilkinson / Flickr

Festive fun

  1. See polar bears made of ice at the Magical Ice Kingdom at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland.
child in front of polar bear made of ice at the magical ice kingdom at hyde park’s winter wonderland
Credit: Wikimedia / Cristian Bortes

Shops for kids

  1. Visit the world’s largest sweet store at M&M’S World in Leicester Square.
families shopping around m&m's world, leicester square in london
Credit: Matt Kieffer / Flickr
  1. Visit the world’s oldest, largest and most famous toyshop, Hamley’s.
kids trying some toys inside hamleys
Credit: Flickr / Dark Dwarf
  1. Take a look inside the world’s largest LEGO Store complete with a life-sized London Underground train car made up of 637,903 bricks.
legos that kids can pose and take pictures with at lego store that has life-sized london underground train car
Credit: Martin Pettitt / Flickr

Quirky things to do in London for kids

  1. See the famous stuffed giant walrus and (live!) alpacas and bunnies with free entry at the Horniman Museum & Gardens.
showing kids an extinct dodo bird inside horniman museum and gardens
Credit: Paul Hudson / Flickr
  1. Take a sightseeing tour with the London Duck Tours aboard a distinctive yellow amphibious WWII vehicle.
kids riding the yellow amphibious world war II vehicle, london duck tours
Credit: John K Thorne / Flickr
  1. Follow in the footsteps of Goldilocks on the Teddy Bear Trail at the Museum of Brands.
vintage toys and bears at the child-friendly museum of brands
Credit: Museum of Brands
  1. Step inside the home of the world famous detective at the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Or join a walking tour of London as you take in sites featured in the Sherlock Holmes series.
wax figures at the home of the world famous detective at the sherlock holmes museum
Credit: Elliott Brown / Flickr

Thrilling London attractions

  1. Fly down the world’s longest tunnel slide at ArcelorMittal Orbit.
night time look of the world's longest tunnel slide at arcelormittal orbit
Credit: Aleem Yousaf / Wikimedia
  1. Get a forest experience in London and enjoy a zip wire treetop adventure at Go Ape Battersea.
child ziplining down and enjoying forest experience at treetop adventure at go ape battersea
Credit: Go Ape Battersea Park

101 Things To Do With The Kids

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Dominic Sawyer

Dominic has been writing on the web since 2000. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Biological Sciences from Nottingham University and his research thesis has been published in journals. With a foundation in painstaking research he found his passion for travel and has worked in the sector for 20 years. He has written a book about travel and has extended his expertise to consumer research across the travel and leisure sector.