London By Boat and The Tate Modern Modigliani Exhibit

A boat ride down the Thames was one of the activities on my travel wish list for this year. With the sun shining and wanting to combine a trip to see my husband in hospital as well as do something fun with my daughter during half term, a plan began to form.


My daughter has recently become obsessed with the children’s cartoon Go Jetters. The globetrotting adventures of the chapters means it’s a TV series I highly approve of her watching. After seeing they’d been to Tower Bridge, it was firmly on her sightseeing list. Armed with her VTech Kidizoom camera, Mrs T was keen to follow in their footsteps – and maybe catching a glimpse of the Go Jetters themselves.

As London locals and without a huge amount of time to sightsee, we opted to take the commuter boat, the Thames Clipper. It allows you to use an Oyster card or contactless credit or debit card. The boat stops along the Thames from Putney to Greenwich.

We caught it at London Eye pier. Mrs T looked up at the towering London Eye structure and expressed her wish to go on it. Seeing the length of the queue and without prepaid tickets, I promised we would do it another day.

Instead, we boarded the Thames Clipper boat along with Mrs T’s godmother, Emma.

Thames Clipper, London

Inside, the Thames Clipper is spacious and comfortable. Surely this is the most luxurious way to commute to work – and probably the quickest. It certainly makes a change from cramped, stuffy tube carriages. You don’t get views like this on the underground either.

Thames Clipper, St Paul's, London

We headed to the London Bridge stop as Mrs T wanted to see Tower Bridge. We got a good view of the bridge although Mrs T was a little disappointed we didn’t see it opening up – like it does on Go Jetters.

We had toyed with the idea of visiting the Tower of London. Having set off fairly late and having to squeeze in a hospital visit, we decided to tackle it another day when we could give it our full attention.

Instead, we viewed the famous tower from a nearby Pret a Manger where we stopped for a coffee. With the idea of going to the Tate Modern now in our heads, we jumped back on the boat to  the Bankside stop.
Tower Bridge, London

The Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall is currently filled with giant swings. Designed by a group of Danish artists, three can fit on. Unsurprisingly, Mrs T made a beeline for them. We stood and watched for a while, getting slightly dizzy as adventurous children and teens swung higher and higher.

Giant swings, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern

After waiting a short time, it was our turn. Mrs T loved it!

Giant swings, Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, London

Next on the agenda was the Modigliani exhibition. As Emma is a member of the Tate Modern, we got in for free (for non-members prices start at £12.50). It was busy, and without many children, but that didn’t appear to deter Mrs T. We were given a leaflet about the exhibition as we went in and she enjoyed matching the paintings she could see in the exhibition to those printed in the booklet. It was a good way to keep her entertained.

I didn’t know much about Amedeo Modigliani. Born in Italy in 1884, he moved to Paris at 21. He was at the heart of the artistic movement in the French capital becoming friends with the likes of Pablo Picasso. The famous artist’s influence is evident in his work. Modigliani’s portrait of Picasso hangs in the exhibition.

What I love about art is how everyone interprets it in different ways. For a five-year-old girl, she was looking at the colours he had used and we were prompting her on how the subjects in the paintings may have been feeling.

There were a few nude paintings – something which would have been shocking at the time – and to an extent remain so today.  Mrs T didn’t seem hugely interested in them but was keen to seek out some of the happier female subjects.

Modigliani died aged just 35. What he achieved in those years though was immense and his rich body of work is worth seeing (exhibition open until 2 April).

Venturing out of the Tate Modern and into the sunshine, we walked across the Millennium Bridge. The curved structure is one of my favourite London foot bridges as it perfectly frames St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s also one of the more popular ones thanks to the Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Wander Mum and Mrs T on Millennium Bridge, London
Mrs T did so well walking all this way – my Fitbit told us we’d gone way beyond the recommended daily 10,000 steps. It was time for her reward at Yo Sushi (her choice). After loading up on Japanese food, I swung by the hospital to see my husband in intensive care.

It was soon time to go. I would definitely use the Thames Clippers service again. Not only do you get magnificent views, it’s way more comfortable and there’s no traffic to contend with either.

More importantly, Mrs T enjoyed the novelty of travelling by boat and gazing out the window at some of London’s most famous landmarks. Taking inspiration from the gallery trip, she created some arty photos herself. I wonder if Modigliani would have approved?

The City, London

Tate Modern Exhibitions

Entry to the Tate Modern is free to the public but special exhibitions are extra
Modigliani: A Portrait is open until 2 April. For the best prices, buy tickets online and in advance.

