Science Museum

Apollo to steam engines, free

⚠ Free, but book a timed slot

Hours: Daily 10am-6pm, last entry 5:15pm, closed 24-26 Dec
Tickets: General entry free (timed slot); Wonderlab and extras paid (about £17)
Address: On Exhibition Road, next door to the Natural History Museum

It packs everything from the steam age to the space age under one roof, with real objects like the Apollo 10 command module and huge steam engines standing in the halls. Kids can touch and press things in the interactive galleries for a long time. Entry is free, but it gets busy, so book a timed slot. It sits next to the Natural History Museum, and many people do both in a day.