London is a brilliant city for families, with many of its best attractions free and genuinely fun for all ages. From dinosaur-filled museums and a historic zoo to the magical Harry Potter Studio Tour and imaginative playgrounds, here are 8 of the best things to do with children, with age guidance, prices and practical tips to keep everyone happy.
FreeNatural History Museum
Area
South Kensington
Ages
All ages
“Free entry — book a timed slot online, and head for the dinosaur gallery and the earthquake simulator first.”
FreeScience Museum
Area
South Kensington
Ages
All ages
“Free entry; head to the interactive Wonderlab gallery (small charge) and book the flight simulator for older kids.”
$40London Zoo (ZSL)
Area
Regent's Park
Ages
All ages
“Book online for a discount, catch the daily animal talks, and combine it with a walk or picnic in Regent's Park.”
$35SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Area
South Bank
Ages
All ages
“Book online with the London Eye for a combo saving; the glass-floor shark walk is the highlight for kids.”
$28London Transport Museum
Area
Covent Garden
Ages
All ages
“Your ticket lasts a whole year — kids go free, and they can climb aboard vintage buses and drive a Tube simulator.”
$65Warner Bros. Studio Tour (Harry Potter)
Area
Watford (NW of London)
Ages
6+ / all ages
“Tickets must be pre-booked and sell out weeks ahead; allow 3–4 hours and take the shuttle bus from Watford Junction.”
FreeDiana Memorial Playground
Area
Kensington Gardens
Ages
Under 12s
“Free to enter — the huge wooden pirate ship is the centrepiece; go on a dry day and arrive early in summer.”
FreeHamleys
Area
Regent Street
Ages
All ages
“Free to enter; the staff demonstrating toys on every floor make it an experience, not just a shop.”
London with kids in detail
1.Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of London's very best family days out, and it's free. Housed in a spectacular terracotta cathedral-to-nature in South Kensington, it thrills children of every age. The dinosaur gallery, with its skeletons and an animatronic roaring T. rex, is the perennial favourite, while the great Hintze Hall now soars around Hope, the 25-metre skeleton of a blue whale suspended overhead. Kids can feel the ground shake in the earthquake simulator, marvel at giant creepy-crawlies and glittering gems and meteorites in the Vault, and explore hands-on discovery zones designed for younger visitors. Because it's free and hugely popular, especially on weekends and school holidays, booking a timed slot online is strongly advised to guarantee entry and skip the queue. It stands beside the Science Museum and the V&A in the Albertopolis museum cluster, so you can easily combine two in a day, with Hyde Park nearby for a run-around afterwards. There's a café and picnic space, and a seasonal ice rink outside in winter. Engaging, educational and endlessly popular, it's a rainy-day and any-day winner for families.
Hours
Daily 10:00–17:50 (last entry 17:30)
Price
Free; book a timed slot online; special exhibitions ticketed
Getting there
Tube: South Kensington (Piccadilly, District & Circle), 5-minute tunnel walk
Insider tip: Free entry — book a timed slot online, and head for the dinosaur gallery and the earthquake simulator first.
2.Science Museum
The Science Museum is a brilliant, free family attraction in South Kensington that makes science and technology genuinely exciting for children and adults alike. Its seven floors trace human ingenuity from the Industrial Revolution to the Space Age: you can stand beneath the Apollo 10 command module that actually flew to the Moon, see Stephenson's Rocket and pioneering aircraft, and explore galleries on medicine, mathematics, computing and information age communication. For kids, the star is Wonderlab, a dazzling paid interactive gallery of hands-on experiments, live demonstrations and a friction slide that brings physics and chemistry to life, while younger children have their own play zone. Add-on experiences like the IMAX cinema, motion-ride simulators and a flight simulator (all ticketed) keep older kids entertained. General admission is free, so it's superb value, and booking a timed slot online is wise at busy times. It sits right beside the Natural History Museum and the V&A, letting families combine museums in one trip, with Hyde Park close by. There's a café and picnic areas on site. Educational, interactive and free, it's one of the capital's top rainy-day family options.
