Best Things to Do with Kids in London This Week: 13 to 19 July 2026

This is the last full week of the English school term. Most schools break up around 20 to 22 July, which makes the weekend of 18 and 19 July 2026 the calm before the summer-holiday rush, and a very good time to get out with the children before the crowds arrive. There is free open-air cinema, a free museum trail the little ones will love, and every one of London's great family attractions ready and waiting. This is our weekly guide to the best things to do with kids in London this week, built by the founders of London Theatre Direct, with the live prices we verified on Monday morning so you can plan the family budget with real numbers.

Free family fun this week

You do not need to spend to keep children happy in London in July. Down in Forest Hill, the Horniman Museum has free general entry and a free Octonauts: Adventure at the Horniman trail running all summer, leading families around the galleries on an underwater-themed hunt. It pairs perfectly with the Horniman's famous gardens and its views across the city, and makes for a full, low-cost day out.

For a free afternoon in the middle of town, the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is one of the best in the country, a Peter Pan-themed adventure ground built around a full-size wooden pirate ship, free to enter and aimed at under-12s. It sits a short walk from the Diana Memorial Fountain, where children can paddle and cool off on a warm day, also free. Together they turn Kensington Gardens into an easy no-cost day, with plenty of grass for a picnic in between.

Closer to the centre, Canary Wharf is a quietly brilliant free day for families right now. There is a colourful nine-hole minigolf course at Montgomery Square that is free to play, open daily from noon to 6pm with clubs and balls provided, and free Summer Screens cinema in nearby Canada Square Park showing films, sport and games on a big outdoor screen. On Tuesday 14 July, Vauxhall Summer Screens shows Cool Runnings for free at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens from 7pm, a joyful, all-ages watch if you fancy a warm-evening treat. For more no-spend ideas, our companion guide to the best free things to do in London this week has the full list.

The animal attractions

When it comes to a sure-fire family day, the animals rarely disappoint. London Zoo, set in the northern corner of Regent's Park, is from £30.50 on our verified Monday prices, with its Land of the Lions, Gorilla Kingdom and penguin feeds filling an easy full day. On the South Bank, the SEA LIFE London Aquarium sits right beside the London Eye and is from £24.50, a great cool-down on a hot afternoon as you walk the glass tunnel beneath the sharks. Both are weather-proof enough to work whatever mid-July throws at you.

If your children are old enough for a bigger adventure, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the making of Harry Potter, remains the single most magical day out within reach of London, from £85 including return transport on our Monday prices. It is worth booking ahead, especially as the holidays approach, because slots go quickly once term ends.

Hands-on museums and a great view

For a day where children can touch, climb and press buttons, the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden is hard to beat, from £27 on our Monday prices, with its walk-on buses and trains and a play zone for younger visitors. Covent Garden itself, with its free street performers under the piazza, makes the surrounding hours easy to fill. For a headline moment, the London Eye is from £25.38 and gives the whole family the city laid out below in a gentle half-hour turn, best of all on a clear summer afternoon.

If the imaginations need firing, the immersive galleries at Frameless, from £29.51, turn famous paintings into rooms you walk right into, a hit with children who think they do not like art. And for green space with plenty of room to run, Kew Gardens is from £21.85, with its Treetop Walkway and the Children's Garden built for exactly this age group.

A family show to round it off

No family week in London is complete without a show, and the West End is at full strength. The Lion King at the Lyceum, from £43.75, plays weekend matinees and remains the definitive first show for younger children, its opening parade of animals still one of the great gasps in theatre. Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge, from £25, is the other reliable family champion, funny and big-hearted and pitched just right for primary-age children upward. If you are planning a first trip to the theatre, our guide to taking children to their first West End show and our round-up of the best London shows for kids by age will help you match the show to the child.

For choosing where to sit, our overview of the best London theatres for families flags the venues with the easiest access, the clearest sightlines and the shortest queues for the interval ice cream, which matters more than you might think with a young audience.

Planning ahead for the holidays

Because this is the last week of term, it is the smart moment to lock in the big holiday days before everyone else does. The most popular family attractions, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour especially, but also London Zoo and the Tower of London, get busy fast once schools break up around 20 July, and booking now means better choice of dates and times. On our Monday prices the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels is from £37, a brilliant, castle-shaped introduction to a thousand years of history. And if you are booking several big days across the holidays, the consistent saving comes from tickadoo+ member pricing across the catalogue rather than any single offer.

Frequently asked questions

When do schools break up for the summer in 2026?

Most state schools in England break up for the summer holidays around 20 to 22 July 2026, with the earliest London boroughs finishing on Monday 20 July. That makes the week of 13 to 19 July the last full week of term and the weekend of 18 and 19 July the quiet one before the holiday rush.

What free things can families do in London this week?

The Horniman Museum has free entry and a free Octonauts trail, Canary Wharf has free daily minigolf and free Summer Screens cinema, and Vauxhall Summer Screens shows Cool Runnings free on Tuesday 14 July. London's big national museums are also free to enter.

What is the best family attraction in London right now?

For a full day, London Zoo from £30.50 and the SEA LIFE London Aquarium from £24.50 are the classic animal favourites on our Monday prices, while the London Transport Museum from £27 is the best hands-on day for younger children in central London.

What is the best show for children this week?

The Lion King at the Lyceum, from £43.75, is the surest family show and plays weekend matinees, with Matilda the Musical from £25 a close second. Both suit primary-age children and up.

What is the best value family day out this week?

A free day built around the Horniman Museum or Canary Wharf's free minigolf and cinema costs nothing at all. Among paid attractions, Kew Gardens from £21.85 and the SEA LIFE London Aquarium from £24.50 lead on value on our Monday prices.

How can we save on a family trip?

Rather than provider-by-provider discounts, the consistent saving comes from tickadoo+ member pricing across the catalogue, which is most worthwhile when you are booking two or more big family days in the same holiday.

That is our guide to London with children for 13 to 19 July 2026, the last quiet week before the summer holidays begin. For the rest of what's on, see our companion guides to what's on in London this week, the West End this week and the best free things to do, or browse everything on the London hub.