32 places on the list
Top 10: our best of the bunch
Ranked by our own favourites first, then by how families rate them on Google.
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The Novelty Automation ArcadeArty stuff · Central · 8+Under £5 - 2
The SouthbankArty stuff · Central · All agesFree★ 4.5 - 3
Forty Hall & Myddelton House GardensArty stuff · West · All agesUnder £5★ 4.4 - 4
IkeaArty stuff · Central · Under 13Free★ 4 - 5
Word on the Water - Floating BookshopArty stuff · Central · All agesFree - 6
WickedArty stuff · Central · 13+£15-£30 - 7
Bubble PlanetArty stuff · West · All ages£15-£30 - 8
WeJam - The Family Rockband ExperienceArty stuff · North · All ages£30+ - 9
Regent's Park Open Air TheatreArty stuff · Central · 8+£15-£30 - 10
ABBA VoyageArty stuff · East · All ages£30+
Everything on this list
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.
See detailsWicked
Got a drama-loving tween in the family? This Wizard of Oz prequel is a spectacular, belt-it-out musical extravaganza that will absolutely blow their socks off.
See detailsBubble Planet
We enjoyed a good two hours here - wander through a colourful world of bubbles, glowing rooms, giant inflatables and a lot of photo oppos, plus games to play and - of course - merch to buy. Bubble Planet is an upbeat indoor experience for families who like interactive spaces, silly surprises and a little theatrical spectacle. Teens might enjoy the selfie element. Under 2s are free!
See detailsWeJam - The Family Rockband Experience
Head down the stairs beneath Camden Guitars into a real recording studio for what might be one of the coolest family music bonding experiences in London. You do not need a single ounce of musical talent: smart tech and color-coded instruments mean even total beginners can pick up real electric guitars, bass, drums, and keys instantly. A live session musician guides your family as you jam along to bangers by Queen, Billie Eilish, or Harry Styles, with software dynamically adjusting difficulty levels for each player. At the end, you walk away with professionally mixed audio tracks of your actual performance to brag about ... forever. Or at least make people listen to!
See detailsRegent's Park Open Air Theatre
Britain's only permanent open-air theatre sits right in the middle of Regent's Park, staging a summer season of musicals, Shakespeare and family shows beneath the sky (bring a coat or sunscreen depending on the day - performances go ahead rain or shine). Family-friendly productions and a dedicated Family Takeover Day feature among the summer's line-up alongside bigger name shows, and you can bring a picnic to eat on the lawn or in Queen Mary's Gardens beforehand. Leave plenty of time to find the thearte - it's a walk from the nearest tube through the park with limited signposting.
See detailsABBA Voyage
Forget everything you know about holograms: this bespoke arena built in East London delivers a concert experience that feels 100% real.... even though your brain keeps telling you it's not. We went with a ten and 16 year old, and all enjoyed it: the digital "Abbatars" perform alongside a live ten-piece band, surrounded by arena lighting that bleeds into the crowd. The energy is electric from start to finish - go dressed up if you can! It's packed with non-stop Abba hits that really got every generation in the crowd dancing. Kids aged 6 and up are allowed in the seated sections (strictly no under-3s anywhere in the arena), making it a rare multi-generational hit where kids, parents, and grandparents will be able to boogie and sing along together.
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The Paddington Bear Experience
An immersive love letter to London's favourite marmalade-loving bear. This is pricey - no doubt, but take advantage of cheaper mid-week deals if you can, as our four and six year olds totally loved the Paddington Experience. It's very interactive, beautifully designed, and ends with a cute mini festival. It's definitely not a thrill-seeking adventure, but a charming 60-70 minute treat with lots of perfect details, as you board a train, travel to Windsor Gardens and become part of Paddington's London story, meeting his friends and family and having a wonderful time! (Just shut your kids' eyes at the gift shop: it's PRICEY!)
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Shrek's Adventure! London
Tucked inside County Hall right next to the London Eye, this interactive, actor-led walk-through experience takes kids on a mission to Far Far Away. It starts with a 4D flying bus ride piloted by Donkey, followed by interactive live-action rooms where kids help solve puzzles, meet fairytale characters and save Shrek. Look out for: the 4D magic bus ride, the Poison Apple Pub, and meeting Shrek for a photo at the end.
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The Splash House (UV Paint Battles)
A glorious permission to get utterly messy - there are splash houses around the UK, and London's is in Brentford. Guests gear up in full protective ponchos and goggles before stepping into a dark, UV-lit room filled with glowing fluorescent paints. Armed with brushes, squeeze bottles and paint-filled sponges, kids (and parents) throw, splash and battle each other to create neon canvas masterpieces (and end up glowing head-to-toe themselves). It's a private experience, so your group gets exclusive use of its own room — perfect for family days out, birthdays and group celebrations. No art skills are needed: just turn up, have fun and let the paint fly. Every session includes all materials, protective aprons, music and a finished canvas for each person to take home, and sessions run from age 4 upwards with every child accompanied by a participating adult. Sessions are limited and it's pre-booking only, so check the website for current dates before you go.
