Bebopping…
Art Museum · Ages 1+
World-class art museum housing over 2,300 masterpieces from the 13th to 19th centuries, including works by Van Gogh, Botticelli and Rembrandt. Free entry to permanent galleries with family-friendly trails, interactive games for ages 7+, and storytelling sessions for toddlers. Magnificent neoclassical building with vast, peaceful rooms, plenty of benches and creative spaces designed to engage young visitors.
Art Museum · Ages 4+
World-class collection of 220,000 British portraits spanning from Tudor times to the present day, displayed in a stunning refurbished building off Trafalgar Square. Purpose-designed family activities including guided trails for ages 4+, monthly sessions for under-5s, interactive drawing challenges, and creative workshops in the Learning Centre. Step-free accessible throughout with buggy park, changing facilities, and lunchroom for families.
Bookshop · Ages 3+
Europe's largest bookshop spanning six floors with 8+ miles of shelves and over 200,000 titles in an iconic 1930s Art Deco building. The circus-themed children's section occupies two-thirds of the second floor with picture books, board games, toys, LEGO station, and weekly Sunday story time. Multiple cafes and a top-floor restaurant with panoramic London views offer food and drinks throughout the visit.
Railway Museum · All Ages
Award-winning transport museum in a historic Victorian flower market in Covent Garden with 200+ years of London transport history. Features interactive play zones for young children including soft play, role-play vehicles to climb aboard, and simulator experiences; upper galleries showcase historic trams, buses, Underground trains and iconic design. All-access buggy-friendly galleries with engaging hands-on activities across multiple levels.
History Museum · All Ages
One of the world's greatest museums spanning two million years of human history with iconic artifacts including the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies and Parthenon sculptures. The museum offers family-friendly activity backpacks for different ages, interactive explorer trails, and workshops during school holidays. Multiple cafés and restaurants on-site plus a dedicated Ford Centre for Young Visitors with picnic facilities and amenities.
Children's Museum · Ages 3+
Interactive hands-on discovery centre with over 40 exhibits exploring mathematics through puzzles, illusions and challenges. Step inside a giant soap bubble, crack secret codes, play pool on an elliptical table, explore code-breaking and problem-solving zones. Located beneath a railway arch on the South Bank, designed to make maths playful and accessible for all abilities.
Art Museum · Ages 5+
World's largest collection of British art spanning 500 years, from Pre-Raphaelites to contemporary masters like Hockney and Himid. Free galleries welcome families with buggies and young children; family-friendly tours, art trolleys and interactive activities available during school holidays. Quiet room for neurodiverse families and staff who actively encourage children to talk, make noise and explore.
Art Museum · Ages 4+
World-renowned modern and contemporary art gallery housed in a converted 1947-1963 power station beside the Thames. Seven floors of paintings, sculptures and installations by Picasso, Kusama, Matisse and others, with a soaring five-storey Turbine Hall showcasing specially-commissioned pieces. Dedicated family spaces including the Families Welcome Room, interactive activities, multimedia guides, and weekend/school holiday art workshops.
Art Museum · Ages 6+
A world-class art museum housed in a grand 18th-century aristocratic townhouse filled with 5,000+ masterpieces across 28 rooms. Highlights include the famous Armoury with impressive European and Asian weapons and armour, plus paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Fragonard that appeal to all ages. Interactive family trails, multimedia guides, and regular hands-on workshops like armour-handling sessions make it engaging for children, while the intimate domestic setting creates an almost secret-palace atmosphere.
Science Museum · Ages 5+
Free London museum exploring medicine, science, life and art through permanent galleries like Medicine Man and temporary exhibitions. Interactive exhibits blend historical medical artifacts with contemporary art installations, ranging from surgical instruments to works questioning health and human experience. Activity packs available for children ages 5-10; smaller than major London museums so less overwhelming for short attention spans.
History Museum · Ages 1–12
Interactive postal history museum with an immersive Mail Rail ride through 100-year-old underground tunnels beneath London. Features the Sorted! play zone for young children with role-play postal activities, slides, and interactive exhibits. Museum includes original stamps including the Penny Black, a historic mail coach, and themed activities across two floors.
History Museum · All Ages
Four-floor interactive history museum with 2,500+ objects telling stories of British Army soldiers from the 1600s to today. Play Base soft-play area for under-8s features assault course, climbing wall, role-play kitchen and army vehicles. Hands-on activities including marching drills, tank driving and craft workshops keep all ages engaged.
Theatre · Ages 0–18
UK's leading professional theatre dedicated exclusively to young audiences aged 6 months to 18 years. Purpose-built 2005 venue with two theatres, education studio, and rehearsal spaces presenting original, innovative productions year-round. Speciality programmes include baby shows, interactive workshops, and international touring productions.
