Family Days and Experiences
Studio tours, zoos, river cruises, walking tours and the experiences that make a London trip memorable, with honest advice on which ones are worth the money.
London is an excellent city for families, and it is full of experiences that make a trip memorable, from studio tours and zoos to boat trips and walking tours. Not all of them are good value, so our guides explain what you actually get for the price, which age groups each one suits and how to book.
34 guides in this section.
Harry Potter and film
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter
Booking, getting to Leavesden and what you will see.
Harry Potter Filming Locations in London
Platform 9¾, Leadenhall Market and other spots to visit.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Animals and family favourites
ZSL London Zoo
The animals, the tickets and a sensible route.
SEA LIFE London Aquarium
What is inside, the tickets and the combination deals.
The London Dungeon
The shows, the scares and the age advice.
City Farms and the Best Playgrounds in London
Free farms and playgrounds where children can run.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Tours and experiences
Thames River Cruises
Sightseeing boats, dinner cruises and trips upriver.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours: Which One to Choose
How they work, and the public buses that do the same for less.
Jack the Ripper Walking Tours
What the tours cover, and how to choose a good one.
The Best Walking Tours in London
History, street art, food and routes to do on your own.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Tours and things to do
Street Art Tours in Shoreditch
Who paints the walls, and how to find the best ones for free.
Ghost Tours in London
Which ghost walks are good, and which are just pantomime.
Food Tours in London
What a food tour includes, and whether you would do better alone.
Mudlarking on the Thames Foreshore
The rules, the tides, and what turns up in the mud.
Escape Rooms in London
How they work, what they cost and which suit a family.
Ice Skating in London
Winter rinks, year-round rinks, and how early to book.
Boat Hire and Pedalos in London
Rowing boats, pedalos and canoes, park by park.
London with Teenagers
What works for teenagers, and how much rope to give them.
Rainy Day Activities for Children
Indoor places for children that are not another museum.
London's Viewing Platforms Compared
Price, height and view, side by side, including the free ones.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Free, odd and outdoors
Leake Street: London's Legal Graffiti Tunnel
Painting the walls is allowed. What it is like, and when to go.
God's Own Junkyard in Walthamstow
A warehouse of salvaged neon, with a bar in the middle.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Which one should we do?
London Zoo or the Sea Life Aquarium?
The zoo wins for most families. Here is the arithmetic, and the exception.
A Bus Tour or a River Cruise?
Take the river, and take a normal boat. When the bus wins instead.
Madame Tussauds or the London Dungeon?
Neither, for most families. If you must, this is which one.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Small paid things that are actually good
Novelty Automation, Holborn
Homemade satirical arcade machines. The best small thing in Holborn.
Up at The O2: Climbing the Dome
Over the roof in a harness. The age limits and the wind rules matter.
Frameless and Immersive Art in London
Projected paintings at gallery prices. What you actually get.
Outernet and Free Digital Art at Tottenham Court Road
Four storeys of screens, free, above Tottenham Court Road.
Crazy Golf, Social Darts and Indoor Games Bars
Bars with putting greens and dartboards. Prices, and which take walk-ins.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Free for children, if you know where
The Diana Memorial Playground
The pirate ship, free and supervised. Adults cannot go in alone.
Coram's Fields and Central London Playgrounds
No adults without a child. Seven acres of it, in Bloomsbury.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
On and in the water
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Cinema as a reason to go out
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.