45 Incredible Things To Do In London With The Kids

London is the absolute best place for children and families. With dozens of attractions and museums, we guarantee you’ll never be bored exploring the city. Here are our top family-friendly activities to keep you entertained this weekend, next weekend and at least 45 weekends after that.

Museums

Harry Potter studios

It’s often fully booked, but check daily for tickets. Just outside London so will need to hop on a train.

Where: Studio Tour Dr, Watford WD25 7LR

Book tickets on WBStudioTour.co.uk

Natural History Museum

During the summer they have a great butterfly house.

Where: Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD

Find out more on NHM.ac.uk

The Science Museum

Where: Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7 2DD

Visit ScienceMuseum.org.uk

Museum of London

Don’t miss the Beasts of London exhibition

Location: 150 London Wall, Barbican, London EC2Y 5HN

Visit MuseumofLondon.org.uk

The V&A Museum

Where: Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

Visit VAM.ac.uk

Gardens and Parks

Kew Gardens

The children’s garden just opened at Kew and is definitely worth a look

Where: Kew Gardens, Richmond, London TW9 3AE

Visit Kew.org

Boating in Hyde Park

Where: London

Find out more on RoyalParks.org.uk

Regent’s Park

It has Gorilla Circus Trapeze which is fantastic. Also an open air theatre.

Where: Chester Rd, London NW1 4NR

Find out more on RoyalParks.org.uk

The Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park

Find out what’s on OpenAirTheatre.com

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium

Find out more on QueenElizabethOlympicPark.co.uk

Where: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2ST

Go Ape in Battersea Park

Where Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ

Book now on GoApe.co.uk

Shopping & Boroughs

Central:

Covent Garden

See what’s on: CoventGarden.London

Marylebone High Street

This is really central and has great shops and cafes.

Carnaby Street

Just by Oxford Street and great fun

Find out what’s on Carnaby.co.uk

South West:

Pavillion Road

There’s a lovely Bill Grainger restaurant there. It’s best to start on Pavillion Road and then pop on to Sloane Square and up the Kings Road.

Where: Pavilion Road, London, SW1X 0BP

East:

Borough Market

Where: 8 Southwark Street, London SE1 8EL

Find out more on BoroughMarket.org.uk

Spitalfields Market (close to Soft Serve Society)

Visit OldSpitalfieldsMarket.com

Where: Old Spitalfields Market 16 Horner Square London, E1 6EW

West:

Westborne Grove

We love shopping on Westborne Grove. It has great shopping adults and kids, and great restaurants.

Where: Westbourne Grove, w2

North:

Primrose Hill

This is a lovely spot (and where Paddington was filmed!).

Where: Primrose Hill, NW1 8XL

Food

Soft Serve Society

Where: Unit 35 BOXPARK,, 2-10 Bethnal Green Rd, Shoreditch, E1 6GY

Visit SoftServeSociety.com

Milk Train Café

Go for the candy floss ice creams

Visit MilkTrainCafe.com

Where: 12 Tavistock St, Covent Garden, London WC2E 7PH

Cereal Killer Café

Where: Stables Market, Mezz 2, Chalk Farm Rd, Camden Town, London NW1 8AH

Visit CerealKillerCafe.co.uk

Peggy Porschen for cakes

Where: 116 Ebury St, Belgravia, London SW1W 9QQ

and

116 Ebury St, Belgravia, London SW1W 9QQ

Visit PeggyPorschen.com

Ice cream parlour at Fortnum and Mason

Where: 1st floor, Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1A 1ER

Visit FortnumandMason.com

Hamleys for toys

Where: 188-196 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 5BT

Visit Hamleys.com

Theatre

Matilda

Where: The Cambridge Theatre, Covent Garden, WC2

Book tickets on MatildaTheMusical.com

School of Rock

Where: Gillian Lynne Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, WC2B 5PW

Book now on SchoolofRockTheMusical.com

Royal Albert Hall

Where: Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP

See what’s on RoyalAlbertHall.com

Royal Opera House

If you have children that enjoy ballet, this is perfect.

Where: Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD

Visit ROH.org.uk

The O2

This place is great for shows in Greenwich

Where: Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 0DX

Visit The02.co.uk

Afternoon Tea

Sketch

Where:9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2XG

Visit Sketch.London

Claridges

Where: Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR

Visit Claridges.co.uk

Tourist Attractions

London bus tour

Madame Tussauds

Where: 8 Marylebone Road, London W1

Visit: MadameTussauds.com

Coca Cola London Eye

Where: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SRE1 7PB

Book tickets on LondonEye.com

Shrek’s Adventure

Where: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SRE1 7PB

Visit: ShreksAdventure.com

Body World London

This place is fantastic but better for over 7 year olds.

Where: 1 Piccadilly Circus, London W1

Visit BodyWorlds.co.uk

ZSL London Zoo

It’s London’s Regents Park and is close to Primrose Hill, so would be nice to combine the two.

Where: Outer Cir, London NW1

Find out more on ZSL.org

Zip Now

It looks amazing but terrifying!

Where: Zip Now London, Lambeth Palace Road, SE1

Visit Zip-Now.co

Emirates Cable Cars

Where: 27 Western Gateway, Royal Docks, London E16 1FA

Visit EmiratesAirline.co.uk

Speed boat down the Thames

Go Boat is a self-drive boating experience, ideal if it’s a nice day

Visit GoBoat.co.uk

Tower of London

Where: St Katharine’s & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB

Visit HRP.org.uk

Hampton Court Palace

Where: East Molesley, Surrey KT8 9AU

Visit HRP.org.uk

Buckingham Palace

If you go to Hyde Park corner, go the little arch, there is a museum there and if you go up to the top floor you can peek into the Queen’s gardens

Where: Westminster, London SW1A 1AA

Changing of the Guards @ Buckingham Palace

Where: Westminster, London SW1A 1AA

Find out more on Changing-Guard.com

Houses of Parliament

Where: Westminster, London SW1A 0AA