Things To Do In London With Kids: The Best Family Activities
London is an exceptional city for families, but it works better with some planning. The good news: a huge number of the best attractions are free, and the sheer variety means you can calibrate exactly what you do to the ages and interests of your children. The honest caveat: London is big, crowded, and expensive if you get pulled into tourist traps. What follows is the real guide — what's genuinely brilliant, for what ages, and how to do it without losing your mind.
General principle: young children (under 6) thrive on free-roaming spaces — parks, markets, the riverside. School-age children (6–12) get enormous value from the museums and attractions. Teenagers who've chosen to come to London themselves will have opinions; the ones who've been dragged there need something with genuine spectacle (Harry Potter, the Tower, the Science Museum's rockets).
Under-5s will find the Tower of London heavy going. There's a lot of history to absorb, the spaces are crowded, and the Crown Jewels room has a moving walkway that doesn't stop — stressful with a buggy. Save it for 6+. The entrance fee (around £34 per adult) stings more if everyone has a difficult time.
The 15 Best Things To Do In London With Kids
1. Natural History Museum Best for ages 3+
Start here. The Natural History Museum is one of the most child-friendly major attractions in the world — free, endlessly varied, and designed around the fact that children respond to scale and drama. The blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall is the first big moment; the dinosaur galleries, with their animatronic T-Rex, are the main event for most children.
The Darwin Centre lets you see real scientists at work through glass walls — brilliant for curious 10–14 year olds. The Vault has gemstones, meteorites, and a piece of moon rock that children are invited to touch. Budget at least three hours; the cafeteria is reasonable by London standards. Avoid weekend afternoons at all costs.
Practical info: Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD. Free. Open daily 10am–5:50pm.
Book free timed entry → Weekend morning slots fill up — book 2–3 days ahead
2. Science Museum Best for ages 5+
Next door to the Natural History Museum and equally brilliant — different in character. The Science Museum is about things that move, things that explode, things that changed the world. The Making the Modern World gallery has the actual Apollo 10 capsule. The space gallery has rockets. The computing history collection has early Macs and a working Difference Engine replica.
The Wonderlab is a paid interactive science gallery specifically designed for children — worth the extra £10 for kids who want to experiment rather than just look. The IMAX cinema is excellent. For teenagers with any interest in technology or engineering, this is the best museum in London.
Practical info: Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD. Free (some exhibits charge). Open daily 10am–6pm.
Book free entry → Book in advance to guarantee your slot
3. Tower of London Best for ages 6+
A genuine fortress with 1,000 years of history, the Crown Jewels, real Beefeaters who give excellent guided tours, and enough ravens to satisfy any Game of Thrones fan. The Crown Jewels room is extraordinary — the Imperial State Crown, Sovereign's Orb, and Sceptre are right there in front of you. Children who've been learning about Tudor history at school have their minds slightly blown.
Beefeater tours leave regularly from the main gate and are included in the entry price — they're funny, theatrical, and full of gory historical anecdote. Book tickets in advance; queues on summer weekends are brutal.
Practical info: Tower Hill, EC3N 4AB. From £34 adult, £17 child. Open Tue–Sat 9am–5:30pm, Sun–Mon 10am–5:30pm.
Skip the queue — book tickets → Sells out on summer weekends. Book at least 48 hours ahead.
4. London Zoo Best for ages 2+
London Zoo in Regent's Park is one of the oldest zoos in the world (opened 1828) and still one of the best. The gorilla enclosure, the rainforest exhibit, the Land of the Lions, and the newly redesigned penguin beach are highlights. The zoo has done serious work on habitat design in the last decade — the enclosures are more naturalistic and the animals more visible.
Book in advance online for better prices and to guarantee entry. Allow a full day. The café inside is overpriced — bring a picnic, which you can eat in the grounds. After the zoo, the walk through Regent's Park back to Baker Street Tube is beautiful.
Practical info: Outer Circle, Regent's Park, NW1 4RY. Around £35+ per adult online; cheaper for children. Open daily from 10am.
Book tickets online → Online prices are significantly cheaper than walk-up
5. SEA LIFE London Aquarium Best for ages 2+
On the South Bank right next to the London Eye. The shark tunnel — where you walk through a glass tube with sharks and rays circling overhead — is the set-piece moment and it's genuinely impressive. The touch pools where children can handle starfish and crabs are popular and well-run. The jellyfish exhibition is beautiful.
