Greenwich (Day 1); South Bank/Trafalgar (Day 2); South Kensington (Day 3)
Cutty Sark Clipper Ship · Photo: Ethan Doyle White
Three compact days, each in its own walkable patch: maritime Greenwich, the South Bank and Trafalgar Square with a London Eye ride, and the Exhibition Road museums. Indoor options on every day mean it survives a wet spell.
Museum · 10:00–11:45 (1h45m)
Walk under the clipper's hull.
An indoor and outdoor museum in Greenwich, aimed at ages 4 and up.
Photo: Ethan Doyle White
11:55–12:55 (1h)
Street-food lunch.
A covered market in the middle of Greenwich with craft and vintage stalls plus a big cluster of street-food traders, and a riverside food market in Cutty Sark Gardens. It is an easy lunch stop between the ship and the park.
Photo: Steve F-E-Cameron
Museum · 13:05–14:00 (55m)
Free gallery and the Tulip Stairs.
A white 17th-century royal villa between the National Maritime Museum and Greenwich Park, now a free art gallery. Children like the spiral Tulip Stairs and the costumed characters who appear on Sundays.
Photo: Bill Bertram
Park · 14:10–16:30 (2h20m)
Hilltop views and lawns.
An indoor and outdoor park in Greenwich.
Photo: Mx. Granger
Playground · 10:00–10:50 (50m)
Burn off energy before the wheel.
An enclosed timber adventure playground in the riverside gardens right behind the London Eye, built as a long run of logs, nets and balance beams. It is free and well used, so it is a handy place for children to let off steam before or after the wheel. The gardens around it have big lawns and mature trees.
Photo: jubileegardens.org.uk
Landmark · 11:00–12:15 (1h15m)
Pre-booked London Eye rotation.
The 135-metre observation wheel on the South Bank, with 32 glass capsules that take about half an hour to make one slow turn. On a clear day you can pick out Parliament, St Paul's and the parks. Booking online is noticeably cheaper than paying on the day.
Photo: Khamtran
Food stop · 12:30–13:30 (1h)
Lunch in the crypt.
A self-service cafe in the brick-vaulted crypt beneath St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square, with old tombstones set into the floor. It has plenty of tables, buggy-friendly toilets and baby changing, which is rare this close to the National Gallery.
Illustrative photo: Ayodele Adeniyi on Unsplash
Museum · 13:30–15:00 (1h30m)
Family spaces and a short gallery wander.
An indoor museum in London, aimed at ages 4 and up.
Photo: Diego Delso
15:10–16:00 (50m)
Street performers to finish.
The historic market hall and cobbled piazza in the West End, where licensed street performers draw crowds through the day. Families tend to combine it with the London Transport Museum on the same square and a bite to eat in the surrounding streets.
Photo: coventgarden.london
Museum · 10:00–12:15 (2h15m)
Dinosaurs and the blue whale.
An indoor museum in London.
Photo: Ryan Hodnett
Museum · 12:20–13:45 (1h25m)
Garden picnic and family trail.
An indoor museum in Kensington, aimed at ages 0–12.
Photo: Lobster1
Museum · 13:55–16:30 (2h35m)
Space, flight and optional Wonderlab.
An indoor museum in London.
Photo: Christine Matthews
LondonTower Hill / Greenwich (Day 1); South Kensington (Day 2)
Day one goes east: the Tower in the morning, lunch by the boats at St Katharine Docks, then a river bus down to Greenwich for the Queen's House and the park. Day two stays west with free museums and a boat on the Serpentine. Two separate, walkable clusters joined only by public transport.
Tower of London → St Katharine Docks → Uber Boat by Thames Clipper → Queen's House + 5 more
LondonSouth Kensington
Dinosaurs in the morning, a garden picnic at lunchtime and hands-on science in the afternoon, all within a five-minute walk of each other and all free to enter. Because everything is indoors except the V&A garden, it holds up in any weather.
The Natural History Museum → Victoria and Albert Museum → Science Museum
LondonGreenwich
Walk beneath the copper hull of a Victorian tea clipper, graze the street-food stalls at the covered market, peek up the spiral stairs of the Queen's House and finish by climbing Greenwich Park for the view across to Canary Wharf. Everything is in one compact riverside town centre.
Cutty Sark Clipper Ship → Greenwich Market → Queen's House → Greenwich Park