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Pottery Café
If you need a quiet, creative sanctuary, The Pottery Café is pure magic. It has sites in Fulham and Battersea, and is one of London's first pottery-painting studios, definitely designed with families in mind. You pick your plain ceramic piece, from mugs and plates to money boxes and animal figurines, and start painting. The glazes get fired in the studio's on-site kilns, ready for pickup a week or so later. We recommend booking a morning slot on a weekday or early weekend if you can, as the studios get louder and busier as the days go on. If you're bringing a baby, opt for a foot-print mug or plate; the staff are seasoned pros at helping you stamp squirmy baby feet onto ceramics without fuss. Aprons are provided, and stencils, sponge stamps, and easy-squeeze bottles make it effortless for toddlers to produce something that actually looks good in your kitchen. Studio fee is £6.50 per painter (covers paints, glazing, and firing) plus the cost of your chosen ceramic item (ranging from £12 up to £35+).
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Polka Theatre
Tucked away in Wimbledon, Polka children's Theatre is one of those gems that actually understands how kids (and parents) operate. It has two spaces: the main stage for bigger kids, and the smaller adventure theatre, which caters brilliantly to toddlers and babies with short, cushion-on-the-floor shows where nobody minds if someone decides to crawl across the stage mid-scene. There's also free indoor and outdoor play - you don’t even need a show ticket to turn up, there’s a free indoor play corner stuffed with books and toys, plus a brilliant sensory garden out back with a wooden climbing frame to let them burn off steam. The cafe is actually great too: clean high chairs, buggy parking and nice food. And shows in the early-years space are capped at 30–45 minutes, with soft lighting and acceptance that toddlers don't sit still. Go for the relaxed slots if you have sensitive kids, the house lights stay up and everyone can move around freely. Walk five minutes down the road to South Park Gardens for a great local playground and a green space if you'd like to afterwards.
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Candlelight Concerts
These atmospheric live classical music performances held in stunning London venues are illuminated by thousands of flickering LED candles. String quartets perform classical renditions of teen-favourite soundtracks: Taylor Swift, Anime Classics, Hans Zimmer, Coldplay, K-Pop and many more.
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Paperdoll Art Studio - splatter painting workshops
Children learn pouring, dripping, flicking and splatter techniques to create their own canvas artwork. Guided by a professional artist, kids splash paint freely while wearing full protective overalls. Includes a 30 × 40cm canvas, paint, protective gear, artist guidance, tickets £45/child.
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God's Own Junkyard
A dazzling, neon-drenched warehouse packed wall to wall with thousands of vintage film props, retro signs and flashing lights. Older kids love it for photos, younger ones just love the lights.
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Matilda The Musical
Witty, slightly dark (it is Roald Dahl, after all!), and incredibly clever - with a brilliant score that'll stick in your head forever - Matilda is a brilliant first West End experience. Kids will be mesmerised by the staging and adults will actually enjoy the jokes. A West End triumph... I've been three times with each of my kids and loved it every time.
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Frameless Immersive Art Experience
Four galleries of interactive, giant projection-mapped art, where masterpieces by Van Gogh and Monet move across the walls and beneath your feet.
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Monopoly Lifesized
Immersive 80-minute walkthrough on a giant Monopoly board, guided by actors through dice-rolling, property buying and escape-room style challenge rooms.
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Twist Museum
This Oxford Street attraction claims to explore how our brains interpret the world through over eighty interactive exhibits - we found it more of an Instagram/Snap hub, full of kids and teens snapping mind-bending photos. But they enjoy doing so - and so will your older kids: you step inside illusion rooms, test sound and perspective tricks, and walk through colour-shifting corridors, everything’s heavily interactive and there are loads of photo opportunities.
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Madame Tussauds London
You'll either love it or hate it... but kids love to take selfies with wax celebrities, the Marvel 4D cinema and a Star Wars zone. There are replicas of the Royal Family and celebs including Harry and Taylor... Plus access to the interactive Marvel Super Heroes 4D Exhibition, Spirit of London Ride, and Chamber of Horrors. Don't waste time in the long queue! Prebook below.
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West End Arts Library - our favourite free central chill spot
West End Arts Library is our favourite hidden London gem — and our favourite free, calm spot in central London. Tucked behind Leicester Square, walk in and head to the back left-hand side of the library, where you'll find a gorgeous kids section with hundreds of brand-new books, all themed around art. There's an entire Little Dreams section — and books for tots to teens, all immaculate, beautifully illustrated, alongside loads of practical art guides for older children who want to learn to draw, paint and design. Most of the books are brand new. Music lovers are covered too: the Westminster Music Library lives upstairs, with instruments you can borrow and play on the spot, from ukuleles to digital pianos. The setting is remarkable as well — this is the street where Sir Isaac Newton once lived, and the library is a quiet, elegant refuge just steps from Leicester Square and the National Gallery. Best of all, everything is completely free. Every Thursday from 3pm to 4.30pm there's a free Little Painters drop-in, where babies and toddlers get stuck into painting activities. On a rainy day it's hard to beat: stock up on books, then take your pick from the galleries, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly all within a few minutes' stroll.
