London can be an expensive city to visit, especially if you are going as a family and want to pack in loads of activities. Luckily there are loads of free museums to enjoy, including the Science Museum, which is a favourite museum of mine in London.
Thinking about a trip there soon? You’ll find tips for visiting the London Science Museum with kids in this post as well as some of our favourite sections.
Location
The main entrance to the Science Museum can be found on Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
Transport links are fantastic with South Kensington or Gloucester Road tube stations only 5-10 minutes walk away. There are also a couple of bus stops near the entrance or just around the corner so there are plenty of options available.
Bus routes 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 and C1 stop outside South Kensington Underground Station.
Bus routes 9, 10, 52, 452 and 70 stop outside the Royal Albert Hall on Kensington Gore.
There is no parking available at the Science Museum but the nearest pay and display car parking is in Prince Consort Road and Queen’s Gate.
Booking tickets
To visit the Science Museum you need to book a ticket online. There is no admission fee though and by booking online you’ll get free tickets. At the time of booking, you’ll need to choose the date you want to visit as well as a time slot. Children under 12 will need to be supervised by an adult.
During term time the museum is open Wednesday–Sunday, 10.00–18.00 (last entry 17.15).
During school holidays the museum is open Monday–Sunday, 10.00–18.00 (last entry 17.15).
What to see and do
There are quite a few different levels at the Science Museum so there’s obviously a lot to see and unless your child is super patient I doubt you’re going to get to look at everything, especially not in great detail. So, what I thought I would do is just talk about a couple of the things we loved and what Erin’s favourites were.
What I will say is the more fun stuff is on the lower levels so it’s a good idea to start at the top and work your way down to get the other bits out of the way first.
Level 0
Something you cannot miss on level 0 is Exploring Space. Actually, you kind of can’t miss it as you have to walk through it to get to other areas of the museum. Anyway, here there are really good models of spaceships, astronauts’ clothes and a massive planet that changes just hanging around in the air. Erin was pretty amazed and really loved watching it change and then we could talk about what it had changed to. This is one of the most popular galleries though and it can get extremely busy.
Level 1
Most of level 1 is dedicated to medicine in one way or another and we all LOVED everything here. You’ll be able to learn about different medical procedures, what happened when people died, have a good look at inside bodies and also look at medical instruments.
This section was really cool and so much fun to look around but it is very anatomically correct and not for the faint-hearted in places. Erin isn’t squeamish though and loved how much detail there was everywhere. That’s something to consider when taking your children to this level but to be expected in a gallery about medicine.
Levels 2 and 3
I’ll be honest because we spent so much time on levels 0 and 1 and then at the specific areas for children we were coming to the end of our time at the Science Museum when we got around to going to levels 2 and 3. However, what you can see is a fabulous collection of clocks if this is something you’re interested in or you can look at technology and how it’s changed over the years. This might be something that would interest slightly older children.
Temporary exhibitions
While this London museum has plenty of permanent exhibitions, there are also plenty of special exhibitions and temporary exhibits to look out for. These change over time so there might be something different going on between your visits. These are generally not included in the free admission ticket and instead, you’ll need to pay for a ticket, which you can do online.
Bookable children’s experiences
The Garden
Located on floor -1 The Garden is suitable for ages 3-6. I remember taking Erin here when she was about 2 and it still is fine for her. Tickets for The Garden must be booked online and are done in different time slots throughout the day, each lasting for 20 minutes. We found the time slots to run very tightly so make sure you arrive at least 5 minutes before yours is due to start.
Inside The Garden, you’ll find lots of sensory equipment where children can learn about things such as light, sound, touch and construction. Usually, there is a great water area too but due to Covid aprons cannot be lent out to children so this has been closed for the time being.
At age 5 there was enough for Erin to do but much older, and I think she would have outgrown The Garden. However, it’s nice that there are some great interactive galleries for children, giving them something fun and different to do.
Pattern Pod
Just like The Garden, Pattern Pod is another interactive area for children but tickets must be booked in advance online. You can find Pattern Pod on floor 0, right at the end as you pass through Space and Making the Modern World. Sessions for Pattern Pod are 20 minutes long and are aimed at children under 8. I have to say, I think 8 would be a real push as Erin didn’t find this area nearly as much fun as The Garden.
Pattern Pod allows children to explore all different kinds of patterns such as shapes, and footprints of different animals, creating symmetry or a really cool area to dance in (or just move around) while the screen makes patterns based on what you’re doing.
Facilities
Toilets
When going anywhere with children something you’re always looking for is toilets and most places don’t have nearly enough. The Science Museum seem to have toilets everywhere… at least in a couple of different places on each floor anyway. It was never too far between each one and if you’re with young children especially then this is such a good thing.
Food and drink
There are a few different places to eat at the Science Museum with various options available. There are areas where you’re able to take your own food to eat including the Basement Cafe on level -1 or an indoor picnic area on level 3. Our entrance time was 12pm so we took our own food and headed straight down to -1 and sat on the steps to have some food before we started.
Other options include the Energy Cafe on level 0 which is open from 10-5:30 year round serving things like pizza, sandwiches and drinks. Some of the other food outlets such as the Basement Cafe or The Diner are only open during school holidays so it’s worth checking on the Science Museum website before your visit. Check the museum map for all of the available places to eat on the day of your visit.
Our verdict…
We spent a huge 4 hours at the Science Museum and I think this was just about the right amount of time for Erin. Towards the end, she got tired and had had enough but really enjoyed the first few hours and what we saw. I would say that before a trip have a look on the website and see what there is to see and then make a plan. This way, you won’t miss out on the things you do want to see and not drag kids around the bits they might not be as interested in.
Overall though, the London Science Museum is a great place to visit for the whole family. You could pair it with a visit to the Natural History Museum, which is a short walk away and ideal for children of all ages.
