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What’s New in London

Unlikely though it may seem, London must be one of the best places for a vacation whether you are on your own or with the family. Famous for its historical and cultural attractions, it also boasts quirky specialist exhibitions to appeal to even the most difficult to please holiday visitor.

Are you cut out to be an Antarctic explorer? The Natural History Museum, perennial favourite with children on London outings, has added a new challenge to its long list of family attractions. Try it and see.

Chill Out

Enlist as an Ice Cadet and you can find out what it’s like to explore the South Pole and still be back home in time for tea. In “Ice Station Antarctica”, the latest family experience in the museum, you can test yourself to learn how you’d manage in the harsh conditions experienced there by research scientists.

Find out what it feels like to dress up and walk about in Antarctic clothing. Pass through various environments which let you camp on ice, endure the feeling of 24 hour darkness, and see and smell what it’s like in a penguin colony. The Ice Station Commander will take you on a scary snowmobile ride and you may even go diving under the ice. This exhibition opens at the end of May and is open until the beginning of April 2008.

The Red Bus Sightseeing Tour

The Museum is only one of the many attractions you can reach by traveling on the Original London hop-on, hop-off red double deck buses on the sightseeing Museum Tour.

For a rip-roaring tour of London’s most famous attractions, opt for the Original Tour with English commentary and live guides. If you have children in tow, go for the red route with commentary geared to children. Every child gets a “passport” to London and a fun activity pack and quiz book. Adult commentaries are in English and you can also choose from another six languages. But you don’t get to hear the voice of the ghost of London. That’s strictly for the kids.

Hair-raising History

Another popular hop-off point is the London Dungeon –history, horror and all the gruesome bits presented as live entertainment. Not for the faint-hearted, their newest ride lets you shake in the shoes of the first prisoners to be hanged at infamous Newgate Prison in 1783 .

The brave (or should that read foolhardy) will jump at The Extremis: Drop Ride to Doom, opened in time for Easter. “Hangmen” escort visitors to the ride and make them stand back to back. They are then raised to a great height before being dropped at speed. Think maybe I’d prefer the original ride --Traitor: Boat Ride to Hell. On second thoughts, I’m probably not brave enough for either.

Dungeon attractions in York feature the Roman history of the town while in Edinburgh the ghoulish activities of the body snatchers are a major attraction. Other Dungeons have opened in Amsterdam and Hamburg. Ghosts galore.

Healthy Travel Options

If you enjoy tramping round cities, a series of self-guided audio walking tours of popular English cities is now available on the Internet in MP3 format. They’re not free but if you are interested, you can download the Tourist Tracks tours of London, Bath, Brighton, Cambridge or Oxford with accompanying maps, to give you an introduction to the key highlights.

If you enjoy cycling, businessman Simon Ford has set up London’s first cycle rental company to deliver bikes to any central London hotel or pre-arranged location. GO PEDAL has already won a ‘best innovative business’ award and the visitors’ book on his website is full of praise for his service and the comfort of his bikes. A child trailer is available for very small children.

London, now working at being cycle-friendly, has many clearly marked routes and the number of Londoners cycling has doubled in five years. Go Pedal bikes are supplied with good locks and helmets and Simon provides free maps and advice on where to go and what to see. Costs include delivery and collection – more if you have just one bike, less if you have several bikes for a longer period.

Star Wars

If you’re a Star Wars fan and intending to visit London in mid July, Star Wars Celebration Europe is a three day event (July 13-15) at ExCel in London’s Docklands to mark the 30th anniversary of the movie. Look forward to live entertainment, celebrity appearances, film and video presentations, movie props and costumes and interactive events. Adult tickets are pricey but children under eight years old go free.

Amazing as it may seem, London is one of the child-friendliest cities in the world with so much to see and do whatever the weather. Whatever your interests or those of your family, you will have no difficulty keeping everyone happy.

Useful links

Natural History Museum : the online site has plenty for kids to do and study as well as advising and informing about exhibits and activities. Try the earth link in the left hand menu and learn all about Antarctica and the research projects there. The museum is also involved in projects as diverse as dinosaurs and space exploration.

The London Dungeon: a scary site (still being constructed so it may become even scarier) to give a foretaste of the doom and gloom exhibitions and attractions .

The Original Bus Tour: A colourful site, easy to navigate and you can even treat yourself to a panoramic virtual tour of the city.

Tourist tracks for the MP3 audio files which promise to guide you round various British cities London is number five in the top five tours and the guide is for a 90 minute walk.

Go Pedal An informative site about cycling in London. In English and four other languages. Read the Visitors' Book.

Star Wars Suspect you may have to be an addict or at least a devoted fan but if you are....

~Anne Duguid

Anne Duguid, a Scottish freelance lecturer and writer, loves traveling in Europe. A true believer in budget travel as the best way to learn about a country, its people and its culture, she's looking forward to finding you that dream holiday in Europe. Join her on the European Travel Forum.

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