I wasn’t born in London. But I lived in London from when I was five until I was seventeen, and then again from 21 to 35, and London feels like my (and is my son’s) home town.
So here’s my recommendations for five things to do with the kids if you’re visiting London.
1: Go On A Boat
One of the best ways to experience London is on the Thames. Kids will love the amphibious river tours that depart from the London Eye — vehicles drive into the Thames, turn into boats, tour the river, and then transform again. Alternatively, taking a river bus to Greenwich is a cheap option. From February 2012, you’ll be able to spend the night on a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s pirate ship, the Golden Hind, while the warship HMS Belfast and the tea clipper Cutty Sark will be open for tours in spring.
London Duck Tours
River buses
Golden Hind
HMS Belfast
Cutty Sark
2: See Something Gross
The London Dungeons, by London Bridge, offers a gross and gory tour of the horrors of old London that boys, in particular, will love — it’s halfway between a haunted house and a history show. The Old Operating Theatre offers live demonstrations of 19th century surgery (no anaesthetic!) every Saturday. And the Hunterian Museum houses a collection of bizarre medical specimens and wildlife based on a nineteenth century collection.
London Dungeons
Old Operating Theatre
Hunterian Museum
3: Visit A Free Museum
London’s museums are free and famous. Dinosaur fans will love the skeletons, fossils and animatronic dinos at the Natural History Museum. The Science Museum, right by it, has interactive areas for little kids and tweens-teens. The British Museum provides an insight into ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece; the Museum of London gives onto a Roman wall; the National Gallery and Tate Modern hold world class art collections; and the Imperial War Museum is great for weapons buffs.
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
British Museum
Museum of London
National Gallery
Tate Modern
Imperial War Museum
4: Go Skating in Winter, and Swimming in Summer
During the winter, London offers open air ice skating in atmospheric venues from Somerset House to Hampton Court to the Natural History Museum. In summer, outdoor swimming is a great adventure. The bathing ponds on beautiful Hampstead Heath are open to kids aged eight and over, but the lido nearby on Parliament Hill is open to all.
Somerset House Ice Rink
Natural History Museum Ice Rink
Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds
5: Get Lost
London’s most famous maze is in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace, built almost five hundred years ago by Tudor power broker Cardinal Wolsey. Kids of all ages love the high green hedges, set among dazzling gardens and a royal park with deer in it too. Maze obsessives might want to check out the Crystal Palace maze too, not to mention the giant dino sculptures and the adventure playground.
Hampton Court maze
Crystal Palace
Looking for more inspiration? Check out five things to do with kids in:
Brisbane, Australia
Central Australia
Ambergris Caye, Belize
Kingston, Canada
Vancouver, Canada
Costa Rica
Antigua, Guatemala
Lake Chapala, Mexico
The Netherlands
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Fethiye, Turkey
Boston, USA
New York, USA
Seattle, USA
Sunset Coast, Michigan, USA
Thanks to Kathryn Wright, T Shields, Darren Straight, Andrew Kemp Photography and Science Museum London for the images.
Great post Theodora! I loved London on my own, and loved it more years later with my kids. It’s such a family friendly place and there is SO much to do!
Jennifer Miller recently posted..Five Favourite Places: Kingston, Ontario, Canada (my home town!)
Yes, I kind of cheated with my five…
I will be going to the gross part by myself for now, I couldn’t pass that up. And the free museums are a bonus as well. Nice work. This really helps as I had no idea about this stuff before!
Justin recently posted..My Top 5 Things To Do In Boston With Kids
The London Dungeons are brilliant. I loved them as a kid. Still loved them taking Z as an adult…
My kids are still wimps. I’ll drag them to the dungeons, but i might lose that battle. Either way I am going now.
Justin recently posted..Anybody Know How To Get To Mexico?
Uhoh. See Tracey’s comment below…
Some great ideas, particularly the free ones
thanks for sharing the handy links too.
with2kidsintow recently posted..Our 5 Favourite Winter Activities For Families In Vancouver
Thanks, Jesse. There’s a surprising amount to do for free in London. Which you sort of take for granted until you travel to Australia, North America and the rest of Europe. You can eat for free with the Krishnas, if you’re interested…
Wonderful! Thanks for this post. We’re plannning on visiting London this June so I’m happy to have read this. Hopefully we’ll get to do all 5 when we’re there. Well at least the dungeons and maze tours anyway. :=)I’m so excited!
Jenn Smeenk recently posted..The Importance of School Lunches in France
Hampton Court is really worth a full day in the summer. Not just for the maze. You can tour the kitchens, the tennis courts, all the rooms of an enormous palace and the gardens are aMAZEing…
We have only had our kids to London once but they loved it – In fact, my older daughter is a bit of an Anglophile who says she’s moving to London when she’s older! Great list of things to do – I’d never heard of the Hampton Court maze – it looks like good fun!!
Lisa recently posted..The Gardens of Peterhof Palace
Hampton Court as a whole is wonderful. It’s a bit of a schlep out to deep suburbia, but it was one of the highlights of London when we were kids — and my son loved the maze too.
