Top London Sights for Families

Headed to London with pint-sized travelers? They may not take well to visiting yet another historic attraction or quietly sitting through a tour of multiple cathedrals and castles. For kids with small attention spans and lots of energy, these are the spots you want to see.

The London Eye

Easy, quick and centrally located, the London Eye is a great first stop for your family vacation in London. The giant Ferris wheel gives you a great glimpse of the city and rides are 30 minutes long, completely safe from the elements and not scary at all for younger kids, as it moves at a snail’s pace.

The London Eye © Brianbanh | Dreamstime.com

The Making of Harry Potter

While it may take a bit of a drive or train ride to get there, this Warner Bros. Studio tour is a great experience for any family with Harry Potter fans. You can walk several of the film sets, see lots of props and costumes and experience plenty of hands-on action.

London Zoo

Follow in Potter’s footsteps and pay a visit to the Reptile House in the London Zoo. The zoo is popular with families and features plenty to keep animal-loving kids entertained for hours. It’s the world’s oldest scientific zoo and home to nearly 700 species.

Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood

Not all museums are boring for the under-10 crowd. The Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood is a huge collection of kid-related objects, like board games, doll houses, puppets and more. If you’ve ever wanted to show your children what you played with when you were their age, this might be just the place to do it.

The River Thames

To mix your interest in the more historic sites of London with your kids’ need to be on the move and experience something a little more thrilling, try a boat tour of the Thames. They get the thrill of speeding down the river, while you see notable sites like the Houses of Parliament and Tower Bridge.

The Cutty Sark

If you have a wannabe pirate in your midst, the Cutty Sark is a fun stop to add to your itinerary. The beautiful sailing vessel was built in the mid-1800s as a trade ship and has made a stop at just about every major port on the globe. A fun cast of reenactors shows you around, before you get a few shots at taking the helm by yourself.