Visiting London with your family? There are so many things to do in London with kids and it can be overwhelming trying to decide what will be best for your family. This post breaks down 14 favorites to help you navigate the city in a fun and meaningful way for both parents and kids.
Is London fun with kids?
Absolutely, 100%: London is a fantastic place to visit with kids.
Like other vibrant cities in the world, London has so much to offer and so many great amenities for traveling families. This is a city that appeals to history loving adults, fascinated world travelers, and children of all ages – both those new to traveling and seasoned veterans.
London is the perfect place to take your kids on vacation.
There is absolutely something for everyone. This is neither an adult focused vacation nor a child-centered one. London works for the whole family, but it can be intimidating trying to decide which parts of the city will work best for your family.
This post is designed to bring you 14 family-friendly ideas/tips/places of things to do in London with kids. This list is a mix of free activities and ticketed ones, ones you may have heard of before, and new options to consider. I’ve also included notes on how we paired different attractions together and mini itineraries.
1. Visit a variety of playgrounds in London
You may not think “London + Playgrounds” when first envisioning your family vacation there, but trust me on this. You are about to embark on a city brimming with incredible playgrounds.
What makes these playgrounds so valuable, and why I listed them first on my “things to do in London with kids” list is because they help feed the kids “meter” on this big walking, museum, and historical sites-filled vacation.
Having a solid list of places to burn off energy, use as a walking goal, and have as an end game helps kids power through other quieter, stiller, or more “adult” moments.
Here’s a list of our favorite playgrounds in London. We often paired a playground with something like a museum so kids would have a way to regulate their bodies before or after being asked to be calm.
Diana Memorial Playground
The playground to end all playgrounds (and the reason we chose to stay in Notting Hill). This expansive, gated with an attendant, play structure is epic, and situated on the northwest corner of Kensington Gardens. From the full size ship to swings, bridges, slides, caves, tunnels, and countless other features: there is nothing else like this playground. You will absolutely want to plan a visit (or 3 like we did).
St. James Park Playground
Across the street from Buckingham Palace is this fantastic, tucked away playground. It doesn’t show up well on Google Maps, so make sure not to miss it. This playground has multiple structures: a sand area, bridges, cat walks, a large wooden spider, rocking boats, and awesome places to run and climbs. This pairs so well with dragging kids to Buckingham Palace (which for them is basically just a large building).
The Children’s Play Area at Jubilee Gardens
Guess what? Another epic playground. This one is situated on the South Side, at the base of the London Eye. There’s lots to do here for kids, it’s a short walk from Big Ben, and provides great, iconic views back toward the famous Westminster-area landmarks.
Other local parks that served us well:
The London Transport Museum is not to be missed. This is a fantastic combination of a children’s museum (so much for kids to touch, climb, explore) and a historical museum (so much to read, learn about, and digest).
Children are free to this museum with their paying adult, but (converting pounds to dollars) our two adult tickets were £48 together (about $60). To me, that’s a reasonable price for a family of 5 to visit a museum. The adult tickets are actually a membership for the year so you could come back to this museum again during your trip.
My oldest child is 10 years old and was one of the oldest in the museum, but loved it. I loved it as a 40 year old. This is not a “for little kids only” museum. It’s truly a gem for the entire family.
4. Taking Public Transportation
You might not immediately think of public transportation as a top “thing to do with kids in London,” but trust me: it is.
The experience of the world’s first underground train and the allure of the bright red double decker busses is huge to kids. We used public transportation religiously while in London and it made the trip so memorable (and doable with kids in a large city).
Here’s a few tips about public transportation in London:
- Children (under age 11) ride free. They do not need a ticket.
- There is a daily max you can be charged. Once you hit £8.50 in fares in a set 24-hours, rides after that are free.
- The Underground and the Bus system use the same payment system (and daily max). Read up on the “Oyster” card on this website before your trip begins.
This was the most incredible food experience of our trip. I love markets like this because everyone in our family can find something they like to eat. It’s way less stressful to me than picking a restaurant that 5 people can eat at.
Borough Market is loud, busy, overwhelming, fantastic, amazing, and remarkable. There has been a market on this site for 1,000 years and in this building since 1756 which is wild to consider.
When you visit this market, you will find tons of people and long lines. Lines so long you think you’ve made a grave mistake bringing children and thinking you’ll ever find a place to eat: do not fret.
