12 Things to Do in London with Kids

If you're planning a family trip to London soon, you'll surely want to schedule some activities during your stay so the kids can have fun and make the most of this experience.

The range of leisure activities in the British capital is vast, and there are plenty of things to see and do there. To help you choose, this post offers several suggestions and tips for enjoying London to the fullest with the kids. We’re sure that when you return home, you’ll have tons of stories and fantastic memories to share!

During your vacation in London, the kids are sure to be thrilled to visit the Harry Potter Studios, the place where all the films in the series were shot. It’s a magical place!

They’ll have a blast exploring the original movie sets, learning how the films were made, and discovering the special effects used to recreate this fantasy world. For a moment, they’ll feel like they’re part of the story, as if they were just another student at the famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.

• Tip: Tickets sell out fast, so buy them in advance and online to make sure you don’t miss out.
• To learn more...: Don’t miss the post “Tickets to Harry Potter Studios Park London.”

Attending one of the West End musicals is an essential activity to do in London with kids one afternoon during a city break. After spending the whole day visiting museums, monuments, and shops, the kids also need some time to have fun during the trip.

The best way to end a day of sightseeing with the family is to immerse yourself for a few hours in the fantasy worlds of West End musicals, letting their fabulous stories, staging, and musical numbers —filled with lights, magic, and color—transport you. Plus, they’re among the best in the world (with all due respect to Broadway!).

• Tip: Many people want to attend, so my advice is to buy tickets in advance to secure your seats for a specific show on the date you want.
• How to buy tickets: The best way is online, as this lets you book them from home before your trip. That way, you’ll avoid standing in an endless line with the kids at the theater box office and can spend that time making other plans with them in London.
• Can we go without knowing English?: Of course! Many of the musicals currently playing have film adaptations (Mary Poppins, The Lion King, Cinderella, The Prince of Egypt, etc.), so even if you don’t speak the language, you’ll be able to follow the plot easily.

If you think London’s museums aren’t for kids, you’re wrong! There are several options they’ll really enjoy. Here’s my personal selection of the ones they’ll have a blast at:

• Madame Tussauds Wax Museum: The wax museum is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. All visitors can interact with the figures and find their favorite artists and fictional characters like Taylor Swift, Little Mix, One Direction, Spider-Man, Captain America, or the Hulk, among many others, with whom they can take as many photos as they want.
• National Gallery: If you’d completely ruled out the National Gallery on your visit to London with kids, you might have jumped to conclusions. The museum organizes guided tours for children and the whole family led by an expert who will masterfully introduce culture to the little ones.
• Science Museum: At this fun museum, they’ll have a blast, as many of the areas feature interactive activities or virtual reality experiences where the little ones can entertain themselves at their own pace.
• Post Office Museum: At this museum, kids can become mail carriers for a day and discover the history of the postal service in a fun way.

Are the youngest members of your group soccer fans? Then don’t miss a guided tour of two of the city’s most famous stadiums, home to two of England’s best-known clubs:

• Chelsea Stadium Tour: Chelsea is the most successful English club of the 21st century, and on this 90-minute guided tour, you’ll explore the stadium and its museum with a professional guide. You’ll also visit areas like the locker rooms and the tunnel.
• Arsenal FC Stadium Tour: In this case, you’ll tour the Emirates Stadium for an hour and a half using an audio guide. Older kids will enjoy this, but if they’re still too young, the audio guide might bore them a bit.

On a trip to London with kids, a visit to some of the city’s most fun themed attractions is a must. You can also visit amusement parks, but if the little ones are afraid of heights, here are some great alternatives so they can have just as much fun without having to leave the ground:

• Life-size Monopoly: Kids love this famous board game, and at this attraction, you can all enjoy a life-size Monopoly together while playing a game. Sounds fun, right?
• Shrek’s Adventure: What kid doesn’t love Shrek? This animated character has his own attraction in London where the whole family can visit the film’s most iconic locations, meet the characters, and enjoy a total of 10 attractions.

There isn’t a child who doesn’t enjoy animals, and by getting a ticket to the London Zoo, they can do so in style. Of course, it’s something adults also enjoy immensely—sometimes even more so. So it’s a perfect activity for the whole family.

Gorillas, lemurs, tigers, giraffes, reptiles, lions, penguins... There’s even a butterfly area! This zoo is home to more than 17,000 different species. But most interesting of all, did you know that London Zoo is the oldest in the world? Seriously, don’t miss it—you’ll have an incredible day.

London is one of the largest cities in Europe, and there’s often a long distance between its various tourist attractions. Walking the city up and down to visit each one might be a great plan for adults with an adventurous spirit , but for kids it can be incredibly exhausting—especially for the little ones.

So that they too can enjoy the tourist side of London without getting tired too quickly and can save their energy for visiting the city’s various museums and monuments, I recommend getting tickets for the London tourist bus.

• Route: the British capital’s main attractions, with a total of 45 stops.
• How it works: You can hop on and off at any stop you like to explore a specific area.
• To learn more... Read the post "The Best Sightseeing Buses," where you’ll find all the details about this activity.

I’m sure at some point, the kids have seen a picture in a book or brochure of the “Foot Guards” and asked you who those people are wearing red tunics and huge black fur hats. If these soldiers catch their attention, take them to meet them at Buckingham Palace during the famous Changing of the Guard. They’ll be amazed!

Plus, for kids, this is a really unique and fun way to experience British culture. They’re sure to love the experience.

What is the experience like?

It’s a spectacular military-style parade lasting about 45 minutes that takes place at the main entrance of Buckingham Palace to relieve the Queen’s Guards who are responsible for the security of the royal residence.

