The Most Entertaining Cities for Families Revealed

Edinburgh, Belfast, and Liverpool stand out as the top cities for entertaining families

Every year, thousands of families visit UK attractions in the hope of keeping their little ones entertained during school holidays and at the weekend. However, rising travel costs and the unpredictable British weather can make it difficult to plan days out. That’s why we’ve reviewed attractions across the country to identify the best options for all budgets and weather forecasts.

Our study has revealed the UK’s top 10 most entertaining cities for children. We gave each city a score out of 100 based on how pleasant and safe it felt and the number of top-rated (≥ 4.5*) activities and child-friendly restaurants.

Edinburgh, famed for its beauty and rich history, takes the top spot as the most entertaining city for kids. The Scottish capital boasts 30 child-friendly attractions (the most of all the cities analysed), scoring 83 out of 100 for its pleasant atmosphere and how safe visitors felt while exploring. The perfect day here begins with a trip to the National Museum of Scotland before heading to Makars Mash Bar for a hearty bowl of bangers and mash.

The second most entertaining city is Belfast, with 20 top-rated (≥ 4.5*) child-friendly restaurants and 19 top-rated activities. Visit the Ulster Museum and explore the natural science, art, and history collections perfectly tailored for growing minds. Liverpool takes third place in our ranking, with plenty to keep kids entertained. Its must-see attraction is the Royal Albert Dock, which is North West England’s most-visited free tourist destination, and for good reason. It’s home to museums, galleries, restaurants, and shops, so there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy.

The Top 10 Free Family Activities Ranked
 

Food and travel costs can make family days out expensive. We’ve identified the best free family-friendly activities across the country so that entertaining the kids doesn’t have to break the bank. The results were determined by each activity’s overall visitor rating and number of reviews. They were then filtered by their suitability for children.

The highest-rated activity that doesn’t cost a penny is the National Museum of Scotland. Here, visitors can enjoy exhibitions, free tours, and family-focused interactive galleries. In second place is Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park, ideal for sunny days. This city park boasts a fascinating history dating back to around 5000 BC and is home to the iconic Arthur’s Seat, Iron Age forts, and medieval ruins.

If a trip to Edinburgh doesn’t appeal to you, consider visiting Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, with an activity score of 94.2. Entry is free, and the museum hosts regular family-friendly events like specimen handling. It also has dedicated autism-friendly opening times.

The Top 10 Outdoor and indoor activities ranked for all weather
 

The unpredictability of the British weather can make planning a day trip rather tricky. We’ve ranked the UK’s best outdoor and indoor activities to provide an option for all weather forecasts. Each activity has been given an outdoor or indoor score out of 100 based on its suitability, the venue’s overall visitor rating, and the number of visitors who have reviewed it.

If you’re stuck for something to do on a sunny day, our study ranked Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park as the UK’s best outdoor activity, closely followed by Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol. The latter features two museums and a Victorian steamship, and visitors can experience life at sea, tour the historic dockyard, and gain insight into Brunel’s great engineering mind. Plus, all tickets include a year’s worth of free unlimited returns!

St James’s Park in London offers family-friendly fun for a dry day and takes third place in our ranking, with an outdoor score of 92.4. The park is a natural habitat for wildlife and has a rich history to discover. Whether you live nearby or you’re visiting the capital, it’s the ideal place for a picnic or a relaxing stroll.

Immersive Gamebox takes the top spot for rainy day activities, with a score of 95.8 out of 100. Located in Manchester Arndale, this virtual reality centre lets you enjoy a variety of child-friendly activities in your own digital room, providing the perfect indoor escape on rainy days. If London is closer to home for you, their London Southbank location takes second place, with a score of 95.3.

In third place is Escape Hunt Birmingham Central, with a score of 95.3. This attraction boasts several escape rooms, making it ideal for kids of all ages and interests.

Whitby, Edinburgh, and Scarborough take top spots for best beaches

A trip to the seaside with the kids is the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. However, keeping them entertained all day can be difficult, and many beaches require a car to access them. We’ve ranked the 20 best city or town beaches to ensure you never run out of things to do. We scored each beach out of 100 based on its overall visitor rating, how many reviews it has received, and the city or town it’s located near.

Whitby takes first place, with a nearly perfect beach score of 98, while Edinburgh’s Portobello Beach takes second place, with a score of 94. Both locations are accessible by train and have a sandy beach ideal for sunbathing or building sandcastles. In third place is Scarborough Beach, just a stone’s throw from Whitby, with a score of 91.6. Why not save yourself a journey and visit both beaches in a day?

Methodology

To uncover the UK’s most entertaining cities for children, we conducted an extensive Google Maps search for children’s activities and children’s restaurants in 50 UK cities. To ensure that the results were relevant, we verified that each activity and restaurant specified it was suitable for children and each restaurant offered a children’s menu.

We then narrowed down the results to the top-rated experiences by including only those rated ≥ 4.5 stars and with ≥ 100 reviews. This gave us over 500 suitable activities and 500 suitable places to eat across the UK.

To enhance the study, we used Numbeo to collect data from the past five years on how comfortable visitors felt exploring each city and how safe they felt walking around during the day.

These data points were combined using a weighted rank to give each city a score out of 100, resulting in a comprehensive analysis of the UK’s most entertaining and enjoyable cities for children.