Hours
Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:15)
Price
Free entry; Wonderlab, IMAX & simulators ticketed
Getting there
Tube: South Kensington (Piccadilly, District & Circle), 5-minute tunnel walk
Insider tip: Free entry; head to the interactive Wonderlab gallery (small charge) and book the flight simulator for older kids.
3.London Zoo (ZSL)
London Zoo, run by the Zoological Society of London, is the world's oldest scientific zoo, opened in 1828 and set in the northern corner of beautiful Regent's Park. It's a classic, much-loved family day out, home to more than 14,000 animals across engaging habitats: Land of the Lions recreates an Indian forest around Asiatic lions, Gorilla Kingdom houses a troop of western lowland gorillas, and there are giraffes, penguins with a big pool, a walk-through Rainforest Life with free-roaming monkeys and sloths, a butterfly tunnel and a nocturnal house. Daily keeper talks and feeding sessions add real educational value, and the layout suits pushchairs and picnics. Being inside Regent's Park means you can easily pair it with a walk, boating lake, playgrounds or a climb up Primrose Hill for a great city view. Buy tickets online in advance for a worthwhile discount and to skip the queue, and check the day's talk schedule on arrival to plan around the animals your children most want to see. Allow around half a day. Historic, central and reliably delighting for kids, London Zoo is a dependable family favourite.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–17:00/18:00 (seasonal)
Price
From ~£27 adult online; child & family discounts
Getting there
Tube: Camden Town or Regent's Park, then walk; or bus 274
Insider tip: Book online for a discount, catch the daily animal talks, and combine it with a walk or picnic in Regent's Park.
4.SEA LIFE London Aquarium
SEA LIFE London Aquarium occupies the vaulted basement of the landmark County Hall building on the South Bank, right beside the London Eye, making it a supremely convenient family stop in the heart of tourist London. Across themed zones spread over several levels, children can walk over a glass floor above circling sharks and rays, come face to face with a green sea turtle in the big Pacific tank, watch playful Gentoo penguins, and explore displays of clownfish, seahorses, jellyfish, rays in a touch pool and a small rainforest section. It's an indoor, weatherproof attraction that works well for a couple of hours, particularly with younger children, and daily talks and feeds add interest. It's on the pricier side and can get busy, so book timed tickets online in advance, where they're cheaper, and look out for combined tickets with the neighbouring London Eye and other attractions for a useful saving. Its riverside location means you can pair it with a South Bank walk, the Eye and Westminster across the bridge. While not the biggest aquarium, its central setting and glass-tunnel thrills make it a reliable, easy family choice in the middle of the city.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–18:00 (later in summer; last entry varies)
Price
From ~£27 online adult; cheaper in combo tickets
Getting there
Tube/Rail: Waterloo or Westminster, beside the London Eye
Insider tip: Book online with the London Eye for a combo saving; the glass-floor shark walk is the highlight for kids.
5.London Transport Museum
The London Transport Museum, housed in a beautiful Victorian iron-and-glass former flower-market hall on Covent Garden piazza, is an underrated gem for families. It tells the story of how transport shaped the world's first great metropolis, and it's wonderfully hands-on: children can climb aboard vintage horse-drawn buses, historic Routemaster double-deckers, trams and Tube carriages, sit in a Tube-driver's cab simulator, and follow interactive trails and stampers through the galleries. Alongside the fun, there's genuine design heritage on show — the iconic roundel logo, the famous Tube map, and classic poster art, much of it available in the excellent gift shop, a great source of stylish London souvenirs. A key bonus is that admission tickets are valid for a whole year of repeat visits, and under-18s go free, making it strong value for families. It's compact enough for young attention spans yet rich enough to interest adults, and its Covent Garden setting means street performers, shops and restaurants are right outside. Indoors and central, it's a perfect rainy-day option that combines easily with a wider West End day. For transport-mad kids especially, it's a delight.
