Although we often plan pretend travel days for our kids we love real days out too. And one of our favourite places to visit is London. I lived in London as an adult for 15 years before moving to the North West and so I like to think I know it well – though with London you are always learning! Here are some of our top tips when visiting London with kids – better still – without spending a single penny (unless you want to). Living in London as a student meant I quickly discovered how many things are free if you look. So here is how to entertain kids for free in London.
playgrounds
Use google maps to find local playgrounds. Local playgrounds are free, fun and run off some of the energy my kids have before we take them for a meal or to a museum. We have found playgrounds near to Marylebone, the Tower of London (which we visited in Costume), Camden, in Hyde Park and everywhere you can imagine. Most recently we discovered this one under the London Eye – and it’s not only a great location but a brilliant playground too. As an added bonus our kids have often made local friends (one asked if we were Scottish – I guess all northerners sounds the same.)
museums and art galleries
Most museums and art galleries (like the national gallery) are free and just ask for donations. At the time of writing they are about to reopen and need to be booked in advance. My favourites are the British Museum (because Classics) and the National Portrait Gallery because it’s the perfect size for kids, has pictures of interesting people you can talk about and has a great shop. My kids really love them – Penny especially since she was very small is fascinated with them and she can’t wait to go back!
Have a picnic in the Park
I lived in London for 15 years and in the warmer weather this is an absolute favourite thing to do of mine. The big parks are Regents Park and Hyde Park but you can use google maps to find smaller parks (just be aware that many are private). You can hire a boat in Regents Park and Hyde Park – or a deck chair if you are feeling lazy. Or you can head to Hampstead Heath and have a wander round the gorgeous little streets of Hampstead afterwards. There are a many brilliant pubs round the parks too – the Holly Bush in Hampstead is my absolute favourite and I have a fondness for the Edinboro Castle by Regents Park too.
Penny and Freddie love the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park. We have to visit him every time we come to London and I tell them the story of how he heard his future being planned while in his pram in Hyde Park and ran away resolving to stay a little boy forever.
The South Bank.
The South Bank always has new and exciting things to see. Take a bus or tube over to Waterloo and follow the signs to the waterfront. Every visit is a surprise and I have seen free live performances, played in a pretend beach, picked up an ice cream, discovered a German Christmas market and the list goes on. It’s pedestrianised with makes such a big difference when you have kids – and while they should never run off you can at least let go of their hands! You also get to wander down by the river with wonderful views across and you can head all the way up to Tower Bridge if you are feeling adventurous.
Go hungry – there are some amazing street food markets around and I recently had the best fried shrimp I had ever eaten.
Camden Market.
Camden market is a lot cleaner than it was back in the 1990s when I first moved to London. But it’s still buzzing, fun, multicultural and full of colour and light. Wander around taking in the markets stalls and different foods (and the samples). We like to start in Hampstead and walk down Haverstock Hill. It’s a longish walk but it’s all down hill at least! Penny loves spending her pocket money in the various stalls (she bought a rainbow ring for 69p) and we found an amazing sweet shop recently which also sells ice creams. The perfect way to bribe little ones – and you can pick up a cold beer and perch on a wall looking at the amazing people who are still present in this fantastic place.
And so these are my top tips for the perfect London adventure. I would also recommend walking as much as possible – it’s when you walk that you discover the unexpected and the best adventures happen! For more awesome money saving travel tips then look here and if you fancy a day trip from London, look how easy it is to discover the best beaches near London.
This would be amazing
We are hoping to visit London this year with our teens. We can’t wait to be tourists!
My grandchildren would love a day out in London as it would be a day to remember
Would love to take my grandkids to london , i think they would love i t
I think so too! There is so much to see x
my son loves London and especially loves the london eye
I can’t wait to take my kids on the London Eye! X
Nice to explore London for a family day out 🙂
Great giveaway, fingers crossed.
This would be lovely for my granddaughter
Our boys would love this, London was such an exciting place to explore, hope its back to normality soon
It started to feel normal this weekend. Fingers crossed x
London does have so much to offer.
love London so much!
Wow, this prize is fabulous!
Such an incredible prize xx
I love walking down the river near big Ben, towards China Town, it’s quite a big walk for little ones, but there are loads of things to look at.
We live on the outskirts of London and we really fail to make the most of it. This was a great read and has re-ignited my urge to go and discover the gems with the children. My eldest (11) loves trains and buses so he would love this (armed with his video camera!!)
Oh wow!! We are huge Lego fans in our house, my son would love this set! 🙂
Fabulous prize, my friend’s son would love this.
