British Museum

The British Museum in London houses a vast collection of art and artifacts spanning two million years of human history. Visitors can explore galleries featuring ancient Egyptian mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and the Parthenon sculptures. The museum offers free entry and is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00, with extended hours on Fridays until 20:30. It’s located at Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG.

Planning your visit

Entry to the British Museum is free, which makes the real question what to do with your time rather than whether to buy a ticket. The collection spans two million years of human history across some eight million objects, and first-time visitors routinely lose an hour drifting between galleries before finding the Rosetta Stone or the Parthenon sculptures. A guided highlights tour is essentially a shortcut through that: an expert-led route covering the most famous works in a couple of hours.

Because admission itself costs nothing, what's bookable here is expertise and structure. Small-group and private tours focus on themes — Ancient Egypt, the Rosetta Stone and Sutton Hoo, Assyrian reliefs, or the museum's magic and ritual collections. Family-oriented private tours are pitched at keeping children engaged rather than marched through galleries. There are also bundles that pair the museum with the Changing of the Guard or a Jack the Ripper walk, which suit a single well-planned day in central London. Options and times are listed below.