So, are you wondering what to do in London with kids? This blog is going to look at a few museums in London that you can visit with your kids. I have tried to choose a variety that are all child-friendly, so you can include the educational, as well as culture, fun, outdoor spaces, interactive elements, good cafes, and there are some options here for those of you who might have visited London before or those who might be on a budget - one of the great things about London is that so many of our museums and galleries are free to get in (all of the ones here are free for the permanent collections) and let’s face it, kids are expensive!
Art for Kids at the National Gallery
One of my favourites (actually – they are all my favourites!)! It is free entry (although donations welcome) to this amazing collection of paintings, masterpieces of Western Art, you can find Leonardo, Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Caravaggio, amongst others. It would be both an educational and cultural visit and although it doesn’t really have much that is interactive, you can set your own challenges for your kids. I like to choose something that pops up a lot in paintings, but not all the time, like animals and then you can explore the gallery finding all the animals. Other themes I have chosen include “Ears and Elbows”, or you could try finding the best hat! You could also buy some postcards of the highlights beforehand and send your kids off to find them (this does involve some prep – check out the National Gallery website to see what is on display), then when they get home you can get them to hang them up and make their own gallery, like in the picture. The outdoor space is the huge, beautiful and largely pedestrian Trafalgar Square, so if you need to let off steam or take a break you can pop out for a run around or check out the sometimes good, sometimes cheesy street performers outside the gallery. There are also cafes around the Square (the National Gallery also has a few cafes and restaurants which are all good) and it is a short walk to St James’s Park with its lake, birdlife and Buckingham Palace. It is easily accessible with a buggy (I have done it many a time) and when my daughter was a toddler no-one minded her crawling about on the floor!
You can find information on how to get to the National Gallery here.
Family fun in the British Museum
Well, we are so lucky to also have this AMAZING museum that is free to get into (again, donations welcome). It is a museum about the history of ancient civilisations and I would say it is essential to visit the Greeks (in particular the Parthenon Marbles that used to decorate the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens), the Ancient Assyrian and Mesopotamian stuff (find the Lion Hunt and the Standard of Ur), and the Egyptian Mummies – always amazing. Educational – yes. Cultural – yes. Fun – depending on your kids, yes, but it is a typical, slightly dusty museum so they need to get into the right frame of mind (or take a tour with us!)! Interactive – not really, but again use your imagination like for the National Gallery (find these highlight objects, find the animals, what did people wear in ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia?, etc). You could get older kids to research the debates on repatriation – should the Parthenon Marbles and Benin Bronzes be returned to their original countries, or stay at the British Museum – lots of discussions to be had! They also have family backpacks – they are free but you need to give a £10 deposit, find details here, and if you go also check out the object handling sessions (here), where you get to hold ancient objects – when I did it I held an ancient Egyptian pot and an Assyrian writing tablet – pretty cool! If you need to run around the British Museum has a forecourt which is very relaxed and you could have a packed lunch there or inside in the Great Court (with its amazing glass ceiling – see photo), or out the back of the British Museum is Russell Square which has a lovely park in it and a café, and there are also cafes in the British Museum which are yummy.
You can find information on how to get to the British Museum here.
The Family Friendly Wallace Collection!
So if you fancy one of the more hidden museums then this is really quite lovely. The Wallace collection is an historic house dating from the 17 and 1800s. It houses a varied collection of art, porcelain, furniture, lovely decorative bits and pieces like chandeliers and clocks, and an incredibly collection of armour, both European, Asian and Middle Eastern – I don’t get that excited about armour but this collection really blows my mind. And the house itself is beautiful with grand staircases and silk wall hangings - so if you want to pretend that you are a prince or princess or a Duke or Duchess, then the Wallace is worth a visit. It is educational and cultural, but not very interactive so you and your kids will have to make it fun (what pieces of armour would you put together to be truly terrifying; which painting has the best frame? You have to find the highlights like Fragonard’s The Swing and Franz Hals The Laughing Cavalier (he looks very mischievous!) And they have kids trails you can pick up at the front desk and audio guides for children. They only have a restaurant, not a cafe, and if you fancied you could treat yourselves to an afternoon tea, just like high society! Or, the Wallace are happy for you to picnic on the front lawn (you’ll get wet if it rains though!) and the forecourt is another place for a run around. St Christopher’s Place and Marylebone High Street are nearby though with lots of places to eat so that is an option, and if you want to do some shopping, the historic Selfridges department store is just down the road along with our main shopping area, Oxford Street. So, if you want something different, this might be worth checking out!
You can find information on how to get to the Wallace Collection here.
A tour with a twist at the Wellcome Collection
The Wellcome Collection is a funny old place, I love visiting it and I think it is particularly good with teenagers, although all ages are welcome! It has a great café, a wonderful shop (I always end up buying something) and lovely free displays and exhibitions that are unusual and free. If your kids are interested in science or medicine then bring them here. If you want them to get interested in science or medicine then bring them here.
Henry Wellcome made a fortune in the 1800s selling medicinal pills and he was an avid collector. His money founded the Wellcome Research Centre, focussed on medical research and the museum looks at medicine and public health issues mixing historical objects and art works, music and film to create very interesting and engaging displays. Temporary exhibitions change all the time but are well worth a visit, at the time of writing they have an exhibition called Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic (sounds cool). The permanent displays are also excellent, Medicine Man which is a display of objects from Wellcome’s personal collection – the room is dark and it feels very historical and many of the objects are medical in subject, such as glasses, old saws used for cutting arms and legs off, a birthing chair, chamber pots (see photo!) and paintings, and some are a little adult in subject matter, although I would happily take my 4 year old! The other display is called Medicine Now and it is a very modern gallery looking at contemporary medicine and ideas about health, mixing art objects and interactive displays. There is no outside space attached to the Collection, but the museum is in Bloombury so there are a multitude of little garden squares to explore close by. It is well worth a visit.
You can find information on how to get to the Wellcome Collection here.
So, where to go? I hope you found a couple of these interesting and do try out some of the family activities I mentioned! There are many, many family-friendly museums and galleries to visit in London for all different tastes, ages, interests and group sizes, from a single child to school groups. I will be posting about others here soon. Feel free to email me if you want any more ideas, check our our other tours for ideas as well, or get in touch if you want a private tour with one of our amazing guides. In the meantime, happy planning!