See detailsThe 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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Shakespeare’s Globe
This faithful open-air reconstruction of William Shakespeare's 1599 Elizabethan playhouse on the banks of the Thames features energetic family-friendly storytelling performances, weapon-handling workshops, and affordable standing tickets. Young kids might not last a whole performance, espeiclaly if standing, but with tickets a fiver you might not mind just doing the first half, and get an amazing taste of entertainment from Shakespearean times.
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Disney's The Lion King
The ultimate 'first West End show' experience... Kids and adults alike love this music-filled spectacle: the opening sequence with the animals coming down the aisles is guaranteed to give you goosebumps - look out for deals on 'Disney Mondays' but book when you can - the Lion King is worth every penny.
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Clapham Pottery
Clapham Pottery is a non-profit (so not as pricey as usual clay centres) and gives kids and adults the chance to get really hands-on with clay, from beginner throwing sessions to creative workshops, all in a characterful old chapel. It's messy and slower-paced than many London activities, with a real object to remember the day by. Wear clothes that can handle clay and check the collection or firing arrangements before you leave. Kids’ Classes run after school for children 6+ and on Saturday mornings for children 10+.
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Kedi Studio London
This cool, paint-splattered art and craft studio offers you paint, brushes, printing implements, canvas, ponchos, masking tapes and a canvas - then you chuck paint at the canvas, make a mess and don't have to clean up! We've seen amazing artwork come out of here - and everyone had a great time. Wear your messiest clothes! Teens will love the evening glow in the dark sessions with UV paints.
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The Southbank Centre
Spanning a massive riverside site right next to the Thames, the Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts center and a buzzing hub for family culture in London. Encompassing the iconic brutalist architecture of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Hayward Gallery, the complex hosts a brilliant mix of year-round family programming, free open-air installations, interactive music sessions for toddlers, and public spaces that make it a go-to weekend destination for parents. For key family activities, check out the Clore Ballroom, which has events like WordPlay interactive music and songs for toddlers (ages 0–5), family dance sessions, and inclusive creative workshops. The Riverside Terrace has rotating family-friendly interactive public art installations (like giant sound-reactive ground markers and sculptures. The Hayward Gallery hosts major art exhibitions but also has kid-focused gallery trails and creative morning sessions for schools and families. We love the daytime family dance parties on the Clore Ballroom stage. Combine with exploring the book market and street food right underneath Waterloo Bridge, and don't miss the interactive musical staircase inside the Royal Festival Hall where each step triggers a piano note or sound effect when stepped on. Free musical fun.
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The Wallace Collection
Behind the grand townhouse façade lies one of Europe's greatest collections of arms and armour - there's kids trails and some mesmerising suits of armour, ornate swords and dagger displays. Start off on the basement level where you pick up the free family trail maps and interactive activity backpacks. The courtyard café inside is covered with a glass roof, making it a bright spot for lunch or tea after exploring.
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Mino Pottery Painting & Café
Families can paint their own pottery items like animal ornaments, plates, mugs, and vases in a relaxed cafe setting. While getting creative, you can enjoy specialty coffee, hot chocolates, sweet treats, and cafe plates. There are special weekday sessions for baby hand and footprints.
See detailsIkea
Hear me out for a second here... DO NOT GO ON A WEEKEND OR BUSY PERIOD. But for an easy morning out with a toddler, there's lots to recommend about Ikea. Surprisingly fun for kids who love exploring the miniature room setups, playing in the toy section, and picking out plants or new room decor. And you can conclude the extravaganza with a decent, cheap children's meal that you don't have to make (or clear up).
See details★ 4The Southbank
This vibrant, pedestrian-only stretch along the Thames is filled with street food, buskers, and cultural venues like the Southbank Centre, BFI and Tate Modern which always have child-friendly exhibitions and space to run around in. The Southbank is buggy bliss for parents because there are no stairs to navigate, and plenty of child-friendly chain restaurants to warm up (or cool down) in. There are mini Thames-side beaches to explore too - just don't go for a dip in the not-so-clean river.
See details★ 4.5Forty Hall & Myddelton House Gardens
Located short distances apart in Enfield, these two historic estates include expansive gardens for kids to explore, farm animals, fishing lakes, heritage exhibits, and charming tea rooms. They are ideal for cross-generational family outings - older garden lovers after a gentle afternoon stroll can be lapped by rock-climbing kids - but check opening times online before heading over, and combine both estates into a full day out.
See details★ 4.4
artsdepot
This busy arts centre in North Finchley has a strong programme of children's theatre, especially adaptations of favourite picture books. There are several stages, and a little soft play in the cafe which makes for a free / cost of a coffee morning or afternoon out. It's super inclusive and accessible, with a frequently-changing schedule of shows, exhibitions, dances and more.
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