Things to Do in London with Kids: A Complete Family Planning Guide (2026)

Key Highlights

• London's national museums — the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Young V&A and more — are free to enter, which leaves room in the budget for the ticketed icons.
• Under-11s travel free on the Tube, bus and DLR with a fare-paying adult (up to four children each), so getting around costs less than most families expect.
• The big ticketed attractions run roughly £17–£47 per child in 2026 — book online in advance to lock in lower prices and a time slot.
• 2026 brings fresh reasons to visit: London Zoo's 200th anniversary, the London Museum reopening at Smithfield, and a 25th-anniversary feature at the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
• Build in a wet-weather backup and match attractions to your child's age — both decisions matter more than which landmark you pick first.

The best things to do in London with kids split into three clear layers: free national museums where children can stand under a blue whale or pull levers in a hands-on gallery, ticketed icons such as the London Eye and the Tower of London, and the city's green space and river. The smart play is to anchor each day around one paid highlight, surround it with free museums and parks, and pre-book the headline attractions so you walk past the queue rather than into it.

Most families arrive in London with a wishlist longer than the trip allows, and the real question is never what to see — it's how to choose. A morning of free dinosaur galleries and an afternoon on a £30-plus observation wheel can sit in the same day, but only if you plan the order, the budget and the breaks. This guide covers the full range of things to do in London with kids, organised the way a family actually moves through the city: the free layer first, then the ticketed icons and which ones earn their price, then animals, parks, shows and the practicalities of ages, budget and travel.

It is written for parents who want the better version of a London trip — the well-timed slot, the right attraction for a six-year-old versus a twelve-year-old, the day that ends before anyone melts down — not a survival checklist. Every experience mentioned can be browsed and booked through Travjoy, where the options are researched and approved by local experts, so you can plan with confidence rather than second-guessing a dozen tabs.

London's Free Museums for Kids

London's national museums are free to enter, and several are among the best things to do in London with kids at any age. Entry costs nothing, which is less a money-saving trick than a planning advantage: it lets you walk in for an hour, leave when attention fades, and spend the day's budget on one ticketed highlight instead. Most still ask you to reserve a free timed slot online during school holidays, so book ahead even when there's no charge.

The Natural History Museum and Science Museum

The Natural History Museum in South Kensington is the one most children ask for by name. The blue whale skeleton hanging in Hintze Hall, the dinosaur gallery and the earthquake simulator hold a wide age range, from toddlers to tweens. Free activity backpacks and age-graded trails from the Families Desk turn a wander into a hunt, which is what keeps younger children moving.

A few minutes' walk away, the Science Museum is built for hands-on play — the interactive Wonderlab gallery (which carries a small charge) is the draw for ages roughly 7–12. Both museums are busiest mid-morning in the holidays, so arrive at opening or after 2pm for an easier run.

• Cost: Free general entry; some special exhibitions and the Science Museum's Wonderlab are ticketed (around £10–£14 per child)
• Best for: Ages 3–12; the dinosaur and space galleries suit the youngest visitors
• Tip: Reserve a free timed slot online in school holidays to skip the standby line

Young V&A, the National Gallery and the London Museum

For under-eights, the Young V&A in Bethnal Green is the strongest pick in the city. Its Play, Imagine and Design galleries are built around touching, building and dressing up, with a sensory Mini Museum for babies and toddlers — and it's free. The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill pairs an oddball natural-history collection (including a famously overstuffed walrus) with gardens, a butterfly house and an aquarium for a half-day that mixes indoors and out.

Older children with patience will get more from the National Gallery, where a family highlights trail and a kids' app give an easy way in. A notable 2026 change: the London Museum reopens at Smithfield, telling the city's story from Roman wall to the Great Fire with trails and hands-on galleries — a fresh, free addition worth checking before you go.

The Ticketed Icons — Prices and Which Are Worth It

London's paid attractions cluster on the South Bank and around the Tower, and most run £17–£36 per child in 2026. They are worth pre-booking for the time slot alone — walk-up queues at the London Eye and SEA LIFE can swallow an hour. Below is an at-a-glance view of the headline icons, followed by the detail on which suit which age.

