Should you visit the British Museum with children?
The British Museum in London has one of the greatest collections in the world – but you need to tackle it the right way with children.
Why visit the British Museum
The British Museum is unquestionably one of the greatest museums on the planet, filled with often questionably-obtained and frequently priceless artefacts from around the globe.
The exhibits are consistently both important and impressive, with the range outstanding. You can flit from Egyptian mummies to the friezes of the Parthenon, via Easter Island moai and African bronzes.
Items such as the Rosetta Stone, which provided the key to translating ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, may grab the headlines, but it’s often the less-heralded parts of the collection that have the charm. The character-packed Lewis Chessmen, carved from walrus ivory in the 12th century, are a great example of this.
Visiting the British Museum with children
The first thing you’ll want to do when visiting the British Museum with children is to avoid the long, snaking queue is book a ticket in advance. Tickets are free, but having one before you arrive means you dodge the horrible walk-up queue at the Montague Place entrance.
The Great Russell Street entrance for advance bookings is more pleasant and less hassle.
As a general rule, the British Museum is designed for adults rather than children. The signage is stuffy old-school serious and you don’t get to do much button-pushing.
However, there are a series of Museum Explorer trails from the Family Desk in the Great Court. These trails turn the British Museum into something of a treasure hunt, looking for clues amongst the artefacts. These trails are downloadable, too.
British Museum review: The best bit
Much of the British Museum’s collection is engrossing due to its backstory, but the wow factor comes from the colossal monuments and tombs from the ancient world. The Nereid Monument and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, in particular, make eyes pop with the sheer monumental scale.
Infants, juniors or secondary?
Infant age children are going to be very bored in the British Museum, but junior age kids may well get into the sections related to what they’re learning about at school. It’s a better bet for secondary age children who want to learn, however.
British Museum entry prices
Entry tickets to the British Museum are free, but should be booked online.
Prices were last checked and updated on 23 October 2024.
Full day, half day or a couple of hours?
The British Museum is best tackled in a series of shorter stints, taking in a couple of sections at a time. However, if you don’t live in London, this is not practical. You can easily spend a full day inside this vast museum – but it is an intense experience and your brain is likely to be fried by the end of it.
Attractions near the British Museum
Other attractions relatively close to the British Museum include:
Great attractions elsewhere in London include the Tower of London.
Nearby cities
Cities within a 90 minute drive of the Tower of London include St Albans, Chelmsford, Cambridge, Southend and Canterbury.
Is it open on Mondays?
The British Museum is open daily, and busy daily – although the queues are shorter on Mondays than they are on weekend days.
More information
For more information, visit the British Museum website.
