Surviving Tours with Kids in the Heat

We are melting here in London and Rome so I thought I would write a quick note on surviving guided tours with kids – some ideas for you!

1. Wear light clothes that cover your kids up, and a hat, and lots of sunscreen. I know you know this already, but of course worth mentioning. Longer sleeved clothes and longer shorts mean that you won’t be worrying as much about sunburn, a big brimmed hat will keep them cooler and keep the sun off, and make sure you bring along your bottle of sunscreen. Comfy, airy shoes also help. Bring a change of clothes as well – London has some great fountains you can run through - Somerset House, the Southbank, Leicester Square which might be nice to cool down in; and Rome has all the water fountains so you can just fill up your water bottle and pour it over your kids! (No jumping in the fountains in Rome though – you will be fined!)

San Cresino in Rome is one of my very favourite places to get ice cream in Rome. GO!!!!!

2. Bring lots of liquid and snacks. You will all have your own way of doing things, but when it is crazy hot my healthy eating routine with my daughter goes out of the window. Of course I bring lots and lots of water, but I also bring juice, in part for bribery and in part to ensure that she does drink liquid. I bring sweet things, salty things, treat things (bribery again) and fruit. At the end of the day generally the fruit is still in her lunch box – but we got through the day!!!

3. Remind your guide that you need shade. Guides love talking about the places you are visiting, and sometimes we forget about the sun so don’t be afraid to say that you need some shade. They will accommodate you!

4. Tell your guide you need a snack break. Take 10 minutes in a café to rehydrate, sit down and relax. Or maybe buy an ice-cream and sit in the shade of a tree for a while. I know that you might feel like you want to just keep on going, but your guide can tell you stories about London or Rome or history, or just find out a bit more about you and your family. It is not time wasted and it will give you all a little bit more energy.

There are some beautiful and historic little corners where you can chill out in the shade for a bit.

5. Do remind your guide that your kids might be grumpy/tired/not sleeping well because it is so hot (on top of that they may be jet-lagged too, and in a strange, new place – it is a lot to deal with! There may be tantrums (and boy can toddler heat induced tantrums be spectacular!). Guides are sensitive souls and might think that the kids just don’t like them – but when it is hot it is so difficult for little ones and it is good to remind guides of that. Tell them you might need to be a bit flexible and take some time out, or have an impromptu nap, or deal with the tantrum to beat all tantrums, whatever. Remember guides are there for you, so tell them what is going on and your guide will do their best to accommodate it.6

6. Bring a buggy (if your kids are buggy age). I am obsessed with the buggy. Although my daughter could walk it is basically a portable bed, so when a nap is needed then she can nap. Most places in London are buggy accessible (Rome is a little more difficult so do speak to us about this). Another option is a baby/toddler carrier. Have a think about it, it might help!

7. On the Underground - in both London and Rome it is even hotter on the underground than outside. Try and avoid rush hour so it is not as packed. Strip off if you can. and make sure you have water so you don’t faint. Plan your journey in advance, so you know what you are doing and that you don’t get a train in the wrong direction - not what you need when it is hot! But you will just have to suffer it so prepare to suffer!

Strip off on the tube, bring water and avoid rush hour!

8. Well, us grown-ups have trouble concentrating in the heat, so imagine how hard it must be for a tired, sweltering toddler. So, if all else fails, get the bubba in the buggy/baby carrier and crack out the TV on your mobile. Yesterday I was on a delayed, packed train with no air conditioning. We were sweltering. My daughter was tired and hot, so out came the TV. There is a time and a place and if your little ones cannot cope then just do it. Even on a tour! Invest in some earphones so they don’t disturb anyone else, and then you get to enjoy the tour and the little one has some down time and doesn’t have a melt-down (you may not be able to do this in all sites, but walking from site to site might give your toddler the break they need to recharge).

9. Think about changing the order of the day – do you have a site visit in the morning and walking tour in the afternoon? Consider (if it is possible) doing the walking tour early and the site visit later on – that way you don’t have to walk outside in the heat of the day. Our guides are trained to be flexible – so talk to them about it.

When there is not a cloud in the sky offering you some shade - think about heading inside instead of a walking tour.

10. Less is more. If it is crazy hot then consider cutting something and spend longer in a café, or sitting in a park, or similar. Kids (and adults) need downtime and if you have too much to cover on a hot day then cut it down and at least make sure you enjoy one or two things rather than be stressed and hot and bothered all day. Ask your guide what should not be missed and how best to plan the day in the heat… you will have a great day with beautiful memories!

All our guides are professional and trained and therefore are flexible and able to change things (within reason of course) to ensure clients of all ages have the best possible time. So, good luck! Enjoy! And I hope you survive the hot weather!

Kid Friendly Museums in London: Things to do in London with children

So, are you wondering what to do in London with kids? This blog is going to look at a few museums in London that you can visit with your kids. I have tried to choose a variety that are all child-friendly, so you can include the educational, as well as culture, fun, outdoor spaces, interactive elements, good cafes, and there are some options here for those of you who might have visited London before or those who might be on a budget - one of the great things about London is that so many of our museums and galleries are free to get in (all of the ones here are free for the permanent collections) and let’s face it, kids are expensive!