We are headed back to London next Fall and I can’t wait to check some of these places out with our toddler and his baby brother. I’ve seen a few with just the hubby, but as you know, when you throw a kid into the mix the experience is vastly different and usually so much more enjoyable!
walkingon travels recently posted..Cinder Audio Book Giveaway
Awesome! Thanks for these. We might be in London this year so this will be extremely helpful
Thanks, Caz. When do you think you’re getting to Europe?
The gross part looks really interesting. I have an image in my head of London being very much a historical city, so I love how modern all these things are.
Amy recently posted..Coastal National Park with Kangaroos and Emus
London is still historical — it’s very much an unplanned city, with stuff that’s grown up in the years since it all burnt down in 1666 (and earlier stuff outside the old city boundaries) and fundamentally lowrise with a lot of Victorian architecture. We do have some good pieces of modernist architecture, but it’s nothing like Australian cities. We do not have that riverside skyline of high buildings, although there are a few more coming in.
what a great list!! i’d say, see some theatre. that always makes us happy. thanks for the excellent tips!
wandering educators recently posted..Harold and the Purple Crayon Lands in Minneapolis
Yes! I’m contemplating seeing Noises Off, actually.
I love the boat photo….loooove it! And I am seriously wondering what the gross thing is…! Great ideas we will use someday soon!
That’s not actually mine…
Love this Theodora! Great post of unique places to visit! I had no idea the museums were free, great tip there. I am a descendant of Sir Francis Drake as well so I need to add that boat trip to my must sees.
It’s right by London Bridge, so very easy to get to. But as a descendant, I guess you’d want to spend the night on it, too. Museums are free. And buses are free for kids 11-17, and all transport is free for under 11s, so it’s not as expensive a destination for families as some folk make out.
Great list, Theodora. I haven’t been to London in years (and never with my family) but clearly it’s time to go back. When we do, I’m going to head right for the gross stuff and then follow up with the museums.
I’m bookmarking this post.
Thanks, Renee! I think you will all appreciate the gross stuff… And the museums are great too.
Great Post – Seems like it rivals Kuala Lumpur as a kid friendly destination!
Jeff Watkins recently posted..Holiday Traditions with Expat Kids
It is surprisingly kid-friendly. Apart from our obsession with kids behaving well, which, as an American, you should deal with just fine…
Love the list. My daughter really wants to go to London and these tips are really new to me. Great stuff outside of the usual highlights!
Since discovering Van Gogh by way of 1) Doctor Who and 2) (post-doctor who) the National Gallery, Z’s quite keen to visit the Netherlands, too.
My 10-y-o daughter is all set to see something gross now!
Sophie recently posted..From Aberystwyth With Love
The London Dungeon is just the right level of gross from kids from 6-60…
I really liked how you grouped this guide by themes. Keep us updated post Olympics – I wonder if other kiddie things will pop up as a result of the events.
Diya recently posted..Gaining an Appreciation for Things Handmade
Well, they’ll have an entire site to turn around into something useful, so one would hope there’ll be the odd kiddie thing coming out of it…
I loved ice skating at Hampton Court Palace! These suggestions even work for big kids like me =)
Angie Orth of Angie Away recently posted..Undressed in Egypt | The View From My Soapbox
Yes! I think that’s the case a lot of the time.
Damn I wish I had of known about that maze during our recent visit. That would have been fantastic.
We made it 1/3 of the way through the Dungeons before the kids couldn’t take anymore and we had to leave. It was just a little too much for them. Hopefully in a few years time we can try again.
The Maze is wonderful, as is Hampton Court Palace as a whole, but none of it is at its best in the winter — though it is evergreen, so it does still work. Maybe next time you make it out this side of the globe?
The maze sounds like a lot of fun for my kids
Zablon Mukuba recently posted..Volunteer abroad Airport delays
It’s brilliant. Actually takes a long time to solve if you’re a child, though. (Well, it did for me…)
See something gross – that’s a great idea for kids
Nomadic Samuel recently posted..Hello world!
Because girls like gross too! Honest they do!
What a great list of things to do! As an adult I’d have fun with most of these activities, especially the maze.
Cheryl recently posted..Postcards From Positano.
The maze is great, actually. We must go while we’re in the UK…
Loved this write up ! I was in London twice as a teen ( once in June and once in December ). I preferred the June visit. Do you know of a place called Sussex Gardens? We stayed at a B & B there. My parents took the 4 of us kids to the popular tourist sights : Buckingham Place, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Piccadilly Square, Madame Tussaud’s, Harrods , and we just had to go to the small pubs for Fish and Chips ! I loved how they served the food in rolled up newspapers and handed you vinegar to go with your meal ! All of the places you mentioned in your article sound great . Never knew of these activities and sights. Thanks for sharing, Susan
Susan Verbeeck recently posted..Five Favorite Places to Visit with Kids in Washington D.C. USA
Yes! I know Sussex Gardens, and, of course, I almost mentioned fish and chips. London is definitely much better in summer than in winter, unless you’re local to it.
Is it wrong that I want to do most of the things on here too?
Raymond @ Man On The Lam recently posted..It’s More Fun in The Philippines
No. Entirely healthy.