London with Kids
A dinosaur skeleton that steals the show, a pirate ship in the middle of a royal park, and a ride 135 metres above the Thames, the version of London that actually works with children in tow.
London is genuinely one of the best cities in the world for kids, free world-class museums, royal parks with proper playgrounds, and enough hands-on history to fill days regardless of the weather. Here’s how to spend the time on what actually works with kids.
The Tower of London
Widely one of the best history stops in the city with kids, family-friendly trails and interactive exhibitions bring the Crown Jewels and the White Tower properly to life. A kid-friendly private tour is worth booking for younger children if you’d rather have a guide keep the pace and the stories going.
The Natural History Museum
Free entry, and widely London’s most iconic family museum, dinosaur skeletons, space exhibits and cutting-edge displays that work for nearly any age. The Science Museum sits right next door too, both easily combined into one South Kensington day.
The London Eye
A properly memorable half hour, the 45-minute rotation gives sweeping views over the Thames and the skyline, and buying priority tickets is properly worth it with kids in tow. Pair it with a walk along the South Bank afterward, street performers keep younger visitors entertained the whole way.
Hyde Park’s Diana Memorial Playground
A properly excellent free playground, a giant pirate ship, teepees and sand play areas keep kids busy for hours. St James’s Park nearby holds pelicans that have lived there for over 400 years too, a proper novelty for younger kids on the way to Buckingham Palace.
Greenwich and the Cutty Sark
A properly great day trip, the National Maritime Museum and the Cutty Sark, a real 19th-century tea clipper, give a proper hands-on history lesson. Standing on the Prime Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory, one foot in each hemisphere, is a reliable hit with kids of most ages.
If the weather turns
The Science Museum and Natural History Museum both work well as full indoor days, widely reliable regardless of London’s unpredictable weather. Madame Tussauds and the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden round out a solid rainy-day rotation too.
Eating with kids
Battersea Power Station holds a properly strong lineup of family-friendly restaurants, and Borough Market’s stalls work well for something quicker and more casual. A proper afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason, while pricier, comes recommended as a memorable one-off treat.
A few practical notes
Children aged 10 and under travel free on the Tube, DLR, Overground and TfL rail services, genuinely a real saving over a full trip’s worth of fares. Strollers are widely accepted on public transport too, though rush hour on the Tube is worth avoiding with a pram in tow.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
