Guides · Family days out
Days out,
already planned.
Whole days worked out for you: where to start, when to stop for lunch, how to get between places and what to do if it rains. Every stop links to its own page with opening times, prices and a map.
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East of EnglandWhales, mummies and polar explorers: a free rainy day in Cambridge
Cambridge city centre
Three free university museums sit within a ten-minute walk of each other in central Cambridge, so a wet day costs nothing but lunch. Start under the giant whale skeleton, eat at the Fitzwilliam's courtyard cafe, then finish with sledges and snow goggles at the Polar Museum.
University Museum of Zoology → The Fitzwilliam Museum → The Polar Museum
One dayAges 3–7Rainy dayFree
East of EnglandGlasshouses and a hillfort: a gentle toddler day south of Cambridge
Cambridge
Flat garden paths and glasshouses in the morning suit buggies and new walkers, and under-17s get in free. After lunch, swap to the woods at Wandlebury for den-building and space to run.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden → Wandlebury Country Park
One dayToddlersSunny dayCost £
East of EnglandThe Ship of the Fens and a wetland adventure
Ely
Climb into the medieval roof spaces of Ely Cathedral in the morning, then cycle or walk the flat droves of Wicken Fen, the National Trust's oldest nature reserve. Under-16s visit the cathedral free with family.
Ely Cathedral → Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve
One dayAges 8–12Cost ££
East of EnglandNorwich Castle and the Broads: a two-day Norfolk break
Norwich
Day one pairs the newly reopened Norman keep in the middle of Norwich with an easy lakeside walk on the edge of the city. Day two heads into the Broads for old boats, a short river trip and a wildlife reserve on Hickling Broad.
Norwich Castle → Whitlingham Country Park → Museum of the Broads → NWT Hickling Broad and Marshes
WeekendAll agesCost ££
East of EnglandHolkham sands and the little steam train to Walsingham
Wells-next-the-Sea
Walk the boardwalk through the pines to one of England's widest beaches, then trade sand for a tiny steam train that trundles inland to Walsingham and back. Under-5s ride free.
Holkham Beach → Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
One dayAges 3–7Sunny dayCost £
East of EnglandDunes, seals and the Wash
Hunstanton
A morning in the dunes and pinewoods at Holme, where children go free, then the seal rescue centre at Hunstanton's aquarium. The aquarium also works as the whole day if the weather turns.
NWT Holme Dunes → SEA LIFE Hunstanton
One dayAll agesCost ££
East of EnglandFort, museum and a free Tudor mansion
Felixstowe
Explore the tunnels and gun batteries of Landguard Fort while container ships slide past, then cross to Ipswich for a free Tudor house full of old toys. A park on the doorstep finishes the day.
Landguard Fort → Felixstowe Museum → Christchurch Mansion → Christchurch Park
One dayAges 8–12Cost £
East of EnglandMarshes and a pier of peculiar machines
Lowestoft
A free wetland reserve with a play area and marsh-view cafe in the morning, then down the coast to Southwold, where the pier's Under the Pier Show is full of odd home-made coin machines. Walking the pier itself costs nothing.
Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve → Southwold Pier
One dayAll agesCost £
East of EnglandBoats on the Meare and birds at Minsmere
Aldeburgh
Row between the little islands of Thorpeness Meare in the morning, then spend the afternoon at Minsmere's Wild Zone, sand martin tunnels and pond dipping.
Thorpeness Meare → RSPB Minsmere
One dayAges 3–7Sunny dayCost ££
East of EnglandPier train and castle ruins on the Thames Estuary
Southend-on-Sea
Ride or walk the world's longest pleasure pier out into the estuary, then head up the hill to Hadleigh's ruined castle, which is free to explore, for big views back over the water.
Southend Pier and Train → Hadleigh Castle
One dayAges 3–7Sunny dayCost £
East of EnglandRoman St Albans for a few pounds
St Albans
Hands-on Roman life in the museum, with dressing up at weekends and in holidays, then out into the park built over the old Roman city for a picnic by the lake.
Verulamium Museum → Verulamium Park
Half dayAges 3–7Cost £
East of EnglandVintage planes and a French-style garden
Biggleswade
Hangars of old aeroplanes, many still airworthy, at Old Warden in the morning, then an English Heritage mansion with long garden vistas, woodland paths and a walled-garden cafe.
Shuttleworth Collection & Garden → Wrest Park
One dayTeensCost ££
East of EnglandA farm-stay weekend on the Suffolk coast
Restaries at Paradise Farm, Westhall
Settle into a converted barn on a Suffolk farm, swim in the heated covered pool and meet the goats and alpacas, then spend a day on the coast: giraffes and lions at Africa Alive, lunch on Southwold Pier, Tim Hunkin's eccentric machines and a run on the beach. Works for toddlers through to tweens.
Restaries at Paradise Farm → Africa Alive! → Boardwalk Restaurant, Southwold Pier → Southwold Pier
WeekendAll agesCost £££
Written by Tumble from each place's own published information, checked October 2026. Times are suggestions, not bookings. Opening hours and prices change, so check each place's page before you set off.