Indoor Activities in Chichester

Families travelling in from the surrounding villages with a whole day to spend. The larger sites here reward that, because they take time to work through and there is enough variety to carry a wide age range. A family with a spare couple of hours is better off with one of the single-building options, which start and finish without ceremony.

How much of it is covered. A site can be listed as indoor because of one hall or one exhibition building while everything else sits in the open. In heavy rain that turns a promising choice into a damp trudge between shelters. Ask what proportion of a visit is under cover before committing, particularly with younger children.

Little Street Chichester and The Novium are contained, so you can arrive, do the thing and leave without feeling short-changed. Fishbourne Roman Palace sits somewhere in between. Fitting the scale of the venue to the time in hand is the easiest way to avoid a rushed and faintly bad-tempered afternoon.

South Downs Planetarium Science Centre usually does, because it offers something they cannot get at home, and the aviation and open-air museums let them wander instead of trailing behind an adult. Ask about shows or sessions with set start times, since older children generally prefer a visit with a shape to it.