When temperatures spike, it can be a shock for some visitors to discover there aren’t many London attractions with air conditioning – a combination of the city’s historic buildings and Britain’s erratic summer weather means it’s not always essential and can’t necessarily be added on later.
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So what do you do when there’s a heatwave in London, especially if you’re visiting the city with kids and need to escape the heat?
I’ve picked out some of the main tourist attractions in London with air conditioning, air cooling or places to go where you won’t melt while the heatwave lasts.
London in the heat: need to know
Bear in mind that even those places which have air conditioning tend not to be as fiercely cold as other countries – I’ve needed to put extra layers on when going indoors in the US and Asia before now, but the most you’re likely to find is a pleasantly cool experience.
And while London’s museums and galleries always need to keep their precious exhibits in a climate controlled environment, that doesn’t always translate into a controlled climate for visitors – even where there is a cooling system, you won’t walk in to gusts of icy chill.
A combination of big crowds and the Natural History Museum’s Grade I listed building means this particular attraction often gets very warm inside – if you are going, the dinosaur gallery has low light and can be a little cooler.
The British Museum has air conditioning in some areas but many are cooled only by fans – and the most popular galleries can get very busy, while the Great Court’s wonderful glass roof doesn’t make it the coolest spot.
And the London Transport Museum has some big open galleries to fit in its collection of double decker buses and other vintage transport, but there’s no air conditioning here either.
To find a guaranteed cool spot in a museum, check out the temporary exhibitions – a great tip from Museum Mum, as the government scheme which insures loans has strict rules about environmental controls so these are a perfect place to escape the heat in London.
London attractions with air conditioning
SeaLife
The SeaLife Centre is one of my top picks for a rainy day in London with kids, but with air conditioning throughout the aquarium, it’s also the perfect spot to shelter from the heat.
V&A
If you’re looking for a museum in South Kensington to stay cool, the V&A should top your list – not only does this Grade I building have air conditioning but there’s a fountain in the courtyard too.
The Postal Museum
Less well-known than some of the other London museums, the Postal Museum is even more tempting in the heat – as well as air conditioning, the underground tunnels which once delivered mail across the city are also lovely and cool.
No longer used to transport mail, you can still ride the Mail Rail train during your visit (although do bear in mind that it can be warmer inside the carriages than in the tunnels).
Museum of London
The Museum of London also has a cooling and air conditioning system inside, so you can discover the city’s history, right from the days when hippos lived where Trafalgar Square is now – and presumably welcomed the sun.
National Maritime Museum
If you head down to Greenwich (and a breeze on one of the river boats is a definite bonus if you can also find a shady seat), the National Maritime Museum has air conditioning.
The area around the giant map can get warm, but with tales of Polar adventures (as well as Tudor piracy and Pacific explorations), there’s plenty to discover inside while you stay cool.
Tate Modern & Tate Britain
With millions passing through the Tate Modern’s galleries alone, air conditioning has always been essential to protect the artworks – with the added bonus of protecting the visitors from melting as well.
Tate Britain also has air conditioning and tends to be one of London’s quieter galleries, so you can dodge overheated crowds as well.
National Gallery
The National Gallery has boasted some air conditioning since 1949 to protect its paintings, as well as more recent air conditioning added during lockdown closures.
Like the Tate and Museum of London, there’s the added bonus that entry is free.
Madame Tussauds
If you’ve got an attraction full of wax works, you can’t take the risk of them all melting when the temperature rises so happily Madame Tussauds does have air conditioning.
Equally understandably, the waxworks don’t do well with extremes of heat or cold, so the system tries to keep the temperature fairly constant, which means it will never end up being freezing inside.
London Eye
The London Eye’s capsules are all air conditioned – but bear in mind that the glass pods are basically mini greenhouses, so on a searingly hot day, you can still expect it to get warm inside.
Unless you have fast track tickets, you’ll also be waiting in the queue to board for your time slot as well.
London theatres with air conditioning
Many of the West End’s theatres are too old, protected or fragile to have full air conditioning: the air cooling systems are often impressively efficient though, at theatres such as the Apollo.
However, some do have proper air conditioning including the Adelphi Theatre (Back to the Future Musical), the Victoria Theatre (Hamilton), the Theatre Royal Haymarket (for The Tiger Who Came To Tea), the Vaudeville Theatre (Six), as well as the Criterion.
The Lyceum (for The Lion King), Apollo Victoria (for Wicked), Cambridge Theatre (for Matilda), Prince Edward Theatre (for Mary Poppins), the Lyric (Room on the Broom), the Palladium (Beauty and the Beast) and the Garrick (for Horrible Histories) all have air cooling.
