Fun is a relative concept. Which means our idea of a good time might not always tally with your idea of a good time. Indeed, as every vacationing family will attest, it’s pretty rare to find attractions that will please all of the people all of the time. But that’s ok. Because wouldn’t life be dull if everyone liked exactly the same stuff? Anyway, if there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s that most of us get a kick out of stellar skyline views, hands-on museums, marmalade-loving Peruvian bears and teeny-weeny little underground trains. All of which feature in our selection of the London activities and attractions we think will raise a smile with you and your crew, alongside…
- Madame Tussauds
- London Transport Museum
- Wicked The Musical
- Harry Potter and Beatles walking tour
- The Natural History Museum
- Up at the O2
- The Cutty Sark
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- … and more!
Fun things to do in London: big city views
Fun things to do in London: big city views
London isn’t short of a viewing platform or six from which to gaze down upon the city, its ant-sized inhabitants and its toytown traffic like some sort of god. And if you think excitedly pointing out London landmarks from your lofty vantage point isn’t a fun thing to do, well, you’re probably dead inside. For the rest of you, let’s take a look at some of the best observation decks in town, entry to several of which is either a) free or b) included with the Go City London pass…
The London Eye. London’s favorite spinning observation deck requires little introduction. Standing 443 feet tall on the South Bank, it offers up ever-changing perspectives on the city skyline, revealing such esteemed landmarks as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, The Shard and – on clear days – the distant turrets of Windsor Castle, as it completes its gentle 30-minute rotation. Fun? You betcha it is!
The Shard. Only the tallest building in Britain, The Shard juts above the streets of Southwark like a great big slab of broken glass. Or a shard, if you will. Ascend 1,000 feet to its 7nd-floor observation deck (aka The View from The Shard), from where 360-degree panoramas as far as the South Downs and Thames Estuary await.
The Sky Garden. London’s highest public garden is free to enter and contains three glorious stories of perfectly preened greenspaces and floor-to-ceiling 360-degree views of the city. You’ll find it up top of The Fenchurch Building (aka the Walkie-Talkie) and you’ll need to book your slot in advance.
Tower Bridge. Not quite as high as the others on our list, but a thrill-and-a-half nevertheless, Tower bridge’s glass-floored walkways give truly bird’s-eye views of traffic crossing over (and under) the road bridge beneath your feet. Look up for stellar close-ups of the Tower of London, HMS Belfast and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Up at the O2. Ok, this one is fun. Like, really really fun. For here’s your opportunity to walk right across the top of the Greenwich landmark formerly known as the Millennium Dome. Simply suit up, make sure your harness is secure, and follow your guide to a knee-knocking 170 feet above terra firma. Your reward? Ace al fresco views of Canary Wharf, the Olympic Park, Greenwich, and the cable cars making their own slow ascent and descent over the River Thames.
Fun things to do in London: historical high jinks
Fun things to do in London: historical high jinks
Who said history can’t be fun? Someone with no imagination, that’s who. Anyway, it’s not even possible to go to London and avoid the historical stuff altogether, because it’s there on pretty much every corner and in the very earth beneath your feet. Ready for the fun stuff? Ok, let’s go.
The Cutty Sark. Unleash your inner 19th-century seafarer as you set sail on the world’s last surviving tea clipper. Well, not set sail exactly: these days the Cutty Sark is docked on dry land on Greenwich’s waterfront. But it’s still a massive thrill to walk its decks, touch original parts of the ship’s hull and experience the sights, smells and sounds of life at sea in days of yore. Don’t skip tea in the café afterwards, for the full immersive experience.
The Royal Observatory. There’s nothing stuffy about this Greenwich icon. Fun-seeking visitors can snap selfies straddling the east and west hemispheres, catch the tomato-red Time Ball dropping at precisely 1PM, and eyeball intricate navigational instruments and a telescope so large it needs a crane to move it.
The Tower of London. You’d have to be raven mad to not be inspired by the Tower of London and its long, storied history. Meet the resident ravens (and their keepers), cast a beady eye over the glittering Crown Jewels, hear gruesome tales of murders and beheadings, and try to avoid the wandering specter of Anne Boleyn, executed here in 1536 and, some believe, still hanging around in search of her errant noggin.
St Paul’s Cathedral. ‘Fun’ might not be the first word that springs to mind when playing a game of cathedral word association, but the Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s – architect Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece – is most certainly that. Fun, we mean. Mumble your deepest darkest secrets into one side of the iconic dome and marvel in awe as your friend way over on the other side hears precisely what you said. Afterwards, climb all the way up to the top for more of those sweet London skyline views.
The Monument. More climbing? More Christopher Wren? Sure, why not! There are 311 fun-filled steps up to the top of The Monument to the Great Fire of London (to give it its full title) and you'll even receive a certificate to prove you made it the whole way up. As if those views weren’t reward enough!
