London Transport Museum
Covent Garden Piazza Covent Garden London WC2E 7BB
It would take a hard heart not to be charmed by the London Transport Museum. Clearly the collection of old buses, train carriages and interactive displays are geared mostly towards kids – who, given a lot of free rein to clamber in and out of the vehicles, invariably love the place – but the temporary exhibitions, which cover all aspects of London’s transport system from its earliest days, have a lot to offer adults, too. Highlights include a simulator that allows you to drive a tube train, a recreated horse-drawn omnibus, and a rather claustrophobic carriage from London’s first ever underground train, dating back to 1892. A lot of emphasis is placed on the superb design for which the system is famed – from the iconic red double-decker Routemasters to the tube map designed by Harry Beck – and the gift shop, which yields a treasure trove of classic postcards, books and stationery, will appeal to trendsetters as much as trainspotters. There’s a café, too, its benches upholstered in the classic moquette designs so familiar from London’s buses and trains.
