The lovely thing about living in London is it caters to whatever you need, and the same goes for families. We feel lucky to raise our kids with London as our playground. Endless parks, museums, kids clubs, restaurants, and friendly people (and pups, of course) to make any outing enjoyable.
These are some of our favorite places, tried and tested, and always hard to leave!
The Best Museums for Kids (and my tips for each)
Natural History museum – Use the exhibition road entrance, and have a plan for what you want to see. It’s always crowded, but you can find some more peaceful spots in the wildlife garden (open during warmer months) or the gem and minerals hall. Don’t forget to walk upstairs to the very top for that famous view – one of my favorite viewpoints in London.
Science Museum – Wonderlab opened last year catering to kids all ages featuring hands-on activities, including three slides to educate kids about friction. Amazing. Day passes at £8. Downstairs is a another interactive learning space, The Garden, with water play and plastic boats, building blocks, and other fun perfect for babies – 5.
Victoria & Albert museum – Head to the education desk to pick up a themed backpack with activities to help your kids get creative in seeing the treasures of the V&A. I always learn from the backpacks, too, and there are a range of backpacks geared towards different ages.
London Transport Museum – Home to one of my favorite gift shops, my kids have always loved this museum. Lots of hands-on activities and a big double decker play bus where kids can role play being a bus driver or a chef or a number of other things. We really love it here, and once you buy tickets, they are good for a year.
Playgrounds
You are never too far from a playground in London. Some are hidden away, and some are more obvious like the Diana Memorial Playground with the pirate ship near Notting Hill. This is also where I sat next to Adele while our kids played together and I was too starstruck to say anything to her. Can you imagine?! Here’s my proof. Yes, it’s Adele’s back. You just have to trust me on this one, ok.
We love the adventure playground in Holland Park complete with roaming peacocks, and when we want to get out of our neighborhood, we’ll head to Hampstead Heath for their fun playground (and paddling pool in the summer) or one of the many playgrounds around Regents Park (our favorite is the playground with the huge slide on the Southeast end of the park).
Afternoon Tea
Feeling like some tea and cake? We’ve experienced some of our favorite afternoon teas with our children (and one of the worst when our three year old was NOT having it – you win some, you lose some).
Our favorite places for afternoon tea are the Palm Court at Langham London (best scones in London and kids get Hamley’s teddy bears) and the Science afternoon tea at The Ampersand Hotel. Or if you just want a quick cake, get to Peggy Porschen for their seasonal cupcake or Hummingbird for the black bottom cupcakes, trust me.
Off the Beaten Path
Hyde Park horse stables – Book riding lessons in Hyde Park or just pop over to the mews where the horses live and say hello. The staff are very friendly and welcoming to visitors.
Electric cinema kids club – Big cushy armchairs, bins full of sweets, but book at least a week in advance.
Greenwich day out – Ride the ferry to Greenwich, walk onto a real 19th century sailing ship – the Cutty Sark, walk to the top of Royal Greenwich park for the views (and the royal observatory if you have time), visit the food markets, and another favorite museum – the National Maritime Museum.
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