The food vendors know what they are doing. They can crank through a line of 25 customers in under 2 minutes. They move with a speed and efficiency that is worth just standing to watch.
Finding a place to eat is actually easier than it looks too because food, benches, and tables turn over quickly. You’ll find a spot, I promise.
After visiting this market, we walked by Shakespeare’s Globe and across the famed Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral.
6. St. Paul’s Cathedral
We chose St. Paul’s Cathedral as a catch-all landmark to visit to check off a few London boxes in one swoop: expansive views of the city, seeing inside a famed church, and visiting where Princess Diana got married (okay, maybe that last box to check was only for me).
Instead of paying for the London Eye and paying to visit Westminster Abbey (both great destinations!), we did the more affordable St. Paul’s Cathedral (£60 for a family of 5) which gave us a little from both those other two (pricier) experiences.
Inside the cathedral, you have the option to climb the 500+ steps to the top of the dome for a magnificent view of the city. It’s a climb, I made it as a kid, my kids (10, 9, 7) made it too.
Before going to St. Paul’s, I did make my kids watch a YouTube video on Diana’s wedding and I don’t regret that choice for a moment. We also watched a few other videos on YouTube about St. Paul’s to give them context on why this is an important landmark in London.
On the day we did St. Paul’s, we first started at the Tower of London, took the Tube to St. Paul’s, then a bus across London Bridge to Borough Market for a mid-afternoon lunch. After our late lunch, we walked to Shakespeare’s Globe, across the Millennium Bridge, and took the Tube back “home” from St. Paul’s.
This large museum is the most visited in London. It’s free for all to enter, but you do need a timed ticket from the website.
We arrived on a Friday morning and the security line was about a 20 minute wait, so factor that into your visit.
At the museum, we saw the Rosetta Stone first, then my oldest and husband took a free 40 minute guided tour of artifacts from ancient Greece.
The museum is big, expansive, and can be overwhelming for kids. Before you go, know that few things important for your family to see (ours was Greek history, the Rosetta Stone, and the mummies from Egypt). We also loved seeing the famed Lewis Chessman and the exhibition of clocks was fascinating for kids.
We spent about 2 hours at the museum then walked towards Covent Garden for lunch and wandering.
For our visit to Buckingham Palace, we decided to go on a morning that also had a Changing of the Guard ceremony. This does not take place every day so it’s important to check out this website for times during your visit.
Actually seeing Buckingham Palace was exciting for my husband and me, but our kids have little context for the royal family so pairing it with the Changing of the Guard gave the kids some excitement. Horses, a band, a mini parade, guards: it had everything they were interested in and was better call for us than just showing up to look at the palace.
Between the guards leaving their barracks and the rest of the festivities, we played at St. James Park Playground which again, held the kids’ attention when we otherwise might not have fully had it for this landmark.
This Changing-Guard website has a lot of tips for how best to view the ceremony while avoiding the crowds and honoring your time.
10. Eating at Pubs
Pubs are the backbone of food life in England so eating at one is a must. To skip eating at a pub would be like going to New York and not eating at a diner. Or visiting Hawaii and never having pineapple or coconut. You have to do it.
There are fantastic pubs all around, you will have no trouble finding one. They’re a family friendly place to eat and you’ll feel so welcome.
My favorite part of a pub is that you seat yourself, order and pay at the counter, and when the kids are tired/done/the meal is over, you don’t have to find the waitstaff and pay. It’s all taken care of and you can just bounce.
A few pub recommendations:
- The Albert: Just a few blocks from Buckingham Palace, The Albert stands out. All the buildings surrounding The Albert were destroyed during The Blitz in World War 2. But The Albert (and the hand-etched windows from the 1800s) remained untouched. It’s a special place to eat.
- The Elephant and Castle: This is near High Street Kensington and off the beaten path for most tourists. It’s a lovely little gem and quiet.
- Any Greene King Pub: This chain of pubs is easy to recognize and find throughout the city. You know you’ll get a good meal.
Fair warning: High Tea is a more expensive experience in London with prices ranging from £40 to £80+ per person depending on the location.
We ultimately decided booking a High Tea was a worthwhile experience for our family as a combination of my oldest child’s love of tea (truly, the child loves a good tea) and absolute caving to peer pressure from friends.
It was a peer pressure I’m glad we gave into.
My friend Preethi from Local Passport Family recommended Afternoon High Tea at The Dilly and it was a perfect recommendation. It’s great for kids, casual, and on the “cheaper” side (£39 for children, £49 for adults).