Buy tickets online in advance — the walk-up price is significantly higher, and on busy days there can be capacity queues. Allow two hours. It pairs well with the London Eye if you want a full South Bank morning.
Practical info: County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB. From around £25 online. Open daily from 10am.
Book SEA LIFE tickets → Up to 30% cheaper online vs walk-up
6. Harry Potter Studio Tour Best for ages 7+
Not in London proper — it's in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, about 30 minutes from Euston by train then a short shuttle bus. But it's one of the great day-trip experiences from London for families. The actual Hogwarts set, the Great Hall, the Forbidden Forest, Diagon Alley, Platform 9¾, the original costumes and props: Warner Bros. has preserved and presented this with real care.
Book as far ahead as possible — it sells out months in advance, particularly during school holidays. Allow at least four hours; most families spend five or six. The butterbeer in the outdoor area is non-negotiable. The gift shop at the end is expensive and children will want everything in it — set expectations in advance.
Practical info: Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, WD25 7LR. Around £55 adult, £47 child. Must book in advance.
Book Harry Potter Studio Tour → Sells out months ahead during school holidays — book now
7. V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green Best for ages 3+
Often overlooked in favour of the main South Kensington museums, the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green is a hidden gem. The collection of historic toys, games, dolls' houses, and children's material culture from across the centuries is extraordinary — and free. Children are often most fascinated by toys from other eras: the mechanical tin toys, the Victorian dolls' houses, the early video games.
It's quieter than the South Kensington museums, which makes it more relaxed for families with young children. The building itself is a Victorian cast-iron structure of considerable beauty.
Practical info: Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA. Free. Open Wed–Sun 10am–5:45pm.
8. Cutty Sark at Greenwich Best for ages 5+
The last surviving tea clipper is dry-docked at Greenwich and open to visitors. You can go below decks, see the original cargo hold, and stand directly under the hull in the glass-enclosed dry dock looking up at the copper-clad bottom of the ship — a spectacular engineering sight.
Greenwich itself is a full day: the Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum (free, brilliant for all ages), the Royal Observatory and Meridian Line, and Greenwich Park's hilltop views. Get there by Thames Clipper from Embankment or Waterloo for the journey to be part of the experience.
Practical info: King William Walk, SE10 9HT. Around £20 adult, £10 child. Open daily 10am–5pm.
Book Cutty Sark tickets → Combo tickets with National Maritime Museum available
9. Diana Memorial Playground Best for ages 2–12
In Kensington Gardens, adjacent to Kensington Palace, the Diana Memorial Playground is one of the best free children's playgrounds in Europe. The centrepiece is a massive wooden pirate ship that children can climb, scramble over, and play on without restriction. There are teepees, sand areas, water features, and rope swings — designed around imaginative free play rather than conventional equipment.
Under-12s only in the play area (adults must be accompanied by a child). It gets busy on summer weekends — arrive before 10am for the best experience.
Practical info: Kensington Gardens, W2 4RU. Free. Open daily 10am–7:45pm (summer), earlier closing in winter.
10. Hyde Park Splash Pads Best for ages 2–10
The Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park is not a fountain in the traditional sense — it's a large oval granite ring with water flowing around it, and children are actively encouraged to paddle in it and sit on the stones. On hot summer days it's brilliant. Lifeguards are present.
The Serpentine lake nearby has pedalos and rowing boats for hire. The whole park is excellent for young children who need space to run.
Practical info: Hyde Park, W2. Diana Memorial Fountain: free. Open daily. Pedalo hire seasonal.
11. Kew Gardens Best for ages 4+
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which sounds dry until you're actually inside 326 acres of extraordinary botanic garden. The Treetop Walkway is the headline experience for children — an elevated metal walkway through the tree canopy at 18 metres above ground. The massive Victorian Palm House has banana trees, sugarcane, and a tropical atmosphere children find genuinely exciting.
The Climbers and Creepers indoor play area is specifically designed for young children. The whole site is vast enough for a full day out. Get there by Kew Gardens Overground or by boat from Westminster Pier in summer.
Practical info: Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AE. Around £22 adult, free under-17. Open daily from 10am.
Book Kew Gardens tickets → Under-17s free with a paying adult
12. Thames Clipper Boat Ride Best for all ages
The Thames Clipper is a commuter riverboat service, not a tourist attraction, but for children it's one of the best things you can do in London. A journey from Waterloo or Embankment to Greenwich passes the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and the Canary Wharf towers from the water — a totally different perspective on the city. Children who've been Tube-fatigued respond immediately to sitting on a boat.
