London on a rainy day isn't short on cool things to do with kids indoors.
The problem is that every other family will have made a run for the same big inside tourist attractions and you will be nose-to-tail with every other family in London to see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum or some such.
So I have for you here a guide to all the best things to do in London with kids on rainy days in London that won't be absolutely chock full of people.
Table of Contents
The Mid Sized Museums
On a rainy day London's brilliant big museums are rammed full of people. One soggy bank holiday we had to queue in the rain to get into the Imperial War Museum!
But luckily London's got a bunch of great medium sized museums fewer people know about. They are big enough for half a day and combine well with more energetic activities - e.g. skating - for the rest of the day.
My top 10 picks for mid-sized museums to visit on rainy days are :
- London Museum - London history from the Romans to the Rolling Stones. Reopening in Smithfield in 2026.
- Horniman Museum - cross between Natural History & the V&A
- RAF Museum - unbelievably cool planes galore!
- Maritime Museum - fab hands on galleries for little & bigger kids.
- National Army Museum - everything for little soldiers.
- Wellcome Collection - cool science & medicine exhibits.
- London Museum Docklands - everything about the river Thames.
- Brooklands - motor-tastic PLUS more planes - not all indoors but enough to keep dry.
- Planetarium - travel through space at the top of Greenwich Park.
- Young V&A - toys galore and lots of holiday and weekend activities.
Most of these mid-sized museums have decent sized cafes and facilities for lunch.
London Palaces & Mansions
London has over 30 grand palaces and mansions and many of them are perfect for rainy days as they put on all sort of activities targeted at kids.
You'll know your local and world famous attractions like Hampton Court but probably haven't heard of some of these absolute gems :
- Hall Place - a beautiful Tudor house with lovely grounds that has a great little museum on the Tudors perfect for rainy days.
- Ham House - a beautiful mansion house by the Thames near Richmond with a network of secret servants staircases.
- Eltham Palace - half uber glamorous 30s mansion - half historic Tudor palace with opportunities for dressing up in period costumes.
- Kenwood House - stellar collection of world class art at top of Hampstead Heath.
- Forty Hall - a beautiful north London mansion house that puts on lots of indoor craft activities for younger kids and families.
- Syon House - the Duke of Northumberland's beautiful west London castle.
- Gunnersbury Park - a former palace for a princess in west London that has very kid friendly museum collections.
Go Underground!
One clever option if it is raining in London is to go underground! London has some seriously cool underground offerings your kids will love ...
- Chiselhurst Caves - 22 miles worth of - very spooky - underground caves near station
- Postal Museum - with its very own underground railway!
- Old Tube Stations - you can explore London's ghost stations and tunnels on tours with the London Transport Museum.
- Churchill War Museums - the underground bunker beneath Whitehall from which Churchill and his cabinet led the war effort.
- London Museum - the new site (opening 2026) will have new super-cool underground galleries in forgotten Smithfield vaults that were blocked up for a century.
London Ice Skating
Kids, whether Londoners or visiting, need to burn off serious energy whatever the weather and London ice rinks are the perfect place to get everyone out of a grump with the mood balancing benefits of ice skating.
On a whole day out kids are far more likely to enjoy half a day in a museum if they spend the other half whizzing around at the rink. There are permanent London ice rinks at:
- Queens Ice & Bowl
- Lee Valley Ice Centre
- Streatham Ice Rink
- Alexandra Palace
Queens Ice & Bowl
Queens Ice & Bowl is very handy for a bunch of museums that are just 10-15 minutes away by bus or tube including :
- Kensington Palace
- British Museum
- Science Museum
- Victoria & Albert
- Natural History
Kensington Palace - the childhood home of Queen Victoria - and often a hit with girls is 10 minutes walk away.
Lee Valley Ice Centre
The Lee Valley Ice Centre on the edge of Hackney is close to some cool little museums that can be combined with skating for a good rainy day out :
- Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum
- Vestry Workhouse Museum
- William Morris Gallery
Streatham Ice Rink
Streatham ice rink is down in south London but is right next to Streatham Thameslink station so can be combined via Farringdon with :
- Museum Of London (Smithfield)
- Postal Museum
Or via the P13 bus with the Horniman Museum.
