London for families

Head to the Diana Playground, with its huge wooden pirate ship made for climbing. There’s a sensory trail, giant musical instruments, wind chimes, sand pits and lots of play structures too. While you’re at the Gardens, why not stop off at the allotment and visit the resident chickens.

Diana Memorial Playground | The Royal Parks

If you’re a post-rave generation parent, you’ll relate to Big Fish Little Fish family dance parties. Kids aged up to eight adore the multi-sensory dance floors, featuring glitter cannons and giant balloons, with chill-out craft tables and cake stall on the side.

Offering a twist on traditional river cruises, Thames Rockets’ 12-seater speedboats have hand-picked actors and stand-up comics as guides, and once you’re past Tower Bridge it’s time to hold on tight as families are zipped through the Docklands.

If your family is fired up by recent politics, a tour of the Family visits with children - UK Parliament is a must – the audio tour gets you up close to the despatch box and the inner workings of British politics. A new kid’s afternoon tea is also available, served with river views.

Bringing maths, space travel and innovation to life, the Science Museum is one of London’s coolest places for kids to explore. They can even experience what it’s like to fly the RAF’s newest frontline Typhoon jet.

Head out east to the Young V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green for a sneak peek Head out east to the play before iPads and Xboxes.

Here you’ll find three big galleries called Imagine, Play and Design to spark young imaginations including space, design and play. There are sometimes exhibitions from Manga to Hello Kitty which may carry an entrance charge, but there's always something to do.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a south London gem that gets to the nitty gritty of life on earth, from comparing bird skulls to ancient musical instruments from every corner of the globe.

Discovering how you look after a war ship is just one of the highlights of visiting HMS Belfast on the River Thames, one of only three surviving bombardment vessels from D-Day.

Go Ape Battersea is a treetop climbing adventure in the heart of London’s Battersea Park, with challenges for all of your very own little monkeys. With extra high trees, this is one of the most challenging courses in the country.

Take on one tall, twisty sculpture come slide, the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

Head to one of the UK’s tallest sculptures to see London from new heights. Explore the base of Anish Kapoor’s red lattice tower before taking the lifts 80m up to the viewing platform before taking one of the world’s tallest and longest slide – not one for the faint hearted. On the way down, there’s an array of concave mirrors and a soundscape if you choose the stairs. Book in advance to avoid queues.

ArcelorMittal Orbit | Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

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Discovering Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station never fails to thrill Harry Potter fans. Have your picture taken with the boy wizard’s dimension-busting trolley, before heading to the Harry Potter shop.

At 135m high, the London Eye is the world’s largest cantilevered observation wheel. Families can see up to 40km in all directions – that’s as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day.

The Unicorn Theatre near London Bridge is the go-to venue for innovative children’s theatre. From humble beginnings as a touring company in 1947, its patrons today include actor Jude Law.

Take your kids to the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and they can stand astride two hemispheres on the Prime Meridian Line at Royal Observatory Greenwich.

The Southbank Centre is a cornucopia of family fun, from predicting the next move of Jeppe Hein’s interactive fountains to concerts at the Royal Festival Hall.

Get lost in Hampton Court Palace’s legendary maze, commissioned by King William III in the 1700s. Covering a third of an acre, it’s the UK’s oldest hedge maze.

Families can’t fail to be wowed by Matilda the Musical. The pure comedy genius of Tim Minchin compliments Roald Dahl’s classic tale on stage at the Cambridge Theatre.

Beneath a giant filigree skull, the steps up to the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret in London Bridge will transport you back to early 19th century London for a sometimes gruesome look at early medicine and surgery (reopens in July 2017).

Gorge on delicious ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen at Camden - Chin Chin Labs in Camden Market. The fab flavours include griddled peach, watermelon and dill, and beetroot choc chip.

Kids can hold a genuine gold bar at the Bank of England Museum and discover the lengths the bank goes to when it comes to security features on banknotes. Ironically, this is all free of charge.