Family trip · London, UK

5 Days in London with Kids (Ages 6 and 9)

London rewards families who go slow: one big thing a day, plenty of green space to burn off energy, and a backup ready when little legs give out.

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The shape of the trip

This plan is built around short Tube hops and walkable clusters, with downtime baked into every afternoon so nobody melts down before dinner.

How to use this

each day has one main anchor, an easy backup if plans change or the weather turns, and an eat/rest note. Book timed-entry venues (the big museums, the Tower) ahead — turning up without a slot can mean being turned away. Distances below are rough; build in extra time with a 6-year-old and a stroller.

Jump to a day

Day 1 · Natural History Museum + Kensington Gardens Day 2 · Tower of London Day 3 · Greenwich by river Day 4 · London Transport Museum + St James's Park Day 5 · Hampstead Heath (a slower last day)

Day 1

Natural History Museum + Kensington Gardens

A note from Wonder

one anchor, one big green space. Don't add a third thing.

Anchor

Natural History Museum, London

This is the easiest "wow" in London for a 6- and 9-year-old — the famous Dinosaurs gallery, an animatronic T. rex that moves and roars (warn nervous kids first), and the giant Stegosaurus skeleton in Earth Hall. Entry is free, but you must book a timed slot ahead; go right at opening before the galleries fill. Pick two or three galleries, not the whole museum — that's the difference between a great morning and a tired one.

Natural History Museum, London

Photo: luis vidilla

Backup

Science Museum, London

, a two-minute walk next door, with its hands-on Wonderlab gallery (50+ interactive exhibits and live science shows, pitched at roughly ages 7–14 but fun younger). If the dinosaur queue is brutal or the kids want buttons to press, swap straight over.

Science Museum, London

Photo: Hyun Kyu Kang

Eat & rest

after the museum, walk 10–12 minutes north into Kensington Gardens for unstructured running-around and a picnic or a café-kiosk snack. This is your deliberate downtime — no agenda, just grass.

Day 2

Tower of London

A note from Wonder

half a day inside, then the river or the market. Keep the afternoon loose.

Anchor

Tower of London

A real medieval fortress with the Crown Jewels, ravens, and free Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tours that leave regularly and are genuinely gripping for kids — the Beefeaters lean into the gory prisoner stories. The White Tower's Royal Armouries has interactive bits where children can get close to armour and weapons. Get there near opening and see the Crown Jewels first; the queue there gets long by midday and short again late afternoon.

Tower of London

Photo: Vibungsan

Backup

Tower Pier

if the kids hit a wall, you're right on the river — walk to Tower Pier and take an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus a few stops (toward Westminster or Greenwich). It's a sit-down break with a view, and prams board fine.

Tower Pier

Photo: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - Tower Pier

Eat & rest

cross the river toward Borough Market (about a 15-minute walk or one short boat hop to London Bridge City Pier). It's free to wander, packed with stalls, and easy to graze — toasties, doughnuts, fruit — which suits picky eaters and slow grazers better than a sit-down lunch.

Day 3

Greenwich by river

A note from Wonder

this is a full day, but it's mostly outdoors and self-paced. The boat ride doubles as rest.

Anchor

Royal Observatory Greenwich

Catch the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers from Westminster Pier down to Greenwich (roughly 45 minutes) — the journey is half the fun, passing the Eye, the Tower, and Canary Wharf. In Greenwich, stand astride the Prime Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory (one foot in each hemisphere is an instant photo and a real "we did the thing" moment), or board the Cutty Sark, the last surviving tea clipper. Pick one paid attraction, not both.

Royal Observatory Greenwich

Photo: shaun

Backup

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

, which is free and has the hands-on AHOY! children's gallery (best for under-7s, so ideal for the 6-year-old). Plus Greenwich Park sits right there for the climb up to the Observatory and wide-open space at the top.

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Photo: Ahmad Hamed

Eat & rest

Greenwich Market (covered, free to browse) is a few minutes from the pier with plenty of casual food stalls. Eat there, then let the kids loose in Greenwich Park before the boat back.

Day 4

London Transport Museum + St James's Park

A note from Wonder

indoor morning, outdoor afternoon. The park is the downtime.

Anchor

London Transport Museum

Kids climb aboard real old buses, Tubes, and trams and "drive" them; the All Aboard play zone (aimed at ages 0–7) is a hit with younger children, and under-18s go free. It's compact, indoor, and right in Covent Garden, so it's a low-stress morning that's easy to cut short or extend.

London Transport Museum

Photo: Stefan Christmann

Backup

Covent Garden Piazza

Covent Garden's piazza has free street performers most days — jugglers, magicians, musicians — which is its own entertainment if the museum's busy or you need to fill 30 minutes.

Covent Garden Piazza

Photo: Humam Hatef

Eat & rest

after lunch in Covent Garden, walk about 15 minutes to St James's Park, London's oldest royal park. The lake has pelicans (fed daily in the afternoon near Duck Island), the Blue Bridge gives a storybook view of Buckingham Palace, and there's a playground. If the timing lines up, the Changing of the Guard happens nearby — Horse Guards Parade is the calmer, closer spot to watch it with kids than the Palace railings.

Day 5

Hampstead Heath (a slower last day)

A note from Wonder

the lightest day on purpose. Travel-day energy and tired kids need an easy finish.

Anchor

Hampstead Heath

End the trip with space, not crowds. The Heath is vast, free, and built for kids to run wild: climb Parliament Hill for one of London's best skyline views (and reliable kite-flying wind), let off steam at the Parliament Hill playground (swings, slides, sandpit, paddling pool in summer), and watch the model boats on the pond. After four city days, this is the reset everyone needs.

Hampstead Heath

Photo: Syeda Begum

Backup

Hampstead Village

if it's cold or wet, head into Hampstead village (about 15 minutes from the tube) for hot chocolate and a wander, or pivot entirely to one of the indoor options below.

Hampstead Village

Photo: Antonio Birsa

Eat & rest

there are café kiosks near Parliament Hill and over by the Kenwood Estate, so snacks are never far. Pack a picnic if it's fine — the Heath is made for it.

Rainy-day & heat-of-the-day indoor backups

When the weather turns or you need to escape the midday sun, all of these are indoor and family-tested:

Young V&A (Bethnal Green) — free, no booking needed, designed with kids; the Imagine, Play, and Design galleries are fully hands-on for under-14s, with free drop-in craft and storytelling for ages 3–12.
Science Museum — Wonderlab (South Kensington) — 50+ interactive exhibits and live shows; great rainy-day swap for the Natural History Museum.
National Maritime Museum (Greenwich) — free, indoors, with the AHOY! children's gallery.
SEA LIFE London Aquarium (South Bank) — indoors next to the London Eye, with touch pools and feeding talks; plan 2–3 hours, and it's fully stroller-friendly.
London Transport Museum (Covent Garden) — compact, indoor, climb-aboard fun if Day 4 gets rained out earlier in the trip.

Where to eat (easy with kids)

You rarely need a reservation to feed a family well in London — these clusters keep everyone fed without a fuss:

Borough Market (Bankside) — over 100 stalls, free to enter, ideal for grazers and picky eaters. Toasties, doughnuts, fresh fruit; eat as you walk.
Greenwich Market — covered and casual, minutes from the pier and Cutty Sark; lots of street-food stalls.
Covent Garden piazza — cafés and quick bites around the square, plus street performers as built-in dinner entertainment.
Park kiosks — Kensington Gardens, St James's Park, Greenwich Park, and Hampstead Heath all have café kiosks for snacks, ice cream, and coffee, so picnic-plus-kiosk is a reliable, low-cost default on park days.

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