20 best things to do in London with children this half term
From free activities to animal encounters, we’ve selected some of the best things to do in the capital this autumn
Tfoso
It might feel like summer has only just ended, but children will soon be breaking again up for October half-term. While homework sheets might start to pile up, little ones will be clamouring for some well-deserved fun, and where better than in London?
The capital is one of the best places in the country to keep children entertained, bursting with new, family-friendly experiences. Whether you are travelling to the UK capital for a day out, or live in the city and have a spare afternoon, London has something for tots to teens, no matter what their latest fixation is.
From dinosaur crafting sessions to immersive theatre, London’s attractions often host events, workshops and activities that are perfect for whiling away the hours. Families can explore some of the world’s best museums, zoos and play areas, but narrowing down the right one is another matter.
Thankfully, we’ve done the work for you to ensure you have the best possible trip. Forget Madame Tussauds: we’ve selected some of London’s most weird, wonderful and awe-inspiring experiences to ensure both you and your little ones are entertained and inspired by everything this marvellous city has to offer, whatever your budget – and whatever the weather.
Best things to do with kids in London this October half-term
1. Halloween at the Paddington Bear Experience
This October half-term, The Paddington Bear Experience has transformed for Halloween with a limited-time Trick-or-Treat package. In an immersive experience, kids will meet beloved Paddington characters who will be handing out treats and telling stories as they make their way down Windsor Gardens. For an additional £10 per child, kids will receive a pumpkin sweet bucket, a selection of treats and Paddington Bear ears. After Trick-or-Treating, the experience will end with a Halloween celebration in Paddington’s home street. Fancy dress is encouraged to make the most of the magic.
The Halloween experience is available from 18 October to 2 November. Child tickets cost from £24, £10 extra for the Halloween experience, adult tickets cost from £34. Book here.
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2. ZooTown at London Zoo
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Opening on Saturday, 18 October, London Zoo is inviting children aged three to eight to an immersive world where they get to test out what it is like working with animals. ZooTown has over a dozen interactive stations that will immerse you in the day of a life of a zoo horticulturist, scientist or zoologist. Whether that's clearing up the zebra’s “poo” or checking up on the health of stuffed animals at the clinic, ZooTown offers a place for kids to learn through play. Each session will last 45 minutes, giving your family plenty of time to check out the rest of London Zoo.
All tickets will be bookable online in advance, up to three days ahead of your visit. ZSL Gold members, Fellows and Patrons will be FREE. Tickets for all other visitors will cost £1. Book here.
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3. Kew Gardens’ Halloween Light Trail
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Kew Gardens may already be full of weird and wonderful flora, but the botanics are about to get even more bewildering as the gardens play host to an illuminated train. With daylight, twilight and moonlight sessions based on how much spook you and your kids can handle, guests can stroll around Kew as they spot the forgotten fairground and watch out for monsters lurking in Frankenstein’s laboratory. Winding through the haunted woods, beware of giant spiders tangled up in cobwebs, ghostly figures and wicked witches.
17 October to 2 November. Adult tickets start from £18.50, family and child tickets are available. Book here.
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4. Space Gallery at Science Museum
After almost 40 years, the Science Museum has said goodbye to its original space exhibition and has recently opened its shiny new gallery, which is completely free to visit. The new exhibition, Space, has new items on display such as the “rolly-polly” Moon rover, a three-billion-year-old piece of the Moon, the spacecraft that carried astronaut Tim Peake and a newly-conserved space suit worn by the first British astronaut, Helen Sharman. Any aspiring space cadets in your family will be sure to have a fulfilling day out.
Free, sign up for tickets ahead of time here.
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5. The Robot Zoo at the Horniman Museum
This year, the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill has put on a family-friendly exhibition displaying robotic animals to see demonstrate how in real life, the creatures eat, hunt and hide. The interactive exhibits see the creatures come to life with lights and movements – kids are able to push and pull levers, shoot at insects with a chameleon “tongue gun” and race jet-propelled squid.
Open until 2 November, child tickets cost £6.50 and adult tickets cost £9.75. Family tickets start from £19.50. Book here.
6. Ride the world’s longest and tallest slide
Whizz down The Slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the world’s tallest (76 metres) and longest (178 metres) slide. Designed by artists Anish Kapoor and Carsten Höller, and architect Cecil Balmond, to mark the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, this iconic landmark is located in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London.
