There’s nothing which says Christmas is coming more than watching the Christmas ice rinks in London start to appear – but if you’re looking for the best places to ice skate in London with kids, how family-friendly are they all?
Having taken to the ice with my daughter and alone, there are plenty which make a fantastic festive day out in the capital – and more than a few which aren’t temporary for Christmas if you fancy ice skating in London with kids year-round.
Best of all, they’re often in the shadow of some of London’s best known landmarks, so you can combine it with a family day out, or soak up the historic buildings as you whizz (or stumble) around. Here’s my pick with the eight best places to ice skate with kids in London, updated for 2021.
For more of the best things to do for Christmas in London with kids, check out my top picks
Christmas ice rinks in London
Natural History Museum ice rink
With the beautiful Natural History Museum building lit up behind it and a Christmas tree sparkling in the centre, this is easily one of the most family-friendly London Christmas ice rinks – sadly 2021 is the final year it will be running.
For kids who are nervous about hitting the ice, they even have a Penguin Skate Club with lessons for children aged four to eight, which takes place on Saturday mornings at 10am and 11am from November 6-20, and November 27 to January 8 (excluding New Year’s Day) at 9am and 10am.
There are limited places so you have to book this online in advance.
If you’re planning a visit to the Natural History Museum too, check out my tips for visiting, as well as my guide to London’s museums with kids.
If you’re visiting with younger kids, there are also special weekday sessions aimed at adults with toddlers – plus you get a free hot drink (hot chocolate, tea, coffee) or soft drink. The special sessions run to 2pm until December 3, as well as weekdays from January 10-14.
Skates are included, with sizes from child’s size 9 (up to an adult’s size 15) and you can also get free children’s bob skates, twin bladed skates to fit over kids’ shoes which are perfect for toddlers or kids with smaller feet.
Where is it?
The open-air rink is in front of the museum in its courtyard on Cromwell Road, close to South Kensington tube station – the station is closed to Piccadilly line trains until March 2022, but District line trains are still stopping.
When is the Natural History Museum ice rink open?
The ice rink is open from October 22, 2021 to January 16, 2022 (closed on Christmas Day) from 11am to 10pm, although times may vary on certain days.
How much is the Natural History Museum ice rink?
Adult tickets cost from £12.65, children from £8.80 and there are also family tickets from around £43. Book here.
Penguin skate club costs £18.15 while the toddler sessions cost £11.50. Transaction fees also apply.
Penguin skate aids are available for other sessions and cost £6. You can’t book these in advance and they’re available on a first-come, first seved basis from the skate hire counter.
What else do I need to know?
You can book tickets in advance, which is recommended – it’s particularly popular with families, so you can expect to wait if you turn up without having bought beforehand.
Each session is around 50 minutes long. Make sure you turn up at least 40 minutes before the start of your session, or 20 minutes before if it’s the first session of the day.
There’s a cloakroom which costs £2 per item. No bags are allowed on the ice.
The café has hot drinks, including mulled wine (best after you’ve been on the ice), as well as meals and cakes plus soft drinks.
Check out these tips for the best hot chocolate in London with kids, if you’re looking to warm up after ice skating
Tower of London ice rink
**The ice rink won’t be returning to the Tower for 2021**
Theirs is nothing quite as magical as skating in the moat of the Tower of London – one of my favourite buildings in the city (probably in the world), it feels rather fairy-tale to have the towers and walls as a backdrop as you skate.
The rink is popular with all ages so if you’re focused particularly on ice skating in London with kids, I’d suggest the earlier sessions are better – as it’s on the edge of the City, the earlier sessions and weekend daytimes can often be quieter than other rinks.
Make a Christmassy day of it and combine your ice skating with a visit to the Christmas on the River market nearby, or head a little further along the Thames to the South Bank Christmas market.
A big bonus is that you can book skate aids in advance for other sessions (although there are no skate aids available at the last 8pm session of the day). There’s a limited number so it must be done in advance, costing £5, but unlike a lot of other Christmas ice rinks in London, you don’t have to take the risk of them running out if you visit with kids.
Skates are included with sizes from children’s size 8 up to adult size 14.
Where is it?
At the Tower of London – head to the usual signed entrance from Tower Hill tube to reach the ice skating entrance.
When is the Tower of London ice rink open?
The ice rink is usually open for seven weeks from mid November until early January, excluding Christmas Day.
