Immersive experiences in London for kids
Although in the past London’s biggest tourist draws were historic buildings, London now offers a range of more modern tourist attractions in the form of a range of immersive experiences. These immersive attractions transform an ordinary trip into an extraordinary one that will capture young imaginations as children step into paintings, their favourite films and worlds of illusions. London provides countless opportunities for children to become active participants rather than passive observers in their adventures around the city. In this post, we take a look at the various immersive experiences in London for kids.
Art and illusions
There are a variety of different immersive art experiences in London, ranging from high-brow art to silly optical illusions.
Frameless
If you’d rather immerse yourself in a painting, rather than stand in front of one, the Frameless Immersive Art Experience in London might be the right choice for you.
Frameless offers visitors a multisensory experience through cutting-edge projection technology. Opened in 2021 at Marble Arch, this innovative gallery uses over 50 projectors to transform blank walls into dynamic, interactive artworks that surround visitors from floor to ceiling.
Unlike traditional museums, Frameless removes the boundaries between viewer and art, allowing guests to walk through, touch, and become part of famous masterpieces reimagined in digital form including works from renowned artists like Van Gogh, Klimt, and Kandinsky.
The Lightroom
The Lightroom is an immersive experience located in Coal Drops Yard (just a 10-minute stroll from Kings Cross Station). At the Lightroom, visitors are transported into collaborations with legendary creatives across diverse disciplines.
Lightroom presents rotating exhibitions that bring artists’ visions to life on an unprecedented scale, often accompanied by specially composed soundtracks. The venue’s inaugural show featured David Hockney’s vibrant landscapes, while subsequent exhibitions have featured catwalk shows in conjunction with Vogue and a trip to the cosmos with Tom Hanks as guide.
With ambitious new productions continuously in development, including the upcoming ‘Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs’ opening 9 July 2025, the Lightroom promises an ever-evolving canvas of digital experiences suitable for families of all ages.
Paradox Museum
Located just a stone’s throw away from Harrods, the Paradox Museum is home to more than 50 mind-bending, paradox-inspired exhibits – a collection of optical illusions and perceptual puzzles.
The experience allows guests to capture photos of themselves in impossible situations – surreal images that lead the viewer to question their authenticity. Through its blend of education and entertainment, the Paradox Museum invites patrons to reconsider their perceptions and explore the intriguing intersection of science and illusion.
Twist Museum
Twist Museum, located on Oxford Street since its 2022 launch, offers an immersive journey through the landscape of human perception for families of all ages.
This innovative space—whose name stands for “The Way I See Things”—guides visitors through interconnected zones that blend art and science to challenge fundamental assumptions about reality.
The museum transforms abstract scientific concepts into tangible, playful experiences, creating what they aptly describe as ‘a playground for the mind’ where visitors can manipulate illusions, engage with optical puzzles, and witness firsthand how easily our senses can be deceived.
The Outernet
Unlike the other experiences in this post, the Outernet is free, making it the ideal experience on any tourist itinerary.
Situated near Tottenham Court Road, the Outernet is a cutting-edge entertainment district featuring expansive digital screens and immersive content installations.
Families can explore the vibrant, ever-changing digital displays that blend art, technology, and storytelling. A highlight for kids is the Butterfly Trail, an enchanting interactive experience where they can follow a path of digital butterflies, discovering hidden secrets and interactive elements along the way. But also look out for other special featured displays.
For more information, see our post A look at: The Outernet
Characters
The Paddington Bear Experience
For families with younger children, the Paddington Bear Experience might be a great first introduction to immersive experiences. Located on London’s South Bank, just minutes from the London Eye, the Paddington Bear Experience offers a multi-room immersive adventure. Visitors are invited to step directly into Paddington’s charming world by joining him and the Brown family in preparations for the Marmalade Day Festival.
The journey begins aboard a train from Paddington Station to 32 Windsor Gardens before transporting guests to the lush Peruvian jungle, where they encounter characters from the films.
Throughout the experience, families collaborate to solve puzzles and participate in games, all contributing to make the Marmalade Day Festival an extraordinary celebration.
Shrek’s Adventure!
