London has never been short on spectacle, but 2026 is shaping up to be a knockout year for families. From blockbuster museum reopenings and cutting‑edge immersive experiences to revamped playgrounds and kid‑kind food halls, the capital is doubling down on fun for younger visitors – and the grown‑ups who trail after them.
For parents, carers and anyone plotting a child-centric city break, the choice can feel overwhelming. That’s where Time Out Worldwide steps in. Drawing on our global network of editors, local writers and expert parents on the ground, we’ve sifted through the pop-ups, permanent hits and under‑the‑radar gems to bring you the 50 very best things to do in London with kids in 2026.
This isn’t a list of rainy‑day afterthoughts or tired tourist traps. It’s a snapshot of what makes London one of the world’s most exciting playgrounds: world‑class culture scaled for small attention spans, parks that double as adventure zones, shows that spark imaginations, and neighbourhoods where you can turn an ordinary afternoon into a story they’ll retell for years. Whether you’re wrangling toddlers, tweens or hard‑to‑impress teens, these are the experiences that earn you instant hero status – and prove that London still does family fun better than almost anywhere else.
Iconic London landmarks that still wow kids in 2026
London’s big hitters haven’t lost their magic – they’ve simply upgraded it. Kids can now scan QR codes along the South Bank to trigger AR time‑portals that reveal how the London Eye was built,or step into immersive story pods beneath Tower Bridge where the river speaks in different voices. At Buckingham Palace, weekend “mini‑guard” parades invite children to march alongside the band (plumed helmets optional), while a new, family‑friendly route through the Tower of London trims the gruesome bits and leans into crown jewels, ravens and interactive escape-room clues.With snack stops, buggy parking and sensory‑friendly sessions baked into planning, these grand old icons now feel built around young visitors rather than just tolerating them.
Parents chasing maximum wow-factor in minimum time can hit multiple landmarks in one loop along the Thames,turning a simple walk into a blockbuster day out. Try linking a riverboat hop between Big Ben, the South Bank and the Tower with kid-approved pit stops and hands-on experiences, like LEGO skyline challenges and mini photography missions. Use the classics as launchpads for curiosity – counting languages on tube maps at Westminster, decoding royal crests at Horse Guards Parade, or timing a selfie with the chimes of the Elizabeth Tower. For fast planning, the guide below highlights which icons score highest with different types of young Londoners:
- Best for little history buffs: Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms
- Best for thrill seekers: London Eye, The Slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit, River Thames speedboats
- Best for view hunters: Sky Garden, Primrose Hill, the Shard viewing platform
- Best for royal-watchers: Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Changing of the Guard
| Landmark | Kid Wow-Moment | Top Tip |
|---|---|---|
| London Eye | Spot toy-sized buses from the top | Book twilight slots for city lights |
| Tower Bridge | Glass floor over the traffic below | Time your visit for a bridge lift |
| Tower of London | Ravens, jewels and armour | Join the first Yeoman Warder tour |
| Buckingham Palace | Guards’ uniforms and marching band | Arrive early for front-row railings |
Hands on museums and science spots where children can touch everything
London’s most exciting learning spaces are built for smudgy fingerprints and wide eyes, not hushed corridors and velvet ropes. From the interactive Wonderlab at the Science Museum – where kids launch rockets, summon lightning and race melting ice – to the color-splashed construction zones at the Young V&A, these venues turn education into a full-body sport. At the London Transport Museum, children clamber into vintage buses and Tube carriages, scanning mock Oyster cards and playing driver, while KidZania in Westfield lets them try out bite-sized careers, from pilot to radio presenter, in a mini city scaled down to kid-height.
For mini engineers and future coders, there are robotics workshops, coding corners and maker labs scattered across the city’s cultural big-hitters, many of them free or donation-based. Parents can plan days around action-packed galleries where pushing buttons is not just allowed but actively encouraged, and staff are primed with demos, experiments and hands-on props. The result: screen-free immersion that still feels bang up to date. Below are a few standout stops where “Don’t touch!” has been firmly retired:
- Science Museum – Wonderlab: Live shows, giant slides and gravity experiments.
- Young V&A: Design studios, dressing-up zones and build-it-yourself installations.
- London Transport Museum: Playful “Drive the train” simulators and interactive city maps.