An exhibition dedicated to Picasso has recently opened and is on until 9th September 2018.

Mbna Thames Clippers

The Thames Clippers commuter service runs every 20 minutes. Check out its website for ticket types and prices. The cheapest single fare option is by Oyster or contactless.
– Children aged 5-15 pay use the service. Using a child’s Oyster card seems to be the best option.
– Children under 5 travel free.

Pin for later

How to discover London on its locals boat and explore sights such as the Tate Moden



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Wander Mum

I've always loved to travel so when my two daughters came along, I didn't stop. Travelling as a family can have its ups and downs but I love showing my children the world and helping others navigate travelling with children in tow.

38 Comments
  1. We also took the Clipper down the Thames! I personally didn’t care for it as I felt in the summer, it was too hot inside. And I didn’t realize that the boat would go quite sooo fast! I was looking more for a smooth sail down the Thames to enjoy the skyline but oh well! Next time! #CityTripping

    1. It does go quite fast, doesn’t it! Next time it might be worth taking one its sightseeing boats or trying the City Cruises boat trip. As it was February, we were glad to be inside.

  2. Pinning this for future travels. It has been 10 years since I was in London, so I’d like to do some of those touristy things again.
    #CityTripping

  3. I’ve been to London many many times but somehow I’ve never visited Tate Modern. I just booked a flight to London yesterday though so I’ll definitely add this to my itinerary! #CityTripping

    1. Thank you Keri! What I like about the Tate Modern is there’s always something fun and different happening in the Turbine Hall – even if the rest of the gallery isn’t to everyone’s liking. Cool building too.

  4. What a great way to spend a day, incorporating a hospital visit too. I am always happier above ground in London as it’s such a stunning city to walk around, but the boat sounds like a great idea. I do enjoy the big exhibitions in the Tate Modern – the last time though I went was when there was the giant ‘Black Box’ in the Turbine Hall, so perhaps it’s time I went again. Thanks for sharing & I hope your husband continues to improve.#citytripping
    Julie Whitmarsh recently posted…Flowers, Lights & The King of Space – it’s Carnaval in NiceMy Profile

    1. Oooh I didn’t see that installation. Do love the Turbine Hall exhibits. The boat was great to get an above ground view and travel around quite quickly.

  5. You had such a fun day. London is such a spectacular city with such beautiful sights. It’s been a while since I tried and explored more of this lovely city. You are so right about arts. I am glad you had a lovely day. #citytripping

    1. Hehe! I’ve only recently become acquainted with Go Jetters! So glad there’s something accessible out there that educates kids about travel and different cultures!

  6. Sounds like a lovely day! Indeed, Thames Clippers service looks like a great way to commute to work – with that view, I wouldn’t mind 🙂 I see that Mrs T has her own cute camera 🙂 #Citytripping

  7. What fun exhibits at the Tate. It’s a fantastic museum. Looks like it wasn’t too busy either. I’ve never taken a boat down the Thames, but I like the fact that they have the glass stops and sides – great way to see everything!! I can see how Yo Sushi would be fun for a kid! I found it so overwhelming with choices the first time I went, but it’s a fun concept! #citytripping
    Sara recently posted…Tuscany Trip Planning – Plan Your Trip!My Profile

  8. You really can’t beat seeing London from the Thames-so many iconic sights along the riverside, the heart of the city. Combined with a trip to the Tate Modern and plenty of sushi (and even some sunshine!). I hope your husband gets better soon. Best wishes and thank you for hosting #CityTripping

  9. This seems like a lovely way to get an overview, and we had hoped to take the commuter boat during our recent visit, but ran out of time. It looks worthwhile, and I hear its better than the clipper tours. We did the Tower Bridge Experience a number of year ago and loved walking across and taking photos from the little windows. Of course the Tower of London is one of my favorite places in all of London, and maybe the world… also the Tate Modern… Looks like a wonderful and much needed day out. I do want to say that you seem incredibly brave what with all you’re going through and I wish your husband a speedy and full recovery. #citytripping
    Hilary recently posted…Day Trippers: Bath EnglandMy Profile

    1. Thank you Hilary – he’s coming along! Wow, you’ve really made me want to visit the Tower of London – maybe I’ll get there over Easter. The Tower Bridge experience sounds really fun.

  10. I really enjoyed reading this post. I love going up to London with my daughter in school holidays and always meant to do the boat trip – you’ve inspired me and it’s next on the list! I agree writing can really help in difficult times and we can all benefit from your blog post at the same time. Glad to read that your husband is showing positive signs. Best wishes!

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