How to save (or go for free) on a family day out this school summer holiday

The Guardian

28-07-2025

A day trip begins with your journey to the attraction, and your savings can begin there, too, if you are using public transport.
In London, up to four children under the age of 11 can travel free with a fare-paying adult on the tube, Docklands Light Railway, Overground and Elizabeth line. The kids don't require a ticket – they should be allowed through the gates by staff or can go through the larger gates with the paying adult. Children aged 11 to 15 get free or discounted travel with a 11-15 Zip Oyster photocard. A parent or guardian must apply for the card, which costs £16 and takes about two weeks to arrive.
A Friends and Family railcard (£35 for one year) gets you a third off standard anytime, off-peak and advance adult fares, and 60% off child fares across the National Rail network in Great Britain.
Some train companies – including Southeastern and Chiltern Railways – offer Kids for a Quid deals where children aged five to 15 can travel for £1 on a single or return journey off-peak when accompanied by an adult on selected journeys. Check whether the deal applies with a railcard as you often cannot use both.
Travelling by train can also get you a discount when you arrive – National Rail's website lists 2 for 1 deals in London, and a mix of offers around Great Britain, including two for one at the Black Country Museum in the Midlands.
National Express is running a 'kids travel free' promotion that finishes at the end of September. Up to three kids (to age 15) can go free with one adult using the code Kidsfree.
Always try to book well in advance to get the best fares and avoid midweek peak times.
Many of the most famous museums in the country remain free to enter for the main exhibitions. In London, the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern are some of the most prominent ones that do not charge. You may have to pay for specific exhibitions and many ask for voluntary donations.
Bath Abbey, the National Railway Museum in York, the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester and the Royal Armouries in Leeds are also free to visit.
People who are on universal credit can often get cheap entry to museums or other attractions. The Cartoon Museum in London has adult tickets for £3 (normally £12) for anyone on universal credit or jobseeker's allowance. The Cutty Sark in Greenwich has £2 (normally £22 for an adult and £11 for a child) tickets for people on some benefits. Up to six people in a household can claim the cheap tickets.
Edinburgh zoo offers tickets for £7. Adults on universal credit, pension credit or UK legacy benefits can get access to the Eden Project in Cornwall for £5, while children's tickets are £1 each.
The Society of London theatre runs a 'kids' week' every year with 50 different shows taking part. One child aged 17 or under can see selected shows for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Up to two more children's tickets can be added at half price. There are no booking fees. The offer is available for selected performances until 31 August. Book through officiallondontheatre.
There are also discounts available for shows such as MJ the Musical and Back to the Future through a summer theatre sale at LondonBoxOffice.
If you want to see some Shakespeare, the Globe theatre in London has £5 'groundling' tickets for performances, although you will be standing.
You can combine theatre with a picnic at the Grosvenor Park Open Air theatre in Chester, with tickets costing £20 to £58 with 20% off for the under-16s. You can bring your own food or buy some there. The Brighton Open Air theatre runs to 21 September and has children's and family tickets as well as concessions for the unemployed.
If you want to get out of the sun, there are bargains on cinema tickets. Cineworld is running £1 Family Films where a different film is selected each week and tickets are priced at £1 each. Among them are The Wild Robot and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The Odeon chain is running kids' screenings every day of the holidays with tickets at £2.75 each.
Many country parks offer free entry, although you may have to pay for parking. For example, Wendover Woods in the Chilterns has a wooden sculpture of the Gruffalo for kids to find as well as cycling and walking trails. Moors Valley Country Park and Forest in Dorset is free to enter and dog walkers can take part in a Wallace and Gromit-themed trail with games and challenges. The Earth Photo exhibition, which focuses on the environment and the climate crisis, runs to the beginning of September.
Parking fees vary between parks. For example, Moors Valley charges £16.50 a day, while Wendover Woods charges £13.
The Beamish Museum near Stanley in Durham tells the history of the region from the 1820s to the 1950s through immersive exhibits, and was recently voted the Art Fund museum of the year. It has family tickets (two adults and two kids) for £82, with access for a full year. If you travel to the museum on any Go North East bus, you can get a 25% discount on a standard individual admission.
In order to cool down, lidos and community swimming areas can give some relief. The Clevedon Marine Lake on the Somerset coast is a tidal pool and gets filled with seawater from the Bristol channel every spring tide. Run by a charity, swimmers are asked to donate when they visit.
If an attraction charges an entry fee, look out for family tickets and do the sums to get the best value. For example, the Sea City Museum in Southampton charges £42.50 for a family ticket for two adults and three children – it's cheaper than buying individual tickets for two adults and two children. It works out cheaper to buy individually if you are two adults visiting with one child. For one adult and three children there's another family ticket option costing £28.50.
Prices for Legoland in Windsor start at £34 each – children under 90cm go free – if bought on the website in advance, compared with £68 if you walk up and pay. Chessington World of Adventures starts at £32 online or £66 in-person on the day.
A Twice the fun ticket gives entry to two attractions for the price of one at Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park or Alton Towers. Prices start at £32 if you visit Chessington first.
Cadbury is running a promotion where you can get between 10% and 50% off entry for up to four tickets at Merlin UK attractions, which include Legoland, Sea Life and Thorpe Park, among others.
Many attractions offer annual family tickets but again you will have to do the maths to work out whether the deal works for you. For instance, going to London zoo on an off-peak weekday for two adults and two children will cost £94.20. A silver membership (which gives unlimited visits) runs at £200. It offers entrance to Whipsnade, and with a peak-time visit there you will have paid for the membership.