Last Updated: June 26, 2022
We regularly visit London as we have family there and it’s just such a fun place to explore with kids. And it’s one of our favourite cities to visit in Europe as a family. But a lot of people consider London an expensive place to visit and feel they might not have the cash to explore it properly. But this isn’t necessarily true.
The first thing we do when we know we’re visiting an expensive place is research any free or very cheap activities to do and any cost hacks that will save us money while we’re there to keep within our budget.
This means that we can stay for longer in our destinations or have money spare to splurge on something we might not have otherwise been able to. And we can safely say that London has an abundance of free activities to choose from for families.
Below is some of our favourites. So if you’re looking for a family trip to London, that won’t break the bank, read on for our best free and cheap activities to do in London with kids.
Royal Observatory
[Free section available or £16 per adult, £8 for 4-15 years & free for under 4s]
| Type of Activity? | Sightseeing/Historical/Outdoors/Indoors |
| What is it? | An observatory overlooking Greenwich Park and is the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) |
| Where is it? | Greenwich Park. Nearest underground station is ‘Cutty Sark’ on DLR line. Nearest Rail Stations are ‘Greenwich’ and ‘Maze Hill’ (Step free ramp access and lifts at both of these rail stations). There is also a carpark located at Park Row (post code SE10 9NG). |
| When to go? | Open all year (maybe closed on some holidays) from 10.00am-5.00pm. Get there early and/or go on a weekday to avoid the crowds. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code |
| What to Take? | A picnic and a picnic blanket |
This is where you can come to see the meridian line in Greenwich which is the line that divides the eastern and western hemisphere.
This is a pretty cool place to visit with older kids learning about latitude and longitude, geography, history and the importance of being able to measure time.
You can pay to go inside, but there is a free section of the meridian line that is just next to the entrance of the Royal Observatory, behind a black gate.
There’s also amazing panoramic views of the city to be seen at Greenwich view point which is right next to the the entrance as well. Why not take a packed lunch and picnic while you take in the sights.
Natural History Museum
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Cultural/Indoors |
| What is it? | Museum |
| Where is it? | South Kensington. Main entrance is on Cromwell Road (step-free access) and another entrance is on Exhibition Road (step-free access). Nearest tube station is South Kensington (On District and Circle lines) and is a 5 min walk from main entrance (however, no step-free access and no lift access). Gloucester Road station (On District and Circle lines) is a 12 minute walk from main entrance (no step-free access/lift access available). Also, there is limited disabled (blue badge holder) parking which can be booked in advance through the museum. |
| When to go? | Open Daily from 10.00am-5.50pm, Closed 24-26 December. Get there early and/or go on a weekday to avoid the crowds. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code. |
| What to Take? | A packed lunch. |
The Natural History Museum is amazing and our kids never get tired of coming back here.
The dinosaur section is great for dinosaur obsessed kids. There is a dinosaur trail where you will see plenty of roaring life like dinosaur replicas on display. And an array of fossils and facts to keep children and adults alike entertained.
Save money by bringing snacks to eat in the packed lunch area inside. When we come here, we usually leave out of the Exhibition Road exit and then combine it with a visit to the Science Museum.
Science Museum
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Educational/Indoors |
| What is it? | An interactive discovery centre to learn about Science |
| Where is it? | South Kensington. Entrance is on Exhibition Road. Nearest tube station is South Kensington (On District and Circle lines) and is a 5 min walk from main entrance (however, no step-free access and no lift access). Gloucester Road station (On District and Circle lines) is a 15 minute walk from entrance (no step-free access/lift access available). |
| When to go? | Open Daily (maybe closed on some holidays) from 10.00am-6.00pm (last entry at 17.15pm). Get there early and/or go on a weekday to avoid the crowds. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code |
| What to Take? | Packed lunch. |
So many interactive tools in the Science Museum to entertain everyone from babies and toddlers to teens and adults. There’s the wonder lab (extra charge), aircraft simulators (extra charge) along with lots of free exhibits to explore.
A great favourite among little ones (age 3-6) is The Garden which is a science wonderland for little minds; water play, construction, shadow play and more is available for them to get some hands on learning done!
Buckingham Palace
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Cultural/Historical/Outdoors |
| What is it? | The Queen of England’s palace. |
| Where is it? | Borough of Westminster. Green Park tube station (on Piccadilly and Victoria line) is the closest (lift access) and is a 10 minute walk. |
| When to go? | Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday at 10.43am (and lasts for an hour) for changing of the guards. Arrive around half an hour beforehand to get a good view. Occasionally times do change so check your day in advance. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code |
| What to Take? | Camera |
The palace is a must for my kids when we visit London. It’s so exciting for them. We love to go to see a changing of the guards as it’s such a fun thing for the kids to see, it’s entertaining and it’s free! Why not combine with going to Hyde Park afterwards.
Bike ride through Hyde Park
[Free entrance/from £2.00 for bike hire]
| Type of Activity? | Leisure/Sports/Outdoors |
| What is it? | Cycling bikes around a beautiful London park |
| Where is it? | Hyde Park. Closest station is ‘Hyde Park Corner’ (step free access) and brings you out, right next to the park. |
| When to go? | Bike hire is available 24/7, 365 days a year. |
| What to Wear? | Comfortable clothing and shoes for riding a bike and a helmet if you have one. |
| What to Take? | Picnic, helmet, kids bikes or scooters if needed for smaller children. |
Hyde Park has lot’s of red Santander bikes currently and they are fun and easy to get around the park to take in the sights. If you have older kids then they may be tall enough to use them, our 11 year old was able to cycle on them pretty easily.
