London Transport Museum is one of the most family friendly sites in London

Tips for Visiting the London Transport Museum
By Mark Fitzgerald
The London Transport Museum has to be one of the most family friendly museums in all of London. The museum has hands on activities and exhibits for all ages.

Entrance to the London Transport Museum

Start your visit by entering the museum through the Covent Garden Piazza. After you purchase tickets the museum will guide you to start at the top on level 2 (the 3rd floor) and work back down to the ground floor. Not only does this help with the flow of the museum it keeps you in order chronologically. The top floor exhibits start in the 19th century and then works you towards the present day.

Level 1 (2nd Floor) has a children’s interactive area with the one of the highlights is being able to board and drive a London Optare bus. Younger kids can try on replica costumes and discover mystery objects. They even have a play section to move buses and trains around a model version of London. Even your teens will enjoy the chance get some hands on activities or simply exploring one of the 20 large trains, taxis and buses.

Buses at the London Transport Museum

The museum closes at 6 every day and opens late on Fridays.  The prices of admission is a little steep for adults at £15, but children under 17 are free.  The larger your family the better the deal.  This is a London Attraction in which you can get in free if your purchase the London Pass.  Either way tickets are good for a year, so you can come back another day.  All toilets, including accessible toilets, and baby changing facilities are on the ground floor.

The museum has a cafe, known as the Upper Deck, above the gift shop.  You can pick up a burger, chips and a drink for about £10.  Note that a 12% tip will be added to your bill.   Open on weekends is the Lower Desk Cafe, which is more of a self service vending operation.  You can also take a lunch to the museum and use their picnic area.  Wifi is available for you to use in the museum, make sure that your phone is set correctly.

For the real train enthusiast family, consider the Acton Museum Depot.  The warehouse for the museum is open on select weekends throughout the year.   Located 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) away, or 30 minutes on the Picadilly line, the Depot is where they keep the bulk of the 400,000 items the museum has in its collection and most of its rolling stock.  Entrance will cost you £10.

The main London Transport Museum most accessible Tube Station is Covent Garden on the Picadilly Line.  There is also Embankment Station which uses the Circle and District lines.  You can always use the London Transport option of riding a bike or one of the many buses in the area. The bike dock on the back side of the building on Wellington and Tavistock.

Map of the London Transport Museum:

Overview of London Transport Museum

Floor Plan of the London Transport Museum:

Floor Plan of the London Transport Museum (Click to Enlarge)

A preview of the museum can be seen on this video from http://anglotopia.net - The Website for People Who Love Britain:

\

Going on a family vacation builds memories, provides life changing experiences and helps teach about the world we live in. Take time to explore, enjoy and have fun. If the London Transport Museum sounded interesting, you may also like the London Science Museum.  You can also look at our entire list of London Attractions.

#London
#LondonTransportMuseum

A little bit of Egypt in London - Cleopatra's Needle

Cleopatra's Needle

Visiting Cleopatra's Needle

By Mark Fitzgerald

London and New York share a pair of Egyptian obelisks from Alexandria.  At 69 feet tall (21 meters), this red granite tower or needle is a site to take in.  It sits on the banks of the river Thames and is flanked by two bronze sphinxes.  The need itself is right on the banks of the river on a pedestrian plaza and you may find it hard to get far enough back to get a full picture of the Needle.

When you go to see the Needle you will notice scaring and cracks.  These came from a German air raid during World War I.  Londoners choice not to repair the damage, but rather keep it as a memorial to the event.

Finding stories that your family is interested in and then visiting locations of those stories can really help with the imagination and excitement of the trip.  To bring this monument to life consider reading with your family the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.  Obelisks, including this one, play an important part of that book series.  You could also look at the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes or Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher.

If the weather is nice spend a few minutes in the Victoria Embankment Gardens before crossing the street see the obelisk.  Afterwards sit down and watch the boats come in and out of the three piers that are near this part of the Thames.

#London
#CleopatrasNeedle

Don't let your family be eaten alive with International Cell Phone Use

Tips for International Smart Phone Use

By Mark Fitzgerald
Using your cell phone internationally can be an expensive venture.  Your on vacation - leave the phone at home.  It just isn't that easy.  Increasingly our lives are on these devices.  Among other things, for many it is their only cameras and you will want to take pictures on your trip.  Also a lot of museums are adding in online maps and other interactive services for mobile devices.

