With its long-held status as one of many coolest locations in London, because of its markets and musical hyperlinks, a go to to Camden with children and teenagers simply tops plenty of metropolis break wishlists.
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While there are many issues to do in Camden for teenagers of all ages, it’s one a part of London that’s notably good higher with teenagers and tweens quite than toddlers.
But from some enjoyable household actions to the waterfront, cool new exhibitions, occasions, meals and locations to buy, right here’s my decide of the very best issues to do in Camden with children.
Explore Camden Markets
No journey to Camden with children and teenagers is full with out exploring the world’s well-known markets – as a result of there’s not only a single Camden market.
Instead Camden is made up of a sequence of markets that devour a majority of the neighbourhood. The most distinguished markets are Camden Lock Market, Stables Market, Buck Street Market, Inverness Street Market, and the latest addition, Hawley Wharf.
Teens and older kids will love exploring the eclectic assortment of merchants and shops. Younger children can benefit from the uncommon sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling markets too, however do hold little ones shut by because the markets can get extraordinarily busy.
Don’t miss the brilliant neon lights and large robotic sculptures at CyberDog (simply don’t go right down to the basement degree) and the abundance of anime, superhero, and popular culture merchandise on supply on the Stables Market, additionally residence to the well-known bronze statue of Amy Winehouse.
Live music at Roundhouse
Camden can also be well-known for its world-class reside music scene – and there’s nowhere that may impress younger music followers fairly just like the Roundhouse.
Roundhouse is situated in a Grade II listed former railway engine shed, which was transformed right into a live performance corridor within the Nineteen Sixties. The architecturally distinctive venue is without doubt one of the most unbelievable reside efficiency areas on this planet.
The venue performs host to many large worldwide names, up-and-coming artists, and different reside occasions and reveals all year long so attending a gig at Roundhouse is without doubt one of the finest issues to do in Camden with teenagers or tweens.
Some occasions do have ‘age guidance’ or particular guidelines about the place folks below 16 might be seated, so it’s value checking prematurely. Roundhouses’ Young Creatives scheme additionally provides tasks and workshops for younger creatives and artists 11+.
Take a Camden road artwork tour
Camden is one in every of London’s greatest road artwork hubs too, so it’s an important place to wander. The space has lots of of fantastic murals by a few of the world’s finest road artists – together with the one-and-only Banksy.
The solely downside with the road artwork in Camden is that it may be pretty tough to seek out your self, with a lot of it situated down small backstreets away from the primary vacationer areas.
This is why a Camden Street Art Tour is a superb concept. Suitable for all ages, a road artwork tour will take you to find lots of the space’s finest murals whereas instructing you the tales behind them.
This Camden strolling tour additionally consists of a few of the space’s finest road artwork, or you may tailor this Camden tour by a neighborhood to cowl road artwork as properly. Or do that self-guided audio tour to discover at your individual tempo.
Visit The Jewish Museum
One of Camden’s prime instructional experiences for households is The Jewish Museum, the place children can be taught all about British Jewish historical past, tradition, heritage, and id.
The 4 everlasting galleries characteristic some fascinating shows, together with its world-leading assortment of uncommon Jewish ceremonial artwork and objects reflecting the on a regular basis residence lifetime of Jews in London. Plus don’t miss the transferring private journey of Holocaust survivor Leon Greenman.
The museum additionally runs a schedule of participating family-friendly occasions, together with talks, excursions, workshops, baking periods, and themed pageant days. If you’re visiting Camden on the weekend, it’s value being conscious that the museum closes on Fridays and Saturdays.
Visit London Zoo
Right on the sting of the Borough of Camden, in Regent’s Park, London Zoo is just a 20-minute stroll from Camden Town, so it’s an important one to mix with a day trip in Camden with children.
The world’s oldest scientific zoo, London Zoo continues to be one of many metropolis’s greatest points of interest – for teenagers and adults – greater than 170 years after it opened.
Once residence to the bear that impressed Winnie the Pooh, today, you may see every part from lions and tigers to having the ability to stroll with lemurs, enterprise into rainforest situations, see animals from the African savannah and Australian Outback, and much extra.
There are three colour-coded routes across the zoo, pink, blue and orange – all completely different lengths, they begin and finish in roughly the identical place so you are able to do them in any order you need, and in the event you’re in need of time, it helps you to focus in your favourites.
There are keeper talks which happen all through the day, in addition to particular animal experiences – you may even assist feed the gorillas. If you’re fortunate, you may spot the keepers feeding the animals as you discover.