I love visiting London but it’s so far!
Wouldn’t be London without a red bus!
There are some lovely parks in London which are perfect for an afternoon of fun and games and a picnic
We’ve never been to London but would absolutely love to go!
My daughters would love this set!
My son would love this. I would enjoy helping him 😀
My children love Lego. They’d enjoy this
It will be a nice surprise for my little son.
My 6yo son would absolutely love this lego set!
My grandchildren would really enjoy making this bus!
Our girls will be thrilled MANY many thanks for your generosity
My children would love to build this bus!
I can’t wait to take my kids to London they will love it!
Love London Buses !
We would love this to add to out grandson ever growing collection of Lego
Would go so well with our london eye lego
Would love this for our collection
I would love this for my nephew he loves Lego and he loves going on the bus! 🚌
This looks amazing
Love Lego and Love the London bus. This is an amazing prize but also a great blog – some new places to take the siblings when we visit London after Lockdown!
Thank you so much for reading x
So much to do in London
My son would love this
Great giveaway – thank you for the chance!
My youngest daughter would love this
I agree with the walking , and go down side streets or mews, you can find absolute gems of little shops, unusual architecture, and remember to look up because roofs and chimney pots can actually be things of beauty.
That’s so true! And your comment reminds me of Mary Poppins and the chimney sweeps. Thanks so much for visiting my blog x
can’t wait to be back in London later this year – would be a nice little project to keep my son entertained after a busy day
Would be a lovely gift for my nephew, his favourite treat is going on buses
My little boy loves buses too!
cool giveaway
My boys would absolutely love this
Love a day trip to London, havent been for a few years
Excellent blog post, very informative
lovely prize –red london buses are so iconic
Would love to be lucky .
We’re off to London this Sunday just to wander round and see the sites. It feels like a wonderfully normal thing to do.
My son seth would love this
i wish i could go!
My little niece had never been on a bus until I took her on a red London Bus when she was eight! We sat upstairs (of course!) and she absolutely loved it.
Who doesnt love lego and who doesnt love our capital . Great prize
We’re hoping to visit the museums and go on the London Eye soon
My little boy loves red buses. He chose a hamleys redbus when we were last in London
Cool giveaway love it and how doesn’t love lego, so cool it a London bus classic.
Sound fantastic
An amazing experience for young and not so young.
I love London. Always so much going on, and plenty to do and see for people of all ages.
This would be so lovely to win 🙂
Looks so much fun, my daughter would love this
Wonderful!!
A fab set for my Lego mad son. He loved our visit to London 2 years ago and would love this as a reminder.
Can’t wait to take my daughter to London next month
Thanks for a fab giveaway, im new to your blog but wow you cram so much into your weekends its amazing I will be back every week now
We love walking around London. There’s always something new around each corner
We always love roaming London, would absolutely love this
Love this would keep us occupied for a while
We have always loved das out in London, there’s so much to discover and do!
So much to see in London so can’t wait to take my grandson when he is slightly bigger.
We love London, can’t wait to take my family for some sightseeing again. Would love to build this lego bus with my son.
What a lovely post, full of great ideas.
This is fantastic love London used to visit as a girl brilliant memories, my son loves buses he would love this
Some great ideas
We love exploring London and my fiancé is from white chapel. Our sons never been and is dying to go and see all the sights his Dad tells him about.
So much to see and do in London for ALL ages! Looking forward to taking my grandkids and of course we will have to go on a bus ride too!
My son & partner would be thrilled with this!
Having lived and worked in London for years, I only really appreciated it when I stated following the occasional art trails they do across London – Shaun the Sheep and Paddington being my favourites
Love to spend time in London. So much to do and see. Great to travel there by train as well.
Perfect for my recently adopted little nephew
I love London and I can’t wait to take my son and show him around. Such fun!
Amazing! I love London and hope to take my little boy when he’s a bit older
We live in London and never tire of it
My son is obessed with buses so would love this
I love London, but living in Northumberland, I dont visit very often. Love the lego bus!!
I love this bus and I love London xx
Love London not been for a while can not wait to go back down one day.
my sons love london and there’s a lot there to do x
So much to do in London! I am well overdue my next visit!
You really can’t beat London for a fabulous family day out. So many things to see and do x
There’s always plenty to do in London and some fantastic food and places for a drink.
The red bus is such an iconic part of London- I can’t wait to see them again and take my daughter on one!
It’s a really useful post for things to do in london
I know who would love this as a surprise. I will have to resist the urge to keep it for myself!