Beyond the Ball Pit: London’s Best Indoor Play Areas

Indoor play areas in London are a mum’s best friend on a rainy day! You can sip a coffee in the café as you watch the kids burn off their energy and have a blast. Or if your kids are younger than 5 chances are you’ll get to burn off some energy as well helping them navigate the space.

Indoor play is so much more now than just bouncy castles and ball pits. Why not try trampolining, wall-climbing or role playing various future careers? Check out our roundup of London’s best kids’ indoor playgrounds for all kinds of play…

London’s Best Indoor Play Areas

WEST

Oxygen Freejumping

What: A trampoline park, including 150 interconnected trampolines, an enormous airbag and a squishy foam pit (here’s our review)
Ages: From toddler (with special Little O’s sessions) through adult—you know you wanna try it
Where: Unit 15, Vision Industrial Park, Kendal Avenue, W3 0AF
Website: oxygenfreejumping.co.uk

KidZania London

What: A role-playing centre where your kid can be a pilot, an animator, a singer or a chocolatier (yum)
Ages: 4 to 14
Where: Westfield White City, Ariel Way, W12 7GA
Website: london.kidzania.com/en-uk

Clip ’N Climb

What: A climbing centre with a twist—work your way up the Big Cheese, Triffid or Stairway to Heaven (check out our review)
Ages: 4 to adult
Where: 19 Michael Road, SW6 2ER
Website: www.clipnclimbchelsea.co.uk

Heathrow Gymnastics Club

What: The club’s playgym features the typical equipment of an indoor play centre with a gymnastics twist, offering a range of swinging, jumping and balancing opportunities
Ages: toddlers to age 7
Where: Green Lane, Hounslow, TW4 6DH
Website: www.heathrowgymnastics.org.uk

NORTH

Flip Out Brent Cross

What: Choose from Little Ninja classes, Mini Flippers for under 5’s or regular jump sessions.
Ages: all ages, including under 5’s at their Mini Flippers sessions
Where: Staples Corner Retail Park (Brent Cross)
Website: www.flipout.co.uk

Check out our MINI FLIPPERS offer >

Little Dinosaurs

What: indoor play centre with a garden, in case there’s a break in the weather
Ages: babies up to 9 years
Where: Alexandra Park, N22 7AY
Website: www.littledinosaurs.co.uk

The Castle Climbing Centre

What: Top-roping and lead climbing featuring more than 450 routes, plus bouldering
Ages: 5 to adult
Where: Green Lanes, Stoke Newington, N4 2HA
Website: www.castle-climbing.co.uk

ClownTown

What: Yes, there’s a ball pit, but there are also aerial runways, rope climbs and a 5D cinema
Ages: toddlers and older children up to 4′ 9″
Where: Unit 3, The Coppetts Centre, Finchley, N12 0SH
Website: clowntown.co.uk

EAST

Discover Children’s Story Centre

What: Play spaces designed to inspire curiosity and spark imaginations; more low-key than a climbing frame, but more creative (have a look at our review)
Ages: 0 to 11
Where: 383–387 High Street, Stratford, E15 4QZ
Website: www.discover.org.uk

Mile End Climbing Wall

What: 16,000 square feet of climbing surface with National Indoor Bouldering Award Schemes for young climbers
Ages: 7 to adult
Where: Haverfield Road, E3 5BE
Website: www.mileendwall.org.uk

Waltham Forest Feel Good Centre

What: Features a clip and climb wall, ninja run, trampoline park and extreme play area with bouncy obstacles and slides, plus a two-storey soft play area for under 6s
Ages: all ages
Where: Waltham Forest
Website: www.better.org.uk

Better Extreme

What: Not only a trampoline park but climbing walls and a skate park too
Ages: toddler to adult
Where: Mayesbrook Park, Lodge Avenue, Dagenham, RM8 2JR
Website: extreme.better.org.uk/barking/trampoline-park

SOUTH

Flip Out Wandsworth

What: London’s biggest trampoline park, including 76 trampolines, 4 of which are ‘Olympic’
Ages: toddler (‘if you can walk, you can flip!’) to adult
Where: Bendon Valley, Earlsfield, SW18 4LZ
Website: www.flipout.co.uk

Kidspace Croydon

What: Bigger than your average indoor play venue, with go karts and climbing wall
Ages: 0 to 12
Where: The Colonnades, 619 Purley Way, CR0 4RQ
Website: kidspaceadventures.com

TeamSport Mitcham (and across London)

What: Indoor go-karting on multi-level circuits for a high-adrenaline day
Ages: 8 to adult
Where: Unit 18, Mitcham Industrial Estate, Streatham Road, CR4 2AP (other London venues include Edmonton in North London, Acton in the west and Docklands in the east)
Website: www.team-sport.co.uk/go-karting-mitcham

Updated April 2022.