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The British Museum, London Open daily. Free Entry but varying charges to visit Special Exhibitions

❰ View on Map Updated: 6 months ago

Details

Accessibility

The British Museum does all that it possibly can to assist disabled visitors - overcoming the constraints of a 170-years -old building. Entry to the museum is primarily through the majestic front south entrance on Great Russell Street. This has 12-step access with handrails but there are also two self-operable lifts on either side of the steps.The secondary rear entrance in Montague Place has street-level access. Easy access routes for the great majority of galleries and special exhibitions are available inside for visitors, including those with buggies, wheelchairs and guide dogs. Free Plans of the museum are available from the well-staffed Information desk in the central Great Court - these show the location of lifts. A limited number of wheelchairs are available at both entrances. These can be booked in advance. E mail tickets@britishmuseum.org There are accessible toilets in the Great Court - easiest to get to - and in the Clore Education Centre, the Ford Centre and to the north of room 66 on level 3. Staff members are well-trained in disability and equality, including proficiency in British Sign Language. There is also information provided in Braille, Large Print and Audio.

Brief description

This is the leading museum of the world for the world. Treasures such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, the Sutton Hoo Hoard are among the greatest achievements of humanity. It is the first-ever national public museum established in 1759 and forever delighting the "curious and studious" in the words of its founding objective. Four thousand years of civilisation are expressed in its 8 million objects contained in 70 galleries,organised by geography, history and theme. No wonder annual attendances are over 6 million, making it Britain's leading visitor attraction. They are pulled by the British obsessions with exploration, quirkiness and obsessive collecting.

The building itself is essentially a Neoclassical masterwork in Portland Stone designed by Sir Robert Smirke and built 1825-57. There have been significant adaptations and additions since. The most recent (1997-2000) is the soaring glass and steel central Great Court designed by Norman Foster. It is the largest public covered square in Europe.

Address

British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG.

Email

info@britishmuseum.org

Phone

020 7323 8000 - often very busy

Website

www.britishmuseum.org

Directions

The museum is in Bloomsbury, just north of New Oxford Street and close to the southern end of Tottenham Court Road. Its size and position is such that it's impossible to miss!

Opening Times

Monday-Thursday and Saturday -Sunday: 10.00 hours to 17.30 hours.

Friday: 10.00 hours - 20.30 hours. Friday evenings at the Museum are the occasion for a wide range of events, including lectures, discussions, film screenings and special music and dance performances, many of which are related to current exhibitions.

Entry is free but there are varying charges to visit Special Exhibitions.

Transport

The museum is exceptionally well-served by public transport.

There are four nearby underground stations: Tottenham Court Road (500m and recently-modernised so fully accessible); Holborn (500m; Russell Square (800m); Goodge Street (800m).

Twenty bus services have stops nearby:

1,8,19,25,38,55,98,242 - stop nearby on New Oxford Street

14,24,29,73,134,390 - stop northbound on Tottenham Court Road and southbound on Gower Street

59,68,X68,91,168,188 - stop on Southampton Row

To plan your journey and for up to date travel information then contact Transport For London (TFL). Telephone 0343 222 1234 (Textphone 0800 112 3456). For further details on accessible services visit the website: https//tfl.gov.uk/

The venue is within the London Congestion Charge zone. See map for details: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/congestion-charge?intcmp=40404

To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) now operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year within the same area of central London as the Congestion Charge. Most vehicles, including cars and vans, need to meet the ULEZ emissions standards or their drivers must pay a daily charge to drive within the zone. ULEZ specifications can be accessed via the TFL website

There are Blue Badge Parking Bays available in the museum's Great Russell Street Car Park. These have to be booked in advance. E mail tickets@britishmuseum or call 0207 323 8181 at least 24 hours in advance . Give registration number, make and model of vehicle and date of visit.

Amenities

The museum has five eating/drinking facilities for the public.

Three are cafes. Most popular and with greatest variety of options is the two station Cafe in the Great Court. This serves hot meals as well as snack options. The other two cafes serve only snacks and are 1) at the Montague Place entrance and 2) on level 3 by the South Lift. All are open 10.00 hours-17.30 hours.

The Pizzeria on ground level through Room 12 serves pizzas, salads and desserts. It's open 11.00 hours-16.00 hours.

Top-quality is the Great Court Restaurant on level 3. It serves seasonal mains, afternoon tea and exclusive exhibition-themed menus. It's open 10.00 hours-17.30 hours with Lunch on offer 11.30-15.00. It also opens for Friday Lates dinner until 20.30.

Another valued amenity is the Shop in the Great Court. This offers a splendid choice of artefacts, jewellery, clothing, books, prints. These refer not just to the museum's collections but to themes in British and world history.

Travel Information

For further travel information please see: www.traveline.info

Or call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33
(Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company's access charge)

NB London ULTRA-LOW EMISSION ZONE

This started on 8 April 2019 in the Central London Congestion Charge Zone, and will extend to the whole of the London area within the M25 Motorway from 25 October 2021.
For more details please see: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle-35896

Vehicles registered with a 'disabled' or 'disabled passenger vehicles' tax class will benefit from a grace period after the ULEZ starts until 26 October 2025 as long as their vehicle doesn't change tax class, and this also applies to a 'disabled' vehicle registered outside the UK.