A Day at Battersea Power Station
This post may contain affiliate links and I may receive commission if you visit a link and buy something. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products and services I trust.
We always have a festive family day out at Christmas and last year we chose to spend that day at Battersea Power Station, somewhere we had been meaning to visit ever since it opened after its huge redevelopment quite a few years ago!
What is Battersea Power Station?
Battersea Power Station is now London’s most exciting shopping and leisure destination. It’s an iconic Grade II listed building which, at its peak, supplied a fifth of London’s electricity before sitting derelict for decades.
It’s now a mixed use neighbourhood – where people can live, work and enjoy many shops, bars, restaurants, leisure and entertainment venues, parks and historical spaces. It’s a popular hotspot for tourists, due to it’s rich history, but also somewhere people visit from far and wide to shop and spend time.
Where is Battersea Power Station?
Battersea Power Station sits on the south bank of the River Thames in Nine Elms, Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It’s well connected by public transport and also has plenty of car parking on site. We drove to Battersea Power Station on our visit and parked easily – although parking is £30 for six or more hours – which was still cheaper for us than getting the train!
Things to do at Battersea Power Station
There is so much to do at Battersea Power Station – with so many shops, restaurants and entertainment options all within the fantastic and beautiful complex that Battersea Power Station has become.
There are many shops both inside the Power Station and along the pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard. They’re an eclectic mix of fashion, jewellery, homeware, electricals and more. The children loved the Transformers shop – the only one in the world – and the Lego shop is always a hit.
Battersea Power Station is also home to a wide variety of eateries – whether you just want a cafe for a quick hot drink pit stop, a full on three course high-end dinner or a speedy lunch. There is something for all appetites and budgets.
There’s everything from brunch, seafood and bottomless pizza to wine bars, breweries and sunset cocktails on the riverfront. We had a later lunch/early dinner at Arcade which was perfect for us. Take a seat and order from a whole host of street food style offerings, all brought to your table and paid for on one bill. It was different, with great food and a really nice buzz too.
As well as restaurants and shops, Battersea Power Station also has so much entertainment on offer. As it was Christmas we were able to go ice skating which we all really enjoyed. You can read more about our experience here. But, even throughout the year there’s plenty to do at Battersea Power Station.
One of the main attractions is the Chimney Lift where you get to travel up to the top of one of the iconic Battersea Power Station chimneys and appreciate the view of London from a whole new perspective. You can read about our trip on the Chimney Lift here.
Battersea Power Station also have seasonal trails to follow throughout the year. We worked our way through their Festive Trail at Christmas, seeing lights and displays all around Battersea Power Station. However, they have an elephant trail for Easter and other trails at other times of the year too – there’s always something to keep children entertained!
There are plenty of other things to do at Battersea Power Station, with some being around for just a short time and others being permanent offerings. Here’s just some of the other things to do at Battersea Power Station:
- Arches Lane Theatre
- Autofoto Photobooth
- Battersea Power Station Land Train
- BMF Urban Battersea
- Bonbon Pottery
- Bounce
- The Cinema in The Arches
- Macaroni Penguin
As you can see, there’s plenty to do for all ages and interests at Battersea Power Station. It’s a great destination to do some shopping, have a nice meal out and have some fun at the same time.
Our day at Battersea Power Station
We had such a nice day at Battersea Power Station. It was so nice to explore such an iconic building and we started our day with the Chimney Lift which we all really enjoyed.
The festive trail took us all around the Battersea Power Station site and we mooched around the shops at the same time. We had our meal at Arcade, wandered around the festive market and went ice skating. It was the perfect festive family day out and somewhere I’m sure we’ll be visiting again in the future.
You can find out more about Battersea Power Station over on their website and for reference the address is: Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8DD
If you’re looking for more things to do in London, these articles might help:
