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One day in London, United Kingdom

One day in London with children can start in South Kensington at the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, continue on the District or Circle line to The Monument in the City, and finish at Tower Bridge and Potters Fields Park by the Thames. Check opening hours and book museum tickets ahead.

Children are 2 to 11 years old; infants are under 2.

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Updated 23 October 2026

Plan your trip to London

The Natural History Museum in the morning

Start at the Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, a five-minute walk from South Kensington Underground station on the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. It opens daily from 10:00 to 17:50, with the last entry at 17:30, and closes on 9 October and from 24 to 26 December.

Walk under Hope the blue whale in Hintze Hall, visit the roaring T. rex and the Triceratops skull in the Dinosaurs gallery, and try the earthquake simulator. Outside in the museum gardens, families can follow the Evolution Timeline of ancient rocks and see Fern, the bronze Diplodocus.

V&A South Kensington and lunch at midday

Cross Exhibition Road to V&A South Kensington on Cromwell Road, which is free and opens daily from 10:00 to 17:45, and on Fridays until 22:00, when some galleries close after 17:45. The galleries begin to clear 30 minutes before closing, and the museum is closed from 24 to 26 December.

Pick up free daily activities at the Learning Centre and follow the Explore as a Family digital trail past an emperor's throne, dragons, plaster casts and 18th-century wigs, along with Tippoo's Tiger and the Great Bed of Ware. Families can eat packed lunches in the John Madejski Garden, and the museum has buggy parks and baby-changing facilities in most toilets.

The Monument and Tower Bridge in the afternoon

From South Kensington station, take an eastbound District or Circle line train direct to Monument station. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke to commemorate the fire of September 1666, stands 202 feet tall at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill. It opens daily from 09:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 12:30 and 17:30, and visitors climb 311 spiral steps to a 360-degree viewing platform.

Continue one stop east on the District or Circle line to Tower Hill, or walk ten minutes along the river, to reach Tower Bridge. It is open daily from 09:30 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00, and has lifts as well as stairs to all levels for buggies. Inside, the 70-metre High-Level Walkways cross 43.5 metres above the Thames at high tide, with five-layer Glass Floors looking straight down to the road and river boats below.

Children can follow the Bella the Tower Bridge Cat trail and stamp their Apprenticeship Record while walking from the South Tower along the Blue Line, where 80 bronze plaques on the pavement lead to the original steam engines in the Victorian Engine Rooms.

Potters Fields Park and the Thames at the end of the day

Exit on the south side of the river beside the Engine Rooms and end the afternoon in Potters Fields Park, an open green space on the south bank of the Thames right next to Tower Bridge where families can sit with a picnic or walk the Thames Path.

Check the Bridge Lift schedule before or after going inside so the children can watch the bascules rise from the riverbank as tall vessels pass through.

Plan your one day in London

Gallery entry at the Natural History Museum and V&A South Kensington is free, though booking a free timed ticket ahead for the Natural History Museum skips the queue on weekends and school holidays. Tower Bridge and The Monument require an entry ticket, and both close from 24 to 26 December and open at 10:00 on 1 January.

At The Monument there is no lift up the 311 steps, and bags larger than 40 by 25 by 15 centimetres must stay in the storage area at the bottom of the staircase. At Tower Bridge backpacks up to 45 by 35 by 20 centimetres are allowed, wheeled suitcases are not permitted, and baby-changing rooms are in the South Tower and the Engine Rooms.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you spend one day in London with children?

Start at the Natural History Museum and V&A South Kensington in the morning, eat lunch in the John Madejski Garden, ride the District or Circle line to The Monument in the afternoon, and finish at Tower Bridge and Potters Fields Park by the Thames.

Are the Natural History Museum and the V&A free to enter?

Yes. Both museums have free general admission, though booking a free timed entry ticket in advance for the Natural History Museum lets families skip the queue on weekends and school holidays.

Can you take a buggy inside Tower Bridge?

Yes. Tower Bridge is accessible for buggies with lift access to the High-Level Walkways and the Engine Rooms, and baby-changing facilities are in the accessible toilets in the South Tower and the Engine Rooms.

How do you travel between South Kensington and Tower Bridge?

Take the eastbound District or Circle line from South Kensington Underground station directly to Monument station for The Monument, and one stop further to Tower Hill station, which is a seven-minute step-free walk from Tower Bridge.