Use a standard Oyster card and pay standard Tube Zone fares — far cheaper than tourist boat services. Get an outdoor deck seat at the back. The whole journey to Greenwich takes about 50 minutes.
Practical info: Embankment or Waterloo piers. Oyster fares apply (around £6 adult each way). Runs daily from early morning.
13. Sky Garden Best for ages 6+
The free public garden on the 35th floor of the Walkie-Talkie building at 20 Fenchurch Street is genuinely magical for children who appreciate a garden in the sky. The tropical plants, the glass walls, and the views — straight across to St Paul's Cathedral — make for a memorable twenty minutes. Children who are nervous of heights sometimes find it challenging; most find it thrilling.
Book free tickets well in advance at skygarden.london. The building has lifts, no stairs required.
Practical info: 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3M 8AF. Free. Book at skygarden.london — tickets go fast.
Book free Sky Garden tickets → Free tickets released weeks ahead and sell out quickly
14. Legoland Windsor Best for ages 3–12
Technically a day trip rather than London proper (it's in Windsor, 40 minutes from Waterloo by train, then a bus or taxi), but for families with children in the 4–12 range, Legoland Windsor is one of the best theme park days out in Britain. The rides are well-designed for mixed-age groups, the Lego construction areas are genuinely engaging, and Miniland — a Lego replica of famous global landmarks — is impressive.
Book well in advance and online for significantly lower prices. Arrive early to hit the most popular rides before queues build. Combine with a visit to Windsor Castle if you have the energy.
Practical info: Winkfield Road, Windsor, SL4 4AY. From around £45 online. Open most days March–November.
Book Legoland tickets → Online prices 40% cheaper than walk-up — always book ahead
15. London Eye Best for ages 4+
Yes, it's touristy. Yes, it's expensive at walk-up prices. But the London Eye on a clear day gives children a perspective on London that genuinely helps make sense of the city — you can see how the Thames bends, where the major landmarks are relative to each other, and just how large London actually is. Children who've been struggling to orient themselves often have a revelation moment on the wheel.
Book online in advance and consider the Fast Track option on busy days — the queue for standard entry can be 45 minutes. The pods hold up to 25 people; you share with strangers, which some children find more interesting. One full rotation takes about 30 minutes. Best on a clear day.
Practical info: Riverside Building, County Hall, SE1 7PB. From around £30 online. Open daily from 10am.
Skip the queue — book London Eye → Queue can be 45 min+ in summer without pre-bookingBook family-friendly London tours
Skip the planning headache — GetYourGuide has excellent family tours including Harry Potter walking tours, Thames boat experiences, and guided museum visits that keep children engaged.
London With Kids: Common Questions
Four to five days is a good minimum. Kids need slower pacing than adults — factor in one major attraction per day maximum, with built-in park time and lunch breaks that don't involve rushing. London's free museums are brilliant for this: you can leave when the children flag without feeling you've wasted money. A week gives you room to breathe, with day trips to Windsor or the Harry Potter Studio Tour as highlights.
Genuinely one of the best day-out experiences in England for children who know the films, and it works for adults too. It's not cheap (around £55 per adult, £47 per child), and you need to book months ahead — it sells out constantly. The Hogwarts Express, the Great Hall, Diagon Alley: it's all real set and prop work, beautifully presented. Allow three to four hours minimum. The butterbeer at the outdoor area is mandatory.
South Bank or Covent Garden for ease of access to the main sights. South Bank puts you within walking distance of SEA LIFE, the London Eye, and Tate Modern, and the riverside walk keeps children entertained in transit. Covent Garden has good pedestrian streets and is walkable to the West End, Trafalgar Square, and the National Gallery. Avoid choosing purely on price — a Zone 1 location saves you hours of Tube travel with tired children.
Several are excellent for toddlers. The Natural History Museum — specifically the dinosaur galleries and the Hintze Hall whale — tends to produce genuine wonder in two and three year olds. The Diana Memorial Playground in Hyde Park is free and exceptional for under-sevens. The Thames Clipper boat ride keeps young children entertained almost regardless of age. Save the Tower of London and the Harry Potter Studio Tour for when children are old enough to understand some context — 6+ is a reasonable minimum for both.