Keep an eye fixed out for normal particular household occasions, particularly throughout college holidays, too. Tickets should be prebooked.
Take a waterbus to Little Venice
The Thames isn’t the town’s solely waterway, and Camden is a superb place to get out on a ship with a number of completely different canal waterbus choices cruising alongside Regent’s Canal.
Perseus, from the London Waterbus Company, has been operating since 1935, whereas Jason’s Trip Canal Waterbus has been working since 1951.
The classic narrowboats take you on a 45-minute journey from Camden Lock to Primrose Hill, previous Regent’s Park, London Zoo (look out for a few of the animals!) then on to fairly Little Venice, with its cafe-lined canals, the place you may hop off to discover Paddington or stroll the streets.
There’s a commentary in regards to the canal’s historical past over the previous two centuries aboard Perseus – or in the event you’d choose to sail in silence, go for Jason’s Trip and putter to Little Venice with out the guided chat (solely commonplace on Jason’s Trip cruises beginning on the Little Venice finish).
Children are welcome and you may take buggies or strollers on board Jason’s Trip, so long as you may fold them, whereas under-fours go free on Perseus, which additionally has barely extra sailings each day by day and all year long.
Paddle Down Regents Canal with the Pirate Castle
Located not removed from Camden Lock, The Pirate Castle – sure it truly seems like a mediaeval fort – is a boating charity and neighborhood for native deprived children and incapacity teams.
The charity provides boat cruises and several other enjoyable paddlesports, together with stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing and kayaking, alongside the picturesque Regents Canal.
You can guide a personal group session for teenagers/households. The charity additionally provides college holiday schemes for kids aged 8+.
And whereas personal periods right here could also be a bit of dearer than elsewhere in London, all earnings assist area people tasks. So you may relaxation assured your cash goes in direction of a superb trigger.
Take a Musical Boat Cruise
Another enjoyable method to expertise the Regents Canal with children on a sunny day in London is aboard The Music Boat.
In this distinctive boating expertise, you’ll sail alongside the scenic canal on a standard punt, whereas a neighborhood musician serenades you with their guitar and well-known hits from Camden’s musical historical past.
The Music Boat units off near Camden Lock’s West Yard Food Market and takes you on a 90-minute journey as much as London Zoo and again. You can take your individual meals and drinks onto the boat, so I’d recommend choosing up lunch from the meals market and having fun with it throughout your journey.
There’s additionally a reserve now, pay later possibility in addition to free cancellation.
Enjoy the views from Primrose Hill
Primrose Hill is without doubt one of the finest locations to seek out superb free views of London with children, virtually 63 metres above sea degree.
One of the six protected viewpoints in London, the place the bushes are saved low in order to not obscure the view, the hilltop park sits to the north of Regent’s Park and is near the upmarket London neighbourhood of Primrose Hill, recognized for its grand Victorian townhouses.
From the summit, you may soak up some incredible 360-degree views over the town; to the south is a transparent view of the long-lasting landmarks of central London, whereas to the north you may see over the neighbourhoods of Hampstead and Belsize Park.
It’s a brief stroll from London Zoo, or round 20 minutes from Camden Town tube station.
Back to the Future exhibition
If your children are followers of the Back To The Future motion pictures, you may’t miss the brand new Back in Time exhibition, with the most important assortment of memorabilia from the flicks in Europe.
There are greater than 70 authentic gadgets used throughout the trilogy’s filming and manufacturing, in addition to the possibility to be taught a few of the behind-the-scenes secrets and techniques from interviews with Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Steven Spielberg.
Along the way in which, there are many interactive shows too, resembling flying a hoverboard. And the very best half? You even get to take a seat inside a duplicate of the DeLorean Time Machine. Great Scott!
Set at Hawley Wharf, tickets are at the moment accessible to January 2023.
Plonk Crazy Golf
For some aggressive enjoyable with the household in Camden, head to Plonk Crazy Golf, an indoor loopy golf course which was fully rebuilt in late 2020
Hidden within the Victorian arches of the Stables Market, the venue is decked out in a unusual mixture of camouflage and UV lights, and the nine-hole loopy golf course is stuffed with basic beams, ramps, and jumps, in addition to some extra uncommon obstacles.
The course at Plonk Crazy Golf is totally indoors, so it’s additionally top-of-the-line issues to do in Camden Town with children on a wet day.
