- Enter a new realm at Outnernet London
- Shop, dine & play at Battersea Power Station
- Go for an Afternoon Tea Experience!
- Uncover fossils, flowers & more at the Natural History Museum
- Explore the Barbican Conservatory
- Experiment with flavours at Borough Market
- Get endless thrills at Babylon Park
- Go to a gaming cafe!
- Check out West India Quay in Canary Wharf
- Soak up the views from the Sky Garden
- Fine dining at The Shard
- Play with your senses at TWIST Museum
- Mooch around Covent Garden Market
So you’ve planned a lovely family day out in Central London but you’ve opened the curtains and it’s raining cats and dogs! Trust the British weather to have your back… ANYHOO you can still have an epic day out despite the miserable weather. Don’t believe us? Follow along for our top picks of Things To Do On A Rainy Day In London…
We’ll cover everything from beautiful museums (all FREE entry), brand NEW shopping centres like Battersea Power Station, immersive experiences, board game cafés, kids’ afternoon teas and so much more!
Enter a new realm at Outnernet London
This immersive experience is the largest digital exhibition space in Europe with the world’s largest LED screen deployment. Bringing art and culture to the public for free, the Outernet is a great place to stop by if you are visiting London.
It’s not so much of a day out but more a unique experience to check out while you weave through the city to dodge the rain.
One of its recent exhibitions is The Spaces In-Between which is an interactive digital artwork created by visual light artist, Rupert Newman. You can find out all about this in our article, The Spaces In-Between Exhibition.
Another recent mind-mashing event is the Summer Palace immersive journey and the Room To Breathe mindfulness experience. You can also enjoy live music sets and comedy performances on the big screen! You can stand or sit on benches inside of the building.
Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 8LH
Open 24 hours a day
Free
Shop, dine & play at Battersea Power Station
Put your way to victory at London’s coolest crazy golf venue, Birdies. Take a ride up Lift 109 – London’s most unique glass elevator that offers 360-degree views of London from 109 metres up. It was made out of an old power station chimney!
Or, travel to fantasy worlds where rain doesn’t exist at DNA VR Battersea! Fight zombies, battle against dragons or become a synth ryder. There are up to 50 games to choose from! DNA VR Battersea is the flagship virtual reality arcade, so you’ll be in the best hands. This epic free-roaming experience is seriously unmissable so make sure you check it out!
Enjoy vegan food restaurants like Clean Kitchen or dabble in French and Japanese delights at Kova Patisserie. Adults will love grabbing a cocktail from Control Room B – a cocktail bar set in the power station’s original control room! There is also a Ping-Pong bar opening in 2023 so keep your eyes peeled for updates!
There are multiple cinemas under the arches too and heaps of retail shops where you can find all your favourite brands from affordable to upscale! So if you are a family looking for somewhere to spend the whole day while it rains then Battersea Power Station will offer you more than enough things to do … and eat!
Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8AL
Monday - Thursday 10am - 8pm
Friday & Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 12pm - 9pm
No entry fee
Go for an Afternoon Tea Experience!
It’s no shock that London offers some of the finest establishments to eat and drink at and you can indulge at so many hotels, restaurants and cafes. Whether it’s a Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Afternoon Tea or a scrumptious serving of baked pig in the Peter Pan Afternoon Tea in The Shard, there are so many exquisite places to dine while the rain pours.
Why stay in one place while you sip the day away? Hop aboard Bridget’s Bakery Bus Tours and treat your tastebuds to many themed afternoon tea experiences while visiting all of London’s most famous landmarks. Kids will also get to sing along to their favourite songs while tapping away on interactive tablets built into their tables! The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour is a common favourite as well as Paddington.
You can find all of our top recommendations for kid-friendly afternoon tea experiences in our article Kids Afternoon Tea London.
Uncover fossils, flowers & more at the Natural History Museum
Uncover thousands of years of history and over 80 million amazing plants, animals, fossils, rocks and minerals. Marvel at Hope, the enormous Blue Whale skeleton – she’s been on display for 127 years! Say hey to the other star resident, the animatronic dinosaur, Dippy.
If you don’t mind getting drizzled on then venture out into the Wildlife Garden where a wide range of British flora and fauna thrive – 3,300 to be exact!
There are so many FREE Museums in the capital that you can explore during a rainy afternoon in London. You can find all of the best free science museums, art museums, and history museums in our fun article, Free Museums in London!
Cromwell Road,
Kensington,
Greater London,
SW7 5BD,
England
Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:50
Closed 24th - 26th December
Free entry
Explore the Barbican Conservatory
One of the most magical indoor activities on our list is a day trip to London’s very own, FREE, indoor rainforest!
The Barbican Conservatory is home to hundreds of tropical plants, cacti and flowers all nestled on the third floor of the building!
If you and your family have green thumbs and love all things hidden and naturalist – you’ll appreciate this mystical secret garden.
Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS
he Conservatory is open on selected days every week, from 12pm.