I’m really glad we had this experience. It was truly lovely and memorable.
There are, of course, many options for high tea in London – themed ones, bus tour versions, and much fancier teas than this. If high tea is on your must-do list, definitely research around.
12. Camden Market
If you’ve got a Taylor Swift fan at home or are a Swiftie yourself, can you even say the words “Camden Market” without singing London Boy? We can’t.
Based on Taylor’s recommendation (and my sister-in-law who lives and breathes London travel), we headed up to Camden Town to visit this famed street market.
Highly recommend.
It was another great market (yes, we’ve already covered Covent Garden and Borough Market), but it’s a completely different feeling. The market is set around Camden Locks so you also get a look at the British canal system – which is cool on it’s own – and one of the famed locks.
The market has amazing food, the vendors give free samples, and you can find seating easily for your family.
We paired this experience with the British Library, Platform 9 3/4, and Gloucester Gate Playground at The Regent’s Park. It made for a wonderful day.
You might not have expected these two items on this list or for me to link them together, but go with me for a second:
If you have Harry Potter fans, seeing King’s Cross station and Platform 9 3/4 is a must. It’s easy to access via the tube and pairs well with a visit to Camden Market (see above). The Platform is photo ready. You can choose to buy the photo or ask someone in line to take it on your phone.
Next door to King’s Cross is the British Library. You must visit it!
The library isn’t on many “must do lists” but I got this hot tip from Local Passport Family: the library is free for all and has a room of “treasures.” These treasures include the Magna Carta, the handwritten manuscript for Jane Eyre, and song lyrics jotted down by the Beatles among so many other important documents.
It’s a one room experience, drag the kids through it for 30 minutes, and your cup will be brimming with history. This was NOT my kids’ favorite moment of the trip but we paired this with Harry Potter and a playground after – they survived and someday they’ll be glad they saw the Magna Carta.
Most people skip the British Library and don’t realize all that it has to offer. Make sure you go.
This is my only “things to do in London with kids” list that I’m going to majorly asterisk.
The Tower of London is a fantastic experience, historical site, and important landmark to visit in London. However, it requires a lot of contextual background and historical understanding to appreciate that most young children (under 12) won’t have yet. There’s also some pretty dark parts to it.
If you have young children and limited time in London, this would not be a priority to me. If you have many days and/or children who are older or very into history, this is an impactful experience.
Since we had 7 days in London and it was important to my husband to visit the Tower for the first time, we went. It was a great way to spend a rainy day and the kids got a lot out of it, but not as much as they would in middle or high school. Plus they skipped the torture/dungeon/beheading sections.
So my asterisk here is: think thoughtfully about your time limits and children’s ages before jumping for tickets to the Tower of London. It’s absolutely a must-do adult experience, but I feel it’s a better “older kid” experience than “for all kids.”
We visited the Tower of London on a rainy day: great for escaping from the morning drizzle. We waved and took pictures of Tower Bridge, had tea and pastries, then headed for St. Paul’s and Borough Market.
Honorable Mentions to do with kids in London
Here are some of the other spots we visited that are wonderful as well for kids visiting London:
- Harrods: The famed department store is a wonder. It’s great to pop into, look at all the fancy things, and pick up some desserts for take away.
- Hamley’s Toy Store: This is a 7-story toy store on Regent Street. It was epic and fun to run around in.
- A Show on the West End: London’s famed West End (the UK Broadway) offers so many delightful shows for families. We lucked out and visited London during Theatre Week which meant half price tickets on many shows. We saw Wicked.
- Walking Kensington Gardens: Take a leisurely stroll through Kensington Gardens. Find the Peter Pan statue, try and identify some of the different bird species in the park, and end at the Diana Memorial Playground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honestly, we didn’t find a bad part for kids. This was a family friendly city and we felt welcomed and safe in all areas. Our kids particularly enjoyed seeing the walk from St. James Park (starting at the playground), past 10 Downing Street to see Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye all in one quick sweep.
This has more to do with you as the parent and what’s important to you family. Kids of all ages will enjoy London. The playgrounds make is accessible for kids, the streets are easy to navigate with a stroller, and the wealth of public transportation makes the large city feel small enough to walk with kids.
I’m a firm believer in off peak times so if you can visit in the fall, early March, or early May you’ll have places much more open and easier to navigate than at peak season like summertime and Christmas.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
