Hampstead offers an exceptional range of family-friendly activities, from kite flying on Parliament Hill to wildlife spotting on the Heath. Here's how to plan the perfect day.
Kenwood House
English Heritage's Kenwood House is free to enter and well set up for families. The main house contains a remarkable art collection (including a Rembrandt self-portrait and a Vermeer) and the education team runs regular children's activities.
The grounds feature a formal garden, a picnic lawn, and the café (Brew House) does a good children's menu.
Heath Wildlife for Younger Children
The Heath is excellent for wildlife-based family walks. The Viaduct Pond area near the eastern Heath is reliably good for spotting moorhens, coots and mallards, and the reed beds around the eastern ponds often have dragonflies in summer.
The Heath's ancient oaks host treecreepers and woodpeckers, look for the telltale spiral of bark-stripping on older trees.
The Lido (Heated Outdoor Pool)
The Parliament Hill Lido is a proper 60-metre heated outdoor pool, open year-round and excellent for families. Unlike the natural swimming ponds, the Lido has lanes, a café, and changing facilities set up for children.
It opens early and has a lively, friendly atmosphere, particularly popular with local families on summer mornings.
Practical Tips
The Heath has several accessible café kiosks near Parliament Hill and the Kenwood Estate, so you're never far from a snack or coffee. The terrain is uneven in places, buggies can manage the main tarmac paths but struggle on the earth tracks in wet weather.
The closest tube is Hampstead (Northern line), and the walk to Parliament Hill takes about 15 minutes through the village.
Golders Hill Park and the Free Zoo
On the north-western edge of the Heath, Golders Hill Park is a family secret hiding in plain sight. It has a small, completely free zoo, fallow deer, a pair of donkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, flamingos, kookaburras and a butterfly house in summer, set among formal gardens and a duck pond.
There is a well-equipped children's playground, a sand pit, and an old-fashioned ice cream and café kiosk by the bandstand.
Because it sits at the quieter end of the Heath, it rarely feels crowded even on warm weekends, and it is a far gentler proposition for toddlers than the wide-open expanse of Parliament Hill.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Children tend to love the Hill Garden and Pergola precisely because it feels like a discovery: a raised, plant-covered walkway above a sunken formal garden, half-ruined and romantic, with archways and steps to run through.
It is free, never busy, and makes a wonderful twenty-minute detour during a longer Heath walk. The adjacent woodland has plenty of fallen logs and dens for younger explorers.
The Best Playgrounds
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground near the athletics track is the largest and best equipped on the Heath, with climbing structures for older children and a staffed, fenced under-fives area.
In summer the nearby paddling pool is free and hugely popular, bring towels and arrive early on hot days. The playground at Golders Hill Park suits younger children, while the one beside the Lido is handy if you are combining a swim with playtime.
Rainy-Day Options
Hampstead works in poor weather too. Burgh House has a warm basement café and free local-history displays; Keats House runs family trails and craft activities in the school holidays; and the Everyman cinema on Holly Bush Vale screens family films at weekends in comfortable sofa seating.
The village's bookshops and patisseries make a pleasant indoor hour when the Heath is too wet for buggies.
Seasonal Highlights
Each season brings its own family ritual on the Heath. Autumn is conker season, the horse chestnuts along the southern slopes drop reliably through October. Winter brings frost on Parliament Hill and, on the rare snowy day, the best sledging in north London. Spring fills the woods with bluebells near the Kenwood boundary. Summer means the paddling pool, the Lido and the model boating pond, plus the occasional funfair on the lower Heath.
For a fuller seasonal breakdown, see our guide to Heath wildlife through the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hampstead Heath good for young children?
Yes, the combination of open grassland, playgrounds, the free Golders Hill zoo, paddling pool and gentle wildlife walks makes it one of the most child-friendly green spaces in London. The main tarmac paths are buggy-friendly, though earth tracks get muddy in winter.
Can children swim at Hampstead Heath?
Children aged eight and over can use the bathing ponds with an adult, but for families the heated Parliament Hill Lido is the easier option, it has lanes, lifeguards, a shallow end, changing rooms and a café. The summer paddling pool is free and ideal for toddlers.
Is Kenwood House free for families?
Yes. Kenwood House and its grounds are managed by English Heritage and free to enter, with a children's menu at the Brew House café and family activities during school holidays.
Where is the best playground on the Heath?
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground is the largest and best for a range of ages, with a separate fenced area for under-fives and a free summer paddling pool nearby.
