fun things to do with kids in london england    
  Travel for Kids
  | London
     
    Regent's Park
   

Regent's ParkDrop by the Open Air Theatre to see what's playing. Often there are plays and musicals tailored to kids. And during the day, there are playgrounds and a lake for boating, and a canal running through the park.

      London Zoo – A trip to the London Zoo has always been fun, but now your kids can walk in Harry Potter’s footsteps, remembering his one happy day with those Muggles the Dursleys. Check out the great owl exhibit, but don’t miss the reptile room, where Harry realized he could talk to a boa constrictor. (Tip: Free with the London Pass .)
Regent's Canal
 

Boat ride on Regent's Canal – Canals were once a main source of industrial transporation into London, and it's fun to take a ride on the canal today, for an interesting, unique view of London.

    To pick up the boat, take the underground to Warwick Ave. and walk over to Little Venice, a lovely part of London where the canal is lined with green trees, ducks glide around on the water, and there's lots of colorful narrowboats, permanently moored along the canal. Spend some time walking around Little Venice, stop into a cafe for a bite to eat, then take the London Waterbus that goes along Regent's Canal to Camden Lock.
Camden Lock
    The ride lasts about 45 min., and passes through tunnels, under bridges, and goes along the back section of Regent's Park. At Camden Lock, watch the locks in action, narrowboats going up and down the canal. The canal boat trips run year round, but more frequently in summer. (The boats are closed, so this is a fun thing to do in even bad weather.)
      Tip: The London Waterbus is the perfect way to get to the London Zoo. Buy a combinating boat ride and zoo entrance ticket, and there's a stop for the zoo along the way.
    Madame Tussaud's – It's tacky and wonderful and if you're going to see any of Madame Tussaud museums, London is the place to do it. Madame Tussaud's is a way into English history. Queen Victoria is especially lifelike. And how could you fail to miss Henry VIII and his wives.
  Sherlock Holmes Museum – London and Sherlock Holmes are almost synonymous. Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character created by Conan Doyle, but he seems real to kids and adults alike. So real that when you visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street, there's a recreation of Holmes' study where his solved his famous cases. If you take the underground, the Baker Street station has a statue of Sherlock Holmes.
kids books england
     
Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes  
Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Judith Conaway

Kids can read for themselves three classic Sherlock Holmes stories – "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Red-headed League," and "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle." (Easy reader)

Or, read outloud the complete The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

 

     

Imagine if Sherlock Holmes had a younger sister, and here she is, Enola Holmes, a spirited, independent teenager, hot on the trail of Viscount Tewksbury, as well as her mother, who's also disappeared. Enola solves the ciphers, disguises herself as a widow and embarks on a London adventure. (Chapter book)

 

 
The Case of the Missing Marquess
     
Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars  

Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve his cases without the Baker Street Irregulars, homeless boys in London. What's the connection between a secret chronicle stolen from the royal family and the suspicious deaths of a famous tightrope team? Holmes sends the Irregulars to the circus to investigate. (Chapter book)

 

     

When young Andrew Craigie comes to London, his guardian disappears, leaving Andrew on his own. Assisted by Sherlock Holmes and Sara, a 12 year old girl, Andrew resourcefully eludes his pursuers and helps catch an underworld criminal. Great run around 19th century London. (Chapter book)

 

 
The Case of the Baker Street Irregular
(More children's books on other London and England pages)
travel for kids | england | london | regent's park