In a slight twist of irony, if you’re planning to watch Frozen at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, there’s no air con, so you’ll need to rely on the action to keep you cool.
To check individually, the Official London Theatre page lists facilities for London’s theatres.
Tourist attractions in London with cooling systems
Tower Bridge
There’s no air conditioning inside London’s famous bridge, but Tower Bridge does have ceiling fans inside the high-level walkways to cool visitors down.
And looking down through the glass floor might send a shiver down your spine.
Science Museum
The temperature in the Science Museum varies depending which area you’re visiting, but there’s a cooling system in Wonderlab, which makes it a particularly good spot to escape the heat.
But the basement rooms, including the Garden – a favourite of younger kids – does tend to get pretty warm.
Shrek’s Adventure
If your kids are looking forward to visiting Far Far Away, the good news is that much of the Shrek’s Adventure attraction has cooling systems to stop you overheating.
The Magic Bus also includes water sprays and blasts of air. Lovely.
Other things to do when it’s hot in London
If you’re looking to escape the heat in London with kids, it’s not just air conditioned attractions which can help keep you cool.
Find the dancing fountains
Splash pads, dancing fountains, whatever name you give them, they’re unbeatable when it’s hot in London with kids.
Just behind King’s Cross, the fountains at Granary Square are made up of 1,080 choreographed jets – each individually controlled – which squirt in patterns for kids to splash in.
Or on the South Bank, the Appearing Rooms interactive sculpture at the Southbank Centre is a fun alternative, with jets of water creating ‘rooms’ before they vanish.
Further along the river, you’ll find the More London fountains near Tower Bridge, while there’s often another set in the courtyard of Somerset House on the opposite bank (not currently on).
Visit the parks
Despite being one of the biggest cities in the world, London also scores well when it comes to green space, with a series of lovely parks – Hyde Park has some great shady spots as well as the Diana Memorial fountain to dip your feet in.
Regent’s Park is another great alternative, or watch the pelicans at St James’s Park. But most of the royal parks will have a few patches of shade to hang out when it’s hot.
If you’re happy to venture out of central London, Kew Gardens and the London Wetlands Centre near Barnes are also great options to escape – there’s water play in the Wetlands Centre playground too
Head up high
The higher you go, the more chance of finding an elusive breeze – the Sky Garden has shady areas and can be a lovely spot when it’s hot in London, as well as being one of my favourite viewpoints in London.
Stroll by the water
There are miles and miles of Thames path to explore – and while I’m not suggesting a long walk during a heatwave, you can find a breeze off the water as you sit on the banks. The Southbank is always one of the best options.
Or head to the canals – Little Venice is another lovely spot, while the Grand Union Canal near Paddington is lined with cafes.
If you’d rather be on the water, check out my tips for the best boat tours in London with kids as well as places to kayak with kids
Go for a swim
Although you’ll have to travel out of central London (unless you’re staying in a hotel with a pool), there are lidos around the city where you can have a dip.
Or head west to enjoy the beach at Ruislip Lido – there’s a splash pad here too, although you can’t actually swim in the reservoir. Unsurprisingly it’s a popular spot on a sunny day.
Visit the Tower of London
There is – unsurprisingly – no air conditioning in the Tower, but as anyone who’s visited a castle in winter knows, thick stone walls make for chilly interiors.
So in the height of summer, venturing into the old royal apartments can be blissfully cool. The area with the Crown Jewels is also climate controlled to protect them.
Head inside a cathedral
In the same way, the centuries-old stone walls of both Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s cathedral keep the interior beautifully cool on hot days.
Grab an ice cream
There are some fantastic places to turn cooling down into an art form – for the best ice cream in London, check out this great post from Globetotting.
Getting around London in the heat
If you’re planning a bus tour, the two main hop on hop off providers – Tootbus and Big Bus Tours – both have air-conditioned areas on their buses.
These tend to be lower deck only or on some buses with enclosed upper areas – bearing in mind that most of the top deck is mostly open to the elements (and also where you’ll get the best views), you don’t get such a benefit.
For more tips on London’s best bus tours with kids, check out this post
On the tube, the Central line is officially the hottest line, while the new Elizabeth Line has air conditioning and is genuinely cool. Otherwise, the lines which stay closer the surface – especially the Overground, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Circle – tend to be cooler than the deep lines like the Picadilly and Northern line.
If you’d rather travel by water, the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers service has air conditioned interiors as well as an open section on the deck to catch a breeze.
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Natural History Museum/Tower Bridge/London Underground sign courtesy of Depositphotos, all other images copyright MummyTravels
