Six things to do with kids in London on a budget
After more than a decade living in London, I can vouch for its reputation as one of the world’s most expensive cities. But you needn’t spend a fortune on a family holiday: there are plenty of budget things to do in London with kids, with a few clever travel hacks.
Here are six ways to see the capital without breaking the bank – my top tips for budget London with kids.
And for more ways to save on days out in London with kids, check out my complete set of tips.
1. London’s free museums
Plenty of London’s big museums have child-friendly activities, great exhibits and no entrance fee so you needn’t spend a penny if you want.
The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and British Museum are the best-known three but there’s also the Museum of London (temporarily closed) and the Bank of England museum, where you can try to pick up a gold bar, while the award-winning Horniman Museum also has an aquarium (for a small fee).
Even the National Portrait Gallery has drop-in storytelling sessions and a special family audio guide, while Tate Modern encourages noise. Hard to beat with small kids.
For my complete set of tips on visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids, check out my ultimate guide
2. Take a sightseeing bus
Instead of open-top tours, which can be great but pricy, break out your contactless debit card or get an Oyster card – kids aged 10 and under travel free, 11-15s go free but need their own card – and follow the routes past London’s landmarks for a fraction of the price.
Route 15 takes you past St Paul’s Cathedral to the Tower of London, the 26 passes Westminster Abbey and Horseguards parade (replacing the old route 11), while the number 9 goes from Trafalgar Square to the South Kensington Museums.
For more ideas on how to save money on days out in London with kids, check out my top tips
3. Wander the Thames
My favourite section of the river is the South Bank, wandering from Westminster towards the London Eye then east to Blackfriars for great views of the Houses of Parliament, a skate park, street performances and regular mini festivals.
For more ideas of things you can do along the Thames, check out this post
4. Coram’s Fields
This seven acre children’s park near the British Museum is ideal for younger kids or anyone who needs a bit of a break. There are play areas aimed at toddlers upwards plus there’s a city farm – and it doesn’t cost a penny to enter.
It’s only one of the green spaces in London that you could discover: London’s parks are all free, whether you want to spot pelicans at St James’s Park, wander around the Serpentine in Hyde Park, discover the Diana Memorial playground in Kensington Gardens or just spot squirrels in Green Park.
For my complete list of the top 49 free things to do in London with kids, check out this post too
5. Changing of the guard
Even younger kids will enjoy watching the Queen’s Guard changing – the key is picking the right spot.
You’ll need to arrive early to get a stretch on the Mall if you’re with older kids. But if you’ve got an easily bored toddler, try the area near Wellington Barracks to hear the warm-up and start.
6. Take a guided tour of London
You needn’t pay steep prices for a guided tour… unless you want to.
Free Tours By Foot has a dozen walking tours, including Westminster, the City and Harry Potter’s London, where you only pay what you think it was worth at the end. Most tours last around two hours and cover just over a mile.
PIN FOR LATER: BUDGET LONDON WITH KIDS
Image courtesy of Depositphotos
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Coram’s Fields is definitely on my list for my next family trip down. I agree that there’s loads to do in London for free, what I find it costs me is time, getting everywhere always seems to take so long but it’s always worth it. Love London. #citytripping
It’s lovely to have somewhere green, quiet with a play area when London gets a bit overwhelming. And I definitely think a lot is in the planning, to cut down travel, but it’s so big it’s always a factor unfortunately.
Great tips – the museums are a winner and one of the best things about London. I know the British people as a rule aren’t early risers but if you get to the museums at 10 – opening time – you will have to deal with fewer crowds.
It is amazing having such great museums with no entrance fee – and I agree, getting there for the doors opening is definitely best. There are quieter entrances into the British and Natural History Museums too but at peak times, there’s usually a queue or a throng inside.
Maybe one day I’ll also have children! I’d love to take them to London for their first trip abroad as it was also my first trip when I was 14.
Well that’s a great way to start off, I think – although I am biased towards London 🙂
Great suggestions Cathy! There’s a few more of the free museums I need to check out! I didn’t realise children are free on buses until they are ten years old – hurrah to lots more free travel! #citytripping
Thanks! And free travel is never bad – the only tricky bit is getting two people through the gates on the tube before they snap shut…
There are some amazing museums in London. We love the dinosaurs at the National History Museum and the mummies at the British Museum. #citytripping
Definitely two of my favourites as well (and my daughter’s in the case of the dinosaurs!)
yes London does offer a lot of free museums:) and a lot of them have excellent kiddie stuff:)
They are amazing, aren’t the – however old you are 🙂
It’s been a while since my last trip to London and I would love to go back! Though these are things to do with kids, I would totally want to visit these places myself, especially the museums 🙂
I don’t think you’re ever too old for the museums – I still love visiting them myself and there’s so much to see, you really can go again and again and still discover something new.
We’re just dying to take our kids to London. The museums are fantastic and I didn’t know the buses are free under 10 – in NYC the double decker buses are quite expensive – even for kids – which makes us keep putting it off. That’s a huge bonus! #citytripping
There’s so much travelling in big cities, it really does make a difference when you can cut at least kids’ fares – and hope you get to explore London very soon!
This is very informative! I knew about the free museums but not about the other low cost / free things to do. Anyway, when I visited I didn’t take advantage of the free museums. I follow the group and ended up visiting certain expensive attractions that I should not mention.
Thanks – glad it’s useful. I think London is very overwhelming at times (even when you live here) as there’s simply so much you could do. Some of my favourites, like the Tower of London, are pricy but I think worth it, but always good to save a few pennies as well.
I’m hoping to travel to London in the future. Funny thing is: everything I want to do there is on your list! Does that make me a “big kid”? 😉 London sounds like a great place to visit and I can’t wait until I actually visit! Thanks for sharing your awesome list! I can assure you it includes things that even us “big kids” would want to do. 🙂
#citytripping
Maybe so – I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that though 🙂 I definitely love the activities on my list myself, I managed to sneak off to the British museum a few weeks ago, which I never get tired of. Hope you have a fantastic time when you do get here.
Great ideas Cathy! We used the bus a lot during our visit in April and did get to see a lot of the city that you its when you’re on the tube. We have plenty of the still museums to visit. #citytripping
Thanks! I found that in Paris as well, you just experience more and it helps you navigate better to be above ground (although depends how far you’re trying to get!) And there are still a few museums that I haven’t visited…
With the exception of Coram’s Fields, I reckon your tips are also suitable for singletons like me to travel in London on a budget 🙂 I love walking tours too and most of the time, these tours are affordable and great way to have a better insight about the city since it’s led by a local. #CityTripping
Oh absolutely – I’ve been visiting the museums for decades and still love them, and walking tours (or cheap options) are always a great way to get to know a city as well.
Thanks for the link-up, Cathy! These are great tips for London!
My pleasure – and thanks, as ever, for linking!