Hours
Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00)
Price
From ~£24 adult (ticket valid 1 year); under-18s free
Getting there
Tube: Covent Garden or Charing Cross, in Covent Garden piazza
Insider tip: Your ticket lasts a whole year — kids go free, and they can climb aboard vintage buses and drive a Tube simulator.
6.Warner Bros. Studio Tour (Harry Potter)
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London — The Making of Harry Potter is a bucket-list experience for fans young and old, set at the Leavesden studios near Watford where the films were actually made. This is no theme park but a walk through the real sets, props and costumes: step into the Great Hall, wander Diagon Alley, see the Gryffindor common room, board the Hogwarts Express on platform 9¾, and marvel at the vast, breathtaking model of Hogwarts castle used for exterior shots. Interactive elements let you ride a broomstick against a green screen, explore the Forbidden Forest and sample a Butterbeer, while the filmmaking sections reveal the astonishing artistry behind the magic. It's genuinely magical for children (best from around age six) and often more emotional for grown-up fans than they expect. Crucially, all tickets are timed and must be booked well in advance — often weeks ahead — as it sells out, and there are no tickets on the door. It's about 20 minutes by train from Euston to Watford Junction, then a dedicated shuttle bus. Allow three to four hours. For Potter fans, it's an unforgettable, world-class day out.
Hours
Daily, timed entries ~09:00–18:30 (varies seasonally)
Price
From ~£53.50 adult; must be booked in advance
Getting there
Rail: London Euston to Watford Junction (~20 min), then the official shuttle bus
Insider tip: Tickets must be pre-booked and sell out weeks ahead; allow 3–4 hours and take the shuttle bus from Watford Junction.
7.Diana Memorial Playground
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, tucked into the northwest corner of Kensington Gardens near Kensington Palace, is one of the best free attractions in London for families with younger children. Inspired by the tales of Peter Pan (whose author J.M. Barrie had links to the gardens), it's an imaginative, sensory adventure playground built around a huge wooden pirate ship set in sand, surrounded by a teepee encampment, a mermaid-themed area, tumbling water features, climbing structures, swings and plenty of space to run wild. It's beautifully designed, well maintained and thoughtfully accessible, with staff on hand and gates to keep little ones safe, and it costs nothing to enter. Aimed primarily at under-12s, it can get busy in summer and on weekends, so arriving early helps you beat the queue that sometimes forms when capacity is reached. There's a café nearby, and the surrounding Kensington Gardens and adjoining Hyde Park offer acres of green space, the Italian Gardens, the Round Pond and boating on the Serpentine to extend the day. For free, high-quality outdoor play in a gorgeous royal-park setting, it's a wonderful spot to let children burn off energy.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–dusk (seasonal)
Price
Free
Getting there
Tube: Queensway, Bayswater or Lancaster Gate, short walk into Kensington Gardens
Insider tip: Free to enter — the huge wooden pirate ship is the centrepiece; go on a dry day and arrive early in summer.
8.Hamleys
Hamleys, on grand Regent Street, is the oldest and one of the largest toy shops in the world, founded in 1760 and a wonderland for children (and plenty of nostalgic adults). Spread across seven themed floors, it's as much an experience as a shop: staff enthusiastically demonstrate the latest toys on every level — flying gadgets buzzing overhead, bubble machines, remote-control cars zooming about — creating a joyful, slightly chaotic sense of magic and fun. Each floor has its own focus, from soft toys and dolls to games, science kits, and every big-name brand, and there are regular character appearances and events. It's free to enter and gloriously festive at Christmas, when it becomes a destination in its own right. Yes, it's touristy and prices sit at full retail, but the sheer spectacle and the delight on children's faces make it worth a visit even if you only browse. Its Regent Street location places it moments from Oxford Circus, Carnaby Street and the wider West End shopping. Come prepared for excited crowds, especially on weekends and in December. For a dose of pure childhood wonder in the middle of London, Hamleys is a memorable, free family stop.
Hours
Mon–Sat ~10:00–21:00, Sun ~12:00–18:00
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Tube: Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus, on Regent Street
Insider tip: Free to enter; the staff demonstrating toys on every floor make it an experience, not just a shop.