Family days out with kids
We’ve put together some example itineraries for 1-day with kids and 2-days with kids, filled with the best family attractions. We’ve also written a Top 10 list of the best kid’s attractions in London. You can also search for kid’s events today, tomorrow, this weekend or in the coming months: August, September and October.
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Top 10 kid’s attractions in London
The best family attractions in London
① Chessington World of Adventures
② London Eye
③ Cable car
④ London Zoo
⑤ London Dungeon
⑥ Warner Bros. Studios
⑦ London Duck Tour
⑧ London Aquarium
⑨ Natural History Museum
⑩ Science Museum
Craig recommends… The cable car is cheap and The Shard will give your kids a thrill. The London Eye and a sightseeing bus are always popular.
ArcelorMittal Orbit
The ArcelorMittal Orbit is a viewing tower that overlooks the old Olympic Stadium, but it also has a twisting tube slide around the outside.
Battersea Park Children’s Zoo
If you can’t face the big crowds at London Zoo then try the monkeys and meerkats at Battersea Park Children’s Zoo instead.
BFI IMAX Cinema
The BFI shows all the latest movies on one of the country’s biggest film screens, plus some 3D documentaries about space, nature and dinosaurs.
Boat ride under Tower Bridge
A sightseeing cruise up the river is a great way to show your kids some landmarks without having to pound the pavement all day.
Changing the Guard
This parade is popular with families but the crowds can be huge. If you have little kids then the Dismounting Ceremony in Whitehall might be better.
Chessington World of Adventures
A cross between Alton Towers and London Zoo, this place has got rollercoaster rides, lions, tigers and an aquarium.
Christmas ice rinks
One of the best things about visiting London over Christmas is all the open-air ice rinks, decorated with festive lights and fairground carousels.
Christmas lights
The Christmas lights start going up in early November and the big Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is lit at the beginning of December.
Clink Prison Museum
If your kids are too young for the London Dungeon then try the Clink Prison Museum instead because it’s a lot less scary – and much cheaper!
Docklands Light Railway
This is a monorail train with no cabin at the front, so you can sit directly behind the windscreen and see all the sights whizzing past.
Emirates Air Line Cable Car
Did you know London has a cable car? It takes you across the river from The O2 to the Excel Centre for the cost of a bus ticket.
Golden Hinde
HMS Belfast and the Cutty Sark are good for adults but this pirate ship is better for kids. They can steer the wheel and go below to see the cannons.
Hamleys
Hamleys is London’s largest toy shop with five floors of toys, games and gadgets. They have cars, planes, trains and more animals than London Zoo.
HMS Belfast
How about visiting a World War II battle cruiser? You can explore the bridge, the missile room and see sailors playing cards in their hammocks.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland is a huge Christmas-themed funfair that occupies half of Hyde Park with festive rides and rollercoasters.
Leicester Square cinemas
Take you kids to see a movie in Leicester Square’s big cinemas: the Odeon, Cineworld Empire and Vue West End.
London Aquarium
The SeaLife Aquarium has a three-story shark tank with a glass walkway on top, an underwater tunnel, and a North Pole zone full of penguins.
London Duck Tours
Here’s a sightseeing bus with a difference: these amphibious boats can drive on land and water to show your kids the sights from the road and the river.
London Dungeon
Take a terrifying guided tour through some of the most gruesome and scariest events in London’s history… and maybe you’ll meet Jack the Ripper!
London Eye
The London Eye is one of the most popular family days out. The queues can be quite long but it’s worth the wait for the fantastic views at the top.
London Film Museum
If your kids are into James Bond then they’ll love this because it’s full of props, bikes, boats and cars from the last fifty years of 007 movies.
London Zoo
Enter the Land of the Lions, Gorilla Kingdom, Reptile House and Bugs House, and walk through the middle of a huge aviary just inches from the birds
Madame Tussauds
See waxworks of famous sports stars, film stars, pop stars, politicians, members of the Royal Family, and take a ride through London in a black cab.
NAMCO Funscape
NAMCO Funscape is like an indoor funfair with dodgems, bowling lanes, pool tables, a lazer maze and three floors of classic arcade games.
Natural History Museum
They call it the ‘dead zoo’ because of all the stuffed animals in it. Kids will like the animatronic T Rex and dinosaur skeletons.
Princess Diana Playground
This little corner of Kensington Gardens is only open to little kids. It’s a playground with a Peter Pen theme and pirate ship.
Royal Observatory Planetarium
If your kids are into astronomy then take them to the Planetarium where they can see the stars and on a darkened dome.
Science Museum
Skip the industrial machines and take your kids to see the space rockets, flight simulators, airplane hangar, and 3D IMAX cinema.
Serpentine boats
During the summer you can wile away an hour by hiring a pedal boat on the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park (dad won’t mind doing all the pedalling).
The Shard
If your children are okay with heights then take them to the top of The Shard where they can see the whole of London laid out before them.
Shrek’s Adventure
Enter Shrek’s world and meet famous characters like Princess Fiona, Pinocchio, Peter Pan and the fast-talking Donkey from Far Far Away Kingdom.
Sightseeing bus
Riding around on an open-top sightseeing bus for a couple of hours is a great way to show your kids London’s landmarks without wearing them out.
Sky Garden
The viewing deck is a lot lower than The Shard’s, but the Sky Garden has a tropical rainforest in theirs – 35 floors above the streets of London.
Warner Br. Studios (Harry Potter Tour)
If your kids love Harry Potter then take them to see all the original props, costumes and movie sets at Warner Bros. Studios.