What to do with the kids in London during the summer holiday

Many families will be visiting London over the long summer holidays, and there will be plenty for them to do. Here’s a selection of some of them:

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Look down upon the River Thames (if you dare) at the Tower Bridge Experience. Take one of the family-friendly tours or download the app to find out more about one of the most well-known bridges in the world.

A day on the South Bank

You could spent a whole week on London’s South Bank and still not get everything done. Walk from the London Eye, London Aquarium and Shrek’s Adventure at one end, past the British Film Institute, Festival Hall, National Theatre, Tate Modern, and Millennium Bridge, to the Globe Theatre. There are always lots of different activities along the way, including a man-made beach especially for the summer.

A guided tour of the Houses of Parliament

MPs may be away on holiday, but that means that you can get to see more of the beautiful and fascinating Houses of Parliament. These guided or audio tours include the famous Commons Chamber and Lords Chamber where laws are thrashed out before they’re voted on, as well as the 1,000-year-old Westminster Hall.

Kew Gardens

Lose yourself for a day in the beautiful formal gardens at Kew in West London. Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to one of the largest collection of plants in the world. If the weather’s fine, you’ve got acres of grounds to walk in, but if it starts raining or you’re feeling in need of the type of heat we’ve been missing this summer, the tropical greenhouses are the places to visit. This summer, the kids can find out more about the importance of pollinating mini-beasts in the Insect Adventure Camp.

Free London

If you’ve got the whole family in tow, visitor attractions can get rather expensive. But there are plenty of things to do that’ll please everyone which have free entry.

The Natural History Museum and Science Museum are next door to each other, and both are chockablock full of things that are bound to be interesting to at least one member of the family, from dinosaurs to the Space Race, whales to aeroplanes, and earthquakes to engineering.

You could also visit the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery – also next door to each other – to admire some of the world’s greatest paintings. If the kids get a bit bored, the National Gallery overlooks Trafalgar Square with its famous lions, Nelson’s Column and the Fourth Plinth, which has become an attraction in its own right with displays of innovative public art.

And if that’s not enough, there are plenty more free museums to visit, not to mention the Royal Parks, the changing of the guards, street entertainment in Covent Garden…

If you’re looking for a great value place for the family to stay on your summer holiday visit to the Capital, check out our Hemel Hempstead serviced apartments.