I\u2019ve lived in and around London all my life and raised both my boys here, and I still find something new most weekends. So when friends ask me what to do with children in London, my answer is always the same. You could stay a month and not run out, and a surprising amount of the best of it is free.<\/p>\n
This is the guide I would hand every family heading our way, whether you\u2019re crossing the world for a first trip, coming down from elsewhere in the UK for half term, or a fellow Londoner after fresh ideas for the weekend. It\u2019s everything I\u2019d tell a friend over coffee, from the museums my two still talk about to the mistakes that cost us a whole morning.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve organised it by the kind of day out you\u2019re after and tagged each idea with the ages it suits, then pulled it together into a quick pick by age near the end. All the prices are current, and I\u2019ve flagged what to book ahead so you\u2019re not caught out at the gate with tired, hungry children.<\/p>\n Who this is for:<\/strong> families visiting or living in London, with children from toddlers to teens.<\/p>\n How long you need:<\/strong> 3 to 4 days for a first trip. A week if you want museums, a show and a day trip without rushing anyone.<\/p>\n Decide first:<\/strong> stay somewhere central and walkable, set up contactless or an Oyster card, and book the big paid attractions before you arrive.<\/p>\n Best free days out:<\/strong> the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, British Museum, Young V&A, the royal parks and the Changing of the Guard.<\/p>\n Best paid tickets:<\/strong> the London Eye, the Tower of London and London Zoo. Book these online in advance.<\/p>\n Best treat:<\/strong> the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory afternoon tea at One Aldwych.<\/p>\n London works all year, but the weather and the crowds pull in opposite directions. Spring, from April to early June, is my favourite. The parks turn green, the days stretch out, and you dodge the peak summer queues.<\/p>\n July and August bring the warmest weather and the school holidays, so expect longer waits and higher hotel prices. Attractions lay on extra family activities, which is a plus, but you\u2019ll want to book everything ahead. Autumn half term, in late October, is lovely, and by December the city dresses up beautifully, with ice rinks, pantomimes and Winter Wonderland<\/a> in Hyde Park. Just pack warm coats and plan more indoor time, because it\u2019s dark by mid-afternoon.<\/p>\n My recommendation:<\/strong> if you\u2019ve got pre-schoolers or any flexibility, May and the shoulder weeks either side of the summer holidays give you the best balance of decent weather and manageable crowds. For most UK families, though, the summer holidays are simply when you\u2019ll come, and they\u2019re a lovely time to do it, with long days, warm evenings and extra activities laid on. Yes it\u2019s busier, but it\u2019s very doable.<\/p>\n Book the big attractions well ahead, start early or head out late afternoon to dodge the worst of the crowds, and keep the free museums, the parks and the lidos up your sleeve for the hottest days, when cool galleries and a paddling pool are exactly what you need.<\/p>\n It depends on how you\u2019re getting here and how old your children are. Here\u2019s a rough guide.<\/p>\n For a comprehensive ready-made plan, see our 4-day London itinerary<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n London is far easier on public transport than by car, and the journey itself is half the fun for little ones. Skip the ticket-machine faff and just tap in with a contactless card or phone<\/strong>, which uses the same fares and daily caps. If you\u2019d rather hold a card, a standard Oyster card<\/strong> works the same way, and 11 to 15-year-olds can get a Zip Oyster photocard for cheaper fares.<\/p>\n The best bit for families is that under-11s travel free<\/strong> on the Tube, the DLR and buses when they\u2019re with a paying adult. That makes hopping on and off cheap.<\/p>\n A few things I always pass on. Grab the front seats on the top deck of a red double-decker,<\/strong> and you\u2019ve got a sightseeing tour for the price of a bus fare. The DLR is driverless<\/strong>, so sit right at the front and your children can pretend they\u2019re steering through Docklands, which mine did for years.<\/p>\n And the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers<\/strong> river service is a fantastic boat ride at close to bus prices, and you tap on with contactless. We use it to get down to Greenwich on a sunny day, and it beats the Tube every time.<\/p>\n Buggies are fine on buses and on step-free Tube lines, but plenty of older stations are stairs only, so check step-free access if you\u2019re travelling with a pushchair. And once you\u2019re in the centre, walk where you can. You see so much more at street level than you ever will underground.