Family Days Out London: Eight Picks by Age

Planning the week around one big booking saves arguments later. The tickets for London Eye sit on the South Bank next to Shrek's Adventure, SEA LIFE and the London Dungeon, so one riverside day can hold several of the picks below.

Things to Do in London's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 16 Warner Bros. Studio Tour and Harry Potter studio listings, and nine of them start between €100 and €130. That is why the studio gets its own entry, and why it comes with a booking warning.

1. Natural History Museum and Science Museum: free for every age

The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are free, and both are the safest first stop for a family day out in London. The Science Museum asks you to reserve a free ticket. The Natural History Museum says you may have to queue at busy times, and a free entry ticket guarantees your way in. The Natural History Museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:50, with last entry at 17:30. The Science Museum is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:15.

Pick one for the morning and keep the other for a rainy day. Young V&A in Bethnal Green is a third free pick: its page says admission is free, and it is open daily from 10:00 to 17:45, with galleries closing from 17:00. Its page does not say whether you must book a gallery visit. Two hours is plenty for children under eight, who tire of a big gallery quickly. Most paid picks in this list take 1 to 2.5 hours, so a museum and one paid attraction fit in a day, and the studio takes the whole day. Both museums are indoors, so they also suit a wet day, and free entry means you can leave early without losing money. Weekends and school holidays are the busy times at the Natural History Museum, so a free ticket matters most then. Over half term, 24 to 30 October 2026, it opens at 09:00. The two big museums and Young V&A are the free family picks in this list that we could confirm on an official page.

Pro Tip Reserve the free tickets for both museums on the same evening you plan the week, and pick the first slot of the day.

2. Shrek's Adventure: for little ones who like characters

Shrek's Adventure is the best paid day out for young children. You walk through Far Far Away with live shows, a flying 4D bus ride and characters such as Donkey and Princess Fiona. The Shrek Adventure London attraction is in County Hall on the South Bank, and children under 2 go free on the official site.

The DreamWorks Shrek's Adventure ticket is from €25 per person, rated 4.4 from 1,245 reviews. The visit lasts about 70 minutes with 10 live fairy-tale shows, groups are capped at 30 and cancellation is free as the booking page states it. The booking page names Shrek's Adventure London as the operator, and the attraction's official site sells the same visit. The ticket covers admission only, with no pickup, and the meeting point is the Riverside Building at County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, which is the venue itself. The booking page lists no age limit and no excluded group. Plan an hour and a half in total with the queue and a toilet stop. The page highlights a 4D bus ride with Donkey, a Madagascar circus and a Kung Fu lesson with Po, and its only inclusion is admission, so food and drink are extra.

3. SEA LIFE London: for toddlers and school-age children

SEA LIFE London is a good wet-weather choice for ages from toddler up, because the visit is indoors. The museums, Madame Tussauds, the London Dungeon and Shrek's Adventure are indoors too. Tickets on the official SEA LIFE London site start from £28, and children under 2 go free. Allow one and a half to two hours. For a family day, that is a morning attraction: Shrek's takes about 70 minutes, Madame Tussauds 1.5 to 2.5 hours and the Dungeon about 75 minutes plus a queue, so two paid stops fit in one day only when they are close, like the County Hall trio. Children under 16 must come with an adult over 18, and you can take a buggy in and park it in the free buggy bay.

The aquarium shares County Hall with Shrek's Adventure and the London Dungeon, and Waterloo station is about a five-minute walk away. There is no cloakroom, so leave big bags at the hotel. We found no SEA LIFE ticket on GetYourGuide in our listings, so book this one on the official site.

4. Warner Bros. Studio Tour: for school-age children and teens

The Harry Potter studio is the family day out that sells out first. The studio sells tickets for set time slots, holds none back for the day and cannot add visitors once a slot is full, as its ticket information says. The 2026 standard ticket is £58.50 for an adult and £47.00 for a child aged 5 to 15, with a family ticket at £188.

You have two ways to get there, and both work. The own route costs £58.50 per adult plus train fares, which the studio does not list, though Oyster is valid between Euston and Watford Junction. The coach costs more but includes the ride, which suits families with small children or no wish to plan trains. On your own, take a direct train from Euston to Watford Junction in 20 minutes, then the shuttle bus of about 15 minutes. It is included in the ticket and runs at least every 30 minutes from 9:20. Drivers park free outside the studio. Or book the Harry Potter studio tour with coach transfers, from €113 per person, rated 4.7 from 28,303 reviews. The coach leaves from Victoria Coach Station, takes about 75 minutes each way and makes the whole day about 7 hours. Cancellation is free up to 3 days before, as the booking page states it. The listing has the highest rating of the five tickets here. The ticket covers studio entry, the return coach and a representative who swaps your tickets at the studio. The coach is not suitable for wheelchair users, and bags go in the studio cloakroom, not on the coach. For a family of four, the standard family ticket is £188 before train fares, while the coach starts at €113 each, so four people start from €452. Pick the right ticket category when you book. In short, the studio's own ticket gives you entry and the shuttle, and the coach ticket adds the ride and a representative. The studio visit itself is self-guided and takes about 4 hours. Audio guides (from £5.25 at the studio), a guide and meals are not included. The operator is Premium Tours. The booking page gives no group size, and the route ends at Victoria. Children under 5 enter free, but 3 and 4-year-olds pay a small transfer fee.

