Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Science Museum
Next door to the Natural History Museum, this sprawling wonderland for curious minds
is kid-perfect, with themes such as measuring time, exploring space, climate change, and
the evolution of modern medicine. It offers hands-on fun, from moonwalks to deep-sea ex-
ploration, with trendy technology exhibits, a state-of-the-art IMAX theater (shows-
£
10,
£
8
for kids,
£
27 family ticket), and the Garden, a cool play area for children up to age seven.
Cost and Hours:
Free, daily 10:00-18:00, until 19:00 during school holidays, last
entry 45 minutes before closing, Exhibition Road, Tube: South Kensington, tel.
0870-870-4868,
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
.
This borough of London—an easy boat trip or DLR (light rail) journey from down-
town—combines majestic, picnic-perfect parks; the stately trappings of Britain's proud
nautical heritage (the newly restored
Cutty Sark
clipper; the over-the-top-ornate retirement
home for sailors at the
Old Royal Naval College;
and the comprehensive
National Mari-
time Museum
); and the
Royal Observatory Greenwich,
with a fine museum on the evol-
ution of seafaring and a chance to straddle the eastern and western hemispheres at the
Prime Meridian. An affordable jaunt from central London, and boasting several top-notch
museums (including some free ones), Greenwich is worth considering and easy to com-
bine with a look at the Docklands (described next).
See the Greenwich Tour chapter.
Once the primary harbor for the Port of London, the Docklands has been transformed into
a vibrant business center, with ultra-tall skyscrapers, subterranean supermalls, trendy pubs,
and peaceful parks with pedestrian bridges looping over canals. It also boasts the very
good
Museum of London Docklands,
which illuminates the gritty and fascinating his-
tory of the port. While not full of the touristy sights that many are seeking in London, the
Docklands offers a refreshing look at the British version of a 21st-century city. It's best at
