Dickens: Dark London, Museum of London

Museum of London has launched an interactive graphic novel to coincide with its Dickens and London exhibition. Accompany Dickens on his night time walks and experience the darker side of Dickensian London in this app, based on Dickens’ short stories. Dickens: Dark London is illustrated by David Foldvari and voiced by actor Mark Strong. New editions will be released monthly. Dickens: Dark London, iPhone and iPad only, first edition free, subsequent editions, £1.49

Treasures by The British Library

Get your fingers on a handwritten draft of Nicholas Nickleby with The British Library’s Treasures app. This fascinating manuscript from the library’s collection is now available to view in a digital format on your phone, and shows the corrections and alterations Dickens made to the story. Among the other, erm, treasures on the app are sketches by Leonardo da Vinci, a first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and audio excerpts from the library’s expert curators. iPhone and Android editions (£2.39), HD iPad edition (£3.49)

Dickens Map on Spottd

Find and visit highlights of Dickensian London on location-based sharing app Spottd. The Dickens map pinpoints famous locations from his novels, as well as some of Dickens’ own favourite haunts, including his family home in Camden; The Prospect of Whitby pub; and The Old Curiosity Shop on Portsmouth Street (often cited as the inspiration for the novel of the same name). Spottd, iPhone only, free

What do you think of these apps and are there any we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below?

Here are five fab apps for families exploring London this summer. If you know of any more, please let us know in the comments below.

Pack and Go Deluxe
Before you even set off for London, download this app. You’ll never forget to pack your little one’s favourite toy, or your teenager’s toiletry bag again. Pack and Go Deluxe is a packing travel checklist and task reminder system built specifically for families. As well as an extensive catalogue of important travel items, you can build your own checklists for family members, shopping trips and more. On the more fun side, you can plan your trip to London with the To Do section. Finally, use the “briefcase” to password-protect important info like your passport number, drivers licence and emergency contact numbers. (iPhone and iPad, £1.99)

Toilet Map
Where to find your next available wee stop is vitally important when you’re out with kids. Enter Toilet Map, an impressively comprehensive list of London’s conveniences by Ian Mansfield, better known as IanVisits. Toilets can be filtered by cost (free or not), gender, accessibility and, simply whether or not they are “open right now”. Best of all, the app is available on both iPhone and Android phones. (£1.49, and worth every penny if you’re caught short!)

Postino
Send a postcard of your trip to London with a difference! Postino creates a real, physical postcard from the photos you’ve taken on your iPhone, and sends them around the world. Your kids will love getting creative with this app – and the folks back home are sure to treasure getting more personalised missives from the capital. (iPhone and iPad, free)

London For Families
More than just an app guide to London, London For Families incorporates guided walks, a loo finder, and offline maps, to make exploring London with your family easier than ever. If the little ones are getting bored, switch to Mission Mode and give your kids a local challenge to solve. The Teleport Machine is a fun, random suggestion generator based on the time and your location, because sometimes planning your next step is best left to chance! (iPhone and iPad, £1.99)

Chancellor’s Gold
Treasure hunt-style apps are on the increase, but Chancellor’s Gold is the only one I know about where you really can win real gold! You’ve got two more chances to win: there’s £1000 up for grabs at the end of August, and a grand prize of £5000 to win at the end of September 2011. Based on the 1979 children’s book Masquerade, The Chancellor’s Gold app gives you clues to London landmarks, and ultimately leads you to a hoard of lost gold sovereigns somewhere in London. Visit www.chancellorsgold.com to find out more. (iPhone and iPad, £1.49)

Do you know of any other good London apps for families? Let us know in the comments below. Here are more tips on enjoying London with kids

Going out in London? There’s an app for that, actually there are loads. London apps are like a knowledgeable friend in your pocket, telling you where to eat, get the best deals or even how to get home. Here’s our favourite London apps which will help you find everything from free stuff to Shakespeare’s favourite haunts.

London Tube
With this comprehensive app you’ll never get lost in London again. Indispensable to any traveller, it provides Henry Beck’s classic map of the London Underground. The app offers live updates, a journey planner tool, a directory of Tube lines and stops and can locate the nearest Tube station from your position. (£0.69, iPhone only)

Toptable
A fantastic app for foodies who want an easy way to search for restaurant deals. Easy to navigate, you can find and book great restaurants across London and enjoy thousands of special offers. The app can locate nearby restaurants and features a tip calculator – perfect for those tricky bill splitting/tip calculating moments! (Free, iPhone and Android versions)

Street Museum: Museum of London
A good looking, clever and imaginative app that brings the old together with the new. Using images from the Museum of London’s collections, it the capital’s history from momentous occasions to everyday events. Its focus on central London is a drawback but this is a great use of technology and can only grow. (Free, iPhone and Android versions)

London2Go
This is a great app for those who want to discover and learn more about London. It provides an offline map and a geographically accurate Tube map. You can locate nearby points of interest or you can search by category, such as top places, history and people or geography and transportation. (£1.49, iPhone only)

Time Out London
This is a useful app to help you organise days and nights out in London. It provides up to date information on gigs, events, bars, restaurants, club nights and film releases. The app includes a map showing events near the user’s location and you can search by location and taste. (Free, iPhone and Android versions)

Free London
Want to find out about all things free in London? Then this is the app for you. It provides information on the best free museums, free (or cheap) theatre tickets, cheap eats and accommodation for under £15 a night. Covering a range of London districts, listings can be categorized so that you can easily find what you’re looking for. (£1.49, iPhone only)

Shakespeare’s London
An interesting and informative app that’s an absolute must for Shakespeare fans and anyone interested in the history of London. Well-researched and threaded with great facts, it looks beyond the obvious spots and guides you around the playwright’s favourite haunts and sites of significance in the capital. (£1.99, iPhone only)

24 Hours London
This is an innovative app that lists fun and unusual things to do during every hour of the day in London. With links to contact details, and websites where applicable, this is a neat concept that lists some of London’s best kept secrets. (£1.49, iPhone only)

London on a Plate
Described as a fusion of food and fashion, this stylish app is a guide to London’s food culture. It offers restaurant reviews, tips on the best food shops and markets and provides the home cook with recipes from the capital’s finest chefs. A 10% donation from each app sale is made to the surplus food charity FareShare. (£2.99, iPhone only)

Cycle Hire
This is an accurate and user- friendly app for the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme in London. A clean, easy interface allows you to access your cycle hire account, see bike availability, set reminders as to when you need to return your bike and get a cycling route between two bike hire stations. (Free, iPhone only)

Which London apps are you using? Let us know in the comments below.