Immerse yourself in thousands of years of world history and culture by taking time to explore the many artifacts contained within the spectacular building which houses the British Museum.
With visitor numbers of more than six million people a year, the British Museum is one of the most popular attractions in London.
It houses the nation’s collection of artifacts and is the world’s oldest national public museum.
Spanning a time period of two million years and sourced from every corner of the Earth, this compilation of items shows world history and culture first hand to visitors.
Open for more than 250 years, the museum now contains over eight million items, with around eighty thousand being on display at one time, and is world-renowned for the variety of relics within its walls.
Founded in 1753 when Parliament passed an act to create the world’s first national museum, the physician Sir Hans Sloane sold his enormous personal collection of books, manuscripts, coins, medals and rarities to the museum to start this collection.
The doors opened in 1759 where visitors had to apply for tickets to see the artifacts. This meant that only people of a certain standing in the population were able to access the collection. From 1830 however, visiting hours and the regulations changed which truly allowed access for all.
Initially located in Montagu House on Great Russell Street, the collection began to outgrow its home and it began to be demolished in 1823 to make way for a new building. The new premises were designed by Sir Robert Smirke in the Greek revival style and were completed in 1852.
Due to the number of artifacts being continuously collated and brought to the museum, the natural history collection was moved out of the museum to a building in South Kensington in 1881 to form the Natural History Museum.
Over the years, the building has been added to, refurbished as needed and the collections moved around within the building. Many world-famous artifacts have made their way into the museum, some on loan and some as a permanent home from all across the globe representing major events and time periods.
The museum was hit by bombs in 1940 and 1941 and over a quarter of a million books were lost from one hit along with damage from the water used to put the fires out.
In 1973 the remaining books within the museum were joined with other book holdings to form the British Library and then moved to their new premises near St Pancras in 1997.
The museum is spread over three floors - ground, upper and lower - with different levels on each floor.
There are over sixty galleries contained within the museum with a small number of which will be shut at times for updates and rotation of artifacts.
The majority of the galleries are arranged via geographical area and then particular time periods or major artifacts. There are also a number of special exhibitions which change a number of times a year, highlighting various countries, areas, themes or specific artifacts.
Some of the most famous artifacts of note contained in the museum are;
Parts of the museum buildings are also as worthy of inspection as the collections of artifacts;
Opening hours are 10:00 until 17:00.
Certain Fridays are late opening. Closed 24th - 26th December.
Book online for general admission for a time slot but walk-ups can be admitted, although there is no guarantee of entry at busy periods. There may be a charge for special exhibitions and these are booked separately.
Tickets are free but donations can be made.
It can take around three to four hours to visit the British Museum but if extra exhibitions are to be seen it can potentially take a full day.
Audio description guides, object handling and touch tours are currently unavailable from/at the museum due to the COVID situation. The audio guide is available on YouTube or Apple music for visitors to access themselves via their own devices and own headphones.
There are out of hours tours taking in certain galleries which change during the year. These can be pre-booked online and cost £33 per adult (over 15), £30 for concessions and Members of the Museum and £16.50 for children (5-15 years). Under 5s and carers are free.
British Sign Language (BSL) tours are also available with specific subjects changing throughout the year. Cost is £7.50 per person.
Large print guides are available however these must be downloaded and printed at home.
All bags are checked upon entry to the museum but oversized bags, wheeled cases, and sports equipment are not allowed on the premises.
Left luggage is available at local major rail stations such as Euston, King’s Cross, and Charing Cross. No cloakroom facilities are available at this time at the museum.
Baby changing facilities are available on Levels -1, 0, and 4, and a baby feeding room is accessible on the Floor -1.
Toilets (wheelchair accessible and baby changing) are available on Levels -2, -1, 0, 3, and 4 of the museum.
The Great Court restaurant on the Upper floor is open daily from 10:00 until 17:00. This is set under the roof of the Great Court and provides a full dining experience of a 2 or 3 course meal at lunch or afternoon tea. Alcohol and hot and cold drinks are served here also. Booking is advised.
The Court Cafe on Ground floor is a more relaxed experience with ready-made sandwiches, prepared salads, and cakes available along with hot and cold drinks. This is open daily from 10:00 until 17:00.
Food and drink are only allowed to be consumed in the cafe and restaurant areas and specific areas which are signposted.
There are a number of shops within the museum. The Bookshop, Family shop and Collections shop are all open from 10:00 until 17:00.
No smoking or vaping is permitted anywhere in the museum.
Photography and filming for personal use is permitted however the use of stands and selfie sticks is not allowed.
The British Museum is located in Bloomsbury, central London with entrances on Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG, and Montague Place, WC1E 7JW.
It has a number of different University buildings to the north and west, Great Ormond Street hospital to the east and Soho, and Leicester Square and Covent Garden to the south.
By Tube
The nearest tube stations are Goodge Street, Russell Square, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road.
By Bus
A number of bus services pass very close by to the Museum. On New Oxford street, bus numbers 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, and 242. On Tottenham Court Road (northbound)/Gower Street (southbound) bus numbers 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, and 390. On Southampton Row bus numbers 59, 68, X68, 91, 168, and 188.
By Boat
Embankment pier is approximately a 25 minute walk away and allows access to river services that serve the Thames.
By Train
The nearest overground main train station is Charing Cross (approximately 22 minutes walk) which takes you out of the City and to many parts of the UK.
By Car
Driving in central London is not recommended due to lack of, and price of, parking and also due to the congestion charge which applies to vehicles entering this central zone. Blue badge parking can be booked via the museum. However, if required, the closest car park is London Bloomsbury Square NCP car park.
Due to the location of the museum, there are numerous options for accommodation in the central London vicinity.
From hostels and budget hotel options all the way through to five-star luxury, there are many places to stay.
Central London, by its nature as a capital city, has many attractions to see and things to do.
Just a few of the many options available in the vicinity of the museum are:
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Yes, the British Museum is free to enter however there is a charge for some special exhibitions.
Inside the British Museum, there are at least eight million artifacts from around the world that cover two million years of human history and culture. Approximately eighty thousand of these are on display at any one time.
The British Museum is famous for being the world’s oldest national public museum and for containing at least eight million artifacts from around the world.
No, there are no dinosaurs at the British Museum.
Yes, you can just turn up to visit the British Museum. This is dependent on capacity and cannot be guaranteed.
The most famous object at the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone which is the stone tablet with inscriptions that provided the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
The oldest thing in the British Museum is the Olduvai stone chopping tool which was made nearly two million years ago.
The British Museum was founded in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloane who donated his personal collection to the nation.
There are four tube stops that are very close to the British Museum - Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street, and Russell Square. The Museum did have its own tube stop for over thirty years in the early 20th century but this was shut when Holborn was built.
There are over sixty galleries in the British Museum.
There are approximately eight million artifacts contained at the British Museum.
Yes, the British Museum was bombed on a few occasions during 1940 and 1941 with the loss of over a quarter of a million books.