With kids · London · United Kingdom
London with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
London is excellent with children: the free Natural History and Science Museums, huge royal parks with playgrounds, river boats and the pageantry of Changing the Guard. The main challenge is the Tube, where many stations still have only stairs, so check step-free routes before travelling with a buggy. Top picks: Natural History Museum, Tower of London and London Eye. Families usually base themselves in South Kensington.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 8
- Best area for families
- South Kensington
- Rainy-day options
- 1
- Busiest months
- June–August
Best things to do with kids
Museum · South Kensington
1.Natural History Museum
Alfred Waterhouse's terracotta building, decorated with carved animals and plants, holds some 80 million specimens. A 25-metre blue whale skeleton named Hope hangs in Hintze Hall, the Dinosaurs gallery has a moving T. rex model, and an escalator rises through a giant globe into the Earth galleries. Entry is free.
Use the Exhibition Road entrance and visit the Dinosaurs gallery first, as its queue grows through the morning.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Free entry, but booking a timed slot online is advised during school holidays.
- Kids
- Free
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Nature
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Castle · Tower Hill
2.Tower of London
William the Conqueror's White Tower, begun in the 1070s, stands at the centre of a fortress that has served as royal palace, prison and execution site. The Crown Jewels, including the Imperial State Crown, are displayed in the Jewel House, and Yeoman Warders ('Beefeaters') lead lively tours included with entry. The resident ravens are tied to the legend that the kingdom will fall if they leave.
Head to the Crown Jewels first thing before the queue builds, then join a Yeoman Warder tour from near the main entrance.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Tickets bought online in advance are usually cheaper than at the gate and secure entry on busy summer days.
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Viewpoint · South Bank
3.London Eye
The 135-metre observation wheel on the South Bank turns slowly enough that a full rotation in one of its 32 glass capsules takes about 30 minutes. On a clear day the view stretches about 40 km, taking in Parliament directly across the river, Buckingham Palace and the towers of the City.
Book a time slot online for a lower price than on the day, and in winter aim for late afternoon to watch the city lights come on.
- Time needed
- 1 hour including queues
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are cheaper online, and fast-track tickets help on summer weekends.
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Iconic
- After dark
Park · Hyde Park
4.Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
Together the two royal parks cover about 250 hectares of central London. Highlights include boating on the Serpentine in summer, Speakers' Corner, the Diana Memorial Playground with its wooden pirate ship, the Italian Gardens and Kensington Palace on the western edge. In winter the park hosts the Winter Wonderland fair.
Enter at Marble Arch and walk west along the Serpentine to Kensington Palace — about an hour at a gentle pace with stops.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
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Palace · St James's
5.Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard
The monarch's official London residence faces the Victoria Memorial at the end of The Mall. The Changing the Guard ceremony takes place on the forecourt on set days each week, with military bands and guards in red tunics and bearskin hats, and watching it is free. The State Rooms, hung with paintings from the Royal Collection, usually open to ticketed visitors for about ten weeks in summer.
Arrive at least 45 minutes early and stand on the Victoria Memorial steps, or watch the guards march along The Mall where crowds are thinner.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Check the official schedule for Changing the Guard days, and book State Rooms tickets ahead for summer visits.
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- History
Landmark · Tower Hill
6.Tower Bridge
Opened in 1894, the bascule bridge beside the Tower of London is one of the city's defining images. Its paid exhibition leads along the high-level walkways 42 metres above the Thames, partly over glass floors, and down to the Victorian engine rooms that once powered the lifting roadway.
Check the bridge-lift times on the official website; watching the roadway rise from the riverside path costs nothing.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Historic site · Greenwich
7.Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park
On the hill above Greenwich Park, the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian, longitude 0°, where visitors stand with a foot in each hemisphere. Below are the Cutty Sark tea clipper and the free National Maritime Museum, and the hilltop gives one of London's widest views, over the Queen's House to Canary Wharf.
Arrive by river boat from Westminster or London Eye pier for a scenic approach, and return on the DLR.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
Garden · Kew
8.Kew Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in south-west London, hold one of the world's great plant collections across about 130 hectares. The Victorian Palm House, the restored Temperate House, a treetop walkway 18 metres above the ground and the Great Pagoda easily fill a day.
Reach Kew Gardens station on the District line or the Overground, or take a seasonal river boat from Westminster for the slow route.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Couples
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Natural History Museum — Use the Exhibition Road entrance and visit the Dinosaurs gallery first, as its queue grows through the morning.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for families, luxury, culture and quiet stays
South Kensington
Exhibition Road links three free museums — the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A — with the Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park at its northern end. The surrounding streets are lined with white stucco terraces and French cafés near the Institut Français, and the Piccadilly line runs directly to Heathrow while the District and Circle lines reach Westminster.
- Good
- Three free museums within a few minutes' walk; Quiet residential streets at night; Direct Piccadilly line to Heathrow
- Watch out
- Expensive hotels and restaurants; Limited nightlife
- Nearby
- Natural History Museum, V&A, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall, Harrods
Family travel tips
- Children under 11 travel free on the Tube, buses, DLR and Overground when accompanied by a paying adult.
- The free Science Museum next to the Natural History Museum has a paid interactive gallery, Wonderlab, that older children love.
- Use TfL's step-free Tube map, or take buses, which all have space for buggies, when travelling with small children.
- Book the Tower of London, London Eye and Warner Bros. Studio Tour ahead during school holidays.
- The Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens and Coram's Fields in Bloomsbury are free; at Coram's Fields adults are only admitted with a child.
Day trips for families
- Windsor Castle (About 1 hour by train) — Often described as the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor has been a royal home for more than 900 years.
- Hampton Court Palace (About 35 minutes by train) — Henry VIII's Tudor palace on the Thames combines his vast kitchens and Great Hall with the baroque wing Christopher Wren built for William III and Mary II.
- Brighton (About 1 hour by train) — The seaside city's attractions are the onion-domed Royal Pavilion, the Victorian Palace Pier with its funfair rides, a long pebble beach and The Lanes, a warren of narrow alleys full of independent shops and cafés.
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour London (About 1 hour by train and shuttle) — The Making of Harry Potter tour at Leavesden shows the real sets, props and costumes from the films, including the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September. June–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is London good for kids?
London is excellent with children: the free Natural History and Science Museums, huge royal parks with playgrounds, river boats and the pageantry of Changing the Guard. The main challenge is the Tube, where many stations still have only stairs, so check step-free routes before travelling with a buggy.
+What can kids do in London?
Natural History Museum, Tower of London, London Eye, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and Buckingham Palace and Changing the Guard.
+Where should families stay in London?
South Kensington: Museum quarter, white stucco terraces and Hyde Park on the doorstep.