The nice thing about visiting a place like the Natural History Museum in London is that you are not only taking a sightseeing tour of your travel destination, but also getting to know a little more about our own history.
The NHM – Natural History Museum of London was founded as part of the British Museum in 1881, but it was not until 1992 that it became known by that name. As one of the best known and most visited museums in Europe, it has a collection of more than 80 million species and more than 300 scientists working in its laboratories, libraries and archives.
Its importance is historical and it even has an area with the collection of species collected by Charles Darwin.
Read our posts to plan your visit in London and England:
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How to get to the Natural History Museum in London
The museum’s official address is Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom, but it has three entries:
- The Cromwell Road (access at the corner of Exhibition Road) is always open during opening hours and has direct access;
- The Exhibition Road is also always open; and
- The Queen’s Gate, which may be open during busy periods such as holidays.
The ideal is to search the official website and social networks for your updated entry information.
The best way to get to the Natural History Museum in London is via the tube, whose nearest station is South Kensington, where the District, Piccadilly and Circle lines pass. The station is about a five-minute walk from the Exhibition Road entrance.
If you go at the end of the year, during the winter season, in front of the Museum there is a skating rink and a carousel. In addition to the opportunity to have fun in the Christmas atmosphere, the view with the beautiful building of the NHM is wonderful.
Practical information to visit the Natural History Museum in London
The museum is open to visit every day of the year, with the exception of the Christmas holidays, when it is closed during the 24th, 25th and 26th of December. Opening hours are from 10 am to 5:50 pm.
Your ticket is free, however there are some exhibitions that are paid separately or that require advance reservation. You can check it on official website, including updated information about time and prices.
Another tip is to take a tour with a guide, our partner GetYourGuide has some really cool options:
Itinerary to visit the London Natural History Museum
Right in the Museum’s giant entrance courtyard, you come across a 25-meter-long skeleton of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling. The cover photo of this publication shows a little of the grandeur of this installation.
The Museum is divided into four zones:
- Blue: exploring the diversity of life on Earth, including dinosaurs, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, including a model of a blue whale and human biology.
- Green: which deals with the evolution of the planet, with birds, crawling beings, minerals and other treasures, which is where the skeleton of the 25 meter whale is.
- Red: a journey through the force that sculpts and shapes the Earth, including volcanoes, earthquakes, fossils and more.
- Orange: where the Darwin Center is located and the wildlife garden of plants and animals.
The first room we visited was the room with the blue whale. There are many animals, whether their skeletons or statues. Olivia loved seeing so many animals together.
As we visited the museum at lunchtime, we took the opportunity to eat at The T.rex Grill restaurant. It wasn’t that cheap and the menu is very simple, but Olivia liked it and it was good to get some rest. I say that because the museum was full of people and with a small child you know it’s more work.
We walked around the other areas and ended the visit in the dinosaur area, which I think was the area we liked the most. The cool thing about this area is that it ends with a moving Tyrannosaurus Rex sculpture.
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