Kids in London - Free (and cheap) things to do in London

Whilst chatting to a single dad the other day I was extolling the virtues of London for stressed and short-of-cash parents with youngsters to amuse. He challenged me to set out a programme of activities for kids that don’t cost much for the imminent Easter holidays – so here goes…

Museums

OK. We all know about South Kensington and the fabulous dinosaurs in The Natural History Museum and all those engines, trains and space ships in The Science Museum. But don’t forget the earthquake simulator in what was The Geological Museum and across the road at The Victoria and Albert Museum for the fashion conscious teens.

Stay on the tube to Holborn and you can spend many a happy hour wondering around The British Museum. Egyptian mummies always go down well…Alternatively, dare to go into the City of London and visit The Museum of London…there are some excellent exhibitions about the Great Fire of London and all manner of interesting stuff about the Romans.

Galleries

You can spend time admiring Nelson’s Column, the great lion statues, the fountains and, of course, the pigeons before stepping into The National Gallery. I used to play a game with my kids there – find the best picture of a horse, the picture with the most angels, the goriest painting…hours of fun.

You can walk along the river from Waterloo to The Tate Modern – a seriously child friendly place with lots of activities directed at kids of all ages – even the grown up ones. The spacious great hall is guaranteed to make little ones look up in wonder…

But Pimlico has its charms too – and Tate Britain has some pretty neat art too. Check out the web site (they have a dedicated area for Family visits and a programme of activities designed for kids) before you go so that you can guide your small people to those pictures that will have the greatest appeal to fire their little imaginations.

Covent Garden

There’s always one or two street entertainers to delight the kids here. Personally, I always seek out the singers who frequent The Crusting Pipe wine bar in the lower areas. There’s a Nauticalia shop with an excellent pirate model presenting a great photo opportunity. In summer months there are often free kids activities – which always include a Punch and Judy show as this is where they started!

For dance enthusiasts you can walk around parts of The Opera House and admire some of the past famous ballet outfits. And the views of The Floral Hall from the quiet (when there isn’t a performance) café at the top are breathtaking. For slightly older kids you get street cred points for a quick tour of Neal’s Yard and the cool Superdry and numerous surf themed shops.

Of course, if you do have some cash then The London Transport museum is a must-see.

Canary Wharf

Whilst most people assume that it is strictly business at Canary Wharf I have found that kids love pottering around the subterranean shopping mall and get a real kick out of being surrounded by water. And a trip over the water in the wonderful driver-free carriages on the Docklands Light Railway always puts a smile on their faces – especially if they get to sit at the front.

And Greenwich, with its boats, observatory and the market (not forgetting O2), isn’t that far away either.

Camden Market

If you have slightly older kids you will gain a zillion cool points for taking them on a visit to Camden Market. Lovely waterside walks and the buzz of the market – with punk and goth spotting a favourite activity. No doubt you will have your arm twisted to pick up something from one of the stalls – but thankfully you can get away with a much treasured momento of the day for just a couple of quid.
Never managed to actually visit it but I’ve always been intrigued by The Pirate Club on Regent’s Canal near here – anyone been?

Parks

And there are more parks than you can shake a Pooh Stick at! You can spend hours dropping sticks off of various park bridges and watching them race to the other side. There are formal parks with carefully tended gardens, wilderness lakes where you can feed swans, ducks and geese (and even Pelicans) and even those which have glades which are perfect for picnics. Then there are favourite places like the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Palace Gardens and the many attractions of Kew Gardens (the tree walkway is amazing – but you need to pay to get into Kew don’t forget).

Nearer Fulham there is a childhood favourite near the football ground – Bishop’s Park – home to Fulham Palace (there are occasional free art exhibitions there too). There are local authority tennis courts there as well as a great sandpit and paddling area and really nice car free walks by the river. Excellent place to watch the rowers too if you catch the Oxford-Cambridge race.