Fun things to do in London: unstuffy museums
Fun things to do in London: unstuffy museums
The best museums are the kind that factor in a little hands-on fun alongside all those priceless ‘look but don’t touch’ exhibits. And if there’s one thing London has loads of, it’s museums. Many of them hands-on. So let’s take a gander at the major funsters…
The Natural History Museum. There’s plenty more to do here once you’ve ticked off Hope (the 83-foot-long blue whale skeleton that soars over the Hintze Hall), come nose-to-horn with a triceratops skull in the Dinosaurs gallery and eyeballed a meteorite that’s approximately 4.5 billion years older than you. We’re talking fun dino discos, after-hours yoga sessions among the fossils, crocheting classes, behind-the scenes tours and more. Entry to this Kensington museum is free but these add-on classes must be booked and paid for in advance.
The Science Museum. No less awesome than its Kensington neighbor, the Science Museum promises plenty of wonder for wide-eyed kids of all ages. Think vast steam engines, lunar modules, Amy Johnson’s Gipsy Moth and the first ever Apple computer. Once again, entry to the museum is free. Your Go City London pass also gets you entry to the IMAX cinema here, for blockbusters, educational films and classic movies, while the museum’s quite wonderful Wonderlab – a hands-on playground for kids aged 3 to 93 – requires an extra ticket.
London Transport Museum. Like all great museums, this Covent Garden beaut feels like actual time travel. You can achieve this by sitting in the driver’s seat of an iconic bright red Routemaster bus, boarding a horse-drawn Victorian omnibus (minus the horse obviously, this isn’t a zoo), having a peek at the world’s first underground train and driving a modern Tube train simulator. There’s also a splendid collection of vintage posters from the golden age of travel to peruse. It’s wheely thrilling stuff (sorry).
The Postal Museum. We know what you’re thinking. A museum about mailing letters and parcels? Fun? Don’t be ridiculous! But that’s before we tell you it includes an actual working Mail Rail train, used to safely ferry letters and parcels far beneath the streets of London for nearly a century. And, yes, you can ride it! Fold yourself into its tiny carriages (like the Tube but even more cramped) for a nostalgic subterranean whiz that’s sure to surprise and delight.
Frameless. Still lifes too... still for ya? Then try this immersive approach to art instead, in which classic masterpieces (hello van Gogh’s Starry Night!) are transformed into moving, swirling and occasionally three-dimensional digital extravaganzas of light, color and sound that you can actual walk through, into and around. Ol’ Vincent would likely be spinning in his grave at the very idea of it, and it will likely make art purists shudder. But is it fun? Yes, yes it is.
Fun things to do in London: Grade-A entertainments
Fun things to do in London: Grade-A entertainments
So we’ve covered great views, essential historical attractions and some of the city’s funnest museums. What else is there? Well, this is London so… loads, actually. Here’s a selection of attractions that hit 100 on the fun and frivolity scale, and no mistake…
Madame Tussauds London. What could possibly be more fun than posing for selfies with celebrities made out of wax? In fact, in many ways it’s even better than the real thing because you get to avoid all that awkward and embarrassing small talk about what a big fan you are and how much you love them and will love them forever and ever, etc. Anyway, here’s your chance to get up close to such luminaries as Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, the King of England and Jack the Ripper.
The Paddington Bear Experience. The clue’s in the name of this immersive tribute to the planet’s most famous marmalade-munching, hat wearing, suitcase-carrying Peruvian bear. Meet the Browns and li’l Paddy himself as you visit locations like Gruber's Antiques Store, Windsor Gardens and even Peru in search of the oranges you’ll need to prepare for the rapidly approaching Marmalade Day Festival. No, this isn’t a fever dream, it’s a fun day out for the whole family.
Swingers West End. Ok, stop sniggering at the back. We know what you’re thinking and this is… not that. Instead, Swingers invites you to hit a hole in one (stop it!) in its seaside themed crazy golf course – complete with loop-the-loops, a Ferris wheel and a helter-skelter – just off Oxford Circus in central London. The good news: this whole wacky experience takes place indoors, meaning the chances of a seagull stealing your chips are basically zero.
Themed walking tours. Did you know that if you wanted to go on every walking tour in London it would take 237 years to complete them all? That may or may not be true, but what we do know is that they’re fun. Lots of fun. Especially ones like this wizard Harry Potter walk, which sees you mobilicorpus your way around several filming locations that you’ll recognize from the movie franchise. Or this Beatles-related magical mystery tour, which includes a chance to annoy motorists by stopping for selfies on the fabled Abbey Road crossing. And if you like these, well, we’ve got loads more where they came from!
Wicked The Musical. Join Glinda, Elphaba and the gang for an all-singing, all-dancing, gravity-defying theatrical experience that you’re unlikely to forget in a hurry. This is the real deal, taking place at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where this juggernaut of a musical has been bewitching audiences for more than two decades. Now that’s magic.
And that’s it! We hope you’ve had fun reading about our favourite ‘Fundon’ experiences. Now, grab your Go City London pass, get yourself out there and start having some fun of your own!
All that funning got you feeling a little tired out? Then you need our favorite ways to relax in London and maybe even our guide to all the best art galleries in town.
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