Art for Kids at the National Gallery

One of my favourites (actually – they are all my favourites!)! It is free entry (although donations welcome) to this amazing collection of paintings, masterpieces of Western Art, you can find Leonardo, Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Caravaggio, amongst others. It would be both an educational and cultural visit and although it doesn’t really have much that is interactive, you can set your own challenges for your kids. I like to choose something that pops up a lot in paintings, but not all the time, like animals and then you can explore the gallery finding all the animals. Other themes I have chosen include “Ears and Elbows”, or you could try finding the best hat! You could also buy some postcards of the highlights beforehand and send your kids off to find them (this does involve some prep – check out the National Gallery website to see what is on display), then when they get home you can get them to hang them up and make their own gallery, like in the picture. The outdoor space is the huge, beautiful and largely pedestrian Trafalgar Square, so if you need to let off steam or take a break you can pop out for a run around or check out the sometimes good, sometimes cheesy street performers outside the gallery. There are also cafes around the Square (the National Gallery also has a few cafes and restaurants which are all good) and it is a short walk to St James’s Park with its lake, birdlife and Buckingham Palace. It is easily accessible with a buggy (I have done it many a time) and when my daughter was a toddler no-one minded her crawling about on the floor!

You can find information on how to get to the National Gallery here.

Family fun in the British Museum

Well, we are so lucky to also have this AMAZING museum that is free to get into (again, donations welcome). It is a museum about the history of ancient civilisations and I would say it is essential to visit the Greeks (in particular the Parthenon Marbles that used to decorate the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis in Athens), the Ancient Assyrian and Mesopotamian stuff (find the Lion Hunt and the Standard of Ur), and the Egyptian Mummies – always amazing. Educational – yes. Cultural – yes. Fun – depending on your kids, yes, but it is a typical, slightly dusty museum so they need to get into the right frame of mind (or take a tour with us!)! Interactive – not really, but again use your imagination like for the National Gallery (find these highlight objects, find the animals, what did people wear in ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia?, etc). You could get older kids to research the debates on repatriation – should the Parthenon Marbles and Benin Bronzes be returned to their original countries, or stay at the British Museum – lots of discussions to be had! They also have family backpacks – they are free but you need to give a £10 deposit, find details here, and if you go also check out the object handling sessions (here), where you get to hold ancient objects – when I did it I held an ancient Egyptian pot and an Assyrian writing tablet – pretty cool! If you need to run around the British Museum has a forecourt which is very relaxed and you could have a packed lunch there or inside in the Great Court (with its amazing glass ceiling – see photo), or out the back of the British Museum is Russell Square which has a lovely park in it and a café, and there are also cafes in the British Museum which are yummy.

You can find information on how to get to the British Museum here.

The Family Friendly Wallace Collection!

So if you fancy one of the more hidden museums then this is really quite lovely. The Wallace collection is an historic house dating from the 17 and 1800s. It houses a varied collection of art, porcelain, furniture, lovely decorative bits and pieces like chandeliers and clocks, and an incredibly collection of armour, both European, Asian and Middle Eastern – I don’t get that excited about armour but this collection really blows my mind. And the house itself is beautiful with grand staircases and silk wall hangings - so if you want to pretend that you are a prince or princess or a Duke or Duchess, then the Wallace is worth a visit. It is educational and cultural, but not very interactive so you and your kids will have to make it fun (what pieces of armour would you put together to be truly terrifying; which painting has the best frame? You have to find the highlights like Fragonard’s The Swing and Franz Hals The Laughing Cavalier (he looks very mischievous!) And they have kids trails you can pick up at the front desk and audio guides for children. They only have a restaurant, not a cafe, and if you fancied you could treat yourselves to an afternoon tea, just like high society! Or, the Wallace are happy for you to picnic on the front lawn (you’ll get wet if it rains though!) and the forecourt is another place for a run around. St Christopher’s Place and Marylebone High Street are nearby though with lots of places to eat so that is an option, and if you want to do some shopping, the historic Selfridges department store is just down the road along with our main shopping area, Oxford Street. So, if you want something different, this might be worth checking out!

You can find information on how to get to the Wallace Collection here.

A tour with a twist at the Wellcome Collection

The Wellcome Collection is a funny old place, I love visiting it and I think it is particularly good with teenagers, although all ages are welcome! It has a great café, a wonderful shop (I always end up buying something) and lovely free displays and exhibitions that are unusual and free. If your kids are interested in science or medicine then bring them here. If you want them to get interested in science or medicine then bring them here.

Henry Wellcome made a fortune in the 1800s selling medicinal pills and he was an avid collector. His money founded the Wellcome Research Centre, focussed on medical research and the museum looks at medicine and public health issues mixing historical objects and art works, music and film to create very interesting and engaging displays. Temporary exhibitions change all the time but are well worth a visit, at the time of writing they have an exhibition called Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic (sounds cool). The permanent displays are also excellent, Medicine Man which is a display of objects from Wellcome’s personal collection – the room is dark and it feels very historical and many of the objects are medical in subject, such as glasses, old saws used for cutting arms and legs off, a birthing chair, chamber pots (see photo!) and paintings, and some are a little adult in subject matter, although I would happily take my 4 year old! The other display is called Medicine Now and it is a very modern gallery looking at contemporary medicine and ideas about health, mixing art objects and interactive displays. There is no outside space attached to the Collection, but the museum is in Bloombury so there are a multitude of little garden squares to explore close by. It is well worth a visit.

You can find information on how to get to the Wellcome Collection here.

So, where to go? I hope you found a couple of these interesting and do try out some of the family activities I mentioned! There are many, many family-friendly museums and galleries to visit in London for all different tastes, ages, interests and group sizes, from a single child to school groups. I will be posting about others here soon. Feel free to email me if you want any more ideas, check our our other tours for ideas as well, or get in touch if you want a private tour with one of our amazing guides. In the meantime, happy planning!