We’ve made a list of weird and wonderful places where you can spend the night in central London, most of which are perfect family-friendly experiences, but others that are strictly for grown-ups. Either way, they’re quite bonkers and a bit expensive, but undoubtedly a lot of fun.
1. Camp under a whale at the Natural History Museum
Dino Snores offers the chance to sleep over in the Hintze Hall, beneath the museum’s beloved blue whale. After setting up camp, kids can discover the museum by torchlight, interact with museum scientists, and take part in tons of exploratory activities. And you’ve watched Friends, right? So you’ll know that dinosaurs aren’t just for kids. The Natural History Museum also hosts a grown-ups only Dino Snores sleepover for all you Ross Gellers out there. There’s live music, a pub quiz, an all-night movie marathon, and of course, free access to the galleries without a kid in sight.
🦕 Find out more here.
2. Wake up in the Land of the Lions at London Zoo
Ever wondered what the animals get up to after closing time? Find out first-hand with an unforgettable sleepover at London Zoo, with the lions as your neighbours.
🦁 Find out more about sleepovers at the Lion Lodges here.
3. A birthday sleepover to remember at Hamleys
For the small price of £6,000, kids can set up camp in the world-famous toy shop for the night. Each sleepover includes a pizza dinner, entertainment, a shedload of sweets to scoff in front of a movie, a treasure hunt, and a gift to the value of £50 for each party-goer (£80 for the birthday child). Certainly one way to become the popular kid… eesh. Each sleepover is for up to 10 kids, with two adult chaperones.
🧸 Head to the Hamleys website for more information.
4. Travel through time at a British Museum sleepover
Another one for the kids (this just isn’t fair, is it?). On limited evenings throughout the year, the iconic London museum will take you through time and give you a monumental sleepover experience. Nights will have a particular theme and the kids can learn about different cultures and time periods through a jam-packed itinerary of fun and engaging activities.
🏛️ Head to the British Museum’s website for more information.
5. Fight to stay awake at a movie marathon ‘all-nighter’ at the Prince Charles Cinema
The Prince Charles Cinema in the West End has been hosting all-night movie marathons for years. A rare opportunity to wear your PJs out of the house, they’ve got a 577-minute long Horror Movie marathon coming up, featuring The Craft, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Faculty and Jennifer’s Body – all back-to-back. Alcohol will be served until 3am, but they’ll be serving coffee throughout the night to keep you awake (if the adrenaline isn’t enough).
🎞️ For more information and to book, head to The Prince Charles Cinema website.
6. Sleep among space rockets at the Science Museum
Sleepovers at the Science Museum offer families the chance to explore the museum after dark and camp out among space rocketsa moon rock, or in the world’s largest medical galleries. The night will be filled with activities tailored to budding scientists, including plenty of interactive workshops and demos.
🚀 Find out more about the Science Museum’s Astronights here.
7. Get rocked to sleep on the iconic Golden Hinde
Stay the night on the Golden Hinde, a replica of the ship that English explorer Sir Francis Drake captained during his legendary circumnavigation in the 16th century. Surely a memorable activity for mini explorersfamilies who stay the night on this famous ship will learn all about its epic history, as well as everything there is to know about sailing on a galleon.
⚓️ Find out more about sleepovers on the Golden Hinde here.
