Budget friendly family activities in London

Swashbuckling adventure is to be had at The Cove adventure playground at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Little imaginations can run wild on the slides, nets, bridges and seaweed tangles of The Kraken sea creature.

Then it’s all aboard The Shanty ship to fire its pipe drum cannons, ring the main deck bell, scale the heights of the crow’s nest, and whizz down the giant tentacle slide. Free entry.

Also: The Holland Park adventure playground, W14, has a zip line, 10-person see saw, dragon swing, mini climbing wall and climbing frames. While the Diana Memorial Playground, W2, boasts a Peter Pan-themed beach, teepees and wooden pirate ship. Both free entry.

An urban wilderness in Barnes, the WWT London Wetland Centre is a nature reserve on the site of four disused Victorian reservoirs that’s dedicated to preserving Britain’s birds.

As well as feathered friends, spot a pair of otters on the Wetlands of the World stroll. Why not brave the zip wire, balance beams, wobbly bridge or the muddy meadows of the Wild Walk? Children under four go free.

Also: The London Wildlife Trust runs free family-friendly learning events. Search for toads and tadpoles in SE22, or discover bees, beetles and bugs in W1.

Tucked away on the fringes of Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens is Vauxhall City Farm, where children can commune with sheep, pigs, goats, alpacas, chickens, ducks and turkeys for free, and Cuddle Corner sessions let visitors snuggle with ducklings for £5.

The farm’s suggested small donation of £3 helps towards animal feed and upkeep.

Also: Mudchute Park & Farm, E14, is a working farm and children’s nursery with a host of educational activities. Over at Kentish Town City Farm, NW5, meet donkeys Nora and Dora, Millie the goat and Murphy the horse.

Next stop - the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden houses an incredible collection of heritage vehicles exploring 200 years of transport past and present.

You need an annual pass and a timed entry ticket to visit, but adult prices start from £22.50 for the whole year, and it’s free for anyone under 17.

On special occasions, you can also go behind the scenes and explore its Museum Depot in Acton, west London, where more than 320,000 objects in its collection are cared for. 

Also: The Postal Museum, WC1. Board the underground Mail Rail that once transported the city’s letters beneath Mount Pleasant sorting office. Children aged three to 15, £10, adults, £17.60.

From the O2 and Battersea Power Station to London Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, you’ll see all the major sights as you cruise in the heart of the Capital on an Uber Boat by Thames Clippers.

With a Family River Roamer ticket, kids under four go free. Child ticket, from £11.05, adult ticket, from £22.10, family (two adults and three children from five to 15), from £44.20.

Also: Visit The London Canal Museum N1, to see inside a narrowboat cabin and learn about London’s waterways. A family ticket for one adult and up to four children is £16. Boat trips, from £9 for children and £12 for adults.

Bring classroom subjects to wondrous life at the Science Museum in Kensington, where you and the kids could get lost for a whole day among its historic galleries.

Booking is essential but free. See a slice of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and discover the story of aviation at the Flight Gallery. Experience scientific phenomena like lightning strikes at Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery. And be transported to Antarctica and outer space with a 3D IMAX screening (£12, free for children under three).

Also: Marvel at the blue whale skeleton hanging above Hintze Hall and meet T-Rex in the Dinosaurs Gallery in the Natural History Museum, SW7. Free entry.

Nothing channels that summer holiday spirit like taking a cool dip, and London is blessed with a host of outdoor pools. In the heart of Crouch End, Park Road Pools & Fitness has an indoor pool and outdoor lido flanked by sun terraces and green spaces for a post-swim picnic.

Parents can book 50-minute family swim sessions, while a parent and toddler class for the under fives helps your little ones develop swimming confidence. Junior entrance fee up to £4.10, adults up to £8.

Also: Brockwell Lido, SE24 offers family swim sessions for up to 50 minutes. Kids, £5, adults, £8, or become a member and go for free.

Is there anything more joyous for kids than bouncing with abandon in a ball pit? Social enterprise Better runs soft play sessions all over London where kids can run riot on climbing frames, ball pits, and padded play spaces.

As an example, Bellingham Leisure Centre in Lewisham offers a one-hour session for £2.30 (one adult and a child under two) and £6.35 (one adult and a child over two).

Also: The Ding Dong Fun Bus, N17 features platforms, slides and ball pits. Free for toddlers under one, £3 for ages one to two, £6 for those over two, adults go free.

From prehistoric times to the present, families can unearth the history of London’s river Thames, its port, people and precious artefacts at the Museum of London Docklands.

Free to enter, there are also free Tots at the Docks play sessions for the under fives, a Mudlarks Gallery with an interactive introduction to the docks, and hosted walks that unearth the tales of London's past (£8 for kids, £10 for adults), including the Roman London and Great Fire of London family walk.

Also: The kids will be dazzled by the pomp, circumstance and bold red uniforms of the Changing the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace every day at 10.45am.