<\/p>\n If you want a overview on day one, an open-top hop-on hop-off bus tour<\/a><\/strong> is worth the outlay with children. Tootbus and Big Bus both run red open-top double-deckers past the big sights, with a separate audio channel written for children, and Tootbus<\/a> even runs a live-guided 45-minute Kids Tour<\/strong> with stories and quizzes at weekends and daily in the holidays.<\/p>\n Tickets last 24, 48 or 72 hours and often include a river cruise, so it doubles as transport. It costs far more than a normal bus fare, but the open top wins children over, and it takes the navigating off your plate on a tiring first day.<\/p>\n This is where London really earns its keep. The national museums are free, the parks are free, and some of the moments my boys remember best didn\u2019t cost a penny.<\/p>\n The Natural History Museum<\/strong> in South Kensington<\/a> is the one to do if you only manage one. Hope the blue whale hangs over the entrance hall, there\u2019s a dinosaur gallery with an animatronic T. rex that still makes small children jump, and a floor that shakes to recreate an earthquake. Entry is free<\/strong>, though it\u2019s worth reserving a free timed ticket to skip the worst of the queue. My youngest used to be obsessed with Andy\u2019s Dinosaur Adventures<\/em> \u2013 and seeing his time-travelling clock was a highlight, as was the dinosaur exhibition.<\/p>\n Next door, the Science Museum<\/strong> on Exhibition Road<\/a> is all buttons, levers and space rockets, and the main galleries are free<\/strong>. When mine were little, we lost an afternoon in the Energy Hall and the space gallery, and walked about three miles without leaving the building. The hands-on Wonderlab gallery and the IMAX are paid extras worth budgeting for, and there\u2019s a great splash-and-build play area called The Garden in the basement for under-sixes, so bring a change of clothes. I\u2019ve written up the whole visit in our full Science Museum guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n The British Museum<\/strong> in Bloomsbury<\/a> is free<\/strong> and home to the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian mummies, which are the bits children make a beeline for. It\u2019s vast, so pick two or three galleries, download a family trail and don\u2019t try to see everything. That\u2019s the mistake that ends in a meltdown by the Assyrian lions.<\/p>\n For the youngest, the Young V&A<\/strong> in Bethnal Green<\/a> is my top free pick. Formerly the Museum of Childhood, it reopened in 2023, won Museum of the Year in 2024, and its Play, Imagine and Design galleries are built entirely for children to touch, climb and make things. Entry is free<\/strong> and you can just turn up, though it can get busy at weekends. Best for under-14s, and brilliant with toddlers.<\/p>\n One to watch, the old Museum of London closed its Barbican site and is due to reopen as the London Museum at Smithfield<\/a> in late 2026<\/strong>, so it may be back by the time you visit. Check before you plan around it.<\/p>\n Start with Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens<\/strong>, which run into one huge green space. The Diana Memorial Playground<\/strong> here has a wooden pirate ship in a sea of sand and is a favourite with under-10s. It\u2019s been renovated and runs a one-in, one-out system when it\u2019s busy, so go early. The Serpentine has pedalos to hire in summer, and the Diana Memorial Fountain is a shallow, splashable channel on a hot day.<\/p>\n In St James\u2019s Park<\/strong> you can watch the resident pelicans get fed in the afternoon and get one of the best free views of Buckingham Palace across the lake. Over in north London, Hampstead Heath<\/strong> is where locals fly kites on Parliament Hill and take in the skyline for nothing. And in summer, the free splash fountains at Granary Square<\/strong> behind King\u2019s Cross and the Appearing Rooms on the South Bank<\/strong> are a magnet for children, so pack a spare set of clothes.<\/p>\n The Changing of the Guard<\/strong> at Buckingham Palace is free, and the bearskin hats and the marching band land well with children. It doesn\u2019t run every day, so check the schedule and arrive at least 45 minutes early for a spot. My tip is to watch the guards form up at Wellington Barracks on Birdcage Walk first, where you\u2019re closer to the band and it\u2019s far less of a scrum than the palace railings.<\/p>\n Trafalgar Square<\/strong> has the giant bronze lions children love to climb, plus street performers, with the National Gallery right behind if you fancy ducking inside out of the rain. And Hamleys<\/strong> on Regent Street, the world\u2019s oldest toy shop dating back to 1760, is free to walk around<\/strong>, with staff flying gliders down the stairwell across seven floors. Go on a weekday morning when it\u2019s quieter, and set a firm \u201cwe\u2019re looking, not buying\u201d rule on the way in. We\u2019ve never once stuck to it.