Shrek’s Adventure! is an interactive walk-through experience located on London’s South Bank near the London Eye. This family-friendly attraction immerses visitors in the beloved world of DreamWorks’ ogre through a combination of live actors, impressive 4D effects, and detailed themed environments. Guests embark on a journey through Far Far Away, beginning with a 4D flying bus ride driven by the talkative Donkey and moving through interactive show areas where visitors must complete various tasks and solve puzzles to help save Shrek. Along the way, characters are encountered, including Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Pinocchio and the Muffin Man.
The adventure culminates in a meet-and-greet with Shrek himself, who arrives just in time to complete this interactive storytelling experience.
Games
Monopoly Lifesized
Monopoly Lifesized, located on Tottenham Court Road, transforms the classic board game into a life-sized adventure.
Set on a massive 15m x 15m game board, participants navigate familiar elements – eight properties, two utility companies, two train stations, and iconic spaces like jail and free parking – all on a human scale.
Teams of 2-6 players, guided by their own Monopoly Token character, compete against other teams in this physical interpretation of the game. Each property square reveals a full-sized, themed room where players must complete challenges to acquire that location. These challenges blend physical and mental puzzles connected to London’s history or contemporary significance, testing skills and lateral thinking in creative ways.
This interactive experience reimagines Monopoly as a dynamic, full-body game suitable for those with children aged 9 and over.
Crystal Maze LIVE Experience
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience offers 75 minutes of exhilarating team adventure suitable for everyone aged 9 and above.
Just like on the TV show, participants navigate through four distinct zones—Industrial, Futuristic, Medieval, and Aztec—guided by their personal Maze Master. Teams face various challenges categorized as Mental, Physical, Mystery, and Skill, with each 2-3 minute challenge undertaken by individual team members against a ticking clock.
Successfully completing these challenges earns crystals, which translate to additional time in the iconic Crystal Dome finale. Inside the Dome, teams must collect as many tokens as possible while powerful fans create a chaotic environment.
The Cube
The Cube London offers an immersive experience based on the award-winning hit TV show where contestants face seemingly simple physical challenges within the nerve-wracking confines of a glass box.
The 23,000+ sq. ft Canary Wharf venue features 21 individual cubes spread across two floors, where teams of four (divided into two pairs) compete to master balance, speed, judgement, and steadiness across seven games from the original show.
Each team works together through single and two-player challenges, aiming to accumulate the maximum 10,000 points and join the elite few who can claim they have ‘beaten The Cube’. The attraction welcomes participants as young as nine years old.
Minecraft
For Minecraft enthusiasts, a real-world Minecraft adventure in the form of ‘Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue‘ arrives at in Canada Water on 4 April 2025.
This immersive attraction transforms the beloved blocky universe into a tangible reality where you’ll embark on a critical mission to cure zombified villagers following a devastating raid. Navigate through biomes from lush forests to glowing mines, wielding the Orb of Interaction to engage with the environment around you.
Under the guidance of characters Tobin and Dayo, you’ll mine resources, craft solutions, and battle iconic mobs alongside fellow adventurers.
This collaborative quest challenges your Minecraft knowledge and quick thinking as you work together to save the village. Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue is safe for children of all ages, however, the experience is designed for children aged 7 and up to fully participate.
Other
Phantom Peak
If you are looking for a more open-world type experience, Phantom Peak offers an immersive adventure where visitors become active participants in a richly detailed world.
Set in Canada Water and suitable for all ages, this open-world experience invites you to step into a fully-realised town for a four-hour journey (with an extra 30 minutes on weekends) where you’re the protagonist of your own adventure.
As a tourist, you’ll help the town’s quirky inhabitants by embarking on ‘trails’ – engaging mini-quests that typically take an hour to complete (most visitors complete one or two during a visit). Using your smartphone as a guide, you’ll solve mysteries by finding clues on noticeboards, watching videos, interacting with innovative technology, and conversing with live actors throughout the sets.
Tutankhamun Immersive Experience
Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition will run from 28 March – 29 June 2025.
This new exhibition features a number of rooms, combining virtual and augmented reality metaverse experiences with Egyptian artefacts.
Expect wall and floor visuals of ancient Egyptian civilisation and the story of Tutankhamun, a world-premiere hologram showcasing the mummification process, and an augmented reality walk through of the valley of the kings, exploring Howard Carter’s base camp and reliving the moment of the 1922 discovery in its full glory.
Do you have a favourite from your time in London? Let us know in the comments if you have enjoyed an immersive experience in London with kids.