Unless you have an international plan on your phone I suggest disabling it by using Airplane Mode.   In both iOS and Android when you turn on Airplane Mode it will disable your Wi-Fi and cellular networks.  After turning Airplane Mode on you can then tap into the Wi-Fi settings and turn it back on.  This will allow you to use wireless without having the cellular on.  If you are really paranoid you can always remove your SIM card from the phone.

Using Airplane Mode has the draw back that you still cannot use the phone.  We work around this by using Google Hangouts and video chatting with our family.  It is something they are quite familiar with, but it can take some getting used to.  You both have to have Gmail accounts and computers with webcams.  You will need to prearrange a time to ensure those that you are calling will be logged in.

If you must have a normal phone and you don't want to pay for an international plan, try visiting Clark Howard's page on how to use cell phones overseas.  He will walk you through several options.  Make sure to check devices that each member of the family may have.  Forgetting about one devices may cost you dearly.

The wifi on most international flights ends just outside of the continental United States.  Delta is just starting to add internet service internationally.  Still don't expect blazing speeds from this satellite based service.

Victoria and Albert Museum and things to see for children of all ages

Victoria and Albert Museum

Your family and the V&A
By Mark Fitzgerald

At first I was hesitant about visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum.  This London attraction is billed as the world's greatest museum of decorative art and design.  I was thinking odd clothing, funky wall hangings and other interesting housewares.  I did not believe the kids would be interested.  After digging in, I found plenty that would interest our family.

Tipu's Tiger

If you have younger kids you may want to start off in the basement at the Sackler Centre by picking up a free family trail map.  In addition to guiding you to exhibits the kids will like, the booklet provides puzzles, observation games and drawings.  I think the young ones will really like exhibits such as Tipu's Tiger.  This is a life sized mechanical hand cranked toy.

Our older children would likely be interested in some of the hands on exhibits throughout the museum.  As we have several brass rubbings in our home, I think they would like to try making one of their own.

I also would like to share with them some of the amazing classical art throughout the building.  In the Cast Court there is a plaster cast of Michelangelo's David (room 26-27).  In room 46a there is a copy of an amazing, almost 3 dimensional piece called the School of Athens by Raphael.  There are a number of other Raphael pieces in 48a.  Another statue to find is Bernini's Neptune and Triton.

As we move deeper into the museum we would like to find the Devonshire Hunting Tapestriesup on the third floor.  The most interesting tapestry would be the Boar and Bear Hunt in room 94.  Also on the third floor is a history of photography.  On the second floor I believe our family could spend a lot of time looking through Medieval and Renaissance Britain galleries.

Entrance to the museum is free, though certain exhibits may have a fee.  You will be asked for a 1 pound donation for a map or you can print it free online.  Better yet, they have an app that you can download.  They do have WiFi in the museum that you can use.  Make sure that your phone is set correctly.  You should also check their website before going as several galleries have been closed for renovations.

The museum opens at 10:00 AM and stays open late on Fridays.  There are ample rest rooms throughout the facility.  You can access the museum from an underground pedestrian walkway that runs from the South Kensington London Tube station to the basement of the museum.  South Kensington is served by the District, Piccadilly, and Circle Lines. You can always use the London Transport option of riding a bike. The bike dock is just down the road outside of the Exhibition Road entrance of the Natural History Museum.

Map of the Victoria and Albert Museum

Floor Plan of the Victoria and Albert Museum

(Click to Enlarge)

To get a feel for what the Victoria and Albert is like see this video

Going on a family vacation builds memories, provides life changing experiences and helps teach about the world we live in. Take time to explore, enjoy and have fun. If the Victoria and Albert Museum sounded interesting, you may also like the British Museum. You can also look at our entire list of London Attractions.

#V&A
#VictoriaandAlbert
#London

Getting your VAT back

How to collect a tax refund after visiting London

by Mark Fitzgerald

The tax system used in London is known as a value added tax or VAT.  Instead of adding on sales tax to the purchase after the purchase it is incorporated into the marked price.  In London it is upwards of 20%.  And you thought New York was bad.  Well there is some good news in that you can apply to get that tax back.  Sort of.