In previous years, sessions have run from 11am to 9pm on weekdays until December 18, then 10am to 9pm, and from and 10am to 9pm on weekends until November 29, after which there’ll be late opening until 10pm.
How much is the Tower of London ice rink?
Adult tickets cost from £16 (including teens aged 13 and above) and from £11.50 for children aged three to 12. There are also family tickets from £46. Book here.
What else do I need to know?
Each session lasts for 45 minutes, and you are asked to arrive 30 minutes before your session begins. You can change your booking online (or by email) as long as you do it at least 48 hours in advance.
There’s a cloakroom which costs £2 per item (card payment only). No bags are allowed on the ice.
The ice rink café has hot drinks, food and a bar.
Hampton Court Palace ice rink
This glorious Tudor palace is somewhere I never tire of visiting, so I’d definitely recommend making a full day and exploring inside (although the Magic Garden often closes during the winter) as well as the skating session.
Henry VIII might have had the frozen Thames to go skating on, but I loved being able to strap on my skates as dusk fell and the palace was lit up behind us, visible from the open air rink.
It’s also where my daughter braved ice skating for the first time so the ideal introduction to ice skating with kids in London.
Run by the same organisation behind the Tower of London ice rink, you can also book dolphin and penguin skate aids in advance here (although there are no skate aids available for the evening sessions from 8pm).
Suitable for for kids aged 10 and under, they cost £5 each. In previous years, any unbooked skate aids have been available first come, first served – but if you know your kids will need one, best not to risk it.
Skates are included with sizes from children’s size 8 up to adult size 14.
See what we thought on our visit to the ice rink at Hampton Court Palace.
Where is it?
In front of Hampton Court Palace – the palace has (paid) car parks within walking distance or Hampton train station is also a couple of minutes away, with trains from Waterloo taking 30 minutes.
When is Hampton Court ice rink open?
The ice rink is open for six weeks, from November 19 until January 2, excluding Christmas Day. Sessions run from 10am to 8.45pm.
How much is Hampton Court ice rink?
Adult tickets cost from £16 (including teens aged 13 and above) and from £11.50 for children aged three to 12. There are also family tickets from £46. Book here.
What else do I need to know?
Each session lasts for up to 45 minutes, and you are asked to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your session begins.
In previous years, you could change your booking up to 48 hours in advance, but for 2021, tickets are non-transferable and are unable to be rescheduled, refunded or cancelled.
However, you can reschedule or rebook if you’re unable to skate because of Covid restrictions.
There’s a cloakroom which costs £2 per item (card payments only). No bags are allowed on the ice.
The ice rink café has hot drinks, food and a bar.
Skate at Somerset House
The Somerset House ice rink is one of the longest-running Christmas ice rinks in London, having already celebrated its 20th year and regularly voted one of the capital’s favourite winter experiences, with a 40ft Christmas tree adding a final festive touch.
Set in the grand courtyard, there are also stalls to shop plus events and other activities taking place over the Christmas period – partnered with Moet & Chandon this year, the whole vibe is set to be as luxury as ever.
There’s also a more open skate area this year, and extra space when you’re getting and returning your skates.
There are a couple of options which are perfect for kids, including the return of Skate School. For kids aged eight and up, there are courses and single lessons for all levels taught by instructors from the National Ice Skating Association,
Younger kids can also borrow skate aids, and this year there’s a new set of ‘Chilled out‘ skate sessions on some weekday mornings, with reduced numbers, to stop them feeling overwhelmed by older or faster skaters – ideal for neurodiverse kids too.
There are also skate aids available for under-eights during normal sessions, but you can’t pre-book these. You can pre-book Skate Mates for any extra assistance for groups of 3-10.
Older kids (aged eight and up) can join Skate School with which take place on selected weekends, along with Kids Skate Club sessions on the rink using stabilisers, with help from ice marshals.
Skates are included in the session price with child’s size 7 (suitable for around three to four-year-olds) up to adult size 15.
Where is it?
In the courtyard of Somerset House – any entrance will take you to the rink. Temple tube station is closest to the river entrance, or you can walk in from the Strand
When is Somerset House ice rink open?
The rink is open from November 17 until January 16, 2022. Session times start at 10am and run to 10pm, including some Skate Lates, although times also vary for Skate school.
Skate school sessions start at 8.45, and Kids Skate Club has two options at 8.35 or 9.15 (both on selected dates).