<\/p>\n One of the best free views in the whole city is from the Sky Garden<\/strong>, a tropical glasshouse near the top of the tower everyone calls the Walkie Talkie. It\u2019s free but needs booking ahead, and there\u2019s more on it in the views section below.<\/p>\n A few paid museums earn their ticket for the right child.<\/p>\n The London Transport Museum<\/strong> in Covent Garden lets children clamber onto old buses, Tube carriages and trams, and press every button going, with a play area for under-sevens. Adults pay, children go free, and the ticket lasts a year. Read our London Transport Museum review<\/a> before you go<\/strong>. Best for ages 2 to 10.<\/em><\/p>\n The Postal Museum<\/strong> near Farringdon<\/a> has Mail Rail, a ride on a tiny driverless train through the old underground postal tunnels, plus a sorting-office soft play called Sorted. It stays quieter than the big names. Best for ages 3 to 9.<\/em><\/p>\n New on the scene is the Museum of Illusions London<\/strong>, which opened in 2026 on Tottenham Court Road. It\u2019s a hands-on maze of optical tricks and tilted rooms built for photos and giggles rather than quiet contemplation. Adult tickets<\/a> are from around \u00a329, children from \u00a324, and under-4s go free.<\/strong><\/p>\n Pre-book a slot, especially in the holidays. There are two similar illusion attractions if you\u2019re nearby: the Twist Museum<\/strong> on Oxford Street<\/a> and the Paradox Museum<\/strong> in Knightsbridge<\/a>. Best for ages 5 and up, and teens love it.<\/em><\/p>\n The London Eye<\/strong> on the South Bank turns slowly for 30 minutes and lifts you 135 metres over the river, with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament laid out below. Standard tickets<\/a> start from around \u00a329 for adults and \u00a326 for children online, and under-2s are free.<\/strong> Book online for the lower price and a timed slot, and consider a fast-track ticket in peak season to save queuing with fidgety children. It sits next to a cluster of paid attractions, so you can bundle a few into one South Bank day. All ages, though nervous toddlers may not love the height.<\/em><\/p>\n The Tower of London<\/strong> is the paid attraction I\u2019d never skip. You get the Crown Jewels, the ravens, and a free tour from a Yeoman Warder who really knows how to hold a crowd of children, though some of the execution stories are on the dark side for the very young. Tickets<\/a> are from around \u00a335 for adults and \u00a317.50 for children (5 to 15), with under-5s free.<\/strong> Book through Historic Royal Palaces and go first thing, because the Crown Jewels queue is partly outdoors with little shade.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got a full Tower of London with kids<\/a> guide with everything we learned.<\/strong> Best for ages 5 and up.<\/em><\/p>\n Right beside it, Tower Bridge<\/strong> has a glass floor walkway high above the road, so you can watch buses and boats pass under your feet, and a Tower Bridge family trail app for families. Best for ages 6 and up, or anyone happy with heights.<\/em><\/p>\n My favourite view in London, and it\u2019s free, is the Sky Garden<\/strong>, three storeys of tropical planting and ferns under a huge glass dome at the top of the Walkie Talkie tower. You\u2019re 155 metres up with the Shard, Tower Bridge, St Paul\u2019s and the river laid out below, and because it\u2019s indoors and warm, it\u2019s a brilliant one for a grey or cold day.<\/p>\n Entry is free<\/strong>, but you book a timed slot online<\/a>, released every Monday for three weeks ahead, and the sunset slots go within minutes. There\u2019s a quick airport-style security check on the way in, and it\u2019s step-free, so buggies are fine. If the free tickets have gone, you can still get up there by booking a table at one of the bars or cafes. All ages.<\/em><\/p>\n For a higher, paid view, older children who fancy a proper wobble can go up The Shard<\/strong>, and over the river Battersea Power Station<\/strong> has a glass lift ride up one of its restored chimneys<\/a>, alongside shops, restaurants and a little museum about the building. The Shard<\/a> is a pricier ticket.<\/em><\/p>\n If your children like their history to climb on, the Golden Hinde<\/strong> near London Bridge is a full-size replica of Francis Drake\u2019s Tudor galleon<\/a>, so small it shocks you that anyone sailed round the world in it. Older children can take on HMS Belfast<\/strong>, a Second World War warship<\/a> moored by Tower Bridge with nine decks to explore, though the steep ladders make it tricky for toddlers or buggies. There\u2019s a third ship, the Cutty Sark, down in Greenwich, which has its own section below. Golden Hinde from around age 4, HMS Belfast from around age 6.<\/em><\/p>\n London has gone big on walk-through, story-led experiences, and they\u2019re a brilliant standby on a wet day.