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London With Kids
It can be a little overwhelming to decide where to visit with kids in London. There are so many places to see and not all are open every day! We found Tuesday a particularly difficult day as many places were closed, including the Postal Museum, Brunel Museum and Florence Nightingale museum. The Horrible History boat tours are also only open on weekends or in the school holidays, which was a little disappointing, but we’ll have to visit over a weekend next time instead!
However, despite a few things being closed on certain days, we still had a fantastic 5 days in London with the kids. You can see our top 10 places to visit in London below. Or scroll down to the bottom to see our 5 day itinerary to get the most out of your time in London.
Top 10 Places To Visit In London
Tower of London
We happened to stay just round the corner from the Tower of London, very close to the Monument to the Fire of London. The Tower of London does dominate it’s area beside the River Thames. No matter when you visit it’s going to be busy. But we do have some tips to make it a bit easier.
First of all have your tickets booked in advance and enter at the opening time. Tour groups will arrive later, so best to get a head start! Before you look anywhere else in the complex of buildings, head straight toward the Crown Jewels. We managed to walk straight in and didn’t need to queue at all. An hour later there was a 30-40 minute queue to get inside the building!
From here it’s best to visit the White Tower, where the bodies of two young boys were found. It’s believed that these could have been the 2 princes, potentially killed by their uncle King Richard III to take the crown. The tower holds a variety of different interactive activities, which are perfect for keeping children interested.
It doesn’t matter the order for the rest of the buildings, but certainly don’t miss the wall walk, graffiti by prisoners and the famous ravens. I also suggest visiting the Royal Mint near the main entrance before leaving. Most people seem to miss it and even though it’s quite small, it’s worth a visit.
Tower Bridge
Tower bridge is an iconic structure and definitely a fun family experience. It’s not too expensive for entrance, but do book in advance to guarantee entry. There are two walkways along the top of the bridge where there are glass floors. These give a great view to the bridge below and are very thick and safe. Don’t worry about stepping on them!
There is also a children’s trail where they can collect stamps on their way around the bridge. It takes around an hour or so to go around the bridge, with plenty of time to walk over the glass walkways.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Although Kew Gardens may not seem like the most obvious family activity in London, it is definitely worth visiting. Kew is beautiful to visit during spring and summer, with beautiful walks around the garden.
The Children’s Garden is the perfect place to start with kids. It’s a large play area with lots of fun natural play areas, from water channels to logs and of course slides into the sand pit area. The kids will spend hours here exploring!
You will also find plenty of other interesting features that the kids will love. The canopy walkway is a huge hit, with fantastic views. Then there are the glasshouses with upper walkways and lovely views down onto the vegetation. Outside is the Hive sculpture and also the Great Pagoda.
Science Museum
The science museum is free to enter, however if you do need a ticket for any paid exhibitions or Wonderlab. We paid to see the science fiction exhibition and also Wonderlab. Which also meant that we didn’t have enough time to see the rest of the Science Museum!
We only had a morning to visit as we then went out for Afternoon Tea. So I would suggest allowing at least 4 hours if you are visiting Wonderlab, as well as the rest of the museum. Wonderlab tickets must be booked in advance. It’s the perfect place for primary aged children to enjoy an interactive science experience. There are displays around, friction, sound, planets and more. Plus regular science shows.
In other parts of the building you will find plenty more displays on science topics from flight to medicine. Definitely make time to explore, but do check the website for current paid exhibitions. There’s always something exciting happening!
Natural History Museum
The main reason most people visit the Natural History Museum is to see the dinosaur exhibition. Which I agree is of most interest to families with dinosaur loving children. However, I found that it isn’t that child friendly, with little interactive areas. Mostly large screeds of writing which children (and adults!) won’t fully read.
We preferred the areas around the large mammals, the volcanoes, earthquakes and geology sections upstairs. Again there is too much writing and not enough interactive areas. However, there were definitely enough interesting things to keep everyone occupied.
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a huge complex of interesting modern art. Many areas are paid for exhibitions, so do check online what the current exhibitions are, there may be some that you would like to see. We chose to get tickets in advance for the Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirrors Rooms exhibition. It was well worth buying the tickets as we loved this area!
However, we also found some other pieces of art that intrigued the children. Particularly the winding sculptures that could be created by children! Don’t miss the interactive digital art area Tate Draw. There you can create your own digital artwork, download it to your phone and even get it printed on a t-shirt!
The London Eye
I wasn’t sure whether the London Eye was a good idea or not. However, we used Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for it and gave it a go!
Unfortunately it was raining when we wen’t up and the views weren’t particularly great. My two had more fun watching the raindrops merging on the outside of the pod rather than looking at the view! However, on a sunny day you would have much better views.
We felt like it was a good idea to go on the London Eye as it’s an iconic landmark. However, you can get good views elsewhere. Plus the London Eye looks better from the ground than sitting in it! If you can use vouchers to go up then definitely do it, but don’t pay full price!
