Indoor Things to Do with Kids in London: Museums, Golf and More

London is a good city to be stuck in when the forecast is poor. Many of its best-known museums and galleries are indoors and set up for families, and the cinemas, trampoline parks and mini golf venues cover the days when children need to burn off energy. Public transport links most of them, so you can plan a day around one or two stops and keep the walking outside to a minimum. Below, the venues are grouped by type to help you choose.

Museums and aquariums

The big museums are the obvious starting point, and they have the review counts to back it up.

• Science Museum is rated 4.6 from over 76,000 Google reviews. It offers interactive exhibits where children can touch and experiment, in South Kensington.
• The Natural History Museum is rated 4.6 from over 38,000 Google reviews. It is home to dinosaur skeletons and rare minerals.
• SEA LIFE London Aquarium is rated 4.3 from over 29,000 Google reviews. It has sharks and sea turtles, and an immersive ocean tunnel.
• Imperial War Museum London is rated 4.7 from over 30,000 Google reviews. It covers conflicts from the First World War to the present day, which suits curious older children.
• London Transport Museum in Covent Garden is rated 4.4 from over 13,000 Google reviews. Children can drive historic buses and operate vintage trains.
• National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is rated 4.6 from over 15,000 Google reviews. It has hands-on displays on seafaring heritage, with wheelchair and pushchair access.
• The Postal Museum is rated 4.6 from over 5,800 Google reviews. It combines interactive exhibits with underground railway rides.

Galleries

Art galleries can work with children if you pick the right one. Tate Modern, rated 4.5 from over 83,000 Google reviews, has full wheelchair and pushchair access and baby changing facilities. The National Gallery, rated 4.8 from over 62,000 Google reviews, offers augmented reality experiences and family-friendly activities. The Wallace Collection in Manchester Square is rated 4.8 from over 10,000 Google reviews and provides complimentary family trails.

Creative and hands-on

• Young V & A in Bethnal Green is rated 4.4 from over 6,000 Google reviews. It runs creative workshops and family treasure hunts, and has a café and picnic areas.
• Adopt-a-Bear Experience is rated 4.5 from over 4,000 Google reviews. Children stuff, dress and name their own teddy bear to take home.
• Paradox Museum is rated 4.3 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It has more than 70 optical illusions and interactive displays.
• Twist Museum on Oxford Street is rated 4.6 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It has wheelchair access and baby changing, though some areas may be challenging with pushchairs.
• Frameless London is rated 4.6 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It shows digital art through immersive projections and sound, with wheelchair and pushchair access throughout.

Active and sporty

For children who need to move, London has trampoline parks and mini golf.

• Flip Out Brent Cross is rated 4.6 from over 12,000 Google reviews. It has varied jumping zones and a Ninja Course at Staples Corner Retail Park.
• Flip Out E6 London in Newham is rated 4.2 from over 4,000 Google reviews. It features a 100-metre cave system, laser quest, beam challenges and drop slides.
• Puttshack at Westfield Square is rated 4.8 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It offers mini golf with innovative technology and fully accessible courses.
• Swingers, the crazy golf club is rated 4.4 from over 3,700 Google reviews. It is wheelchair and pushchair accessible, with accessible toilets and baby changing.

Rainy-day classics: cinemas, bowling and arcades

When everyone is tired of walking around, a film or a game is an easy fallback.

• ODEON BFI IMAX on the South Bank is rated 4.6 from over 7,500 Google reviews and has Britain's biggest cinema screen.
• Vue Westfield Stratford is a 20-screen multiplex rated 4.0 from over 6,000 Google reviews, with snacks, wheelchair access and onsite parking.
• Cineworld London - The O2 Greenwich is rated 4.3 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It has motion-enhanced D-Box chairs and screenings for younger viewers.
• CoComelon: Sing-A-Long LIVE is rated 4.6 from over 3,500 Google reviews. It is an interactive musical show where little ones sing and dance along to nursery rhymes in the West End.
• F1 Arcade is rated 4.7 from over 5,000 Google reviews. It has professional racing simulators and a social dining and drinks setting.
• All Star Lanes Brick Lane is a bowling venue rated 4.1 from over 3,000 Google reviews. Pushchair access is limited and there are no baby changing facilities, so it suits families with older children.

Tips for an indoor day out

• Book weekend and school-holiday slots ahead, as popular venues can fill up.
• Check the venue's own page for current opening times before you set off.
• Soft play centres often ask for socks, so pack a spare pair for everyone.
• Pair one active venue with one calmer one, such as trampolining in the morning and a museum or film after lunch.
• Take a change of clothes and a small bag for wet coats and umbrellas.