Battersea

This is a much loved area for my kids. Whether we pay the pound or two to go and walk around the Battersea Dogs and Cats home or admire the free views of the Power Station. Battersea Park is lovely too – great river views, interesting bits of park land where you can run around to burn off lots of energy or chase around the Peace Pagoda or – as a special treat – paying to spend time in the lovely zoo there (don’t you just love those lemurs?).

Shows

On the South Bank you’ll find that Festival Hall and the other arts establishments there present a range of free shows and exhibitions. If the weather is good you can even fool around in the fountains that go on and off in a tantalising pattern. You may need to take a spare set of clothes though…And don’t forget that kids and teens congregate under South Bank and you can catch a free and informal show of amazing feats from the skateboarding area.

Every September there is the Thames Festival where the street entertainers are out in force. Each winter there is the Freeze Fair. There’s always something here to do as well as admire the fabulous river views. Even Gabriel's Wharf has its attractions for little ones. On the North side of the river – Embankment Gardens – there is a band stand and the local authority presents a variety of free shows during the summer months – everything from South American, Caribbean and big band sounds.

On the other side of town you’ll find that The Barbican also has occasional free shows and exhibitions for kids – although most do have some sort of entry charge.

South Bank walks with a marine flavour

Depending on how far you want to walk, the South Bank also allows you to take in the sights of the Globe Theatre and you can go into the foyer to see the model in its glass case without having to pay. For those who like their boats (think pirates!) you can also admire the lovely Golden Hinde ship as you wander past it. Nearer London Bridge you can look out to HMS Belfast and potter around the enormous ship sculpture in Hays Galleria. And a firm favourite for my kids (and me) is the Christmas Shop here – set a challenge to find a Christmas tree decoration of one of their favourite things (we’ve found ice skates, penguins and high heeled shoes in past attempts!).

Unless you have lots of cash, avoid Tooley Street which houses The London Dungeon. But for a special treat when you have some money I thoroughly recommend the lovely Unicorn Children’s Theatre just behind More London (which has some fabulous free fountain areas with a great view of the bridge).

Bridges

We did a series of visits over a number of weekends to try and walk over each and every London bridge. Each has its own story to tell (like Waterloo being built by women during the war, London Bridge being sold to America etc). And seeing Tower Bridge do its thing when a tall boat passes is memorable from where you can also see view the wondrous sights of The Tower of London (who needs to pay to go in?).

China Town, Leicester Square and Trocadero

Most kids are amazed to find a little slice of China in the middle of our great City. If you can visit around Chinese New Year you will be treated to a festoon of lanterns and dancing dragons too. Around the corner is Leicester Square – and with so many premieres taking place here you might even fit in a bit of celebrity spotting. Again, if you have a little cash then a visit to the gelateria (Rendevous)will provide an extra treat.

And if your kids can’t bear to be away from their computer games you might risk some time in The Trocadero – although you are likely to have to fork out some cash for the many Namco and Sega games and/or the bowling and dodgems. Again, if you are planning a treat then a visit to The Rainforest Café on Shaftesbury Avenue will put you in the “Best Mum/Dad” category for a long while. Older kids will probably prefer a trip to Planet Hollywood though.

Great shops

There have been occasions when I have given into a little retail therapy with my kids - and without spending a penny. You can spend ages pottering around Hamleys (remember to manage expectations before you go in or face the prospect of much pleading about potential purchases) and the train displays on the upper floors are great. Harrods and Selfridges are also pretty cool – and kids always like behaving well on escalators!

Take a bus

All kids get free bus travel so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t hop onto one of the millions of buses and take your own unofficial tour of London that way. Make sure you see Buckingham Palace, Whitehall (so sad that there are now railings preventing you from walking along Downing Street), Marble Arch, Westminster (take time off the bus to hear Big Ben chiming!) and, of course, Oxford and Regent Street. A recent trip on the fast disappearing Bendy Buses caused much amusement.

Well, I’d better stop there – but would really welcome other parents’ comments about things to do in London with the kids that won’t break the bank…..