Greenwich Observatory
This is a small observatory in the Greenwich park. If you have time you can combine it with the Maritime Museum (free) and visit the Cutty Sark nearby too. We didn’t have enough time for all 3 unfortunately. However, I did want to stand on the Greenwich Meridian Line, so we headed to Greenwich Observatory.
The Greenwich Prime Meridian Line is where the longitude is defined as 0. It is completely arbitrary, but this is where the world accepts it to be. The observatory explains the science behind the meridian. And also about the astronomers and their families who lived there. It’s very interesting and definitely somewhere to spend an hour or two exploring.
Afternoon Tea at Ampersand Hotel
The afternoon tea at Ampersand Hotel is a real highlight to any visit to London. Both adults and children can enjoy a themed Jurassic or Science afternoon tea at Ampersand Hotel. As it’s so close to both the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, it makes sense to have afternoon teas celebrating them!
The Jurassic Afternoon Tea was a huge hit for both the children and I. Adults certainly aren’t left out and have a similar selection of desserts and only a few more adult options for the savoury selection. Everything is well presented and lots of dry ice to mark it even more impressive.
Adults can also order the Jurassic Tea Pot Tails cocktail selection, available as either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. I went for the non-alcoholic selection as I was alone with the kids. However, I have to say they were some of the best cocktails that I’ve ever had! Even without actual alcohol. Of course, the presentation was also very impressive, certainly an Instagrammable moment.
West End Musical
There are always some great musicals aimed at families. From Frozen to Matilda and Back to the Future to the Lion King. The tickets can be expensive, but there are various deals, depending on which you are looking to visit. Try checking out ticket prices for earlier shows or checking out the Matilda lottery for £20 tickets.
Also check out ‘Seat Plan’, to see which cheaper seats have the best views. We went to see the Lion King and it was the most amazing musical we’ve seen. The children absolutely raved about how much they enjoyed it. Even if it was a late night for them!
5 Day Itinerary To London With Kids
Day 1
Arrive in London and head to your accommodation to drop off your luggage and check-in (if possible). If you arrive after lunch time head across to the Tate Modern to have a relaxing afternoon exploring the modern art work.
Don’t miss the Tate Draw section for children and the Sarah Sze ‘Seamless’ in the Natalie Bell building, Level 4 – a big hit with the kids.
Enjoy dinner out at one of the many nearby restaurants.
Day 2
You have a full day to explore London today. So to make the most of it you’ll be staying in one area! Take the Metro to Tower of London, or walk if you are staying close by. You want to be there early for opening, so book tickets online and check the opening times the night before.
Join the queue, don’t worry it will move quickly once the gates open. Then head straight to the Crown Jewels at the back of the Tower of London. If you are there first thing there isn’t normally a queue to get in. After this leisurely explore the rest of the complex of buildings. I suggest visiting the White Tower after the Crown Jewels. There are lots of interactive activities here, so take your time exploring.
Don’t miss the prisoners graffiti in the Beauchamp Tower or the Tower of London ravens. And just near the entrance is the Royal Mint, an often overlooked part of the tower. However, it’s well worth visiting too!
Grab some lunch near the tower, plenty of places to find a sandwich, before heading round the corner to Tower Bridge.
Tower Bridge only takes an hour or so, but it’s incredibly interesting to see the engineering and design that went into the bridge. Of course there are also the awesome views and glass floors.
From here you can walk to Tower Quay to catch a Terrible Thames Tour. You’ll need to book your tour in advance, it can sell out. The tours are based on the kids television programme and book series, Horrible Histories. It’s incredibly funny and a little bit gruesome. Perfect for families!
End the day with dinner near Tower bridge.
Day 3
Take the underground to South Kensington for a museum filled day out. Book tickets in advance (even though both museums are free entry) to skip any queues. Stop first at the Science Museum to explore the various levels of science displays. If you have younger children ensure you book tickets for the Wonderlab, it’s well worth it! You can also check out if there are any other paid exhibitions that may interest you.
Book afternoon tea at Ampersand Hotel, either Jurassic or science afternoon teas. Around 1pm should give you enough time to get there after the science museum.
From here head back round the corner to visit the Natural History Museum. Don’t forget to admire the outside of this grand building, its architecture is truly stunning! Then head inside to explore.
If you’re not still full from afternoon tea, find somewhere for a quick dinner. Before going off to a Westend show. There are always plenty to see!
Day 4
On your 4th day in London you get to relax and enjoy nature. There are lots of parks in London, but today you’re heading to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. The perfect place to enjoy the trees and plants, with glasshouses, canopy walkway, sculptures and children’s play areas. Spend the majority of the day here at Kew exploring, lunch at the cafe beside the play park.
Take the train back into London to visit the London Eye. Remember to book your tickets for the London Eye in advance. Admire the view from one of the pods when you get to the top of the London Eye.
Enjoy dinner in a Central London restaurant.
Day 5 – London With Kids
Leave your luggage in the hotels luggage storage. Then take the underground to Greenwich. Visit the Greenwich Royal Observatory and stand on the Prime meridian line. If you have time, explore the Greenwich Maritime museum or Cutty Sark too.
Return home with all your memories!
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