The Big London Museums: Plan for More
The British Museum, V&A and Natural History Museum are three of London’s most recognisable museums. And all three can be excellent choices. But their popularity creates an important planning consideration: you need to be strategic about when you visit, what you want to see and what you do around them.
The British Museum is one of the museums I recommend as an anchor attraction in my London Travel Guide. If history is your thing, you could spend hours exploring its collections. If it isn’t, you can see a few highlights and move on (like me). Always start with the Rosetta Stone (which draws the biggest crowds) and then decide how much more time you want to give it.
The fact that admission is free shouldn’t determine how long you stay.
The same principle applies to the V&A and Natural History Museum. They are large museums with plenty to see. You could easily build a substantial part of your day around either one. Or, since they’re near each other, spend half a day at each.
But the biggest problem I solve for my 1:1 London trip consultation clients is what other things to do in London should they pair with a museum visit. What you do after the museum can be just as important as choosing the museum itself.
You don’t want to spend your morning in a museum only to discover that you have to cross London for your next activity. You might also miss the opportunity for a really lovely lunch or afternoon tea nearby simply because you didn’t know it was there.
That’s one of the reasons I added a section to my Restaurant Guide for places to eat near London attractions. Rather than trying to decide the best afternoon tea in London from tons of suggestion lists and social media videos, I give you 2-3 afternoon teas I love that are by each of the main places to see in London.
And if you’re deciding between the British Museum and V&A, watch the above video comparing the two to help you work out which experience sounds more like you.
