If you’re looking for somewhere a bit different to take the kids then why not take a walk through the Leake Street Tunnel? It’s free, it changes every time you visit, and it’s really easy to get to from London Waterloo/South Bank. Both of my kids love street art, it’s something we’re always looking out for, and the Leake Street Tunnel is a really accessible venue to take them.

Re-visiting Leake Street Tunnel with kids

Leake Street and the Leake Street Tunnel are a couple of minutes walk from London Waterloo and the South Bank. Leake Street is a place where graffiti is tolerated (regardless of the fact that it is against the law). As you would expect there were references to the war in Ukraine.

There was a bright and colourful Sonic the Hedgehog, presumably because Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has just been released.

There was so much to look at and the kids kept shouting at me to look at something fun they had found. We particularly liked these pictures in frames.

I liked these Banksy-style stencils.

There was lots to see. We thought there were lots of ducks this time, for some reason. The tunnel felt busier than usual, with lots of people creating their own art, and some construction taking a chunk out of the tunnel too. We spotted a fun looking Board Game Cafe in one of the old railway arches which we’ve added to our list for our next visit as we love a board game cafe.

How do I find Leake Street?

If you search on google maps you’ll find the Leake Street Tunnel is a 300m tunnel beneath Waterloo Station. We approached from the Thames, walking down Chicheley Street and crossing over York Road. You’ll find Leake Street between a parade of shops and an office block.

Leake Street Tunnel is open 24 hours a day.

You may be interested in other posts about things to do in the area:

A day at London Zoo

A trip to SEA LIFE London Aquarium with kids

Exploring the film character trail in Leicester Square