National Maritime Museum Greenwich

The National Maritime Museum in London is located in Greenwich close to the river Thames. This is a fantastic free, museum and it has developed a lot since we last visited. It is a lot more modern now in that there are lots of interactive exhibits and it’s a lot more welcoming to the younger visitor. We were there for just over 2 hours and we certainly could have spent a lot longer in the museum .

What is there to do at the National Maritime Museum London?

There is so much to see and do. A lot of it won’t interest smaller children in the slightest but that really doesn’t matter as there’s plenty there that will interest them. They have recently opened 4 new galleries with over 1,000 more objects on display. The museum covers so much of our naval past that even adults will learn something new and fascinating.

Kids will love the big open space upstairs next to the cafe. This has a huge world map with boats that kids can push around the world. We virtually had to drag the 6-year-old away from this after well over 15 minutes of role-play fun. There is also an excellent children’s gallery. This has some really fun interactive elements including being able to shoot pretend canons at pirates, a sail mast that kids can hoist up and down, a play kitchen, a ship wheel and so much more. This is for children under the age of 7.

There are also family-friendly trails to take part in and a ship simulator. This is more for older children and adults but my 6-year-old had great fun driving a ship around the harbour in New York! There’s also plenty to see and do at the nearby Royal Observatory plus the Cutty Sark Royal Museum.

Further Information

Is there food and drink available?

There are two cafes on-site selling hot and cold food and drinks.

What are the main things to do?

Plenty of galleries covering our naval past with lots of interactive displays that everyone will love. Kids role-play area, giant world map with boats for kids to push around, ship simulator. There are toilets on-site and two cafes.