<\/p>\n The Paddington Bear Experience<\/strong> at County Hall on the South Bank is the newest, a multi-room immersive adventure where you help Paddington and the Browns get ready for the Marmalade Day festival, with live performers along the way. It runs about 70 minutes, suits all ages, and finishes with a photo with the bear himself. Tickets are from around \u00a334 for adults and \u00a324 for children, with under-2s free.<\/strong> Book<\/a> a timed slot ahead. Do note this is the South Bank experience, not the separate Paddington musical in the West End. Best for toddlers to age 8.<\/em><\/p>\n A few doors along, Shrek\u2019s Adventure<\/strong> is a walk through Far Far Away with themed shows<\/a> and a 4D flying bus, better for primary-age children than toddlers. See our Shrek\u2019s Adventure review<\/a> <\/strong>for the full lowdown. And for something more grown-up, Frameless<\/strong> near Marble Arch<\/a> turns famous paintings into room-sized moving projections you can walk right into. Shrek\u2019s best for 4 to 10, Frameless all ages.<\/em><\/p>\n ZSL London Zoo<\/strong> in Regent\u2019s Park is a full day out, with more than 10,000 animals, keeper talks and playgrounds to burn off energy between enclosures. Adult tickets run from around \u00a330 to \u00a338 and children from around \u00a321 to \u00a327 depending on the day, with under-3s free.<\/strong><\/p>\n Book online in advance<\/a> to save. There\u2019s a role-play area called Zoo Town where little ones can try zoo jobs, which is the nearest thing London now has to that kind of dressing-up play. 2026 is the zoo\u2019s 200th anniversary, so look out for extra events. If your children are small and the zoo feels pricey, Battersea Park Children\u2019s Zoo<\/a><\/strong> is a gentler, cheaper half-day \u2013 and it\u2019s in a lovely spot close to the River Thames. All ages.<\/em><\/p>\n On the South Bank, right beside the London Eye,\u00a0Sea Life London<\/strong>\u00a0is an easy win with younger children, with more than 600 species across three floors. They\u2019ll pad through the glass Shark Walk with rays gliding beneath their feet, watch the gentoo penguins, and stroke a starfish in the rock pool. It\u2019s on the small side and can get busy, so book a timed slot online.<\/p>\n Online tickets<\/a> are from around \u00a324 for adults and \u00a321 for children off-peak, rising at weekends and in the holidays, with under-3s free<\/strong>, and a family ticket saves a little. It\u2019s in the same County Hall building as the Paddington Bear Experience and Shrek\u2019s Adventure, so you can pair them up, and a Merlin multi-attraction ticket<\/a> works out cheaper if you\u2019re doing the London Eye too.\u00a0Best for toddlers to age 8.<\/em><\/p>\n On a hot day, nothing beats a lido<\/strong>, one of London\u2019s outdoor pools. The water is unheated at most of them, so bring towels and something warm for after, and pre-book in summer. Prices vary by borough, usually around \u00a35 to \u00a39 for adults and less for children<\/strong>. My favourites for families are:<\/p>\n Confident swimmers get the most from these, but the paddling areas suit toddlers too.<\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019d rather stay dry, Kew Gardens<\/strong><\/a> in south-west London has a Treetop Walkway 18 metres up in the canopy and a dedicated Children\u2019s Garden built for climbing and splashing. And for a slower afternoon, hire a self-drive electric GoBoat<\/strong> from Paddington<\/a> and potter along the canal past Little Venice, which feels a world away from the traffic. Kew best for 3 and up, GoBoat all ages with an adult at the wheel.<\/em><\/p>\n When the centre feels like too much, London has whole pockets of green where children can run and you can breathe. These are my go-to escapes, and most are free or close to it.<\/p>\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.my-travelmonkey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/In-the-Natural-History-Museum-My-Travel-Monkey.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nLondon with kids at a glance<\/h2>\n
Best time to visit London with kids<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHow many days do you need in London with kids<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nHow to get around London with kids<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFree things to do in London with kids<\/h2>\n
The free museums, all ages<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nParks and playgrounds, all ages<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nWatching the world go by, all ages<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nBest museums for kids beyond the free ones<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBig landmarks and the best views<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nHands-on history and historic ships<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nImmersive experiences kids love<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nAnimals, water and the great outdoors<\/h2>\n
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Greener days out, away from the crowds<\/h2>\n