What Age Is Suitable For The London Dungeons?
The London Dungeons are famous for depicting the grim and gory tales going back 1000 years into London’s past. It is billed as one of London’s scariest attractions. Whether you find it scary or not, it is one of the most visited attractions in London.
So it will probably come as no surprise that we are often asked ‘what age is suitable for the London Dungeons?’
We wanted to give our thoughts on visiting the London Dungeons with kids to help you decide whether the London Dungeon is suitable for your child or not.
Essentially, this is a review of the London Dungeons, but from the point of view of a family.
We weren’t allowed to take photos during our visit to the London Dungeons so we’ll do our best to describe the tour.
Before we go into our review of the London Dungeons with kids, we wanted to let you know that we have a lot of information on visiting London with kids. You can look at our London with kids section or take a look at our most popular London posts.
- Free things to do in London with kids
- Best museums in London with kids
- Christmassy things to do in London with kids
- Best restaurants in London for families
- Best hotels in London for families
- Merlin events at Halloween
- Merlin events at Christmas
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OFFER:
Shrek’s Adventure – Get an extra £12 off. Book tickets from £20.00. Offer runs on select dates for the rest of 2023. See here for tickets. Promo code: SALAFF2023.
London Dungeon – Get adult tickets for £25 and up to £10 off per person on selected dates. See here for tickets. Promo code: LDAFF2023.
Here are our FAQs on visiting the London Dungeons with kids
Where are the London Dungeons?
The London Dungeon is located in County Hall at Waterloo which is right next door the London Eye and Shrek’s Adventure.
Looking for other ideas of what to do in the area? See our guide to things to do with kids near Waterloo.
London Dungeon address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB.
The closest underground to the London Dungeons is Waterloo. This is served by the Jubilee, Bakerloo and Northern Lines.
The London Eye Waterloo Pier is also right outside if you want to take a Thames River Boat and Waterloo mainline station is about a 5-minute walk.
If you are thinking of visiting some other Merlin attractions (as they are right next door), take a look at our reviews.
Read below for our tips on discounted tickets.
How do I get tickets for the London Dungeons?
After reading this review and deciding what age is suitable for the London Dungeons, make sure that you get your London Dungeons tickets before you go. They can sell out during peak holiday season.
You can buy your London Dungeons tickets here on their website.
However, IF you are thinking of visiting other Merlin attractions, you really need to take a look at a combi ticket as it will save you money.
Example savings with multi-attraction tickets
Standard adult ticket for London Dungeon bought online in advance = £26.50.
Standard adult ticket for London Eye bought online in advance = £30.50.
TOTAL = £57.00.
Multi-attraction ticket including London Dungeon and London Eye = £50.00
SAVING = £7.00
Buying combi tickets for more than one attraction will save you money. See here for multi-attraction tickets.
Other Merlin attractions included in this offer are:
- Madame Tussauds (see our review of Madame Tussauds for families).
- SeaLife.
- Shrek’s Adventure.
- Big Bus (Hop on / Hop off).
Are there any restrictions for children at the London Dungeons?
There are actually no age restrictions at the London Dungeon but that does not mean that this London attraction is suitable for all kids.
The recommended age for the London Dungeon is 12 years and older but it is up to you to decide whether younger kids will be ok with it.
This is why it is important to understand what age is suitable for the London Dungeons.
Is the London Dungeon scary for kids?
There is something definitely scary about the London Dungeon. If you are anything like me, you will be on edge the moment you step inside.
Maybe this is a hangover from when I was 10 years old visiting the London Dungeons for the first time. Although I don’t remember being particularly scared back then.
The fact that it is a live, interactive tour with actors reinacting scences from some of London’s most grizzly murders obviously has potential to scare.
But how scary is the London Dungeon? That’s something only you can decide really.
As an adult who knows all of the main stories (Jack the Ripper, Sweeny Todd, Guy Fawkes etc), I wasn’t too fazed by the tales.
However. The lighting is very low. There are sounds and smells that will make your hairs stand on end. And then there are the unexpected encounters. A sense that something scary is about to happen at any moment. And it does.
Yes, I would say that the London Dungeons are scary but it was more about the anticipation of being scared than the actual scare – if that makes sense.
What might scare younger kids more is the fact that it is mostly quite dark. They probably won’t be aware quite how gruesome the stories are.
In fact, some younger kids seemed to find the gruesome tales of torture amusing. The actors manage to tell the tale but also manage to add in a little humour to keep it from becoming too macabre.
Having said that, is the London Dungeon suitable for a 7 year old? Maybe not. I personally think that would be a bit young.
But it’s not just because they may get easily scared. There are other things to consider.
So, is the London Dungeon suitable for an 8 year old? I’m not sure at what point we start to say it’s ok because every child is different.
Our 8 year old was scared. He was intrigued beforehand and a little apprehensive. I thought he would be fine. And for the most part he was. But there were moments when he clung tightly to me.
Other things to consider when visiting the London Dungeons with kids
Do the actors touch you in London Dungeon?
This may sound weird but I know some people are worried about this so I thought I would clear up any questions about it.
No – the actors don’t touch anyone at the London Dungeons. They may jump out at you, but they will never touch you.
Knowing this in advance may actually have made me feel less scared!
Are the rides at the London Dungeons suitable for kids?
There are two rides at the London Dungeons and both of them have height restrictions. Our 8 year old was not tall enough to do the Drop Dead Ride and I didn’t want to leave him on his own so none of us did it.
London Dungeon Tyrant Boat Ride:
To ride with an adult – minimum 1m
To ride unattended – minimum 1.2m
London Dungeon Drop Dead Drop Ride:
To ride – minimum 1.4m
Is there any food in the London Dungeon?
Right at the end of the tour there is a bar (tavern) selling drinks and light snacks. If you want something more substantial, you will need to leave the dungeons. There are plenty of food options very close by.
So what age is suitable for the London Dungeons?
There is no minimum age for the London Dungeon as such. As mentioned above, the recommended age for the London Dungeon is 12 years and older. However, it is up to the parent’s discretion as to whether they consider the London Dungeons OK for kids.
Our kids were 8 and 9 when they visited and there were mixed reactions.
Our eldest wasn’t particularly scared by any of the tour. Our youngest was by my side the entire time. Interestingly, he also asked a LOT of questions before we went.
For him, it was the fear of the unknown. He was old enough to know that Jack the Ripper was scary but not old enough to know the details. In his mind, Jack the Ripper could well still be alive and lurking in the London Dungeons.
Having now done the tour, if you asked whether he would go again, he would probably say yes.
If your kids liked the London Dungeon, you might also like a family day out at the Tower of London learning all the gory stories there too!