The Best Playgrounds in London For Kids And Toddlers

Are you on the hunt for the best playgrounds in London to visit with your kids? We absolutely love a playground, whether you’re searching for your next family day out or visiting as a tourist, London is packed with amazing parks and playgrounds that are incredible fun for kids of all ages.

I’m a stay-at-home mum, living in London, so we have got to know our way around really well!

This guide covers where to find all the best London playgrounds that kids will love. I’ve included playgrounds for all ages, with a special section further down this post on the best London playgrounds for toddlers, as younger children often have different needs. Plus, you can find all these spots pinned on my interactive London family map (also shown below), so planning your day out has never been easier.

All these playgrounds are free and no need to book in advance!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. There is no additional cost to you, and I am extremely grateful, as it helps me to run my blog.

The Best Playgrounds in London for Kids

Below, I am going to get straight into where to find the best London playgrounds. I’ve split them out by area to make planning your day out in London as easy as possible. At the bottom of the list, I have also shared my map of exactly where to find these!

Best Playgrounds in Central London

The group of playgrounds below are all located in Central London; these will be popular with locals and tourists alike, so do expect them to be busy, especially on weekends and school holidays.

These ones are perfect if you’re planning your first visit to London with kids, as they are close to some of the top tourist attractions.

The Diana Memorial Playground in London’s Hyde Park

I’m starting our list with what is possibly the most iconic playground in London, located in one of London’s most prestigious Royal Parks.

This playground is huge and feels like something out of a fairytale with its giant pirate ship in the centre. There is plenty for kids of all ages here, and it will keep them entertained for hours.

As you enter this playground through the main gate, if you head to the left, there is a toddler area with sand, baby swings and small slides. I am making a special point of mentioning this as it is behind bushes and I know people who have missed it!

This playground is perfect to combine with one of Kensington’s amazing museums. Read my guide on the top museums in London for kids here!

NOTE: This playground is currently closed for renovations and is due to reopen this summer.

Nearby Attractions: Kensington Palace, The Serpentine Boating Lake and Paradox Museum.

Jubilee Gardens

Another great playground in London is Jubilee Gardens, located a few minutes’ walk from the London Eye. This one is a nice size and popular with both toddlers and older children.

It’s really nice to play with a gorgeous view of the London Eye in the background.

Nearby Attractions: The London Eye, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, Big Ben & Houses of Parliament.

Holland Park

Holland Park is one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods, located on the west side of Central London. One of our favourite days out is to explore Holland Park and the neighbouring Notting Hill. Read our full guide on this area here.

Holland Park is also home to one of the best adventure playgrounds in London.

This is a really nicely designed park with lots of climbing equipment, plus a huge slide, rope swings and more. This one is really best suited to children aged around 5+, although both my boys have been in it at younger ages.

Holland Park is a really beautiful place for families to explore, and it also has a separate, dedicated toddler playground that I will share more about in the toddler section below.

Nearby Attractions: The Koyto Gardens and The Design Museum.

Coram’s Fields

Even though this playground is located in Central London, it is a bit of a hidden gem. It’s not located in one of the main parks, so it would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it.

Coram’s Fields is a must-visit playground in London; it’s really big and has different areas aimed at kids of different ages.

Nearby Attractions: The Postal Museum, The Postal Building Rooftop and The British Museum.

St James’ Park Playground

I will be honest, this isn’t one of my personal favourite playgrounds in London; however, I still wanted to include it in this list as it is extremely popular and my kids love it.

It has a sandy area with rocks that I feel is badly designed and a bit hazardous, especially for young children; however, it does have views of Buckingham Palace, which is perfect for families visiting London for the first time. I have written a post sharing a perfect day in London itinerary that includes this playground; read it here.

Nearby Attractions: Buckingham Palace, Horseguards Parade and the Guards Museum

Top Playgrounds in East London

If you venture outside of Central London, you’ll discover some more great areas and many more playgrounds. The best ones are below.

Greenwich Park Playground

Greenwich Park has two playgrounds, both of which are great. The original Greenwich Park Playground is a large wooden playground. It has a huge sandpit as well as water features, swings and multiple slides. This one is great for children of all ages to enjoy.

Nearby Attractions: The National Maritime Museum, The Queen’s House, Cutty Sark and The Royal Observatory.

The Cove

The second playground in Greenwich Park is called The Cove. It is relatively new and is operated by the National Maritime Museum (which is a great free museum!)

This is another wooden playground with a Maritime theme. You’ll find a giant kraken, a shark and a large pirate ship with a huge slide.

This playground is better suited to older children rather than toddlers.

Nearby Attractions: The National Maritime Museum, The Queen’s House, Cutty Sark and The Royal Observatory.

Biodiversity Playground

This playground isn’t massive, but it is a really unique design that children of all ages will enjoy.

It is a fun nature theme, with a huge fish structure and slide, a giant frog and multiple lily pads for kids to hop on.

Nearby Attractions: Westfields Stratford, ArcelorMittal Orbit & slide and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park has a huge playground. With the longest slides, swings, sand and assault course style play equipment, kids of all ages will enjoy this park.