The coach tour is not suitable for wheelchair users, and a seven-hour day is long for children under five. You can enter at any time inside your 30-minute slot. Luggage goes in the studio cloakroom, not on the coach. Children aged 4 and under can be added to your booking free on the studio's own tickets.

Key Takeaway For the Studio Tour, book the time slot before the hotel dates are fixed. Slots sell out, and the studio sells no tickets at the door.

5. Madame Tussauds: for families with mixed ages

Madame Tussauds works when your children are different ages and nobody wants to be left out. Inside are more than 150 figures, the Spirit of London ride and a Marvel 4D film. The Madame Tussauds attraction is on Marylebone Road, right next to Baker Street station.

The Madame Tussauds London ticket is from €32 per person, rated 4.6 from 24,178 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before, as the booking page states it. The operator is MEG, and the page calls it an official ticket. It covers entry, the Royal Balcony, the Star Wars experience, the Spirit of London ride, the Marvel Universe 4D film and the Chamber of Horrors. There is no pickup, so you meet at the venue and enter only at the time on your e-ticket. Under-2s are free with a ticket, and under-16s need an adult. Pushchairs are not allowed inside, but a cloakroom is free, and the venue is wheelchair accessible. The official site says most visitors spend 1.5 to 2 hours, and the ticket page lists 2.5 hours. Go at opening time to keep the wait short.

6. London Dungeon: for ages 12 and up

The London Dungeon is for older children and teens, not for little ones. The London Dungeon uses live actors and dark sets to tell 1,000 years of grim history. The recommended age is 12 and up, and children under 5 are not admitted. Children from 5 can enter if a parent decides so, and under-16s need an adult over 18.

The London Dungeon entry ticket is from €32 per person, rated 4.6 from 4,909 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The Dungeon's own FAQ says the show lasts about 75 minutes, plus a queue of 10 to 30 minutes, and up to 60 at busy times. The rooms are dark, noisy and enclosed. Staff can lead a child out to a calmer area. The optional drop ride has a minimum height of 1.4 metres.

7. Stadium tours: for football-mad children of any age

A stadium tour is the best pick for a child who lives for football. Clubs run their own tours, and several publish a child price. Chelsea's stadium tour and museum is £24 for a child aged 5 to 15 and £99 for a family of four when you book ahead, with under-5s free.

The Arsenal stadium tour page compares the main clubs.

For something special, the Arsenal stadium tour with a club legend is from €66 per person, rated 4.5, though it has only 82 reviews so far. It lasts 1.5 hours and meets at the Emirates Stadium on Hornsey Road. You see the Directors Box, the home dressing room and the players' tunnel, and you get a signed photo. The page gives no age limit, so ask the club if your child is under seven.

8. Hop-on hop-off bus: for tired legs on day one

An open-top bus is the easiest first day when children are tired from the flight. A hop on hop-off plus London sightseeing ticket lets you ride past the big sights and get off only where you want. The Big Bus Red Route takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, according to the London Eye's sightseeing page.

On the London City Tour Red Route, the summer loop takes 150 minutes with a bus every 15 minutes. A winter timetable starts on 9 November, with a bus every 20 minutes until 15:30. For short trips between attractions, the getting around London guide covers buses and the Underground.

A day out works best when the children, not the itinerary, decide when it ends.

How to choose family days out in London by age

Match the ticket to your youngest child, then check the oldest. The table shows time, cost cues and what to book ahead.

If you only book one thing, book the Warner Bros Studio Tour London first. Fill the free days around it with the museums, and add Shrek, SEA LIFE and the Dungeon on a South Bank day.

London Zoo is also a popular family pick. Its own pages say the best-value tickets are the online ones bought before 10:00 on the day of your visit, and that tickets bought at the gate or online after 10:00 cost more, so book the zoo ahead too. It is open from 10:00 every day except Christmas Day, and from 24 October 2026 to 12 February 2027 last entry is 15:00 and it closes at 16:00. The zoo's site blocks direct reads, so we saw these facts only as summaries of its pages, and we give no zoo price. Check its ticket page before you go. SEA LIFE should be booked ahead as below. For a toddler day with facts we could confirm, use the picks where under-2s go free: Shrek's Adventure and SEA LIFE (official sites) and Madame Tussauds (booking page). SEA LIFE London sells tickets online, and its FAQ strongly advises booking online first: same-day tickets may cost more, and entry is not guaranteed at busy times. Book that one ahead. For Shrek, Madame Tussauds and the Dungeon, entry is tied to the time on your e-ticket, so book ahead on busy days.

One honest limit: none of these suits a very short stay with a baby. For under-twos, the free museums and the buses are the easy choice, since Shrek's Adventure and SEA LIFE let under-2s in free but a seven-hour studio day is long.