London with kids

There are cities that are very friendly to visit with children because they offer walks, museums, activities, an easy-to-navigate design ... London it's like that, it's a great city to visit with children. Traveling with children is not easy or cheap, but sometimes the option is to wait for the children to grow up and thus the years fly by.

So, at least from time to time, you have to schedule a trip with children. Get rid of doubts, fears, learn how to do it and enjoy. Who knows? Perhaps we will become experts in organizing holidays with children. Let's see today what to do in london with children.

London with kids

While it is true that today, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many attractions have closed, we can schedule for when this plague passes. The truth is London has many attractions to visit with children and many are free or cheap. Yes, yes, there are also expensive ones, obviously, London is one of the most expensive capitals in Europe, but there is a lot to choose from.

What are the free attractions for children in London? Museums Many of the museums in London are free or receive donations, but they are not required. Unfortunately for some time now the government insists that they be payments so it is advisable to check beforehand. In the most popular museums there are people waiting, but it is still worth it. Among the best London museums for children are the following:

  • Museum of Natural History: It is a huge and wonderful place, starting with the same building where it works, in Victorian style. There is a dinosaur exhibit, an animatronic T-Rex, huge skeletons, and interactive exhibits. It is quieter during school holidays and on weekdays. At Christmas an ice rink is set up out of a carousel.
  • British museum: Ancient Egypt is the best treasure, with the famous Rosetta Stone, but Ancient Greece, Rome and Asian civilizations are also present. The good thing is that the museum has audio guides for children. While you can eat inside, it is not cheap.
  • science Museum: it is next to the Natural History Museum, it is free to enter, and it has two areas for children according to age. For the little ones there are many interactive science activities. It doesn't usually have as much audience as Natural History so you can stop by if you don't like crowds.
  • V&A Museum: It can also be for children although not as much as the previous two. Upstairs there is a display of famous musicians' clothes and you can try on clothes, and downstairs there is an art and design display. It has audio guides, it is a very quiet museum and its cafeteria is beautiful.
  • Tate Modern: Really? Yes, you will love the Wall of Art computer exhibition and if you like Dalí then the collection is very beautiful.

To this list we can add the National Gallery of Art, as long as your children like art or want them to know this world. Beyond these well-known museums we can name a few most unusual museums that children may be interested in: the Children's Museum, with lots of toys to play with, the Museum of Zoology, with hundreds of bones and skeletons, and the Clin Prison Museumk that works in the old and real prison.

On the other hand, a showy event for sure is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and the cavalry parade in Whitehall. Both take place at 11 a.m., but actually the change in Buckingham is a little earlier, 10:30 a.m., because the Wellington Barracks guards leave from there, in front of St. James Park, and at 11 they make the concrete change . These events may also vary by season so it is the parent's job to check schedules.

With children you can also go to get to know Trafalgar Square commemorating this battle during the Napoleonic Wars. It is in central London and has the statue of Admiral Nelson who died in the conflict. The square is a good place to rest and take walks.

Another good walk to do with children is to do the Hop On Hop Off tour. Most of the cars are roofless so if the day is beautiful even better. Tickets are usually flexible and the bus takes you all over the city with entertaining commentary.

Since we are talking about transportation ... How is it convenient to move around with children in London?  Good question. You have to know that the subway is crowded at rush hour (7:30 to 9:30 am and 4:30 to 6:30 pm). Few have elevators that go up and down to the street, in case you have bags or a cart. The double-decker buses can be liked by children, although if you have money the taxi is always convenient. Or an Uber.

It is worth knowing that children under 11 years old accompanied by an adult travel free on buses, metro and DLR, but not on trains where you have to be under 5 years old. To move in London it is advisable, finally, to have the Oyster Card or some other travel card since most attractions are within zones 1 and 2. You can also rent a bike of Boris Bikes, all over town. I do not know if to walk the streets but they are good to see the parks.

With that said, let's get on to the kid-friendly attractions in London. The London Eye and the Sea Life Aquarium they are highly recommended. The ride on the Ferris wheel takes half an hour and the panoramic views are great. It opens from 10 am every day and it is advisable to buy tickets online. In fact, there is a recommended combo: London Eye, cruise and Madame Tussauds museum.

Another recommended attractions is the Tower of London with their macabre stories, or the London dungeonss. A walk along the river it also adds up and just as there are hop on hop off buses, there are also cruises with this methodology. There are more than 10 docks throughout London.

If your children like toys then you have to pay a visit to the Hamley's toy store, the largest in the world, with its seven floors full of toys of all kinds. If you also like Lego, then you have to run to the fifth floor where the six decades of this brand are celebrated.

Another iconic London site is the Londes Zoo, the oldest in the world with more than a million visitors a year. There is a reptile house, an aquarium, lions, lemurs, penguins, monkeys and much more.

The zoo is inside the Regent Park, beautiful site with beautiful gardens, with a vantage point on Primrose Hill that also has beautiful views of the English capital. For the youngest children, a good place to play can be the Princess Diana Memorial Gardens of Wales, for children under 12, with a huge pirate ship.

In fact, London has countless gardens and parks. As you can see, London has a lot to see and do with children of all ages, but you will also see that there are many London classics that have been left out of our list of what to do with children in London.

For example? Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral ... except huge, ancient, religious buildings with tombs appeal to them. Sometimes it depends on what kind of parents they have. My father, for example, loves history, so my travels always include destinations related to their stories.

Finally, London has many theaters Also and when the pandemic passes you can take the children to some children's musical like Harry Potter.

Speaking of this series, you can always get out of town a bit and get closer to the studios. Harry Potter inside the Warner Bros Studios. You can also take them to know stonehenge, 140 kilometers away, Oxford, 83 kilometers away, accessible by train and bus, the costwolds and its picturesque villages ... And the list can go on, you choose. Good luck!


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