20 Fun Things to Do in London with Kids the Whole Family Will Love

London is one of the most popular family travel destinations in the world, with 40.9 million visitors in 2019 alone. In addition to being a fantastic gateway to the rest of Europe, there are a variety of things to do in London with kids that are educational, fun, and wildly popular.

When visiting some top London attractions with kids, you may need to spin the visit so that it caters to kids’ interests. My husband is brilliant at this technique so I’ve given you tips at sights where I think this can help. After all, you’ll need them to be patient with your spin through Harrod’s or fancy afternoon tea.

And, by the way, we lived in London and return often. We made an entire Harry Potter vacation out of our last trip and I was pleasantly surprised by how you can sightsee meaningfully using a themed itinerary. Offerings may temporarily be modified as sights reopen so it’s prudent to call before you go.

You can save on tickets, tours, and hotels through my affiliations. If you make purchases through the links in this post, I may be compensated.

SAVE MONEY ON SIGHTSEEING

Take a look at The London Pass or The London Explorer Pass to decide which is best for your vacation.

Many fun things to do in London with kids are free, but when admission is required, make sure to buy it in advance to save time and money. Queues can brutal especially if you’re waiting in them with young children. If you purchase tickets using links in this post, I may be compensated.

1. Tower of London

The Tower of London, built on the orders of William the Conqueror in the 1070s, plays a critical role in London’s history. Think Crown Jewels, an infamous prison, royal palace, ravens, Anne Boleyn, Guy Fawkes, Beefeaters, and more.

Visiting this World Heritage Site is a fun way to brush up on history with your kids. They’ll enjoy the famous ravens who are thought to guard the Tower. Be sure to also point out the Royal Beasts who once lived at the Tower and are today commemorated as statues throughout the complex.

Take advantage of Yeoman tours and the family-friendly activity trails and digital missions where you’ll help characters solve historic problems on the free Time Explorers app. The clues are around the Tower for you to find with your kids.

The missions are on an app and let you meet characters and go with them around the Tower on a mission to help them solve a problem from history. The clues are in the Tower for you to find with your kids.

STAY ACROSS THE STREET

The Tower of London is steps from Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square. The hotel has an arrow marker in the lobby that showcases how far an arrow from the Tower of London could reach when archers were a threat.

2. London Eye

The London Eye is a cantilevered observation wheel that provides stellar views of London its location on the South Bank of the Thames river. One revolution takes about 30 minutes.

So, for some kids, it can be a little slow. It may help to have some entertainment for them while you enjoy the view.

BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE

Ticket lines can be quite long. Buy tickets for London Eye to guarantee entry on the day you’d like to go.

3. London Zoo

Visit the world’s oldest scientific zoo. London Zoo, located in Regents Park, opened in 1828 and is a lovely way to spend a day outside.

London Zoo offers daily tours that give you and your kids the chance to get to know the animals. Tour the Reptile House (like Harry Potter). Meet the meerkats. Find out why a coati is such a crafty character. Get an up-close (and safe!) look at the lion pride. Find out about some little-known skills of the tiger. Elevate your day by booking one of their tours, workshops, or sleepovers.

AVOID THE QUEUE

Buy tickets for London Zoo in advance to avoid this also lengthy queue. I made the mistake of getting stuck in it on a recent trip.

4. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

This tour is a must-do for Harry Potter fans and anyone interested in how movies are made. Scenes from the actual Harry Potter films were filmed at this studio, which opened to the public in 2012. 

You can see sets, costumes, and how the movies’ visual effects were created. Also, you’ll learn about how the animals were trained and even ride a broom like Harry for an amazing photo op.

You will need to buy tickets well in advance either directly through the studio or with a tour company to avoid disappointment as this is one of the most popular things to do in London with kids. I enjoyed this tour much more than I thought I would and it made my list of best day trips from London.

5. Hamley’s Toy Shop

Founded in 1860 by William Hamley, the world’s oldest toy store is every kid’s delight. Step in the door of the flagship Regent Street, the store’s location since 1881, to explore seven stories of wonder.

They often have demonstrations, exhibitions, and stunning new window displays that change with the seasons.

TIP

There is also a duty-free Hamley’s at Heathrow Airport and the Regent Street store sells Harry Potter wands.

6. British Museum

Archaeology, history, and art abound in this wondrous museum filled with fantastic kid-focused activities and guides.

Go on a treasure-filled scavenger hunt, pick up a kids’ backpack (weekends only) at the Family Desk inside the Great Court. It’s filled with activities to complete during your visit. Kids also love seeing the Egyptian mummies and their mummified pets, the Rosetta Stone, and much more.

The British Museum is free, open daily, and centrally located at Russell Square. We have a guide specifically for visiting the British Museum with kids based on lots of personal experience.

7. HMS Belfast

Step onboard this nine-deck Second World War Navy warship that is famous for firing some of the first shots on D-Day. You’ll be able to see these guns and the engine rooms that are 15-feet under sea level while hearing stories from sailors.

This is a fantastic treat for kids that love history and want to see a real HMS ship.

8. Shrek’s Adventure London

The world of Shrek comes to life at Shrek’s Adventure London, which is also near the London Eye. You’ll ride a 4D bus driven by Donkey, look for Shrek in his swamp, navigate a mirror maze, and much more. Be sure to buy tickets in advance. During normal times, a Fast Track entry is offered for a shorter queue.

9. Natural History Museum

Curious kids and parents can explore nature and science with more hands-on, fun learning experiences at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington.

Here, kids can stomp like a T. Rex as they learn about how these giant creatures lived, explore the nature trail with a guided tour, and pull out a magnifying glass in the science center to break things down to the smallest level. 

It’s conveniently also steps away from both the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. These museums are also free things to do in London with kids.

