The London Transport Museum is often a favorite with young kids. Parents usually like it too for its convenient location in Covent Garden and its several attractions enticing toddlers and young children to hop on board authentic old cars, coaches or trains. Even transport history lovers will recommend this museum, which is said to be the “world’s leading museum of urban transport”.
Today, DOYOUSPEAKLONDON invits you to discover what could be described as a not-to-be-missed museum in London for families and curious visitors.

The Museum’s history

Even familiar with Covent Garden’s history, I was glad to hear the Museum’s own past.
The museum’s building is located in a Victorian iron and glass building that was once part of the Covent Garden vegetable, fruit and flower market.
The museum actually counts two sites in London. The main one in Covent Garden known as London Transport Museum is open to the public every day (it reopened in 2007 after a two-year huge refurbishment).
The other site located in Acton, the London Transport Museum Depot, is mainly a storage site that is occasionally open to visitors throughout the year and for pre-booked guided tours (held on some Fridays and Saturdays).
Also at the Depot you will discover the London Transport Miniature Railway, a working miniature railway based on real London Underground locomotives.
Today the purpose of the London Transport Museum is to conserve and enlighten the transport heritage of UK’s capital city. In a way both adults and kids enjoy the visit…

Enriching and fun visit

The visit is organized chronologically and after a brief passage in the elevator, you will be sent back to the year 1800.
From a time when streets were mainly crowded with pedestrians (with only a few wealthy able to travel by horse) to the emergence of the cabriolets, omnibus and then trams, trains, and underground, you will learn a lot about transport evolution in London!
Everything is well-explained with detailed panels and old means of transport displayed throughout your visit (many of them you can climb onto).
My children found it exciting to see the changes in the way people living in and outside London commuted within the city.
In particular with the apparition of the underground they are more familiar with today…

Temporary exhibitions

“Hidden London” is “London Transport Museum’s exclusive programme of tours and events at disused stations and secret sites across London”. You can book tickets online to get guided tours, or explore it by yourself. You will discover the hidden life and facts of London underground stations. Quite surprising!

Family guide

Your kids might see the place as a giant playground…and they are right on that point!
So many attractions are available for them to have fun: interactive displays, vehicles on which they can climb and specific zones for them to test their driving skills!
The museum also offers the kids to follow a “stamper trail”, which will keep them motivated all along the visit.

A walk in Covent Garden

One of the advantages of being located in Covent Garden is that you can enjoy the all-year-round festive atmosphere of this place, have a lunch nearby (either in a French restaurant at Chez Antoinette or at the Taiwanese Din Tai Fung) or have a stroll in the adjacent streets.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found inspiration here. If you are planning to explore the London Transport Museum soon, please share your experience and opinion on DOYOUSPEAKLONDON’s blog!

To go further:
The London Transport Museum: Covent Garden Piazza (south east corner) WC2E 7BB
Museum’s website
The Museum Depot: 118-120 Gunnersbury Lane, Acton Town, W3 9BQ