London · April
London in April with kids
| Place | Hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kew Palace, Pagoda, Queen Charlotte's Cottage | Closed until spring 2027 | Waterlily House also closed for renovation until spring 2027. |
| Kew daytime clock for April 2027 | Not yet posted | Live table ended 3 January 2027 at 10:00 to 15:15. Check Kew the month you travel. |
| Hyde Park gates | 05:00 to midnight, every day | Serpentine Lido swimming starts mid-May, not April. |
| London Zoo April 2027 | Not yet posted | Table ended 12 February 2027. Under-16s need an adult. Last entry one hour before close. |
April in London is a park that is open and a palace that may still be shut. The London with kids page already covers TfL under-11 rules, Tower tickets and Kew's child price. This page is what official sites had actually posted by 14 October 2026 for the following spring: closures until "spring 2027", Hyde Park gates, and the missing April zoo row.
Kew, Royal Parks, ZSL, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum were opened on that date. No official April temperature table loaded from Visit London or the Met Office pages we used, so none is invented. Easter 2027 dates were not on those family pages, so they are omitted.
Kew: gardens maybe, interiors no
Opening times say Kew Palace, the Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage are closed from Monday 28 September until spring 2027. Planned closures add Waterlily House, also shut for renovation until spring 2027.
That is the April warning. Do not promise a child the palace rooms or the pagoda stairs. The gardens themselves may be open. The Children's Garden was listed 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00, as the page's present clock, not as a labelled April 2027 season. The daytime table on the same page ended on 3 January 2027 at the winter 10:00 to 15:15 close. An April 2027 opening hour was not printed. Check the week you travel.
If the interiors are still closed when you go, treat Kew as a playground and a greenhouse walk, not a palace day.
Hyde Park is open. The Lido is not a swim.
Hyde Park FAQs keep pedestrian gates at 05:00 to midnight every day, including April. Winter Wonderland is gone by then (it ends 3 January 2027). The park is the park again.
The Serpentine Lido for public swimming starts mid-May on weekends, then daily from June to mid-September. April is not a swim. It is a long grass walk and a playground. Kensington Gardens' last official table we opened was for 2026 (29 March to 12 April at 06:00 to 20:00). A 2027 April row was not on that PDF. Use the live Royal Parks page rather than last year's clock.
Zoo hours after February were not posted
ZSL on 14 October 2026 printed rows only through 12 February 2027: 10:00, last entry 15:00, close 16:00. No April line. Under-16s still need an adult. Last entry is still one hour before close. Read the table in March. Do not assume the winter 15:00 last entry continues, and do not assume a late spring evening.
South Kensington does not change for April
NHM stays 10:00 to 17:50, last entry 17:30, except 24 to 26 December. Science Museum stays 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15, including school holidays. Book the free ticket. Those two buildings are the indoor April plan that does not depend on a 2027 seasonal PDF.
A first April stay that holds: Hyde Park in the long daylight, Kew only if you accept closed interiors, the zoo after you have checked the live last-entry time, South Kensington when it rains. TfL rules do not change in April. For the December clocks this page is answering, read London in December. For fares and the Children's Garden price, stay on London with kids.
What April is for, if the clocks are still missing
April is the month you walk more and ride less. Hyde Park from 05:00, South Kensington when clouds sit, Kew if the gardens are open even when the palace is not. It is not the month you promise a pagoda view or a Serpentine swim.
TfL under-11 rules do not change. Up to four under-11s still ride Tube, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line free with one fare-paying adult. Under-11s still ride buses and trams free. Use that to move between park and museum without buying a child Travelcard.
If Kew has reopened the palace by the time you travel, the live hours page will say so. Until it does, the honest plan is: Children's Garden (present clock 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00), one glasshouse that is open, a sit-down, out. Do not build a day on rooms that the planned-closures page still lists as shut.
ZSL will post spring hours. When they do, last entry will still be one hour before close, and under-16s will still need an adult. Those two rules do not wait for the April row.
Questions
Can you go inside Kew Palace in April 2027?
Not unless Kew has posted that it has reopened. Palace, Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage are closed from 28 September until spring 2027. Waterlily House is also closed for renovation. The gardens and Children's Garden may still be open. Read the live hours page.
Can children swim in the Serpentine in April?
The Royal Parks FAQ lists the Lido for public swimming from mid-May weekends, then daily from June to mid-September. April is a park walk, not a swim.
Are the South Kensington museums open in April?
Yes, on their standing clocks: Natural History Museum 10:00 to 17:50, Science Museum 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15. Book the free ticket. They close 24 to 26 December, not in April.
Keep planning
London · December
London in December with kids
London in December with children: Winter Wonderland 2026 dates, Kew daytime winter hours, Christmas at Kew prices and zoo last entry at 15:00.
London · With kids
London with kids: things to do
A sourced first visit to London with children: TfL under-11 rules, free South Kensington museums, Tower and zoo prices, and Kew's Children's Garden.
Barcelona · April
Barcelona in April with kids
Barcelona in April with children: Sant Jordi on 23 April, official April temperatures, Natural Sciences spring hours and CosmoCaixa clocks.
Berlin · December
Berlin in December with kids
Berlin in December with children: confirmed 2026 Gendarmenmarkt and Rotes Rathaus dates, Zoo Berlin's 14:00 Christmas Eve close and winter weather notes.
Dubai · February
Dubai in February with kids
Dubai in February with children: Visit Dubai's 22°C February average, the October to April outdoor season, and why 2027 festival dates are not listed.
Munich · December
Munich in December with kids
Confirmed 2026 Munich Christmas market dates, Tollwood hours, Hellabrunn winter closing times and the Deutsches Museum holiday closures.
Sources
- Kew: Opening and closing times (checked 14 October 2026)
Kew Palace, the Pagoda and Queen Charlotte's Cottage are closed from Monday 28 September until spring 2027. Do not plan those interiors for an April visit unless Kew has posted that they have reopened.
- Kew: Planned closures (checked 14 October 2026)
Waterlily House at Kew is closed for renovation until spring 2027.
- Kew: Opening and closing times (checked 14 October 2026)
Kew had not published an April 2027 daytime clock on 14 October 2026. The live table ended 3 January 2027 at 10:00 to 15:15. The Children's Garden was listed 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00, as the page's present clock, not a labelled April 2027 season.
- The Royal Parks: Hyde Park FAQs (checked 14 October 2026)
Hyde Park pedestrian gates are 05:00 to midnight every day of the year. The Serpentine Lido for public swimming is listed from mid-May weekends, then daily June to mid-September, so it is not an April swim.
- ZSL London Zoo: Opening times (checked 14 October 2026)
London Zoo's published table on 14 October 2026 ended on 12 February 2027 (open 10:00, last entry 15:00, close 16:00). No April 2027 row was printed. Under-16s need an adult. Last entry remains one hour before close.
- Natural History Museum: Plan your visit (checked 14 October 2026)
Natural History Museum galleries remain 10:00 to 17:50, last entry 17:30, except 24 to 26 December. Science Museum remains 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15, including school holidays. Both stay free with a booked ticket.