How much is Somerset House ice rink?
Tickets cost £11 for adults and £8.50 for children plus a booking fee, as well as 10% off the usual total for a family ticket (two adults and two kids, or one adult and three kids).
A few walk-up tickets will be available on the day but it’s always popular so worth prebooking to guarantee your slot.
Kids Skate Club costs £9 for kids aged six to 10 while Skate School costs from £17 for children aged up to 12 (plus booking fee) for an hour-long lesson.
What else do I need to know?
Sessions last for 45 minutes and you’re asked to arrive 20 minutes beforehand, or earlier if you need to leave items in the cloakroom.
You can leave one item for free, but it then costs £2 to leave further bags in the cloakroom. No bags are allowed on the ice.
To warm up afterwards, the Hotel Chocolate Chocmobile will be providing treats – there are also kids’ chocolate workshops to book, and food at the Chalet Barragists pop-up (including making your own luxury s’mores).
If you’re looking for ice skating in London with teens, the later sessions also have DJs playing at Skate Lates.
Winter Wonderland ice rink
One of the UK’s largest outdoor rinks, this London ice rink is part of the Winter Wonderland Christmas market in Hyde Park, set around the park’s Victorian bandstand with lights sparkling above the open-air rink.
There’s also often live music from the bandstand as you swirl and twirl (or stumble and giggle) around the ice – if you’re more the latter, there are Ice Guides which can be booked to help as you get your ice legs.
And because it’s in the heart of the Winter Wonderland attraction, there are huge numbers of other things to do during your visit to make a day of it – although you can come, skate and go home.
There are penguin skate aids to hire for £5 but these can’t be prebooked and are available on a first-come first-served basis.
Skate hire is included, with sizes from children’s size 9 up to adults size 13. There are free double bladed bob skates which go over children’s shoes for smaller skaters, also available first come first served.
Where is it?
Winter Wonderland takes place in Hyde Park – the family entrance is at the red gate which takes you through to Santa’s Grotto and some of the other family attractions, but if you’ve prebooked tickets for the ice rink, the Blue Gate is most convenient.
Use the fabulous What Three Words app to find out exactly where – the Blue Gate entrance is ///spare.groups.giving which is the southern part of the park, closest to Hyde Park Corner tube.
The Red Gate is ///mount.tigers.hotel
When is Winter Wonderland ice rink open?
Winter Wonderland runs November 18 until January 3. The rink is open from 10am to 10pm every day (or from 4pm on November 21).
How much is Winter Wonderland ice rink?
Tickets cost from £10.50 for adults and £7.50 for children off-peak up to £15.50 and £10.50 for peak sessions.
There are also family tickets from £30 and an Ice guide costs £35 (for all sessions). There’s also a transaction fee based on the value of your booking.
Previously entry to Winter Wonderland itself was free and you could just turn up – for 2021, you must prebook tickets with timed slots, although once you’re inside you can stay as long as you want.
It’s still free off-peak, but otherwise costs £5 or £7.50 to enter, but if you spend £20 per person on rides, attractions or games online in advance, your entry charge is automatically refunded
There are varying charges for the different activities and shows but you only need to add a couple of things on top of skating to reach that total. Book here.
What else do I need to know?
Sessions last for 50 minutes and skaters are asked to arrive 20 minutes beforehand.
Bags must be checked in to the cloakroom, costing £1 per item, and you can’t take cameras on the ice for safety reasons, although you can buy souvenir photos taken by Winter Wonderland’s professional.
You can get hot drinks at the spectator’s platform or there’s a huge array of other food and drink stalls throughout Winter Wonderland.
The Queen’s House, Greenwich
One of the newest additions to London’s ice skating scene, new in 2019, the ice rink at the Queen’s House in Greenwich is the only open air rink in south London.
Head out onto the ice here, and you can enjoy the elegant grandeur of a former royal residence but a rather more intimate setting than the Tower of London or Hampton Court’s grandeur.
The house itself displays items from the National Maritime Museum’s collections – the museum itself is a stone’s throw away and is free, so you can easily pop in before or after an ice skate with kids (prebooking is advised).
Where is it?
On the edge of Greenwich Park, near the National Maritime Museum and the buildings of the Old Naval College, the rink is next to the ‘House of Delight’ built for James I’s Queen.
When is the Queen’s House ice rink open?
