The 12 Best Things to Do With Kids in London (2026)
Updated November 2026 · 12 picks
The best things to do in London with kids in 2026 are the Natural History Museum for dinosaurs, the Science Museum's hands-on galleries, ZSL London Zoo, the pirate ship at the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, and Young V&A in Bethnal Green, a museum built for children.
London is one of the best cities in the world for children, partly because so much is free: the national museums, the Royal Parks and their playgrounds cost nothing to enter. Under-11s also travel free on the Tube and buses with a paying adult. Big paid attractions such as the zoo and the aquarium are cheaper booked online in advance, and school holidays are the busiest times everywhere.
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1. Natural History Museum — South Kensington
Dinosaurs, a blue whale skeleton and a cathedral-like hall, free to enter.
Best for Families · Budget
The Natural History Museum is the children's favourite of London's museums, with its dinosaur gallery and animatronic T. rex, the blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall, and galleries on volcanoes, earthquakes and creepy-crawlies.
Entry is free, but booking a timed slot online is wise in school holidays.
Good to know: Use the quieter Exhibition Road entrance and go straight to the dinosaurs at opening time.
Hands-on science, space rockets and the brilliant Wonderlab gallery.
$BudgetBest for Families
The Science Museum mixes famous objects, such as space capsules and steam engines, with interactive galleries. Wonderlab, a paid gallery, is packed with live demonstrations and experiments children can try.
General entry is free; Wonderlab and IMAX films are extra.
Good to know: Book Wonderlab tickets for a morning slot, when it is calmer.
The world's oldest scientific zoo, with gorillas, tigers, penguins and a reptile house.
$$$UpmarketBest for Families
London Zoo, on the edge of Regent's Park, keeps hundreds of species, from gorillas and Sumatran tigers to penguins, giraffes and the reptile house where a famous Harry Potter scene was filmed.
Talks and feeding times run through the day; plan the day around them.
Good to know: Book online in advance for a cheaper ticket, and check feeding times on arrival.
A huge pirate ship in a sandy cove, inspired by Peter Pan, and free.
Best for Families · Budget
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is built around a wooden pirate ship in a sandy beach, with teepees, sensory trails and water play, all inspired by Peter Pan.
It is designed for children up to 12, and adults must be accompanied by a child to enter.
Good to know: Pack spare clothes; the sand and water play are irresistible.
5. Young V&A — Bethnal Green, Shoreditch & East London
A free museum of design and play built for children and young people.
Best for Families · Budget
Young V&A in Bethnal Green reopened as a museum designed for children, with galleries on play, imagination and design, full of things to touch, build and try.
It is free and especially good for under-12s.
Good to know: It is two minutes from Bethnal Green Tube; combine with lunch on Columbia Road on a Sunday.
Sharks, penguins and rays in County Hall, next to the London Eye.
$$$UpmarketBest for Families
SEA LIFE London Aquarium fills the basement of County Hall with sharks, rays, turtles, penguins and tropical fish, with a tunnel walk through the ocean tank.
It is an easy add-on to the London Eye and a good rainy-day option.
Good to know: Combination tickets with the London Eye save money; book online.
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB
7. London Transport Museum — Covent Garden, Soho & the West End
Old buses, trains and Tube carriages to climb aboard in Covent Garden.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Families
London Transport Museum tells the story of London's buses, trams and the Underground, with vintage vehicles children can climb into and a play zone for little ones.
Adult tickets are valid for a year, and children go free.
Good to know: Your adult ticket gives free re-entry for a year; keep it.
A quirky South London museum with an aquarium, animal walk and a famous stuffed walrus.
Best for Families · Budget
The Horniman in Forest Hill is a family favourite, with a natural history gallery led by an over-stuffed walrus, a musical instruments gallery, a small aquarium, and gardens with an animal walk and views over London.
Entry to the museum and gardens is free; the aquarium has a small charge.
Good to know: Picnic in the gardens on a fine day and look for the view of the City skyline.
9. Coram's Fields — Bloomsbury, Soho & the West End
A free central London park where adults are only allowed in with a child.
Best for Families · Budget
Coram's Fields is a seven-acre children's park in Bloomsbury with playgrounds, a sandpit, a paddling pool in summer and a small city farm with animals. Adults may only enter with a child.
It is a short walk from the British Museum, so it is a good reward after a morning of culture.
Good to know: Combine with the British Museum; it is a ten-minute walk.
A famous tea clipper you can walk on and walk under, in Greenwich.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Families
The Cutty Sark, the last surviving tea clipper, is raised above a glass-roofed dry dock so you can walk underneath its hull as well as explore the decks and cabins.
Combine it with the free National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory and Greenwich Park in one day.
Good to know: Arrive by Uber Boat from central London for a memorable start to the day.
A ride on the miniature underground railway that once carried London's post.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Families
The Postal Museum's highlight is Mail Rail, a ride through the tunnels of the Post Office's former underground railway on small trains. The museum also has a play space for young children.
Book a ride time in advance, especially in school holidays.
Good to know: Book Mail Rail rides online; slots sell out in holidays.
The Natural History Museum, Science Museum (except Wonderlab), Young V&A, Horniman Museum, the Diana Memorial Playground and Coram's Fields are all free. See our free things to do in London.
What is the best museum in London for children?
The Natural History Museum, for dinosaurs and the blue whale skeleton, and the Science Museum, whose paid Wonderlab gallery is packed with hands-on experiments. Young V&A in Bethnal Green is designed entirely for children.
Do children travel free on the London Underground?
Under-11s travel free on the Tube, buses, DLR and Overground when accompanied by a paying adult. Older children can get reduced fares with a Zip Oyster card.
What can you do with kids in London when it rains?
Head to the museums: the Natural History, Science and London Transport Museums, Young V&A, or SEA LIFE London Aquarium. Book timed tickets ahead in school holidays.
Where should we stay in London with kids?
South Kensington, near the big museums and Hyde Park, or the South Bank, near the London Eye and aquarium. See our family hotels guide.