There is also a huge splashpad area that opens in the summer months.

Nearby Attractions: The Young V&A Museum of Childhood and Hackney City Farm

Millwall Park

This one is also a bit of a hidden gem, and one that not many tourists would make it to. However, it is one of our favourites, located just a short walk from Mudchute Farm, which is a great free place to visit with younger kids.

This playground is large and has all the usual play equipment, plus in-ground trampolines that are always a favourite with kids!

Nearby Attractions: Mudchute Farm and Canary Wharf.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Playgrounds

There are two playgrounds at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, firstly, Tumbling Bay Playground. This is the largest and most famous playground in the park, designed as an adventure playground with a natural theme, featuring wooden climbing structures, rock pools, sand play areas, slides, and bridges. It’s best suited to children aged around 3+ who enjoy exploring and climbing.

Secondly, the Timber Lodge Playground, this playground is smaller and better suited for younger children and toddlers. It has swings, smaller climbing frames, and plenty of open space nearby for running around or having a picnic.

Nearby Attractions: Children’s Discovery Story Centre and ArcelorMittal Orbit & slide

Best South London Playgrounds

South London also has some great playgrounds to explore.

Prospect Park

Located just outside Battersea Power Station is Prospect Park playground. This playground is fairly small compared to some of the others I have mentioned, but it is still pretty cool.

It has a brightly coloured, rainbow floor with large slides and fireman poles. It is mainly suited to slightly older children but it has a small area that is suitable for younger children and a large swing that they will also like.

Nearby Attractions: Battersea Power Station, Battersea Park and The Chimney Lift.

Petersham Gate Playground

Richmond makes a wonderful family day out. Located inside Richmond Park is the newly refurbished Petersham Gate Playground.

This is a large wooden playground with a large sand area and some really unique play equipment, like a giant seesaw that kids have to run backwards and forward along.

Nearby Attractions: Richmond Park, Ham House and Gardens.

Dulwich Park Playground

Dulwich is another lovely village area of London, and the playground in Dulwich Park is another amazing London playground that kids will love.

It is a large playground that is sure to keep kids entertained for a long time!

Nearby Attractions: Dulwich Picture Gallery and The Horniman Museum and Gardens.

North London Playgrounds to Visit

Our final part of London, and we have a couple more great London playgrounds to share.

Paddington Recreation Ground

The Paddington Recreation Ground playground is really unique and very fun for kids.

Nearby Attractions: Puppet Theatre Barge.

The Regent’s Park Playground

The Regent’s Park is another beautiful park in London. Like a lot of the big London parks, it has multiple playgrounds, making it one of the best parks in London to visit with kids. The park actually has three playgrounds spread across different areas, so families can easily find one nearby while exploring the park.

One of the most popular is the Hanover Gate Playground, which is great for younger children and toddlers, with swings, climbing frames, and plenty of space to run around.

There are also playgrounds near Gloucester Gate and St John’s Lodge Gardens, offering a mix of traditional play equipment and climbing structures for older kids.

Nearby Attractions: London Zoo and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

The Best Playgrounds in London for Toddlers

I’ve already mentioned so many of London’s top playgrounds and what age they’re suitable for, but I also wanted to share some that are specifically great for toddlers.

Holland Park’s Toddler Playground

I talked about the Adventure Playground in Holland Park, but also in the park, they have a separate playground specially for younger children.

This one is all over the sand floor with lots of toddler swings, little slides and is ideally set up for toddlers.

Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Playground

This one is a little far away from any other London attractions, but if you find yourself in the North of Notting Hill / Maida Vale area, this playground is worth stopping by.

Young children will love the brightly coloured soft floor, swings, roundabout and more.

Colville Square Playground

This is a small but really sweet little playground in Notting Hill that is perfect for under-fives. It is an ideal stop if you’re wandering around Notting Hill and looking at the colourful houses.

Victoria Embankment Playground

This tiny playground is a perfect stop for toddlers; it has views of the River Thames, and you can just about see the London Eye.

Map Of London for Kids

Below is my huge map of the top things to do in London with kids. Just click on the top right-hand corner to open it in Google Maps.

All my best London playground recommendations are pinned with a light green swing symbol. However, this map doesn’t just cover the best playgrounds in London for kids; it has a lot of other things as well.

The full key to this map is below:

• Dark Red – The best London museums for kids, full guide linked here.
• Green – The best playgrounds in London (listed in this guide)
• Yellow – Top indoor play spaces, full guide linked here.
• Teal – Our favourite parks
• Blue – London’s top tourist attractions. Read our London with kids travel guide, which covers all of these.
• Purple – Shops that kids will love
• Brown – London’s best farms, our full guide on City Farms is linked here.
• Orange – Art Galleries that are family-friendly.

I am constantly updating this map, so check back soon!

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Thank you so much for reading our guide on the best playgrounds in London for kids and toddlers. I hope we’ve helped you plan your trip to London.

Happy Exploring,