UK Attractions For Families In 2022

In this section:

  • Top deals for 35 attractions.
  • Recommended places to stay.
  • Expert tips & key information.
  • Also see my guide to the best zoo stays.

A-Z of attractions

Visiting London?

Compare the prices for over 45 London Attractions. Get the best deal and right ticket for you.

Top Tips

Going solo: booking your tickets and accommodation separately

  • Book hotels early. Hotels near attractions has very few family-friendly rooms and they can get filled weeks or even months in advance. We recommend the best hotels near to each attraction.
  • Booking.com – The best website for finding hotels in the UK.
  • A couple of exceptions that don’t show on booking.com are Premier Inn, Travelodge or Best Western
  • Before you book any accommodation do check you can get tickets on your desired day.
  • See how much tickets are at your favoured attraction. Look out for 2-4-1 offers and other giveaways in newspapers or on cereal boxes. And make you see what special offers are being promoted on the theme parks’ own pages (Legoland, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington often have promotions).
  • For each attraction we recommend the best ticket supplier, be it direct or with a third party:
    • Picniq – What we like: 5* Trustpilot | Easy to use website | Exclusives | Price Promise on Family Tickets | UK Focus
    • Attractiontix – What we like: +600 Attractions | Highly reviewed 4.7 / 5 | UK & Global
    • 365Tickets – What we like: +1000 Attractions | UK & Global | Well reviewed 4.65 / 5 | Regular Exclusives

Can I book a hotel and ticket as a single package?

For some of the big attractions yes. These aren’t always the cheapest but they do offer other benefits such as 2 days for 1 or kids go fee offers. The attractions where you can book a package include:

Short attraction breaks with a large family

One frustration for families booking hotels and also package holidays is that, usually, you pay ‘per person’. That’s bad luck if you’ve got a big family as your bill gets higher for every child you have. But also it often means you’re booking separate rooms to accommodate everyone – which spoils the experience of spending time together.

If you’ve broken down the hotel costs of a theme park trip with a large family or group and it’s looking too pricey, consider a holiday rental. There are plenty of apartments, cottages and lodges available within easy reach of most theme parks.

Villas and holiday homes are great for large families as you only pay for the property. They’re also perfect for extended families or those going on shared holidays with other families.

With young ones happy to share rooms, you can scale down your needs, split the rental costs and grab yourself a very cheap holiday.

Owners Direct, eBay and Airbnb are some places to look. But if you’re really serious about saving money, read our full guide to Holiday Rentals.

Use Wowcher or Groupon

If you’re flexible about travel dates, the deal sites can throw up some amazing prices. But you’re less likely to find a good offer for a school holiday trip.

It’s worth signing up for Wowcher, which often has cut-price attraction breaks. These deals move fast so sign up for their emails to keep in touch.

Groupon always has some fun attraction deals advertised. If you can’t find the attraction you want using their search box, check out the family page to see what else is offered. Deals change daily.

Final Word

The key to grabbing a bargain is to start looking early. Attractions and their hotel partners are like everyone else in the travel industry: they want to start fill their capacity as soon as possible so they can guarantee a good year.

But with every deal make sure you weigh up the benefits. Sometimes a package may cost slightly more but offer a free second day at the theme park or ‘kids go free’.

And in case you’re wondering whether a hotel stay is worth it, be aware that with most of the deals you’ll find on our top sites above, the accommodation barely costs more than the standard gate price to get into the theme park!

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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.

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