- KidZania London: Role-play jobs with uniforms,mini salaries and “on-air” studios.
| Spot | Best For | Ideal Age |
|---|---|---|
| Science Museum Wonderlab | Big, noisy experiments | 6-12 |
| Young V&A | Creative play & design | 3-11 |
| London Transport Museum | Transport-mad kids | 4-10 |
| KidZania | Role-play careers | 7-13 |
Hidden green spaces and outdoor adventures beyond the usual parks
Leave the crowded playgrounds behind and duck into London’s pocket jungles, where kids can clamber, forage and get properly muddy. Slip into the Camley Street Natural Park wetlands behind King’s Cross for pond-dipping sessions and mini-beast safaris, or head east to Phytology in Bethnal Green, an apothecary-style meadow project where young city dwellers learn which plants heal, sting or smell unexpectedly like sherbet. On the Overground fringes,Tottenham Marshes and Walthamstow Wetlands swap soft play for herons,reed beds and the occasional fox padding across the towpath at dusk,while the railway arches of Dalston Eastern Curve Garden turn into a lantern-lit storytelling den after dark.
- Hackney City Farm back fields – meet the goats, then sneak off to hunt for bugs under the willows.
- Isle of Dogs river beaches – low-tide sand, driftwood forts and constant DLR trains overhead.
- Woodberry Down Reservoir trails – paddleboarding for teens, lakeside bug-hunts for under-10s.
- Meanwhile community gardens in Vauxhall and Peckham – pop-up green labs for urban gardeners-in-training.
| Spot | Best For | Age Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Camley Street Natural Park | Pond dipping & trains spotting | Under 10s |
| Walthamstow Wetlands | Big-sky walks & bird hides | All ages |
| Woodberry Down | Beginner paddleboarding | 8+ with adults |
Family friendly food halls markets and sweet stops kids will actually love
Once the cries of “I’m huuungry” start echoing down the South Bank, steer your crew into one of London’s cavernous food halls, where queues move fast and picky eaters are practically an art form. At Seven Dials Market, kids can watch fresh pasta being flung into pans or become instant ramen critics, while grown-ups hunt down bao buns and craft beer under the same neon glow. Over in Mercato Metropolitano, long communal tables, live music and an urban garden keep the whole gang entertained between slices of wood-fired pizza and scoops of gelato. Many venues now come with play corners, high chairs and children’s cutlery as standard, so you can swap the high-stress restaurant sit-down for something far more relaxed and gloriously chaotic.
For sugar highs worth travelling for, London’s dessert scene goes way beyond a basic 99 Flake. Hunt out doughnuts the size of small planets in Covent Garden,macarons in rainbow rows in Belgravia,or soft-serve towers dripping with fudge in Soho. Street markets like Borough and Camden mix up churros, crepes and brownies for kids who treat pudding as a main event, while grown-ups quietly angle for the good coffee. To plan your snack strategy like a pro, start with these crowd-pleasers:
- Seven Dials Market – central, colourful, stroller-friendly, huge choice for fussy eaters.
- Mercato Metropolitano – open-plan,live entertainment,plenty of space for roaming toddlers.
- Borough Market – legendary street food plus artisanal brownies, fudge and pastries.
- Camden Market – sensory overload, bubble waffles, churros and candy stalls galore.
| Spot | Best For Kids | Parent Perk |
|---|---|---|
| Seven Dials Market | Mix-and-match dinners | Easy central location |
| Mercato Metropolitano | Room to roam | Decent wines and craft beers |
| Borough Market | Free samples & sweet stalls | Serious coffee options |
| Soho dessert bars | Over-the-top sundaes | Late-opening treats post-theater |
The Conclusion
From world-class museums reimagining their family offerings to fresh outdoor adventures reshaping the city’s green spaces, London in 2026 is built for curious kids and worn-out grown-ups alike. Whether you’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip or just looking for a new way to spend a Sunday, these 50 experiences show a city that keeps reinventing play, learning and discovery.
Of course, this list is only a starting point. New pop-ups, festivals and kid-focused experiences appear almost weekly, and neighbourhoods far from the usual tourist trail are quietly becoming some of the most exciting places to explore with children. Keep an eye on seasonal events, locally run community projects and smaller venues – they’re frequently enough where the real surprises are.
However you choose to tackle London with kids in 2026 – by Tube, by bus, on foot or by boat – the city rewards curiosity. Mix the big-ticket attractions with smaller, local finds, leave time to wander, and don’t be afraid to let your children set the pace. You might come here for the landmarks, but it’s the unexpected moments – a street performance, a hidden playground, a café that brings out crayons before coffees – that will turn your family trip into a story everyone wants to tell again.