Kids should be 7+ to play and below 18s are welcome earlier than 5pm on weekdays. Evenings and weekends are adults solely.
DNA: London’s First Virtual Reality Arcade
Young avid gamers will love DNA VR, London’s very first digital actuality arcade, the place you may escape actuality to turn into something from an area pirate to a grasp murderer, a deep-sea explorer and extra.
At an arcade session at DNA VR, every individual enters their very own gaming pod and is provided with a VR headset and handsets. You’ll then be immersed in the identical Virtual World, the place you may get pleasure from a wide range of multiplayer video games and experiences.
From surviving a zombie apocalypse or defending the world from killer robots to swimming by way of the deepest oceans and having an epic dance-off, there’s a recreation for everybody.
DNA additionally has VR escape rooms the place you may head on an immersive journey to resolve puzzles and full missions collectively.
Due to the scale of the headsets, DNA VR is really useful for teenagers 7+, whereas the VR escape room is healthier suited to these 10+.
Tomb Raider: The LIVE Experience
Add some extra journey to your day trip in Camden for teenagers at Tomb Raider: The Live Experience.
In the enjoyable immersive expertise, you’ll want to resolve puzzles, full bodily challenges, acquire historical relics, and outsmart enemies (performed by real-life actors) to assist famed archaeologist Lara Croft on her mission.
During the distinctive journey, you’ll have to climb, run, soar, zip-line your approach by way of the Costa Rican jungle, rummage for treasures in a sinking ship, escape the snowy planes of Finland, and extra.
Tomb Raider is really useful for kids 12+, however these 9+ can play (though some elements of the expertise do have minimal peak and weight limits).
Get Lunch at Hawley Wharf
If you’re searching for someplace to refuel after all of the enjoyable in Camden with children, there are many locations throughout Camden’s markets to get pleasure from a few of London’s tastiest road meals. One of our favourites is the newly opened Hawley Wharf.
Hawley Wharf’s river-side meals courtroom is break up into two large areas and has a complete number of incredible road meals to select from. Some merchants could be a bit of too extravagant for youthful palates, however there are many family-friendly choices too.
Check out HotBox for unbeatable BBQ smoked meats, BaoziInn for vibrant dim sum and dumplings, and Buk Burger for mouthwatering burgers. The pizza slices from True Romance are all the time a giant hit with youthful children too.
And in the event you’re nonetheless hungry, spherical off your meal with a decadent dessert from DZRT – suppose indulgent waffles, crepes, and cookie dough – or connoisseur finger doughnuts from Longboys.
Indulge at Chin Chin Labs
It doesn’t matter in the event you go to Chin Chin Labs in the course of summer time or the depths of winter: it could be higher recognized for its liquid nitrogen ice cream, however when temperatures drop, you’ll discover fabulous sizzling chocolate too.
The first of its type in Europe to make use of liquid nitrogen to create connoisseur ice cream, flavours change all year long and also you’ll discover some quirky combos in addition to the classics, plus a string of toppings and choices for ice cream sandwiches and sundaes.
Or seize a sizzling chocolate that’s virtually as a lot of a deal with for the eyes as on your abdomen, with oozily scrumptious charred (veggie) marshmallow fluff on prime for probably the most Instagrammable model (in the event you can wait to {photograph} it earlier than diving in).
Includes vegan choices too – there’s additionally a Soho department now, in addition to pop-ups round London, however once you’re planning issues to do in Camden Town, you shouldn’t miss the unique place the place it began.
Treat your candy tooth at Hans & Gretel
Based on the Brothers Grimm’s well-known story of Hansel & Gretel, Camden Market’s Hans & Gretel is a magical fairy-tale impressed dessert cafe, totally lined from ground to ceiling in sweet canes, lollipops, cupcakes and vibrant sweets galore.
There are additionally large statues of Hansel and Gretel to greet you on the store’s entrance and a makeshift sweet home that children can sit inside for images.
Not solely is the shop itself a enjoyable and quirky place to go to in London with youthful kids (however nonetheless a success in the event you’re in Camden with teenagers), however its many indulgent desserts are positive to be a giant hit with children of all ages. You can select from candy Hungarian funnel muffins, bubble waffles, freakshakes, ice-cream, decide’n’combine and extra.
For extra uncommon issues to do in London with children, in addition to all the very best issues to do in London with children, take a look at my prime picks
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Images: Penguin copyright MummyTravels, road artwork through Picfair, all different photographs courtesy of Depositphotos