Golders Hill Park and the Free Zoo
On the north-western edge of the Heath, Golders Hill Park is a family secret hiding in plain sight. It has a small, completely free zoo, fallow deer, a pair of donkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, flamingos, kookaburras and a butterfly house in summer, set among formal gardens and a duck pond.
There is a well-equipped children's playground, a sand pit, and an old-fashioned ice cream and café kiosk by the bandstand. Because it sits at the quieter end of the Heath, it rarely feels crowded even on warm weekends, and it is a far gentler proposition for toddlers than the wide-open expanse of Parliament Hill.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Children tend to love the Hill Garden and Pergola precisely because it feels like a discovery: a raised, plant-covered walkway above a sunken formal garden, half-ruined and romantic, with archways and steps to run through.
It is free, never busy, and makes a wonderful twenty-minute detour during a longer Heath walk. The adjacent woodland has plenty of fallen logs and dens for younger explorers.
The Best Playgrounds
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground near the athletics track is the largest and best equipped on the Heath, with climbing structures for older children and a staffed, fenced under-fives area.
In summer the nearby paddling pool is free and hugely popular, bring towels and arrive early on hot days. The playground at Golders Hill Park suits younger children, while the one beside the Lido is handy if you are combining a swim with playtime.
Rainy-Day Options
Hampstead works in poor weather too. Burgh House has a warm basement café and free local-history displays; Keats House runs family trails and craft activities in the school holidays; and the Everyman cinema on Holly Bush Vale screens family films at weekends in comfortable sofa seating.
The village's bookshops and patisseries make a pleasant indoor hour when the Heath is too wet for buggies.
Seasonal Highlights
Each season brings its own family ritual on the Heath. Autumn is conker season, the horse chestnuts along the southern slopes drop reliably through October. Winter brings frost on Parliament Hill and, on the rare snowy day, the best sledging in north London. Spring fills the woods with bluebells near the Kenwood boundary. Summer means the paddling pool, the Lido and the model boating pond, plus the occasional funfair on the lower Heath. For a fuller seasonal breakdown, see our guide to Heath wildlife through the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hampstead Heath good for young children?
Yes, the combination of open grassland, playgrounds, the free Golders Hill zoo, paddling pool and gentle wildlife walks makes it one of the most child-friendly green spaces in London. The main tarmac paths are buggy-friendly, though earth tracks get muddy in winter.
Can children swim at Hampstead Heath?
Children aged eight and over can use the bathing ponds with an adult, but for families the heated Parliament Hill Lido is the easier option, it has lanes, lifeguards, a shallow end, changing rooms and a café. The summer paddling pool is free and ideal for toddlers.
Is Kenwood House free for families?
Yes. Kenwood House and its grounds are managed by English Heritage and free to enter, with a children's menu at the Brew House café and family activities during school holidays.
Where is the best playground on the Heath?
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground is the largest and best for a range of ages, with a separate fenced area for under-fives and a free summer paddling pool nearby.
Golders Hill Park and the Free Zoo
On the north-western edge of the Heath, Golders Hill Park is a family secret hiding in plain sight. It has a small, completely free zoo, fallow deer, a pair of donkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, flamingos, kookaburras and a butterfly house in summer, set among formal gardens and a duck pond.
There is a well-equipped children's playground, a sand pit, and an old-fashioned ice cream and café kiosk by the bandstand. Because it sits at the quieter end of the Heath, it rarely feels crowded even on warm weekends, and it is a far gentler proposition for toddlers than the wide-open expanse of Parliament Hill.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Children tend to love the Hill Garden and Pergola precisely because it feels like a discovery: a raised, plant-covered walkway above a sunken formal garden, half-ruined and romantic, with archways and steps to run through.
It is free, never busy, and makes a wonderful twenty-minute detour during a longer Heath walk. The adjacent woodland has plenty of fallen logs and dens for younger explorers.
The Best Playgrounds
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground near the athletics track is the largest and best equipped on the Heath, with climbing structures for older children and a staffed, fenced under-fives area.
In summer the nearby paddling pool is free and hugely popular, bring towels and arrive early on hot days. The playground at Golders Hill Park suits younger children, while the one beside the Lido is handy if you are combining a swim with playtime.
Rainy-Day Options
Hampstead works in poor weather too. Burgh House has a warm basement café and free local-history displays; Keats House runs family trails and craft activities in the school holidays; and the Everyman cinema on Holly Bush Vale screens family films at weekends in comfortable sofa seating.
