British Museum of Natural History

Your guide to finding and exploring this stunning building, including my top insider tips...

The British Museum of Natural History is an extremely popular South Kensington Museum. Located in very close proximity to the London Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum London, this area gets extremely busy.

Inside you'll discover countless exhibitions from the tiniest specimen right up to the enormous blue whale and not forgetting the famous diplodocus in the entrance hall!

Interactive displays provide plenty of fun for anyone who cares to have a go.

Remember to explore the Darwin Centre (Including the fabulous Cocoon experience) and our personal favourite, the Earth Hall (Red Zone).

On this page, I'll show you where The British Natural History museum is in London, how to get there and also some top insider tips I have picked up over the years.

You can also read the blog article about our personal experiences here at the Natural History Museum London.

Address:

Natural History Museum

Cromwell Road

London

SW7 5BD

Telephone number: +44 (0) 20 7942 5000

Entrance Cost:

Free admission (although some temporary exhibitions may carry a charge, you can choose whether to visit these).

Opening Times:

I would always advise you check the British Museum of Natural History official website before you travel, in case of any planned or unexpected changes to their opening times.

Monday to Saturday - 10am-5pm.

Sunday - 2pm-5pm.

Christmas opening hours: The Museum is closed 24th, 25th and 26th December.

Opening times Easter: As Easter dates vary, I always check with the Museum first.

How to get to the Natural History Museum London.

This South Kensington Museum is extremely easy to get to on public transport.

By Tube

Personally, I find the easiest way there is to get the tube. Although I have walked there from Knightsbridge before. Check out the interactive map below.

The nearest stop is South Kensington which is on the Picadilly, Circle and District lines.

The British Museum of Natural History, along with the other South Kensington Museums, is incredibly well signposted through the underpass that leads from the tube station.

It's also very busy with lots of other tourists and commuters, so I never feel intimidated using the underpasses, in fact there'll usually be some amazing buskers to entertain you as you walk.

By Bus

The Museum is also well serviced by buses, the following buses stop nearby:

345
360
414
C1 (Exhibition Road)

TIP

There is limited on-street disabled parking outside the Museum.

On-site disabled parking is also limited, so call the Museum’s Security Control Room on +44 (0)20 7942 5888 (24 hours) to book in advance.

Make sure to check out transport for London's journey planner for the most up to date and advanced information for public transport in London.

If you're touring London on an open top bus, you'll also be able to get off at the British Museum of Natural History.

Top Insider Tip

Arguably, one of the biggest complaints about the Natural History Museum London can be queue times.

Personally I have never had to queue. Why?

If you can, visit off season. Summer will always be busy.
Avoid visiting in UK half-term breaks. The Museum is very likely to be packed.
Go early or quite late in the day. (Remember, if you go late it's unlikely you'll have time to 'do' the whole Museum).
If you visit during term-time, there will be school groups at the Museum. However, they are bound by school times.
Go to the most popular exhibitions as soon as you get there (i.e Dinosaur Exhibits). Lines will build quickly in these areas.
If there does happen to be a queue at the main entrance (Cromwell Road) there is another side entrance on Exhibition Road. Sometimes it will be quicker to get in there.