British Museum
the whole world under one roof
Two million years of human history in one building, free since 1759. The Rosetta Stone, the mummies, the lot.
Free to visit · Bloomsbury · Tottenham Court Road · WC1B 3DG
Opening: Daily 10am–5pm · Fri to 8:30pm
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.
Getting there: Five minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road or Holborn, a little longer up from Russell Square on the Piccadilly line.
Best time to go: Right at 10am opening, or the last two hours before close. Friday late opening is the quietest evening.
Insider tip: Skip the main Great Russell Street queue and use the quieter back entrance on Montague Place. Same museum, a fraction of the wait, and you walk in right by the Egyptian sculpture.
Official site: https://www.britishmuseum.org
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