The best family days out in London and beyond rated by kids and teens
Greenwich is packed full of great attractions that kids will love. It’s slightly off the beaten track way down past the Docklands in South East London, so if you do go, it’s best to know exactly what to do.
So much more than just a tea clipper, the Cutty Sark has loads of interactive activities for kids.
With engaging family trails, interactive exhibits, and hands-on activities, young adventurers can take the helm, don sailor attire for Instagram-worthy moments, and uncover the secrets of life at sea. Not to mention enjoy the great views over the River Thames.
Convenient amenities like a cafe and gift shop, along with accessibility for buggies and wheelchairs, ensure a hassle-free experience for the entire family.
Cutty Sark, an official K-Rated attraction © National Maritime Museum
Take a film tour of the ORNC and hear all the stories about the different movies that were shot here and what the movie stars were like! These include massive stars like Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and James Bond, Daniel Craig. Kids will love the painted gallery which starred in Cinderella. Blockbuster Film Tours run every Thursday and Sunday..
Whilst you’re there you can explore 600 years of British history in a fascinating permanent exhibition including historical artefacts, scale models, film footage and hands-on displays. Greenwich Palace offers up the remains of one of Henry’s VIII favourite palaces, with 30 objects excavated on-site to help picture the grandeur of the Tudor palace.
The Royal Hospital for Seamen was a refuge for old and injured sailors and at its peak in 1814, a whopping 2,710 pensioners were cared for here! Find out about life in the hospital, such as the beer allowance (of 4 pints a day!) to the creepy punishments for breaking the rules.
Old Royal Naval Collages
The National Maritime Museum is a great interactive museum for kids. There’s the All Hands children’s gallery for 6-12-year-olds where you can fire a cannon and learn about life at sea, and The Cove playground where climbing on a Pirate Ship will tire the most active of kids. The best thing about it? It’s free!
The Museum has several different themed galleries for you and your clan to explore. Find out what made J. M. W. Turner’s largest painting so controversial. Get up close to the actual uniform Admiral Nelson was wearing when he was fatally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar. Experience the lives of both ordinary seamen and well-known characters, such as Christopher Columbus, Elizabeth I, and Francis Drake in the Tudor and Stuart Seafarers gallery.
See the most experienced of explorers being pushed to the extremes of human endurance through the stories of heroic explorers in the Polar Worlds gallery.
© National Maritime Museum, London – an official K-Rated attraction
A delightful park, Greenwich Park is where the marathon starts. It’s the oldest royal park in London and at 183 acres it’s one of the biggest green spaces in south-east London. Great for kids to run around, play games and walk dogs.
It’s a lovely place for a family ramble particularly for nature lovers, so it’s also a great idea to take along bird and bug books so you can identify what you’re finding, and binoculars so you can find even more!
Enjoy music at the bandstand, visit the Meridian Line and stand with one foot in the Eastern hemisphere and one in the Western hemisphere and check out the well equipped children’s adventure playground complete with picnic benches so you can lunch outdoors. Look out for extra entertainment such as puppet shows and workshops during summer school holidays.
Greenwich Park
Hop over the Meridian Line and catch an astronomy show at London’s only planetarium at the Royal Observatory. The planetarium has great shows for kids, especially during half terms and holidays.
Explore how great scientists first mapped the seas and the stars in Charles II’s magnificent Christopher Wren-designed Octagon Room – dating from 1675. Marvel at the Great Equatorial Telescope, the UK’s largest historic telescope which gave astronomers new views of the universe over 100 years ago.
If you’re visiting at the weekend sign up for the Observatory Unlocked sessions and tour around with an expert guide. Ted’s Space Adventure is perfect if you have little ones under 7. There really is something for everyone to see here.
Greenwich Royal Observatory
Greenwich Market is great for exciting food and lovely artisanal gifts among stalls selling other things. It’s a good alternative for young families who might find the hustle and bustle of Borough Market a bit too much.
You’ll be able to find handmade gift ideas, from arts and crafts to homewares and accessories. The kids will enjoy tasty street food spanning cuisines from across the world, including vegan and gluten-free options.
Surrounded by independent shops, bars and cafes, this covered market makes for a great day out. Travel to Greenwich by riverboat or take the train from London Bridge for the quickest journey, which takes just eight minutes.
6 year old Peter loved the Ethiopian Food at Greenwich Market and gave it a massive K-Rating of 10
One of the fastest ways to get to North Greenwich from the centre of Greenwich is on the Uber boat by Thames Clippers. From the windows, you’ll get great views of Greenwich, and Canary Wharf on the north bank.
Parents can enjoy a drink from the onboard licensed bar, either from the climate-controlled cabin or the outside deck. And with 22 piers across London, you can explore some of London’s top attractions. Go west to see iconic Battersea Power Station, then enjoy central London including the Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Tower of London and Tower Bridge. 20 minutes further east, you’ll reach picturesque Greenwich and The O2.
Thames Clipper, an official K-Rated attraction
The only cable car in London, the IFS Cloud Cable Car is a great experience with nice views over London. You can use your Oyster Card, but if you buy a ticket there you can keep it as a nice souvenir. There isn’t a great deal to do at Royal Victoria Docks so buy a return ticket.
Side note: If you need new ideas for a date night, you can actually book up a cable car to yourselves at night with champagne to go along with the view.
Elliot K-Rates Greenwich Cable Car
If you want something totally unique to do and your kids are brave and active then why not book to climb over the O2? Kids will love feeling like an adventurer and provided you don’t have vertigo, the views at the top are even better because you had to work hard to get there!
Available now are the daytime, sunset, celebration and twilight climbs.
Any brave over 8s (and 1.2m+ tall) can enjoy the tremendous sense of achievement of reaching the top of the viewing platform, a whopping 52m above ground level. Your efforts will be rewarded with spectacular 360-degree panoramic views over the capital. Climbers can take in the sights of all the famous landmarks London has to offer including the Shard, the Gherkin and the River Thames, either in wonderful clarity or spectacular twinkling depending on the time of day.
Up at the O2
One of the best things about Greenwich is it that it is fun to get to. You could take a City Cruise down the Thames. Or you could take the DLR – don’t forget to sit at the front and pretend to be the driver! Your third option is to take the DLR to Island Gardens, from where you will see a great view of the Old Royal Naval College and then take the old Victorian foot tunnel under the Thames. It’s weird and creepy – kids will love it!
Clink Prison Museum
Matilda the Musical
Why is “The only cable car in London, the Emirates Air Line is fairly useless”?