The village's bookshops and patisseries make a pleasant indoor hour when the Heath is too wet for buggies.
Seasonal Highlights
Each season brings its own family ritual on the Heath. Autumn is conker season, the horse chestnuts along the southern slopes drop reliably through October. Winter brings frost on Parliament Hill and, on the rare snowy day, the best sledging in north London. Spring fills the woods with bluebells near the Kenwood boundary. Summer means the paddling pool, the Lido and the model boating pond, plus the occasional funfair on the lower Heath. For a fuller seasonal breakdown, see our guide to Heath wildlife through the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hampstead Heath good for young children?
Yes, the combination of open grassland, playgrounds, the free Golders Hill zoo, paddling pool and gentle wildlife walks makes it one of the most child-friendly green spaces in London. The main tarmac paths are buggy-friendly, though earth tracks get muddy in winter.
Can children swim at Hampstead Heath?
Children aged eight and over can use the bathing ponds with an adult, but for families the heated Parliament Hill Lido is the easier option, it has lanes, lifeguards, a shallow end, changing rooms and a café. The summer paddling pool is free and ideal for toddlers.
Is Kenwood House free for families?
Yes. Kenwood House and its grounds are managed by English Heritage and free to enter, with a children's menu at the Brew House café and family activities during school holidays.
Where is the best playground on the Heath?
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground is the largest and best for a range of ages, with a separate fenced area for under-fives and a free summer paddling pool nearby.
Golders Hill Park and the Free Zoo
On the north-western edge of the Heath, Golders Hill Park is a family secret hiding in plain sight. It has a small, completely free zoo, fallow deer, a pair of donkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, flamingos, kookaburras and a butterfly house in summer, set among formal gardens and a duck pond.
There is a well-equipped children's playground, a sand pit, and an old-fashioned ice cream and café kiosk by the bandstand. Because it sits at the quieter end of the Heath, it rarely feels crowded even on warm weekends, and it is a far gentler proposition for toddlers than the wide-open expanse of Parliament Hill.
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Children tend to love the Hill Garden and Pergola precisely because it feels like a discovery: a raised, plant-covered walkway above a sunken formal garden, half-ruined and romantic, with archways and steps to run through.
It is free, never busy, and makes a wonderful twenty-minute detour during a longer Heath walk. The adjacent woodland has plenty of fallen logs and dens for younger explorers.
The Best Playgrounds
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground near the athletics track is the largest and best equipped on the Heath, with climbing structures for older children and a staffed, fenced under-fives area.
In summer the nearby paddling pool is free and hugely popular, bring towels and arrive early on hot days. The playground at Golders Hill Park suits younger children, while the one beside the Lido is handy if you are combining a swim with playtime.
Rainy-Day Options
Hampstead works in poor weather too. Burgh House has a warm basement café and free local-history displays; Keats House runs family trails and craft activities in the school holidays; and the Everyman cinema on Holly Bush Vale screens family films at weekends in comfortable sofa seating.
The village's bookshops and patisseries make a pleasant indoor hour when the Heath is too wet for buggies.
Seasonal Highlights
Each season brings its own family ritual on the Heath. Autumn is conker season, the horse chestnuts along the southern slopes drop reliably through October. Winter brings frost on Parliament Hill and, on the rare snowy day, the best sledging in north London. Spring fills the woods with bluebells near the Kenwood boundary. Summer means the paddling pool, the Lido and the model boating pond, plus the occasional funfair on the lower Heath. For a fuller seasonal breakdown, see our guide to Heath wildlife through the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hampstead Heath good for young children?
Yes, the combination of open grassland, playgrounds, the free Golders Hill zoo, paddling pool and gentle wildlife walks makes it one of the most child-friendly green spaces in London. The main tarmac paths are buggy-friendly, though earth tracks get muddy in winter.
Can children swim at Hampstead Heath?
Children aged eight and over can use the bathing ponds with an adult, but for families the heated Parliament Hill Lido is the easier option, it has lanes, lifeguards, a shallow end, changing rooms and a café. The summer paddling pool is free and ideal for toddlers.
Is Kenwood House free for families?
Yes. Kenwood House and its grounds are managed by English Heritage and free to enter, with a children's menu at the Brew House café and family activities during school holidays.
Where is the best playground on the Heath?
The Parliament Hill Adventure Playground is the largest and best for a range of ages, with a separate fenced area for under-fives and a free summer paddling pool nearby.
