British Museum
Two million years of human history in one building, free since 1759. The Rosetta Stone, the mummies, the lot.
The lowdown
The British Museum is the big one, and it has been free to walk into since the day it opened in 1759. Eight million objects give or take, pulled from every corner of the world and laid out across a building the size of a small town.
You cannot do it all so do not try. Pick three things and wander. The Rosetta Stone is in room 4 and always has a crowd around it. The Egyptian mummies are upstairs and worth the climb. The Parthenon sculptures have their own long quiet gallery, and the Great Court glass roof above your head is the biggest covered square in Europe.
It gets busy. Late mornings and weekends are a proper crush around the famous bits, so come right at opening or in the last couple of hours when the day trippers have gone and you can actually hear yourself think.
The insider tip
The bit we only tell the people on the list. Join free and every insider tip unlocks on this device.
Featured in these guides
Get it in your inbox
One email a week with the best free things to do in London this weekend. Before everyone else finds them.