During the ceremony, you’ll see regiments of mounted and foot guards accompanied by a military band playing some truly unique music to liven up the display (The Lion King, The Beatles, Star Wars, etc.). It’s super fun!

The kids will surely be thrilled if you buy them a souvenir from your trip to London, but where can you find the perfect souvenir for children? If you want to get the gift right, I recommend heading to Hamleys, one of London’s oldest toy stores, dating back over 250 years. That’s quite something!

It’s a multi-story store divided into sections: outdoor toys, teddy bears, video games, board games, candy, and much more. What’s unique about Hamleys is that, in addition to being able to admire thousands of toys on the shelves, the store employees also put on live demonstrations and even organize games with the children.

• Location: 188-196 Regent Street, one of the busiest shopping streets in central London.

There are :::link|text=tickets available for daytime cruises on the Thames|element=pa-2233:::, which offer special prices or rates for children and are shorter in duration than the evening cruises.

This way, children can experience the thrill of riding a boat and sailing the river’s waters while having fun looking at the monuments along the banks and imagining they’re intrepid explorers.

• To learn more... Check out the post "The Best Thames River Cruises, " where you’ll find some really cool ideas for family outings.

Visiting the Sea Life Aquarium means exploring England’s largest aquarium. And, as I mentioned earlier, kids really enjoy seeing the animals. So if they had a blast at the zoo, don’t hesitate to make this visit.

More than 500 different species of animals live there, including sharks, seahorses, octopuses, penguins, and manta rays, among others. They’re organized into themed areas where you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about their habitats and lifestyles—it’s an amazing experience!

• Location: in the heart of the city.
• What you can’t miss: in my opinion, the most impressive part of the visit is the glass tunnel, a corridor submerged in water where you can walk while being accompanied by fierce sharks and other aquatic creatures.
• To learn more... Read the post about the Sea Life Aquarium

Amid all the activities, you’ll always want to take a break and find a moment to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of sightseeing. Some of my favorite places to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere are London’s parks. If it’s a sunny day and the weather is nice, a fun family outing is to go on a picnic at one of them.

The kids will love having a little free time between all the sightseeing to jump, run, and play to their hearts’ content. Here are some of the coolest playgrounds you can take the kids to:

• Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens.
• Coram’s Fields in Camden.
• Timber Lodge and Tumbling Bay Playground in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
• Kilburn Grange Adventure Park in Kilburn Grange Park.
• St James’s Park Playground in St James Park.

If you decide to :::link|text=take a cruise on the Thames|element=pa-2233::: with the kids, part of the river tour will take you past the HMS Belfast, anchored on one of the banks—a massive destroyer that participated in numerous naval operations during World War II and the Korean War. If the kids love ships, they’ll really enjoy this visit, so be sure to add it to your itinerary

. The ship is impressive from the outside and totally cool on the inside! Today, the HMS Belfast is a Royal Navy museum ship that opens its doors to show what life was like at sea on a vessel of this kind in the past.

London isn’t exactly a cheap city. So, if you’re traveling there with your family, you’ll surely want to know how you can save a little money during your vacation.

One good way is to take advantage of reduced rates on children’s tickets to various tourist attractions. Babies up to 3 years old usually get in for free, but it depends on the activity and the age range. In any case, you’ll find very attractive prices for children. Here are some examples:

• London Eye: from €35 (ages 3–15)
• Sea Life Aquarium: from €28 (ages 3–15)
• Madame Tussauds Museum: from €32 (ages 3–15)
• Harry Potter Studios Park: from €46 (ages 5–15)
• HMS Belfast: from €14 (ages 5–15)

How to get these prices

For example, when you book your tickets online in advance on websites like Hellotickets, you can select the children’s age range, so the reduced rate you’ll pay for each of them is calculated instantly.

As for infants, although they can access many activities for free, it’s best to select their free ticket as well; this will prevent any confusion when entering monuments, museums, or other attractions.

If you plan to visit a lot of places during your vacation in the British capital, London tourist cards can help you stick to your plans without breaking the bank.

They’ll give you access to a multitude of attractions while letting you save money by not having to pay for each ticket separately and by offering reduced-price passes for children. It’s also a fantastic option to consider when traveling with kids because they include special offers at many theaters, restaurants, shops, and other leisure venues.

• London Pass: starting at €57 for a child pass.
• London Explorer Pass: starting at €46 for a child’s pass.
• Merlin's Magical London Pass: starting at €47 for a child's pass.

If you want to learn more about these tourist passes, don’t miss the post “The Best London Tourist Card, ” where we analyze them all in depth.

When it comes to family sightseeing, the best time of day to plan your outing is early in the morning, as children tend to wake up early and are full of energy. This way, they’ll be more awake and active for excursions or cultural visits.

Additionally, first thing in the morning, London’s tourist attractions usually aren’t as crowded with visitors or large groups, so you’ll avoid the crowds that can test the kids’ patience when it comes to waiting in line.

Finally, I suggest that in the afternoons, when they’re more tired, you plan an activity where the kids can have fun before heading back to the hotel to rest and recharge for the next day. For example, take a stroll through London’s toy stores, visit Madame Tussauds, or go to the Sea Life Aquarium.

This isn’t a trivial matter, because although the city has a wide range of dining options, it’s also a very touristy place, and during peak hours (especially on holidays or in high season), it’s not easy to find an open table in certain areas without a reservation.

This could be a problem if you don’t know London well and, after finishing an activity, you have to wander around downtown looking for an available spot because everything is full. The kids might end up losing their patience and throwing a tantrum if they get too hungry! That’s why it’s always a good idea to carry some snacks in your bag and, of course, to know in advance some good restaurants to eat at near tourist attractions like:

• London Eye
• The Shard
• Tower of London