Composed of 12 twists and turns, including a tight corkscrew known as the bettfeder (“bedspring” in German), it climaxes with a thrilling 50 metre straight run to the ground. Expect to reach speeds of up to 24km on a journey that takes 40 seconds from beginning to end. Visitors can either take the lift to the viewing platform or tackle the 455 steps. There’s also a glass floor to peer through, for those brave enough.
Tickets from £14; a supervising adult is required for under 18s, and there is a minimum height requirement of 1.3 metres. Book here.
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7. Visit a city farm
London’s 12 city farms are educational and fun green spaces aimed at serving the local community, and home to a plethora of creatures, from the curious to the cuddly. Mudchute Park and Farm covers 32 acres in the Isle of Dogs, making it one of the largest inner city farms in Europe. It’s home to over 100 animals and fowl, including llamas.
In south London, Vauxhall City Farm is London’s oldest, and home to alpacas, ferrets, goats and more. Visitors can also enjoy animal experiences, including being a farmer for the day, or simply just enjoy petting their furriest residents. Vauxhall City Farm also has a riding school, which is currently closed for renovation until September 2025. Other city farms can be found in Hackney, Spitalfields, Kentish Town, Stepney and Crystal Palace.
Mostly free, but donations are encouraged .
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8. Watch a film on the UK’s biggest cinema screen
Towering at an impressive 20 metres by 26 metres, the BFI Imax cinema in Waterloo is the UK’s biggest cinema. A 12,000-watt digital surround system makes a visit here the ultimate immersive experience for film lovers, with the sheer scale of this film experience certain to widen young eyes.
From £14; book here.
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9. Take a dip
From lidos to leisure centres, there are plenty of places to practice splashing skills in London. Some of the best places to take a dip include Finchley Lido Leisure Centre in Barnet, where kids will enjoy hours playing in the leisure pool that is complete with a wave machine, jets and water cannons. The leisure centre in Leyton is also a brilliant choice for an afternoon of splashing about, with its fast water flume and aqua play area complete with waterslides and tipping buckets.
If you are keen to give your kids a boost of confidence in the water, many leisure facilities also offer swimming lessons, such as the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford, used for the 2012 Olympics. The large training pool here offers a place for kids to learn to swim with their families.
Leyton Leisure Centre costs from £6.55 for non-member adults, and £3.10 for kids. Finchley Leisure Centre costs from £8.30 for non-member adults, and £5.20 for kids. Family swimming at the London Aquatics Centre costs from £7.30 for adults and £4.50 for kids.
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10. Discover London’s world-class museums
London is blessed with some of the world’s most illustrious museums, many of which offer a whole host of activities and experiences to engage young minds, particularly during school holidays, from zine-making to sculpture, collage to finger painting.
While some are entirely devoted to children and young people, such as Bethnal Green’s Young V&A and Stratford’s Discover Children's Story Centre, there are plenty of things on offer at practically all museums to entertain young people and children.
From an earthquake simulator at the Natural History Museum, to a now permanent computer games exhibit at the Science Museum, museums are a great – and often free – way to inspire children. Bowling around the cavernous space at the Tate Modern never gets old, either.
Many of London’s museums are free to enter, but if you want to skip queues or fancy booking an audio tour for when you visit, it’s worth checking out Viator’s selection of museum tickets and passes.
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11. Take a stroll through a treetop canopy
Situated 18 metres above the ground, Kew Gardens’ Treetop Walkway is a great way to get closer to its world-renowned collection of flora and fauna. Climb 118 steps to discover a complex ecosystem teeming with birds, insects, lichen and fungi that live in the trees’ uppermost branches. At ground level, sculptures carved from tree trunks illustrate microscopic elements of trees to explain how they grow. There’s also a Children’s Garden, which is a fun and interactive space for little ones to climb, run, jump and explore, complete with trampolines, stepping stones, periscopes, hammocks and a living bamboo tunnel.
Children under four go free; tickets for those aged 4-15 start from £6. Book here.
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12. Jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon
The magical world of Harry Potter continues to resonate with children of all ages – and there’s plenty to explore in London for Muggles and magical folk alike. The big hitter is undoubtedly the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
Here, fans can see sets, props and costumes from the hit film franchise and step inside film locations such as Dumbledore’s office, the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and the Forbidden Forest. Buses travel regularly to the site from the centre of London, while trains take 20 minutes from Euston to Watford Junction, with regular shuttle buses. And if that’s too pricey, head to Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station, where you can cosplay as your favourite character and bag a fun selfie.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter tickets from £56 (book here); free to visit Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross station.
