All places in this area
18 places in this part of town
The Novelty Automation Arcade
An eccentric arcade packed with satirical, hand-built mechanical machines by artist Tim Hunkin. Kids buy copper tokens to operate contraptions like a machine that walks a mechanical dog or an auto-frisking booth.
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Clissold Park & Animal Enclosures
A lovely community park with deer enclosures, goats, aviaries, a splash pad, a wheels park for scooters and a skate park.
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Word on the Water - Floating Bookshop
A 100-year-old Dutch barge on Regent's Canal turned into a moored floating bookshop, with children's books, cosy nooks and rooftop live music on sunny afternoons.
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The British Library (Family Trails)
Book-loving kids will enjoy an hour here among the world's most famous manuscripts, from the Magna Carta to Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and Beatles lyrics, mostly in one ground-floor exhibition hall. There are free weekend family workshops too.
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London Canal Museum & Boat Trip
Housed in a Victorian ice warehouse built for ice cream pioneer Carlo Gatti, this interactive museum lets kids sit inside a replica narrowboat cabin and learn how canal families lived. Try to book your visit to align with one of the museum's seasonal narrowboat trips through the 878-yard-long Islington Tunnel - it's a lovely ride. If not, walk outside to Battlebridge Basin to catch a public London Waterbus down the canal to Camden Market.
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Lightroom London
This four-storey immersive digital art space is a sensory feast - a purpose-built projection space in King's Cross with frequently-changing immersive shows from major artists and creative names - past programmes have included David Hockney's 60-year retrospective, Prehistoric Planet's life-sized dinosaurs, and a journey through David Bowie's world narrated by the man himself. Floor-to-ceiling laser projection and a powerful spatial sound system wrap around you as you wander freely through the space, with each show running on a loop of around 45-60 minutes so you can stay as long as you like. It's welcoming for children of all ages, and there's a St John-run café bar for snacks and drinks afterwards.
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Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 & Foundling Museum
Pair a pop-culture photo opp with rich London history. Start at King's Cross Station for the iconic Platform 9 ¾ luggage trolley photo and shop (there might be a queue but it moves fast). Then walk seven minutes south to the Foundling Museum, which tells the moving story of Britain's first home for abandoned children, founded in 1739 with support from artist William Hogarth and composer George Frideric Handel. The Granary Square fountains are nearby if it's a warm day - its 1,080 choreographed jets are a huge hit with younger kids in summer (bring a spare set of clothes). Coal Drops Yard next door has shops and food for older kids/teens who've outgrown splashing about.
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Rosewood London Art Afternoon Tea
A stunning, sophisticated option for older kids. The pastries are edible masterpieces inspired by famous artists like Hockney or Dali - currently, it's Monet. Kids get their own painter's palette with squeezy tubes of jam and curd, and the cakes are serious works of art - as you'd expect for the price! There's no minimum age, but the set-up is smart and sophisticated and I got the feeling that screaming toddlers wouldn't be overly welcome.
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Arsenal Emirates Stadium Tour
A behind-the-scenes look at the Premier League winners’ home stadium, with touch-screen audio handsets helping explain all. Fans can walk through the home dressing room, take photos in the press conference room, walk down the tunnel, and sit in the manager's pitchside dugout. The ticket price includes entry to the Arsenal Museum, where you can view historic match kits, trophies, and memorabilia from the club's history. Note that stadium tours do not run on home match days.
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Coram's Fields Playground
This 7-acre urban oasis features adventure playgrounds, a city farm with small animals, sandpits, and adults are only allowed in if they're with kids. Its annual free play day includes even more activities, from crafts to bouncy castles and snacks.
See details★ 4.7
Camley Street Nature Reserve
Former coal drop for Kings Cross railway has been transformed into this urban garden, a rich habitat for birds, butterflies, amphibians and plant life, with children's trails, weekend activity drop-ins and a small but lovely cafe.
See details★ 4.6
Kings Cross day out
This redeveloped area is mostly traffic-free, so great for scooting and wandering around the wide areas, fountains, small parks and shops. Pop-up (paid for) events include petanque and curling, our kids always enjoy gaming at the Samsung store in Coal Drops Yard, there are food markets, the Everyman cinema, you can stroll to Camley Street Nature Park, walk along the canal and get snapped with the Harry Potter sign at Kings Cross station. Visit the floating bookshop on the canal, cool off at the Cubbitt Sq fountains and check out the small Handyside playground and birdcafe swing outside KX station for a quick energy release.
See details★ 4.6
British Museum
Houses millions of historic artifacts, including ancient Egyptian mummies and the Rosetta Stone. Grab a free family activity trail map at the Information Desk in the Great Court to turn your visit into an engaging scavenger hunt. Book your (free) ticket online first, you'll probably still have to face a short queue but it moves quickly.
See details★ 4.2
Postal Museum & Mail Rail
London's best rainy-day secret. Ride the Mail Rail — the world's first driverless electric railway — through the original tunnels 70 feet below the streets, which once whisked four million letters a day between Paddington and Whitechapel from 1927 to 2003. The 15-minute ride runs through open-top miniature carriages with audio-visual storytelling along the way, then it's up to the museum galleries for interactive exhibits spanning five centuries of postal history. The current family exhibition, The Jolly Postman, runs into January 2027, bringing the classic picture book to life through an interactive story world. There's also Sorted!, a separate-ticket play space for ages 1–8, if little ones need to burn energy after the ride. The museum and Mail Rail sit in two separate buildings across Phoenix Place from each other, so head to Mail Rail first and check in ahead of your printed time slot. Book online in advance — timed Mail Rail slots regularly sell out on weekends and school holidays.
See details★ 4.6
Grant Museum of Zoology
A 19th-century cabinet of curiosities packed floor to ceiling with over 68,000 animal specimens: a jar of preserved moles, dodo bones, a quagga skeleton and a brain collection. Weird, slightly spooky and compact enough to see in 45 minutes.
See details★ 4.8
Berkhampstead (castle, canal, playground)
Historic market town Berko is a rural day-trip close to northwest London - it has an idyllic canal, castle ruins dating back to 1066, and plenty of family-friendly playgrounds. For history-loving kids, toddlers who enjoy spotting trains and boats, and parents wanting great independent eateries, this is a great day out. Baby parents: leave the buggy behind if you plan to explore the castle ruins, as the path isn't very buggy-friendly, and use a sling instead. Lots of eateries around Lower King's Street if you don't fancy a picnic.
See details★ 4
Woodberry Wetlands
This regenerated urban nature reserve offers smooth, buggy- and scooter-friendly boardwalks surrounded by wildlife, reedbeds, and play areas. It’s ideal for families with young children, birdwatchers, and anyone looking for a fresh, scenic walk. Park near Bethune Road or Lordship Road, bring scooters for the kids to zip along the paths, and don't forget to visit the historic Coal House Café for great coffee and sourdough lunches.
See details★ 4.6
Highgate Wood & Queen's Wood
These twin ancient woodlands offer dens, stick-building spots, and miles of shaded walking trails alongside Highgate Wood's superb playground with dedicated toddler sections, swings, zipline and dual sandpits. Highgate Wood's Pavilion Café has delicious café food and coffee, while the smaller (and quieter) Queen's Wood has a small cafe too.
See details★ 4.7