British Museum tour

The British Museum was founded in 1753, with Sir Hans Sloane’s collections at its core. It became an important early public museum, bringing objects from different cultures into a single institution for study and discovery.

Access in its early years was carefully controlled, with visitors applying in advance. That history offers an interesting contrast with the museum’s much wider public role today and the range of people who now come to explore its collections.

Entry to the general collection is free, and booking a free ticket in advance is recommended, especially at busy times. Some special exhibitions require a separate paid ticket. A guided visit should be planned around the galleries and exhibitions you actually want to see.

As the collections grew, the museum’s buildings expanded. Much of the great quadrangle took shape during the 19th century, and the circular Reading Room became a distinctive feature at its centre. Its dome belongs to a different period from the glass roof over the Great Court; the two spaces tell separate chapters of the building’s development.

Eventually, parts of the collections moved into separate institutions. The Natural History Museum opened in South Kensington in 1881, giving the natural history departments a new home. The library collections later became part of the British Library, which developed its own identity and premises.

The British Museum, Natural History Museum and British Library now offer different experiences. Choose the one that best matches your interests, or set aside separate visits if you want to explore more than one.

At the British Museum, objects from many societies reveal connections between art, belief, trade and everyday life. A focused route can make this broad collection easier to understand than trying to see everything at once.

Plan your visit around a manageable selection of galleries. The museum is extensive, and access to individual rooms can change, so checking the current map and any closures helps you use your time well.

The Egyptian collections include coffins, mummies and objects that illuminate life as well as funerary beliefs. Elsewhere, material from the ancient Middle East, South Asia, Africa and the Greek world offers very different perspectives. Your interests can shape a route through these collections without relying on a fixed sequence of rooms.

The museum also holds an important collection of prints and drawings, including works associated with Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci. Works on paper are not all on permanent display, so check current exhibitions or study access if a particular artist is central to your visit.

Discuss a British Museum visit within your London tour with London Airport Transfer. Agree the transport, any guide service and the galleries of interest, then confirm the museum’s booking requirements.

• A walking tour through the British Museum