samkip/London

3 comments Post a travel tip for other families

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1. • Paula
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   The highlight of our trip was the British Museum. My 2 children whom are 8 and 12 positively loved it. We had one full day in London and were torn between visiting the British Museum and the Natural History Museum. Though I can’t speak to the Natural History Museum as we never got there I think we made a great choice. We were staying nearby which helped tip the scales for the BM. It was great that it was free as we came in the morning, left for lunch, and returned in the afternoon. Our flight was delayed by 5 hours the following day so we also got to pop in the following morning for 2 more hours. (Yes, I realize we should have tried to get somewhere else but the kids were so keen I wanted to follow their passions.)

   There were audio guides for kids but not sure I’d recommend them for kids older than 10 as they’re really for young ones. Good but not teen-friendly–opt for the adult version for anyone older than 9 or 10. There were also treasure hunt maps that, once again, were fine for my youngest but not so much for my oldest. What was really spellbinding for both were the many volunteers that populated little exhibits around the museum. They would call the kids over and talk in-depth about certain stones, a knife, an axe, a pot, that they had out. They’d compare different ages of different tools and how you determined one was from the bronze age and one was from the iron age. It was fascinating (even for me) and I was so proud of kids for asking such thoughtful questions. You could really tell they were “getting it”. Ahhh, to live in London and be able to experience these institutions every day.

   While we were there a special Ice Age exhibit was on but you need to book in advance to get tickets. The permanent exhibits were incredible though: the mummies, Parthenon marbles, Rosetta Stone, and Roman artifacts. We will be traveling through London in July, 2013 when a special exhibit on the Pompeii Volcano will be showing. It looks amazing and I’m just looking into advance tickets.

   Only other word of advice is to leave early for the airport. We hit construction-related traffic and even though we planned to have several hours at the airport, essentially just made it in time to get ticketed and through security. Leave lots of time!

2. • Joyce
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   We are regular visitors to London with our kids ages 10 and 12. London is our favorite city for the girls to have both educational and family fun.

   The Girls and my top attractions are the following.

   The British Museum. This was great when the girls were a little younger and keeps getting better with each visit and the girls appreciate the exhibits on a different level. Check in with the information desk to see what they have available. The audio guides are very kid-friendly.

   The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are both very kid friendly and some of the best museums for an introduction to art and painting. The how’s, why’s, and historical significance.

   The Victoria & Albert Museum is also very good. It’s near the Science and Natural History museums which had initially brought us to the neighborhood, but the girls and I both liked the exhibits at the V&A and would end up staying the whole afternoon after intending only an hour to take a look.

   The markets that you’ll find around London are simply excellent. Many are outdoor which is a refreshing change as London will have you indoors for most of the time. The Camden, Greenwich, Portobello, and Borough markets are all good, though I’m by no-means an expert as we hear of a new one on each visit that is supposedly better than all the rest.

   I also recommend using the double decker buses to get around town as opposed to the tube. Less busy, lots to see, and less stressful. The public buses (which I recommend) are different from the tourist buses that have a narrator and are a little tiresome. Use the public buses to get around town and get a free sightseeing tour at the same time.

3. • Marc
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   You must get out of London and visit the Royal Air Force Museum. It’s fantastic for all ages. There’s so much to see, so many planes (British, German, American), helicopters, displays, and so much to read, that it requires a full day. The kids got an excellent and detailed explanation of what makes flight possible. Worth the trip up in itself as it’s really stuck with them. The museum is free which makes it good value. It is a ways out of London but worth it. The distance also serves to keep the crowds away and there appeared to be more workers/volunteers than visitors. It’s about a half-hour by tube from King’s Cross so not too far. There are 2 things to note about getting there. One: You’ll get on the Northern Line, but you need to be on a train heading to Edgware (and not High Barnet or Mill Hill East). The route splits at Camden so if you’re on the wrong line you’ll obviously go to the wrong place. This is easier than it sounds, just be sure the trains destination is Edgware. Two: You’ll get off the tube at Colindale (not Edgware as might be implied by above), from there you can walk to the museum (about 10 or 15 minutes) or get on the 303 bus which will drop you right at the museum’s door. There are places to eat at the museum and the food is good, kid-friendly, and not expensive by any means. The gift shop has some wonderful things to buy (models, photos, toys). We were ready to leave and then spent 45 minutes just perusing the gift shop. My only complaint was that some of the interactive exhibits for kids were out of order.

   Within London the London Transport Museum, The Natural History Museum, and the London Eye were our kids favorite attractions. The Eye, in particular, surprise me as I thought this was one for the parents but the kiddos were really into it. I recommend going near the end of your visit so the children have some context for what they’re seeing and you can point out places you’ve visited. Our one regret was leaving the British Museum to our final day, a Sunday, when it was too busy to enjoy properly.

   We were in London with our 2 kids ages 6.5 and 10.