Free entry
Experiment with flavours at Borough Market
Foodies, this really is THE food market to visit when in London. From mouth-watering doughnuts and warm, crusty bread to spicey Buddha Bowls and crispy chicken – it’s got it all!
It’s free to explore and you can even spend an hour or two just sampling the different foods. BUT if you’ve found your perfect flavour combo and you want to commit to a full meal you will have to pay for it.
8 Southwark Street. London. SE1 1TL
Monday, Closed
Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm
Saturday, 9 am–5 pm
Sunday, 10 am –4 pm
Free entry
Get endless thrills at Babylon Park
Take a trip to space on a VR simulator or feel as if you are bursting through the atmosphere on the cool indoor rollercoasters like the Babylon Park Rollercoaster. There are bumper cars, Saturn Ring Toss and so many more super-fun family fairground activities.
You’ll find this space adventure near Camden Market in London! With only a short hop away (2 minute’s walk), you can indulge in some delicious food at the market and head to Babylon Park for some outer-space fun!
8 Castlehaven Road, London, NW1 8QU
Monday - Friday, 11 am – 10 pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10 am–10 pm
Free entry
You control how much you want to spend on games, rides and food.
Arcade & rides range from £1 - £6
£1 will give you about 10 Game Coins, depending on the pack you selected. The bigger pack the better the value you will get.
Go to a gaming cafe!
We recommend trying out the Ludoquist in Croydon, The Library Pot in Richmond, and Tanuki Gaming in Deptford!
Check out West India Quay in Canary Wharf
But for now, let’s stick to experiences that turn those drizzly frowns upside down! Feed your family and get great value for money at the Wetherspoon. Enjoy a lip-smacking meal at Lobster & Burger. In the mood for a taste of Italy? Head over to the ‘pizza playground’ that is Pizza Pilgrims!
The leisure quarter is home to a variety of activity, dining and lifestyle brands, from well-known national brands to local businesses and independents. Check out leading attractions from Cineworld, to Skuna Hot Tub experiences and BBQ Boats, and the Museum of London Docklands.
Hertsmere Rd, London E14 4AE
Check individual restaurant & shop opening times online.
Free entry
Soak up the views from the Sky Garden
1, Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF
Monday, 10 am–11 pm
Tuesday - Thursday, 8 am–11 pm
Friday & Saturday, 8 am - 12 am
Sunday, 8 am–11 pm
FREE (tickets are released one week in advance from 10:00 on Thursdays)
Fine dining at The Shard
There are plenty of brasseries and restaurants to choose from in The Shard. Try Hutong or TĪNG, the Aqua Shard or Oblix! Just make sure you are dressed appropriately as some restaurants require a dress code…
To find out more about these restaurants, check out our London’s Best Restaurants With A View article.
32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
Thursday – Saturday: 10 am to 10 pm (access until 8:30 pm).
Sunday – Wednesday: 10 am to 7 pm (access until 5:30 pm).
Closed on 25 December.
FREE entry but make sure to book your reservations and dress appropriately.
Play with your senses at TWIST Museum
Enter a room where all colours disappear or stare at a photograph of strawberries and guess their colour – you won’t believe what the answer is… Head into a black-and-white room where you can grow into a giant on one side of the room and then shrink down to the size of a fairy in seconds as you run to the other side! There are also immersive light tunnels, sound experiments, and so much more.
Twist Museum London is located near Cavendish Square Gardens and it is on the same road as the John Lewis Cafe Bar.
This is without a doubt, the wackiest in our list of Things To Do On A Rainy Day in London.
248 Oxford St, London W1C 1DH
Monday - Thursday: 11.00am - 8.00pm (last entry 7.00pm)
Friday & Saturday: 11.00am - 9.00pm (last entry 8.00pm)
Sunday: 10.00am - 7.30pm (last entry 6.30pm)
Prices vary Between £19.50 - £23.50
Mooch around Covent Garden Market
Covent Garden is made up of two markets: the Apple Market and the Jubilee Market. The Apple Market is the permanent Market at Covent Garden that happens seven days a week. The Jubilee Market takes place in Jubilee Hall at the Southside of the Covent Garden piazza.
Grab a prosecco from beneath its arches while you watch one-man circus performances or puppet shows. Load up on skincare from The Ordinary or Glossier. Get a new gadget from the Apple Shop or find your new scent from Channel. You can find everything from high-end luxurious to affordable luxuries and independent businesses in Covent Garden’s square.
Regal House, 14 James St, London WC2E 8BU
From a bit of retail therapy in a restored factory to optical illusion museums, sky-high gardens with incredible views & more, we hope you’ve found the perfect activity for a rainy day.
There are so many other magical London attractions you can visit during bad spells of weather like Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, London Dungeon, Westfield London, Tate Modern, the Science Museum and the London Transport Museum!
If you enjoyed our article, Things To Do On A Rainy Day London, then why not gather even more inspo and check out some of our most recent articles? Here are a few we think you’ll love: Rollerskating in London, Monopoly Lifesized, Best Indoor Water Parks In London, 10 Best Steam Train Railways In London, 10 Best Free Days Out In London and our top recommended free days out!