To shop tax free you have to buy something you plan on consuming outside of the country.  That means any service, such a restaurant or tourist attraction doesn't count and you can't apply to get it back.  You can't county something you buy and use in the country, such as a box of chocolates.  So in the end this ends up being mostly souvenirs that you can claim.

And then it isn't easy to apply to get your money back.  First you need to request paperwork in the store you buy your merchandise.  After the paperwork is filled out you and the store need to sign the papers and you will have to show them your passport (which will mean you would need to be carrying your passport). Stores do not need to participate either.  Harrods for example requires travelers to spend £50 or more to apply for a refund.

Once you get to the airport you can take all of the merchandise you bought, receipts and paperwork and bring it the customs desk. They will collect it and you will get either a cash refund or a return on your credit card 3 weeks later. You can also take it to a number of other locations, such a money changing operation.  The refund company will charge you a fee for using Tax Free Shopping. They will take the money out of your VAT refund.  If you plan on doing this make sure you get to the airport at least 30 minutes earlier than planned.

High end shopping at Harrods with the family

Tips for visiting Harrods with your family
by Mark Fitzgerald

The Egyptian Escalator at Harrods

Visiting a high end department store with my family isn't usually the thing we want to do on vacation, even if it is the biggest in Europe. But Harrods offers something unique to see. Whether it is giant teddy bears, the Princess Diane memorial at the Egyptian escalators, über expensive dollhouses, or the unique uniforms of the employees, Harrods is a spectacle to behold.

We will likely spend 45 minutes wandering around the store before heading to the food hall. We will want to take the escalator to the 2nd floor (that would be the 3rd level for the Americans) to the gift shop, stopping along the way to see what is of interest to us. The next level up has some peculiarities such as Spymaster (a shop that sells spy gear), the Millionaire Gallery (a collectors gallery), and not to mention, the toy department.

When we are done with the bulk of the store, we will return to the ground floor to the food hall. As we explore foods from around the world we are in search of an affordable yet fun collection of foods that we can take outside to Hyde Park for a picnic. This may include cheeses, dried meats and bread.  A meat pie costs about £2.50.  We may need a piece of chocolate or two as well.

Harrods Food Halls

If you have the money and the time there are plenty of cafes and restaurants within Harrods. To give you an idea of cost a hot fudge sundae will set you back £13.50.  If the food court is too expensive for our tastes there is always a Pret-A-Manger across the street.

Harrods does have an unofficial dress code. The users in green at the door may turn people away for any reason.  They ask that people "Refrain from wearing clothing which may reveal intimate parts of the body, or which portrays offensive pictures or writing."  They may nail you for too short of shorts or the like.

In the past Harrods charged for use of their bathrooms.  They do not currently and you can find them on all floors except the ground level.  They are in the center of the building.

Knightsbridge Tube station is very close by.  It is on the Picadilly line.  The nearest dock for Barclay's cycle Hire is a little ways down Brompton Rd on Monteplier St.  Several London Transport buses serve the area as well.

Map of Harrods:

Harrods Floor Plan

To get an idea of what Harrods is like, check out this short video from our Austrian friends TodayTonight.

Going on a family vacation builds memories, provides life changing experiences and helps teach about the world we live in. Take time to explore, enjoy and have fun. If Harrods sounded interesting, you may also like Regents Street. You can also look at our entire list of London Attractions.

#London

#Harrods

Seeing Neal's Yard for yourself

Tasting Neal's Yard

by Mark Fitzgerald

Colorful colors and decor at Neal's Yard

One of the passions of our family is cheese. When we are in London we want to visit Neal's Yard which is about 2 blocks north of Covent Garden. Neal's Yard is a combination of stores including a dairy, remedies, and organic cafe found at 2 Neal's Yard London.

What first caught our eye was the architecture.  It is a series of old warehouses turned into stores, restaurants and storage.  The storefront on one side seems formal and bland.  In the back alley the building has been painted in bright colors and lively decor.

Ordering Cheese at Neal's Yard Dairy

The cheese shoppe is raved about by foodies, especially their signature Stilton cheese.  We love to expose our children to new foods and flavors.  A unique way is to sample a couple of different types of cheeses. This is by no way an inexpensive venture. A pound of cheese will run you about £12.50.

You can see what type of cheeses they have online at http://www.nealsyarddairyshop.co.uk/