London Transport Museum

• Based in Covent Garden and displaying London transport heritage items, see 200 years of transport history, all in one spot.
• Enjoy a transport-inspired restaurant and play area for your youngest travellers.

There are so many fantastic museums to pick from when spending a day in the city, but one of the best museums in London for kids is Covent Garden's London Transport Museum.
 

The Museum is split into a variety of sections, focusing on different eras of transport over the last 200 years and even into the future. They also have temporary displays that change often, displaying things about the past like vintage posters, or about the future like Crossrail 2 or even further beyond.

Explore 19th-century London and Victorian transport, and how people made their way around the city by road and by water. Watermen carried people in small rowing boats called wherries around the city as a father method of transport, but this was also the time of the cabriolet and the omnibus for rich Londoners. A perfect exhibit if your children are learning about the Victorians. If this sparks your interest into the lives of the rich and how they travelled, why not go all the way to royalty and explore the Royal Mews, for a look at noble carriages and pretty livery.

The London Underground was particularly important during World War I and World War II, and you can discover a whole host of information about it at the LTM. Whether taking troops to the front or acting as a shelter during the Blitz, show your kids the importance of travel during those troubled times. 

If your kids want a little bit of playtime after all the learning, check out the All Aboard play zone for visitors aged 0-7. Children can ‘work’ as mechanics, riverboat captains, station announcers or drivers within this interactive fleet of mini vehicles; perfect for imaginative play.

The museum can get busy, so if you’d like to avoid the crowds with your older children, try out the London Transport Museum Lates for seeing the museum after hours. Whether you prefer a curator guided tour or creative and hands-on activities, there’s something for you.

If you’re interested in something even more hidden away, the latest Museum Lates are a Hidden London set of tours, taking visitors to rarely seen spaces in London. See parts of the Tube network forgotten in time, and see behind the scenes of stations everywhere. You’ll be able to wow your friends with all your newfound knowledge. 

The LTM is well set for lunchtime with their eateries. The newly opened Canteen offers a variety of British classics all day, whether you’re around at breakfast time or staying a little later. Enjoy the touches of transport history with the design as you enjoy your food. If you’d rather just go straight in for dessert, the Lower Deck ice cream cafe offers a selection of English homemade gelato, frozen yoghurt and milkshakes with a variety of toppings and sauces. There is also coffee if you need something warmer, and a variety of sandwiches, snacks and hot and cold drinks. You are also able to eat your own picnic in a small indoor area designed specifically for it. Plus, with its central London location, there are also plenty of restaurants to eat in nearby.

The London Transport Museum shop has a wide range of merchandise, souvenirs, designer gifts, books, toys and more available online, placed at the entrance of a traditional Victorian flower market.

If you can’t get enough of everything there is to see at the London Transport Museum, head to the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton, where they store thousands more pieces from the LTM collection. Bear in mind the Depot. is usually only open on special occasions.

What to know before you go

• The London Transport Museum opening times are 10am - 6pm every day. Last admission is one hour prior to closing.
• Hidden London: The Exhibition is running until 31 December 2021.
• Tickets must be booked in advance.
• Museum admission tickets are valid for 12 months.
• Tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable.
• Random bag checks are in place.
• There is a buggy park for storing buggies, but the museum is buggy accessible.
• Toilet and baby changing facilities are available. All toilets are wheelchairs accessible.
• The museum is wheelchair accessible but not all vehicles will be able to be accessed.
• Food and drinks are available to buy, and there is a shop.

Getting there

• The London Transport Museum postcode is WC2E 7BB.
• The nearest Tube stations to the London Transport Museum are Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Holborn, Charing Cross and Embankment. The closest for step-free access is Tottenham Court Road.
• The closest bus stops are Strand or Aldwych, which serve bus routes RV1, 9, 11, 13, 15, 23, 139.
• There is a very limited number of parking spaces available near the Museum. These spaces are charged at £4.90 per hour, with a maximum stay of around 4 hours. You can also pre-book your parking space at a nearby NCP car park.