London Transport Museum

Posted on by Fee Hudson

We had discount tickets after our Hidden London tour so thought we would give the transport museum a go and turns out it is a brilliant way to spend an afternoon.

The London Transport Museum does exactly what it says on the tin and takes you through the history of transport in London, everything from horses and carriages to modern day.

A view of the ground floor from one of the mezzanines. There are 3 buses, on the right a blue, red and yellow omnibus with an open top. In the middle a gold route master and on the left a red route master. In the foreground I s a traffic light.

What to expect:

If you are interested in trains, buses and trams, then this is the place for you. The museum is laid out over 3 floors and starts on the top floor with the horse drawn buses and taxis. As you move down through the museum you take a trip through time, spanning 200 years of history, the invention of the tube, the artwork and designs, the part of the underground played in World War II and the people that have made London transport what it is today. The museum is totally fascinating and the fact that you can actually go inside the underground carriages and buses makes it even better.

The museum also has several play areas where you can drive a London bus and craft stations so is very hands on for the younger visitors.

I visited with my sister and we had just as much fun as the children and families around us, possibly even more.

You will need to leave yourself a good couple of hours to look around properly, possibly more if you want to take advantage of the play area and crafts.

An original horse drawn green bus pulled by two model horses. The driver manikin sits on the open top holding the reins.
A mannikin of a passenger looks out of the open window or subway door.
A view down an older underground carriage. There are 3 manikins wearing 1970s style clothing stood and sat in the carriage. The carriage is painted in cream and dark green and upholstered in red and green.

Food and Drink:

The museum has a cafe called The Canteen which is open to both the public and museum visitors. The Canteen sells everything from main meals and burgers to sandwiches, soup and cakes. During your visit there is a smaller cafe on the ground floor selling hot and cold drinks and ice creams. There is also a picnic area if you want to bring your own food.

A view from one of the higher floors down to the ground floor. In the foreground you can see the roofs of gold and red routemaster buses. Behind that is a set of traffic lights, people walking around and a cafe seating area and in the background is a tram and an older red bus.

Tickets:

Tickets are sold as annual passes which entitle you to visit as many times as you want during the year, you also need a timed entry slot. There are various ticket options available.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon in October and were able to buy a ticket on the door.

A double decker brown and cream tram.
A wall of adverts for various tourist attractions London.
An old double decker red bus, with the number 555 displayed and the destination Clerkenwell Green.

Accessibility:

The museum aims to be as accessible as possible with lifts, ramps and accessible toilets. Some of the older vehicles are not accessible. There are subtitles on all the audio displays and information available in large print. There are also sensory bags and visual stories available.

Getting there:

The museum is in the Covent Garden Piazza and is a short walk from Covent Garden underground station.

Shop:

There is a fabulous shop open to the public and museum visitors. It sells everything transport themed and has some fabulous souvenirs.

A rainbow crossing and an advertising poster with the words 'Every Story Matters' and 3 underground symbols in different pride flags.
4 roof handles with advertising. Pepsi, Orangina, Vaseline deodorant and Cadbury's Creme Egg.
A Christmas jumper on display in the shop. The jumper is dark green and has a red double decker bus on the front and white snowflakes. The jumper has a matching scarf and hat with it.

We visited in October 2023.

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