The rink will be open from November 18 until January 19 from 10am to 9pm on peak days (11am to 9pm on off peak days.) The last skate session starts at 8pm.
How much is the Queen’s House ice rink?
Tickets cost from £15 for adults and £8.50 for kids (under 16), including skate hire – there’s also a £2.95 transaction fee and it’s more expensive for tickets at peak times.
There’s limited availability so booking online is recommended – the same if you’re buying tickets at any of the Royal Museums Greenwich (including the Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House itself).
There are also penguin skate aids available to hire for children, which cost £5 and which can be booked online, subject to availability.
What else do I need to know?
Sessions last 45 minutes and you’re asked to arrive 15-30 minutes in advance to have chance to store any belongings and get your skates. There will be staggered skate sessions this year, and limited numbers on the ice to ensure distancing.
You can’t take any bags on the ice, and there’s limited storage at the rink. Previously it cost £2 to leave items in the cloakroom (a maximum of three per person), with contactless payment.
There are festive food and drink stalls next to the rink serving hot drinks, mulled wine and snacks.
Minimum age to skate is three years, children’s skates are available from size J8 up, and there are double bladed bob skates for younger kids (subject to availability).
Ice Rink Canary Wharf
After taking last year off, Ice Rink Canary Wharf has confirmed it’s returning for the 2021 winter season.
As a covered ice rink, it’s a great option if the weather isn’t kind (you don’t expect to be warm when ice skating, but it’s definitely less fun in the drizzle!)
The rink is going to be open for 18 weeks, which gives families lots of chance to squeeze in some ice skating in London, with the twinkling lights and backdrop of Canary Wharf.
Where is it?
The ice rink is at Canada Square Park, within Canary Wharf shopping centre, just a few minutes from Canary Wharf tube.
Or for a more exciting journey from central London, Uber boat by Thames Clipper stops at Canary Wharf Pier (for more on the best boat tours in London with kids, check out this post)
When is the Canary Wharf ice rink open?
The rink will be open from October 23 until February 26, 2022 (closed Christmas Day), so one of the few Christmas ice rinks to stick around well into the New Year.
How much is Ice Rink Canary Wharf?
Tickets cost £17.95 for adults and teens and £11.95 for kids (aged 12 and under), or a family ticket for £49.50.
The price includes skate hire – there’s also a £2.50 transaction fee.
What else do I need to know?
Sessions last 50 minutes and you’re asked to arrive 20-30 minutes before the start of your session.
The minimum age to skate is four, and there are skates available from size 8 up. There are also skate aids available, priced £5 each.
These can’t be prebooked but you can hire them up to 30 minutes before the start of each skate session at the box office, first come first served. Only for children under 1.2m tall.
You can’t take bags on the ice, but there are lockers available priced £1 (non-refundable) for smaller bags.
There are drinks, including hot chocolate, available from the Grandstand Bar.
Winterville ice rink
**Winterville was originally due to return for 2021, although with ice curling rather than ice skating but will not now be taking place**
There’s something rather tempting about the idea of skating across Clapham Common – you’d need to wait a while for the common itself to freeze, but the ice rink at Winterville means that’s all taken care of.
One of the newer Christmas markets and festivities in London, it’s also a well-priced option if you want to ice skate with kids in London plus it brands itself as the alternative Christmas market, so if you’ve had your fill of carols and tinsel, this is a good option.
Penguin skate aids were available at £5 for kids on a first-come first-served basis, with skates from children’s size 9 (up to adult size 13) included.
Where is it?
Winterville takes place on Clapham Common. The nearest tube stations are Clapham Common and Clapham South.
When is Winterville ice rink open?
Winterville has confirmed it won’t be in 2021 (the last event went ahead in 2018 after 2020’s Covid cancellarions). Dates are usually from mid November to around Christmas.
Previously, it was open Tuesday to Sunday and skating sessions ran from 3pm to 10pm on weekdays, and from 11am to 10pm at weekends.
Ice skating in London with kids year-round
The ice rink at Alexandra Palace
The Alexandra Palace ice rink is open year-round, whether you’re looking to brush up your skating before taking on the Christmas ice rinks in London or whether you’ve discovered a taste for skating at one of the temporary rinks.
And Ally Pally, as it’s better known to Londoners, has been home to an ice rink for around 30 years – the People’s Palace, to give it its first name, was opened in 1873 before a fire destroyed the original building just 16 days later.