Alexandra Palace
The Alexandra Palace ice rink has a great location in the old Ally Pally. There aren't really museums or other activities nearby but the Ally Pally itself also has soft play and the theatre and East Court - under restoration - which put on shows.
Trampolining in London
Trampolining is another fabulous way to stop kids bouncing off the walls when it's chucking it down outside. For some serious jumping action try ...
- Flip Out - in Wandsworth, Brent Cross and E6
- Oxygen Free Jumping - Park Royal and Croydon
- Jump Giants - Heathrow
London Rock Climbing
Rock climbing's another great rainy day in London with kids option. As it burns off their physical and mental energy. There are climbing walls in leisure centres across London but for something a bit more challenging - for 5 and ups - try:
- Clip N Climb in Chelsea
And to stretch bigger kids visit :
- Westway Climbing - with walls over 14 metres high
- Arch Climbing Wall at the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey, London Fields & Tottenham Hale
- Castle Climbing Centre - in an old Victorian pumping station!
On these walls you have to do an introductory session the first time you go. Do check height and age restrictions.
OK! So that's already 37 cool places to go with kids on a rainy day in London!
Need some more? Here you go ...
Small London Museums That Work In the Rain
You'd think you'd be in and out of London's small museums too quickly when it's raining. But some of the little London museums that are crammed to the rafters with stuff old-school style actually do keep kids gripped!
We have spent hours geeking out in the tiny - and empty - but brilliant ...
- Vestry - odds and sods of domestic life plus a prison cell and early car - fabulous!
- Grant - weird and wonderful natural history from brains to elephant hearts!
- Petrie - one of the world's best Egyptian collections just round from the Grant
- Ragged School - experience a Victorian classroom. Sit up straight now you there at the back!!
If your kids have done the Victorians at school you could also try ...
- 18 Stafford Terrace - for a costumed tour of a Victorian family house
Forgotten Bits Of The Big Museums
OK so we all know London's big museums are a nightmare on a rainy day but there are forgotten bits to them where it is less hectic ...
- British Museum - come in the back Montagu Place entrance and check out the Americas
- Natural History - go in the side entrance and skip the dinosaurs for bugs and mammals
- Science Museum - check out the Journey Through Medicine and only hit the super popular Wonder Lab first thing or at the end of the day
The Cathedrals
Let's be honest, you may get groans from your kids if you mention cathedrals but heh, people come from all round the world to see ...
... which does make them busy but much less so in the autumn and winter half terms. The downside is, these two are expensive but don't forget we do also have ...
... which is FREE to visit. It is right by Borough Market and the location for a very scary Dr Who episode and has its very own cathedral cat. Beat that St Pauls!
Southwark is also a very quick walk from :
So you can put together a rainy day of visits together that are no more than a 5 minute dash apart.
Cinema & Theatre
Now of course London's theatres and cinemas are super pricey but it's a pretty good way to spend a rainy afternoon with kids and there are ways - see bottom - to make them cheaper.
You can always get last minute theatre tickets from the official Theatre Society ticket booth in Leicester Square and for an amazing cinema experience your kids won't forget, remember the ...
- IMAX Waterloo - Britain's biggest screen, a WHOPPING 20 metres high & 26 metres wide!
Ten Pin Bowling
Then pin bowling is another great activity for older kids with energy to burn off on a rainy day - or let's be honest week - in London. There are ten pin bowling lanes at ...
- Bloomsbury Bowling - close to the British Museum so could combine
- All Star Lanes - in Holborn, Bayswater, Brick Lane & Stratford
- Hollywood Bowl - at the O2, Dagenham, Finchley & Uxbridge
- Rowans - in Finsbury Park, a bit cheaper than the fancy new ones
So there you go! 54 places to go with kids in London on a rainy day!
But there is one more brilliant thing you could do ...
... and that's go to the woods AND get wet!!!
Get Wet In The Woods
London has truly amazing forest and woodland and as long as it's not teaming down and you're not completely mud phobic ... it's the best fun ever.
You get plenty of cover from the rain but under foot it's gorgeously squelchily muddy. Yes everyone gets filthy but it's the stuff memories are made of right here in London in the rain.
To find the best forest land near you check out this big guide to the best London woods.
I do hope you enjoy your rainy days - and weeks - in London with kids.
For more day out and itinerary ideas check out my other guides to fun things to do in London and follow me on Pinterest.
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