10. The Clink

The Clink Prison Museum showcases crime and punishment during Medieval, Tudor and Elizabethan times at England’s oldest prison.

While the dastardly lived here, it’s actually educational and kid-friendly. Tours are suitable ages 4 and up and you’ll visit for an hour or so at the most.

11. Hyde Park

Take a break from city life in the famous Hyde Park, located in the heart of Central London. Kids will love paddling boats out into the Serpentine lake amid the swans. Bring a picnic (we often enter the park on the Knightsbridge side after picking up food at Harrod’s) to enjoy along the shore where you can find seating. Also, take advantage of the playground.

Kids also like to walk along and in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain which is a shallow ring of rippling water that ebbs and flows up and down like her life. It’s located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park.

Keep in mind that the park is 350-acres. So while you might be keen to walk or jog the trails through the park, you may want to enter closest to the Hyde Park attractions that you’d like to see.

12. Go Ape

Yes, you can travel down zip lines and climb along treetops at a high octane adventure course in the city. It’s one of the popular things to do in London with kids that are a bit older.

Go Ape offers various courses so that guests can pick a suitable challenge level and be comfortable while climbing ladders, crossing rope bridges, traveling across zip lines, and traversing treetops.

Choose between three Go Ape locations in London: Battersea Park, Alexandra Place, and Chessington.

13. London Science Museum

Kids love the London Science Museum because it’s full of roll-up-your-sleeves hands-on activities. There are engineering demonstrations, 50 hands-on exhibits in the Wonderlab, and they can watch real lightning strike at the Chemistry Bar.

The museum is also home to “Billy,” the oldest steam train in the world. Museum entry is free. 

14. London Dungeon

Enjoy 1000 years of perilous English history for the whole family. Actors in full costume relay fun and fascinating stories about Black Death and the Gunpowder plot during 19 interactive shows.

Then, get your thrills on the two underground rides including a vertical free fall (put this on your London with older kids itinerary) and the Henry’s Wrath boat ride. Buy tickets to the London Dungeon in advance.

15. Visit at Least One Palace

Okay, let’s be honest. Touring palaces don’t necessarily rank high on a child’s bucket list but it’s an experience that can make their history books more relatable and one that they’ll remember.

Kids tend to enjoy (though you will need to arrive early for a good viewing point) the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. It’s a 45-minute ceremony that happens at the forecourt of the palace daily at 11 a.m. sharp. You can also see the throne room at Buckingham Palace.

At Kensington Palace, kids can go on a discovery adventure with a character from history and win a badge, also through the Time Explorers app. They also have storytime for the ages 7 and under featuring a different tale from the palace’s history each time.

16. Princess Diana Memorial Garden

Visit Kensington Palace and then take the kids to Diana, Princess of Wales’ Memorial Playground in the adjacent Kensington Gardens.

Here, kids can play on a giant pirate ship, check out sculptures, journey down a sensory trail, explore teepees, and play with toys inspired by Peter Pan.

17. Paddington Bear Tour

You can take a Paddington Bear tour around London to visit all the spectacular spots where Paddington adventured starting where he arrived from Peru as a young bear — Paddington Station.

The all-day experience continues around the city to include boating on the canals to visit Primrose Hill, the film location of Windsor Gardens where Paddington and the Browns lived. You’ll stroll Little Venice to see where Paddington and his buddies went on a high-speed chase and more.

Stop to sip some tea and eat marmalade sandwiches in between to enjoy this excursion as Paddington would. You can take a self-tour or a guided tour.

18. Take a Harry Potter Tour (Tours for Muggles)

Straight from the Department of Tourism and Muggle Relations comes a walking tour adventure into the world of everyone’s favorite wizard and friends (and enemies) on the magical side of London.

If you can do one Harry Potter-centric activity in London, this is the one where you’ll see the most sights (and get the most value as it’s fairly inexpensive).

You’ll walk or take the Tube to various points around town where magic and muggles meet while reveling in Harry Potter trivia and learning some London history along the way. Book with Tours for Muggles.

19. Tower Bridge Glass Floor

You can also walk across the Tower Bridge on most days unless they have to lift it to let a boat through.

The Tower Bridge crossing is free but be sure to grab a ticket that lets you cross the glass floor walkway and visit the steam room and exhibition that showcases the bridge’s history.

The glass floor walkway connects the two towers and offers spectacular views of the city if you look up and the river if you look down (they even offer yoga classes on the glass floor walkway). 

20. Go Shopping

In addition to Hamley’s already mentioned above, retail therapy is fun when in London with kids. Teens and tweens will enjoy Primark’s fast fashion and there are outlets all over the city. They’ll love shopping for high-street fashion on Oxford Street.

However, markets can be fun for the whole family, too. Covent Garden is famous for its street performers and a fun place for lunch. Here you’ll find the Moomin shop and Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop. (I quite like the Neal’s Yard skincare shop here.) The London Transport Museum is also located in Covent Garden.

London with Kids for Less with Sightseeing Passes

The London Pass

The London Pass is a very popular way to save on the attractions you want to visit. It’s a digital sightseeing pass that allows you to visit over 80 attractions for one low price.

Decide on the number of days (1, 2, 3, 6, or 10) and purchase the pass ahead of time online. All you need to do is show the pass at each eligible attraction and you’ll receive free entrance plus some perks like fast track entry at select attractions.

London Explorer Pass

London Explorer Pass is a flexible sightseeing pass that allows visitors to choose from 3, 5, or 7 attractions to visit within a 30-day period. It’s a good option for those who like to tour at a slower pace.

Tip: Children under the age of 11 ride for free on most public transportation with a fare-paying adult.

Where to Stay with Kids

We like Brown’s Hotel London and Four Seasons Ten Trinity.

What are your favorite things to do in London with kids?