Reopened, it continued until 1980 when a second blaze destroyed much of the palace, until it was finally reopened once again. The grounds include a boating lake, deer enclosure and park, it’s a music venue, and there are events and activities galore.
The ice rink itself hosts ice hockey and a weekend ice disco, as well as the public sessions. There are skates available from child size 6 (up to adult size 14) as well as skate aids to hire.
Where is it?
Alexandra Palace is between Muswell Hill and Wood Green in north London – the closest tube is Wood Green or you can take a train to Alexandra Palace railway station from King’s Cross.
There are also 1,200 parking spaces if you choose to drive.
The ice rink is on the right hand side of the main buildings.
When is Alexandra Palace ice rink open?
Opening times may vary between term time and holidays, so it worth checking the site before you visit. It’s currently open from 11am, closing between 3.45pm and 5.30pm.
There are also ice skating courses from toddlers up.
How much is Alexandra Palace ice rink?
Entrance to the ice rink costs from £9.00 for adults, £8.00 for children aged five to 15 and £6.00 for under fives (more at weekends and school holidays), or from £32.40 for a family ticket.
There are also skate aids for children, priced from £5 for penguin skate aids for kids aged three to seven, £6 for snowmen for children aged 8-11.
Available for public sessions on holidays and weekends only and must be prebooked.
What else do I need to know?
There is a café on the site, and Alexandra Palace also hosts a Panto on Ice during December.
Queens Skate ice skating
Queens Skate | Dine |Bowl is home – as its name suggests – to bowling as well as ice skating, and its rink is not only the size of two football pitches, it’s also the only one in central London.
Open year-round, there are public sessions as well as courses if you want to improve your skills. The Learn to Skate lessons are for children aged five and up, and run during term-time for between four and seven weeks to teach the basics of ice skating.
If ice hockey grabs your kids, there are also separate courses to teach the basics of ice hockey to over fives.
Where is it?
Queens is right by Queensway tube (hence the name) or two minutes from Bayswater tube. It’s also walking distance from Notting Hill Gate tube among others.
When is Queens ice rink open?
The ice rink is open seven days a week from 10am, with different sessions on weekdays and at the weekend until late evening, as well as after school skate clubs.
However, under-18s are only allowed until 8pm in the evening after which it becomes an over-18s zone.
You now have to prebook skate sessions as there are specific timed slots (and it’s cheaper that way as well)
How much is Queens ice rink rink?
Skating at Queens ice rink costs £11.95 for over 12s and £10.95 for under-12s if you prebook.
You can also get cut-price entry on Mondays all day (£7 per person) as part of the Monday Madness deal – you must prebook, excludes school holidays.
Skate hire isn’t included and this costs £2.75 if you don’t have your own skates. These are available from kids’ size 4 (up to adult size 14) with some strap-on double-blade skates for toddlers.
Penguin skate aids are available for kids up to 1.4m tall, priced £6 for an hour. They can’t be booked in advance, so it’s first come first served.
What else do I need to know?
The rink does have a skate-up bar, the SinBin, as well as food served from midday from MeatLiquor. Realistically, it’s more likely to appeal to teens than younger kids though.
Other Christmas ice rinks in London
Pop-up ice rinks come and go, as the name suggests so even previously popular rinks don’t always make a return – the ice rink at the London Eye is not coming back for 2021.
There has also previously been a temporary London Christmas ice rink at Westfield London but there are no confirmed plans for this to return this year, or for the rooftop ice rink in central London, Skyline Skating at John Lewis or the rooftop ice rink in east London, Skylight at Tobacco Dock in Shadwell.
The latter two were aimed more at adults than families in any case, for those planning ice skating with kids in London,
For more festive ideas of things to do in London with kids, check out this post on London’s festive light trails as well as the best things to do for Christmas in London with kids
Disclaimer: Ice skating is a huge amount of fun but it does have risks – please skate responsibly and make your own judgements on whether your kids are old enough to try themselves.
PIN FOR LATER: THE BEST PLACES TO ICE SKATE IN LONDON WITH KIDS
Natural History Museum image, Alexandra Palace and Canary Wharf courtesy Depositphotos, Winter Wonderland image copyright Carolina Faruolo/Winter Wonderland, Queen’s House rink courtesy Royal Museums Greenwich, Winterville copyright The Pigeon Pair and Me. All others copyright MummyTravels
