Following on from my recent posts Top Things To Do With Your Kids In Croatia and Fun Things To Do With Your Kids In The Netherlands, I thought I would share with you a list of top things to do with kids in London. I have included things to suit younger and older kids and for different budgets: there are many cheap or free things to do in London, but there are also more expensive activities in London if you feel like treating yourselves.
No mistaking where we are! (image: Wikipedia Commons)
Sitting upstairs on a double decker bus!
- Riding A Double Decker Bus
It might not be a big deal for London locals, but for tourists young and old, riding a double decker bus in London is pretty cool. And even cooler than that, is sitting upstairs in the very front seat.
Pirate Ship at the Diana Memorial Playground
- Diana Memorial Playground
Dedicated to the memory of the late Princess Diana, this fantastic playground, located in London’s Kensington Gardens, has been created to suit kids of all physical abilities and has something available for everyone. The central attraction of the playground is the pirate ship.
Who doesn’t want to see where the Queen lives?
- Buckingham Palace
If your kids are old enough, take them to see where the Queen lives in London. Note that if you go during the changing of the guards ceremony it can get very crowded and you will find it difficult to see anything. Skip the crowds and go at another time during the day.
Picnic (and paddle boat ride?) at Hyde Park
- Picnic in Hyde Park
Pack a picnic lunch and take the kids to one of London’s famous parks: Hyde Park. Explore the different gardens and let the kids run around to burn some energy. Hire a pedal boat and go around the lake (but be warned, it is very expensive).
Natural History Museum (image: Wikipedia Commons)
- Natural History Museum
Dinosaurs, butterflies, insects- there’s something for everyone here! You could spend all day here exploring everything the London museum has to offer, and the best part is that admission is free. It is also next door to the Science Museum. Note that during high season it is very crowded and can get quite stuffy, and there are long queues.
A free activity: walking across the impressive Tower Bridge
- Walk Across Tower Bridge
Take the kids for a walk across London’s Tower Bridge- they will be impressed with the structure! You can choose to do a tour at the bridge but we skipped it as we didn’t think the kids would be interested. If you have older children, you may want to visit the nearby Tower Of London.
West End Show: Matilda
- West End Show
If your kids are old enough, take them to London’s West End for a show. If your whole family will be going to see a show together, I strongly recommend pre booking your tickets online as soon as possible. But before you book, visit Seat Plan to find out which are the best seats in the theatre- you can search for seats in every London theatre and for the show you will be seeing. People often leave reviews and may tell you, for example, “this seat has obstructed views and you cannot see the entire stage”. If only a couple of you will be seeing a show, you could try your luck with last minute tickets from any of the ticket boxes in Leceister Square, but I would not recommend this if the whole family will be going as it’s much harder to buy a group of tickets last minute than one or two only.
Seeing a West End show is great for older kids and teens- if you’re a parent of a teen, then here are some more things to do in London with teens.
Whatever your family budget and needs are, there is something to please everyone in London. The city has many lovely parks and gardens for the kids to burn off some energy, and museums targeted for children. London is a cultural mecca that is worth exploring and makes a great European base for families.
Have you travelled to London with your family? What did your family enjoy the most? I’d love to hear from you!
Nice tips – we live in London but I do feel we don’t always make the most of what’s in the capital, although we have been to the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, which I’d definitely recommend as well. I do love the Tower, so can’t wait to take my daughter there when she’s older. #mondayescapes
I think most people are like that with their hometown 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you for sharing this. We are taking our girls to London and Paris next year. Very exciting. Have bookmarked this for later reference.
Thanks Jodi! How exciting for you all, the kids will love London and Paris. I have another post on my blog with top things to do with kids in Paris that you might find helpful. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Wow what an adventure! I can’t wait to take my kiddies to London – my hubby’s family is in Scotland so hopefully we’ll make it across one day… Great pics!
I hope you get to take your kids to London and to Scotland! Thanks for stopping by.
I never really thought of London as a place for kids but there are some cool ideas here and your photos are great! #teamIBOT
Thanks Haidee!
This post made me nostalgic to visit London again. I’d love to take my girls there. We never made it to Kensington Gardens so that would be high on the bucket list of things to do in London. 🙂
London’s a great place to take the family. Hope you get to return again! Thanks for stopping by.
A great collection of things to see and do in London with the kids, and many of them free 🙂
Thanks Sally, yes so much to see and do with kids.
It’s been years since I’ve visited London and this reminds of all the things I want to take my kids to see. 🙂
Lovely tips – I’ve been to London many times but never been on a double decker bus there! The Diana memorial playground looks lovely – will definitely visit during our next trip.
Double decker buses are fun for young and old 🙂
Oh so many things I would like to do! Hopefully one day.
Great tips! We were in London a few weeks ago and most of these were on our list too 🙂 London is great for kids!
Hubster and I had our first visit to London in May; no kids though. We loved Madame Tussaud’s – a bit expensive but I reckon older kids would love it!
I agree Janet, wish we had gone but the younger two would not have recognised half the people (but they would have known One Direction!).
Many great ideas! I missed most of these when I visited. Will like to have a proper high tea experience and walk along the Tower Bridge.
Tea and cake in London- seems very fitting, doesn’t it? Thanks for stopping by Ruth 🙂
I have been to some of these as an adult and as a teenager – I hope I can one day take my own kids as it would be an amazing experience for them. I would add a boat ride on the Thames to the list – you can see so many of the sights on the water, plus being in a boat is lots of fun!
That was one thing I wish we did! We did a boat ride in Paris which was lovely (but the kids behaved badly which put me off a boat ride in London).
Thank you for linking up on Travel Tuesday and Family Fun Friday.
London is one of the destinations I have always wanted to visit. Yes, for English high tea among other stuff. Thank you for the great compilation, I shall pin it up for my future reference.
My kids would definitely LOVE taking a double-decker bus. They take the double-decker buses here just for fun. But the retro red ones in London look way cooler!
The Natural History Museum is also definitely a place to visit if I go to London with the kids. Just earlier this year, Singapore (where I am from) opened our very own Natural History Museum and the kids loved it so much! Especially the dinosaur fossils. I’m sure London’s Natural History Museum will be a hit with the kids. 🙂
Yes there are a few Natural History Museums around the world, including one in Paris too. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for linking up to #snapshotstory
These are great tips. London has so much on offer for kids. We have done a lot of this but not all, as we only had a few days last trip in London. So many memories 🙂
Hi Natalie – I love London. It’s a great place to visit at any age. Travelling with kids is made all the more enjoyable if you have tips like these!
So much to do in London for everyone, isn’t there Lyndall!
My girls would love to do all of this, pretty sure if I showed them now they would be begging to search for flights straight away.
Thanks for joining in #wednesdaywanderlust
Thanks Malinda!
So many fun things to do with kids in London – we haven’t taken ours to a West End Show yet!
Wait until they are old enough and they will love it 🙂 Our youngest has been to a live show yet.
I live in London and had no idea about the pirate ship at the Duaba memorial. My daughter will love that. Thanks for sharing…London has so much to offer. The South Bank has some fantastic activities for children too, especially in the summer holidays #mondayescapes
Hi Elizabeth, glad you found something useful in my tips and thanks for stopping by!
Absolutely great list! I love the Diana Memorial Playground – the Sky Garden is one I would add to the list too! Such great views of London! Thanks for sharing on #MondayEscapes