Natural History Museum
dinosaurs and a whale, all free
The blue whale, the dinosaurs and a cathedral of a building, free in South Kensington. The most visited museum in the country.
Free to visit · South Kensington · South Kensington · SW7 5BD
Opening: Daily 10am–5:50pm
The Natural History Museum looks more like a cathedral than a museum, and that is before you get inside. The great Hintze Hall, with a real blue whale skeleton diving through the air above your head, is free to walk into and one of the best rooms in London.
Beyond it lie the dinosaurs, the earthquake floor, a wall of glittering minerals and seventy million specimens gathered over centuries. It is built for kids but it floors adults just as hard, and not one of the permanent galleries costs a penny.
It is the most visited museum in the country, so timing is everything. Get there for opening, dodge the school holidays if you possibly can, and you will have the whale to yourself for a few quiet minutes before the crowds pour in.
Getting there: A five minute walk from South Kensington, with a pedestrian tunnel from the tube that brings you out by the museums.
Best time to go: Right at 10am opening, especially in school holidays. By midday the hall and the queue are heaving.
Insider tip: Skip the long queue on the Cromwell Road steps and use the side entrance on Exhibition Road. Same museum, a fraction of the wait, and you walk straight in near the dinosaurs.
Official site: https://www.nhm.ac.uk
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