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13. Get lost in the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze
Whatever your age, getting lost in the Hampton Court Maze is an experience you won’t forget in a hurry. Commissioned around 1700 by William III, it covers a third of an acre and is known for its confusing twists, turns and dead ends. On average, it takes around 20 minutes to reach the centre. As it’s a multicursal maze – meaning a visitor needs to make decisions about which route to take next, rather than simply following a single path – it’s great for stimulating the grey matter and getting kids off their phones as they attempt to conquer this puzzle.
Children under four go free, tickets for those aged 5-15 start from £14, including entrance to the palace, maze and Magic Garden. Book here.
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14. Take a street art tour
Score points with teenagers on a tour of London’s best street art. Hear the stories behind some of the city’s most fascinating artworks, from giant murals to tiny hidden sculptures, on a tour that takes in artwork by Roa, Shepard Fairey, Invader, Stik and Vhils. There’s also the option to add on a workshop, where participants can try their hand at creating their own artwork in the purpose-built studio. Art lovers on a budget should head to Leake Street Arches, where eight former railway arches beneath Waterloo station now form a public gallery of street art and graffiti for everyone to enjoy.
Tours from £30; book here. Leake Street Arches are free to visit.
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Soft play areas are a great alternative to the city centre attractions, especially if you have a toddler who just needs to blow off some steam. London is home to some of the most trendy and sophisticated options, from the inflatable indoor park Inflata Nation in Colindale to Bertie and Boo’s sensory adventure environment in Balham. Others are more low-key affairs attached to cafes, such as Sandscape in Finsbury Park, where your little ones can play in the sand pit while you catch up with friends over a coffee.
Inflata Nation costs £14.95 for adults and children, and £9.50 for under-fours. Book here.
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16. Discover dinosaurs
Despite dinosaurs going extinct 64 million years ago, they continue to have a hold on the young imagination. Kids will love these 16 life-size sculptures of dinos past and their fellow extinct creatures, which have been residing in Crystal Palace Park in south London since the 19th century. The models have their own unique history and were first unveiled in 1854.
They have undergone extensive refurbishment several times since then. They can be found in the south section of Crystal Palace Park, near the Penge entrance. Check out the Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs website before your visit for downloadable information sheets and even an audio guide.
Free to enter.
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17. Take a ride above the city
A trip on the IFS Cable Car over the Thames is always a good idea, whatever your age, although sunset on a clear day brings megawatt views of iconic city sights such as St Paul’s Cathedral, the Millennium Dome, the Gherkin and the Thames Barrier. The 1km line runs between Greenwich and Royal Victoria Dock and forms part of Transport for London’s network, meaning you can simply tap on and off with your payment card. Consider the London transport box well and truly ticked by bagging the front seat of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) for your onward journey to feel like you’re in charge of your very own train.
A one-way ticket costs £7; find more details on the TfL website.
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18. Hit the West End
London’s West End is home to some of the world’s slickest theatrical productions, plenty of which are created with children in mind. Award-winning shows that are certain to enthral include playwright Dennis Kelly and comedian and artist Tim Minchin’s musical of the classic Roald Dahl novel Matilda, the timeless spectacle of The Lion King, which continues to wow with dazzling sets and puppetry, and Wicked, the hit production that inspired the Tony award-winning film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
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19. Find your favourite animal at the zoo
If your little one is currently obsessed with anything that crawls, swims or flies, carve out a bit of time to take a trip to one of London’s zoos. The most famous of these is undoubtedly London Zoo, where kids can get up close to thousands of animals through walkthrough habitats and underwater viewings. Learn more about the creatures in residence through talks throughout the day led by expert zookeepers or let loose at the Animal Adventure play area.
However, the zoo can get very busy during the school holidays, so if you are in need of something a bit less chaotic, head to Battersea Park Children’s Zoo, home to over 100 animals from around the world. The zoo offers up close experiences with farmyard favourites to reptiles, while other wildlife can be spotted in habitats such as lemurs, wildcats and emus.
London Zoo costs from £30.50 for adults and £21.35 for kids (book here). Battersea Park Children’s Zoo costs £15.95 for adults and £12.95 for kids (book here).
20. Run wild at the London Wetland Centre
If the zoo animals don’t quite cut it for your youngster, why not a trip out to the London Wetland Centre in Barnes? Leave behind the busy streets of the city centre and visit the home of water birds, insects and otters. From 25 October to 2 November, the centre is running “Super Natural” half-term activities for those who prefer things more down to earth than spooky, from mushroom hunting to clay creature making. Kids will also enjoy its adventure play areas, complete with a zip line, climber and trail course, mid kitchen and splash pad water play area.
Prices start from £10.58 for kids, £16.29 for adults. Book here.
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