Art Museum · All Ages
World's largest museum of decorative arts and design, with 2.8 million objects spanning 5,000 years of global creativity across fashion, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture and more. Features iconic galleries like the Cast Courts with full-scale casts of Renaissance masterpieces and the glittering Jewellery Gallery with 3,500+ pieces. Free family activities, trails, and interactive backpack programs (including award-winning 'Agent Animal' backpacks for under-fives) encourage exploration at all ages.
Natural History Museum · All Ages
World-renowned natural history museum with over 80 million specimens spanning 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, housed in stunning 1881 Victorian architecture. Iconic exhibits include Hope the 25-metre blue whale skeleton, the Dinosaur Gallery with animatronic T. rex, Earth's Treasury with minerals and gems, and revamped gardens showcasing evolution. Four colour-coded zones with over 20 galleries, interactive exhibits, Explorer Backpacks for children under seven, and family-friendly amenities throughout.
Science Museum · All Ages
World-class science museum with free general admission featuring interactive galleries including The Garden (sensory play for ages 3-6), Pattern Pod for young explorers, Wonderlab's hands-on shows, IMAX cinema, and cutting-edge exhibits on space, medicine, transport and technology. Four floors of engaging displays with live demonstrations, historic artifacts including spacecraft, and activities designed for curious minds of every age.
Theatre · Ages 3–12
A 50-seat marionette theatre housed inside a converted Thames barge moored at Little Venice. String puppets bring traditional tales and original stories to life on an intimate stage. The experience begins with climbing aboard the barge—descending below the waterline into a magical setting with retired puppets adorning the walls and a golden curtain awaiting the show.
History Museum · All Ages
Free museum exploring 400 years of English domestic interiors from 1600 to the present, set in beautiful 18th-century Grade I-listed almshouses with interactive displays and recreated period rooms. Includes gardens showing historical garden styles from Tudor knots to modern greens, plus dedicated children's play spaces with sensory explorer backpacks, a Reading Lounge with role-play areas, and dressing-up stations. Molly's Bar & Kitchen serves food on site.
Theatre · All Ages
Former town hall now operating as an experimental theatre and cultural hub. Home to The Bees Knees, a dedicated indoor play space for 0-5s and carers. Features relaxed performances with access information about running time, content and sensory environment, plus a chill-out space available anytime the building is open.
Children's Museum · Ages 0–14
Interactive, hands-on museum co-designed with children, where visitors explore design and creativity through three permanent galleries (Imagine, Play, Design) filled with sensory playscapes, performance stages, construction zones, and touchable exhibits. Winner of Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024. Historic red-brick building recently transformed with spaces tailored to babies through teenagers.
History Museum · All Ages
Interactive maritime history museum in a 200-year-old Grade I-listed warehouse exploring London's River Thames, docks, and global trade from Roman times to Canary Wharf. The Mudlarks gallery features soft play, water tables, and role-play for under-8s; Sailortown recreates atmospheric 19th-century riverside streets. Multiple themed galleries, activity trails, and monthly free toddler sessions bring history to life across five floors.
Maritime Museum · Ages 4+
The world's last surviving tea clipper, built in 1869 and now a museum ship raised 3 metres above ground to walk beneath its gleaming copper hull. Explore the decks and rigging, meet costumed historical characters, and handle pieces of authentic maritime history. Interactive exhibitions bring the ship's seafaring legacy to life, with views of the River Thames from on board.
Maritime Museum · All Ages
The UK's largest maritime museum with 14 galleries housing 500 years of seafaring history and treasures. Interactive children's galleries including AHOY! for ages 0-7 with climbing, water play and role-play; All Hands gallery for ages 6-12 where kids can steer ships and fire cannons. Ocean Map, sea-themed Cove playground, and daily family activities bring maritime adventures to life.
Natural History Museum · Ages 3+
Victorian life-size prehistoric creature sculptures from 1854, including dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, and extinct mammals set among artificial islands in lake landscapes. The world's first full-scale 3D reconstructions of extinct animals, meticulously restored Grade I listed monuments. Wander through specially designed geological landscapes with around 30 sculptures across themed islands representing different geological eras.
Aviation Museum · All Ages
Britain's premier aviation museum housing over 100 legendary aircraft from WWI to present day across six historic hangars. Sit inside a Spitfire cockpit, experience a 4D aerial battle, and test piloting skills on flight simulators. Aviation-themed outdoor playground, interactive hands-on galleries, family trails, and SEND-friendly backpacks available.
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