Struggling to keep the kids entertained during the summer holidays and having a hard time making the pennies stretch? We hear ya – it’s a real double dilemma.
Solving it might be easier than you think, as there are a whole load of family activities in the capital that are completely free – yes, FREE!
Here are 10 fun days out that won’t bust the budget, just requiring the cost of travel and a packed lunch.
Bushy Park
This 1,100-acre wildlife haven and home to hundreds of deer is found just north of Hampton Court Palace in south-west London.
The second largest of the capital’s royal parks, open from dawn until dusk, features woods, gardens, ponds and a playground, as well as the famous Chestnut Avenue which marks the walk up to the palace.
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/bushy-park
Changing the Guard
Taking place outside Buckingham Palace, this centuries-old ceremony of pomp and pageantry is a tradition that’s worth everyone seeing at least once, not just the tourists.
Visitors can watch the ritual any day of the week between April and July, and alternate days at other times.
Watch as soldiers from The Queen's Guard hand over the responsibility of protecting the sovereign to the new guard - who march from nearby Wellington Barracks.
There may be drummers or pipers, and all will be wearing the iconic crisp red uniform and tall black bearskin cap.
www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard
National Gallery
More than 2,300 works of art are contained within the fourth most-visited gallery in the world, based in Trafalgar Square.
Immerse yourself in the culture, viewing iconic paintings from the past seven centuries such as Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh and Constable's The Hay Wain. Other artists whose work is on display include da Vinci, Rembrandt, Botticelli and Renoir.
Winchester Palace
Located in Southwark on the south bank of the Thames, the former Winchester Palace is one of English Heritage’s London highlights.
This lavish 13th-century building was home to the powerful Bishops of Winchester, and is seen as one of the largest and most important buildings of medieval London.
Ravaged by fire in 1814, only part of the Great Hall remains, but visitors are able to walk around this expansive site that also housed a prison, brew-house and butchery.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/winchester-palace
Hyde Park
Another of the royal parks, Hyde Park spans 350 acres of central London and is a great place for spending a day out.
Attractions include the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and Serpentine lake.
You can relax in the park or get a bit sporty, with boating, swimming, cycling, tennis and hourse riding on offer.
www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park
Wellcome Collection
Anyone with an interest in science and medicine will find plenty to fascinate them at the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road.
Billed as 'the free destination for the incurably curious', the museum explores the connection between medicine, life and art.
With a vast archive of medical artefacts, journals and books, as well as film footage and interactive exhibits, the Wellcome Collection teaches how medicine was studied and applied in the past, and how it will be in the future.
One of the ‘big three’ Exhibition Road museums in South Kensington, the Natural History Museum (off Cromwell Road) showcases a collection of around 80 million specimens spanning billions of years catalogued and archived during its 130-year history.
Aside from its association with Charles Darwin, the museum is arguably most famous for its dinosaur exhibits that have thrilled young visitors for generations.
Trafalgar Square
There’s just about always something going on in this iconic open space at the heart of London, with a packed schedule of events and celebrations. Highlights this summer include Royal Opera House performances being shown on big screens and the upcoming Brazil Day.
Even on quieter days there’s still plenty to see, including Nelson's Column and its four bronze lions. The Fourth Plinth is home to provocative artwork, currently occupied by the eye-catching Gift Horse sculpture by artist Hans Haacke.
www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/trafalgar-square
Abbey Road
This is one the kids might have to ask their parents about but hopefully the image will be familiar to them if not the significance.
We’re of course talking about the Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover featuring the Fab Four on a zebra crossing - the often imitated photo taken near Abbey Road Studios in 1969.
Visitors can recreate the image any time they like (traffic allowing) at the now Grade II listed crossing in north London.
www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/35809687-abbey-road
Geffrye Museum
This museum in Hoxton, east London, provides a delightful history of the home and how people live.
Step inside a series of period rooms and see how domestic life has changed from the 17th to 20th centuries, looking at how styles have changed and how innovations in design and technology have helped shaped our homes.
Research for Hertz has found one in five Londoners complain there is nothing to do in terms of family activities, and almost a quarter say they have no inspiration for family activities.
We hope this list shows there is plenty to do as a family.
If you need more inspiration for places to visit check out the Hertz Together online hub, which lists free family activities throughout the UK.
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