Family days outDays out near Chichester with kids, by age and for when it rains

Under-fives

Keep it close. Small children do not need an hour in the car.

• Stansted Park, about 3.5 miles: the light railway runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 10am to 3:30pm, weather permitting, at £2.50 a child and free for under-threes. Flat paths, a tearoom and a maze in season. See Stansted Park.
• Staunton Farm at Staunton Country Park, near Havant, is around 15 minutes away. A winter light trail is reported there from 3 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. We have not confirmed its opening times, so check before you go.
• Weald & Downland Living Museum, about 12 miles: under-fives are free and there is room to run. See Singleton and West Dean.
• West Wittering, about 17 miles: gently shelving sand. Pre-book parking by 11pm the night before. See beaches and harbour.

Five to eleven

This is the age the area suits best.

• Marwell Zoo, about 24 miles and 45 minutes: open 363 days a year, closed only on 25 and 26 December. Winter entry is 10am to 4pm with last entry at 2:30pm. Booking is recommended. No dogs. See Marwell.
• Fishbourne Roman Palace, about 9 miles: the largest known Roman home north of the Alps, with mosaics under cover. Adults £15, children £7.50. Open daily 10am to 3pm until 6 December 2026, then closed until 12 February 2027.
• Amberley Museum, about 22 miles and 40 minutes: a 36-acre former chalk quarry with a narrow-gauge railway and vintage buses. The main season ended on 1 November 2026. It opens for three Christmas weekends in December and again in spring.
• Chichester Ship Canal, about 11 miles: 75-minute boat trips from the Basin. Book ahead. The winter timetable was not confirmed when we checked.
• Kingley Vale, about 5.5 miles: ancient yews to climb about under and Bronze Age burial mounds on top. Free. See Kingley Vale.

Teenagers

They want either height, speed or to be left alone with the wifi. The wifi at The Marden is fast.

• Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, about 16 miles and 35 minutes: HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose. November to March, 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm.
• Spinnaker Tower, close to the Dockyard: 170 m tall. Cheaper booked online.
• Flip Out Chichester, about 11 miles: an indoor trampoline park with a climbing wall and ninja course. Book, sign the waiver and bring grip socks.
• E-bike hire at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, about 8 miles, or the traffic-free Centurion Way from Lavant.
• Paddleboard lessons at Bosham in the warmer months. Most operators stop for winter.
• Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, about 13 miles, on a Battle of Britain airfield. It normally shuts in mid-winter and sources disagree on the dates, so check first.

When it rains

Under a roof, nearest first: Fishbourne Roman Palace (until 6 December), the Novium Museum in Chichester, which is free and closed on Sundays and Mondays, Flip Out, the Weald & Downland Museum, where many of the buildings can be gone into, the Dockyard and the Spinnaker Tower.

In light rain, Marwell still works, and so does a short walk in the yews at Kingley Vale. Bring boots. From November to March the paths are muddy everywhere.

From the farm

Each of our three homes sleeps four. Barley Cottage has a king bedroom and a twin, a walled lawn, and takes one dog. The Old Stables is on one level with a gated courtyard, and its second bedroom can be twin beds. Two families can take a home each, or all three for 12. See the whole farm.

The pool is heated and open from mid-June to early September, Monday to Saturday. Children need an adult with them. Over half-terms and Easter there is a three-night minimum. In 2027 the half-terms are 15 to 19 February, 31 May to 4 June and 25 to 29 October. See February half-term and Easter and spring.