Attraction	Best age	Approx. child price (2026)	Pre-book?	Best for
London Eye	All ages	~£29 / $39	Yes — timed slot	A first overview of the city
Tower of London	6+	~£17–18 / $23–24	Yes	Knights, ravens, Crown Jewels
SEA LIFE London	2–10	~£25–30 / $34–41	Yes	Younger children, rainy days
Madame Tussauds	7+	~£29 / $39	Yes	Tweens and pop-culture fans
The Shard	5+	~£28 / $38	Yes	Views without the wait

Prices are indicative 2026 online rates; verify on the day of booking. USD conversions are approximate at roughly £1 = $1.35.

The London Eye, the Tower and the views

The London Eye is the easiest first move with kids of any age: a 30-minute rotation that turns the whole city into a map, with a short 4D film included. Book a timed slot, and consider the summer window (25 June to 1 September 2026) when reduced-VAT pricing trims the cost. For a calmer view with no queue, the Tower-side rivals — the Shard's viewing gallery or a free rooftop such as the Sky Garden — reward older children who can take in a skyline.

The Tower of London suits ages six and up, where the ravens, the Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warder stories land best. The grounds are cobbled, which makes prams hard work, so a carrier is easier for toddlers. Pair it with Tower Bridge five minutes away — the glass-floored walkway is a quick, memorable add-on.

SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds

On the South Bank beside the Eye, SEA LIFE London is the reliable wet-weather choice for younger children: 14 themed zones, a glass ocean tunnel and rockpool touch tanks. Madame Tussauds works better from about seven upward, when children recognise the figures — superheroes, footballers and pop stars get the biggest reaction. Both sell combination tickets with the London Eye, which can be worth it if you plan to do two or three in a week, though they make for a full, indoor-heavy day if stacked together.

Animals and Wizards — London Zoo, SEA LIFE and the Harry Potter Studio Tour

Two of the most requested things to do in London with kids sit slightly outside the central cluster: London Zoo in Regent's Park and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour out at Leavesden. Both reward a half- to full-day commitment, and both have a 2026 anniversary that makes this a good year to go.

London Zoo in its 200th year

London Zoo marks its 200th anniversary in 2026, with bicentenary events running through the year. For families it remains one of the best full days out in the city: more than 10,000 animals, the immersive Monkey Valley walkthrough, and dedicated young-children zones in Animal Adventure and the indoor ZooTown role-play area (ideal for ages 3–8 and a useful rainy-hour fallback).

• Cost (2026): Adult ~£35 / $47, child 3–15 ~£24.50 / $33, under-3s free; a family of four works out around £106–112 / $143–151
• Opening: From 10am, with later closing in summer (typically 6pm late March–early July)
• Getting there: Camden Town or Baker Street Tube, then a short walk through Regent's Park

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour

The Harry Potter Studio Tour is the standout for fans aged roughly six and up, and 2026 adds a 25th-anniversary feature (7 May to 7 September 2026) marking the first film. It is a self-guided walk through the real sets — the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, the Hogwarts Express — that takes three to five hours, so it is a day in itself rather than a quick stop.

One practical point families often miss: the studio is in Leavesden, near Watford, about an hour from central London, with no tickets sold at the gate. Book the entry slot well ahead and decide between making your own way by train or taking a return coach package. Children aged four and under go free but still need a ticket.

• Cost (2026): Entry from ~£56 / $76 adult, ~£47 / $63 child (5–15); coach-and-entry packages from ~£99 / $134 per adult
• Duration: Allow 3–5 hours inside, plus travel
• Worth it if: Your children know the films; less so for under-fives, who tire before the end

Parks, Playgrounds and the River

London's green space is the free counterweight to its ticketed icons, and the best way to give children room to run between indoor visits. Around a fifth of the city is park or garden, much of it central, so you are rarely more than a short walk from somewhere to let off steam — which is exactly what keeps a long sightseeing day from unravelling.

Royal parks and the Diana playground

The Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is the standout for under-tens, built around a wooden pirate ship with sand and water play. Next door, Hyde Park adds boating on the Serpentine and wide paths for scooters. In St James's Park, the resident pelicans are a reliable hit after a morning at Buckingham Palace, and the lake-side paths are flat and pram-friendly.

South of the river, Greenwich Park pairs a hilltop skyline view with the Royal Observatory and the chance to stand on the Prime Meridian — an easy win for curious older children. It works well as a half-day with the nearby Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum, which is free and has a dedicated children's gallery.

Seeing the city from the water

Children who flag on foot often revive on the river. A Thames clipper or a faster speedboat ride doubles as transport and entertainment, linking Westminster, the Tower and Greenwich without a Tube change. For a different angle, the cable car between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks gives a low-cost flight over the river that younger children love.

West End Shows and Rainy-Day Backups

A West End show is the single best wet-weather upgrade for families, and London stages several built for younger audiences. The key is to match the show to the child's age and to hold one or two indoor options in reserve for the day the weather turns — which, in London, it will.

Family musicals

Matilda the Musical is the strongest all-round family pick, sharp enough for adults and pitched right for ages six and up. The Lion King remains the reliable choice for slightly younger children, carried by the costumes and the opening sequence even when the plot drifts past them. Both run long, so an early-week matinee suits families better than a late evening show.

Immersive and hands-on alternatives

For children who fidget through a seated show, the immersive venues land better. Frameless near Marble Arch turns famous paintings into floor-to-ceiling projected rooms you walk through — short, sensory and good for mixed ages. The Crystal Maze Live Experience puts families inside the TV game show for an hour of team challenges, best for ages nine and up. Both are fully indoors, which makes them dependable backups when an outdoor plan washes out.

Planning a London Family Trip — Ages, Budget and Getting Around

The difference between a good London trip with children and a stressful one usually comes down to three decisions: matching attractions to ages, getting the travel set-up right, and pacing the days. Get these in place and the sightseeing takes care of itself.

Match attractions to your child's age

The same city reads very differently at three and at thirteen. A quick guide:

• Toddlers (2–4): Young V&A, SEA LIFE, parks and playgrounds; keep it short and close to a nap
• Ages 5–8: Natural History Museum, London Zoo, the London Eye, the Tower's family trail
• Ages 9–12: the Harry Potter Studio Tour, Frameless, the Shard, a West End show
• Teens: the Crystal Maze, stadium tours, the river by speedboat, the view from the Shard

Getting around with kids

Travel costs less than most families expect. Under-11s travel free on the Tube, bus, DLR and most rail with a fare-paying adult — up to four children each — and 11–15s get reduced fares with a Zip Oyster photocard. Buses are the better choice with a pram, as not every Tube station has step-free access; the front of a double-decker is also a free sightseeing seat. Plan around one big attraction a day, with a park or a meal between, rather than chaining three ticketed sites together.

How many days and where to base yourself

Three full days covers the headline things to do in London with kids without rushing: one for the South Bank cluster (Eye, SEA LIFE, a show), one for South Kensington's museums and a park, and one for either the Zoo or the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Base yourself near a Zone 1 Tube hub — Westminster, South Kensington or Greenwich for a calmer feel — so you're never far from a step-free station and an early night. To browse and book the full set of family experiences in one place, the experiences for families in London and the top kids' picks collections gather options that have been researched and approved by local experts.

Plan Your London Family Trip

The strongest things to do in London with kids reward a little structure: lean on the free national museums and parks, choose one ticketed icon a day and pre-book it, and match each attraction to your children's ages rather than your own wishlist. Build in a wet-weather backup, let under-11s ride the city for free, and you have a trip that holds together from breakfast to bedtime. With a Zoo bicentenary, a reopened London Museum and a Harry Potter anniversary, 2026 is a strong year to bring the family. Start planning your London family trip on Travjoy, where every experience is researched and approved by local experts.