They do have a cost of £2.00 for a bike for unlimited journeys for a duration of 30 minutes. Then an additional £2 for each additional 30 minutes.
If it’s a hot day, why not stop by the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountains where you will see plenty of children (and a fair few adults!) in there, having a splash and a play.
Kensington Gardens
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Leisure/Outdoors |
| What is it? | A 107 acre garden, situated to the West of Hyde Park with an amazing playground. |
| Where is it? | Central London. Queensway tube station is the closest and is a 4 minute walk to Kensington Gardens. |
| When to go? | Diana Memorial Playground is open 10.00-19.45 |
| What to Wear? | No dress code |
| What to Take? | Nuts! |
Another great place to visit is Kensington Gardens and visiting here could be combined with Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park as they are all in quite close proximity tot each other.
For younger kids, you are definitely going to want to visit Diana Memorial Playground. It’s a gorgeous gated playground with a huge wooden pirate ship in the centre and lots of sand for them to play with.
The gate is guarded by security that are making sure only adults that have a child with them are permitted to enter making it feel very safe and relaxed inside.
As well as the playground, the grey squirrels that hang out in Kensington Gardens are known for being tame and are usually very confident to come over to people so make sure to pack some nuts.
Deer Spotting at Richmond Park
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Leisure/Outdoors |
| What is it? | A nature reserve with woodland, grassland and wildlife. |
| Where is it? | Richmond. The nearest tube station is Richmond station (District line), it has lift access and is a 25 min walk. There are also lots of various buses that can get you within closer proximity of the park. |
| When to go? | Open all year. For cars, open 7am-dusk in summer and 7.30am-dusk in winter. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code, but walking shoes recommended. |
| What to Take? | If going during colder months, waterproofs and wellies/walking boots. And a picnic. |
The first time we came here, I had no idea that we would see any wild deer in the park, in the middle of London! We were so close to them having our packed lunch and there was no-one else around – it was magical.
We’ve since been back quite a few times and have always spotted lots of deer each time so there’s a very good chance of seeing them.
It’s a big park so it’s definitely a lot of walking for little legs, but it’s a beautiful place to get away from the crowds for an afternoon.
Harry Potter Walking Tour
[Pay as you feel]
| Type of Activity? | Harry Potter/Recreational/Walking/Outdoors |
| What is it? | A ‘Harry Potter’ themed tour that involves a knowledgeable tour guide taking you round locations that featured in the films and also pointing out buildings, streets, London history that formed inspiration for the books. |
| Where is it? | The tour usually begins outside the Palace Theatre on Shaftsbury Avenue. |
| When to go? | The tours run multiple times a week. |
| What to Wear? | Comfy shoes and your favourite Harry Potter gear. |
| What to Take? | A Camera |
Me and my eldest are big Harry Potter fans and we’ve done Harry Potter walking tours twice now with Strawberry Tours – they do not disappoint. It’s pay as you feel and you pay at the end of the tour.
Make sure to come dressed in your best Hogwarts gear and if you don’t have any Slytherin robes, Gryffindor sweaters, Hufflepuff scarfs or Ravenclaw T-shirts and you fancy some to wear on the tour – head to Oxford Road Primark beforehand to check out their immense Harry Potter range at budget friendly prices.
Get involved at Leicester Square
[Free]
| Type of Activity? | Recreational/Window Shopping/Arts |
| What is it? | A popular shopping square in Central London with many performers. |
| Where is it? | Leicester Square |
| When to go? | Afternoon/Evening |
| What to Wear? | No dress code |
| What to Take? | Camera |
Leicester Square is amazing for ‘people-watching’ as there’s always something going on and that includes loads of street artists street performances for tourists and Londoners alike.
The atmosphere is great and you can watch from the side-lines or you might even be able to join in, like on one of our visits. When on the day we were leaving, me and my eldest decided to go for a wander on our own for the day and have mooch around before getting the train back.
We were checking out Leicester Square and visiting a few of the big stores like the Lego and MnM shop. When we came outside, we noticed all the entertainers performing in the square and spent the rest of our time watching their performances and my eldest even got involved in the show.
Ferry across the Thames
[Under 5s travel free, from £7.70 for an adult and from £3.85 for a child aged 5-15]
| Type of Activity? | Transport/Sightseeing |
| What is it? | Uber ferry ride across the Thames river |
| Where is it? | The ferry runs between East/Central/West London via 23 piers between Putney to Woolwich (Royal Arsenal). There is step free access/wheel chair accessibility on every boat and ever pier except the following piers; Cadogan, London Bridge City and Wandsworth Riverside Quarter. |
| When to go? | They run every day and are very frequent. |
| What to Wear? | No dress code. If you want to go up on the top deck, wear something warm. |
| What to Take? | Camera |
Instead of doing a Thames River Cruise Tour which can get quite pricey, we take the Uber Ferry by Thames Clippers from Greenwich to London Eye stop or vice versa and it’s definitely a fun way to travel around.
There’s an indoor section downstairs to shelter from bad weather and there is an outdoor area up on the top deck to get some great views of some of the main sites, like Tower Bridge.