London

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

British Museum

More Photos
SpeedcatBeth
SpeedcatBeth
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
50
Reviews
189
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
6-10 of 50

British Museum

  • April 21, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Brubs23 from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
I have been to London once before, and this was the one destination I had missed that I made sure I saw the second time around. It is definitely worth it. We were there for 2 hours and probably only saw 60% of it. The Africa sections and the Ancient Greece/Rome areas were fascinating. I missed several areas I would like to go back and see, specifically Latin America. There were a significant number of people in the main areas, but due to the museum's large size, the crowds were never a problem.

From journal Visiting Friends in London

British Museum

  • April 18, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by patty718 from Torrance, California
The British Museum is a free museum filled with artifacts from all over the world and all different times. One of their most impressive venues was the mummies of Egypt, and their coin exhibition which showed the different types of monetary exchange methods people have used throughout the years. What I found interesting was that throughout the museum they had stations where one could go and handle different artifacts and feel and learn a bit more about the things that usually we'd have to see behind glass. It's an extremely big museum, and since it's free, I suggest not trying to do it all in one day if possible. Maybe take one section at a time because it's a lot to take in in one day.

From journal A Week in London

Editor Pick

The British Museum

  • April 3, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by The Breeze from Mayfield, Ohio
The British Museum

I kept telling myself that it would be overwhelming to try to squeeze a quick visit to one of the world’s greatest collections of human cultural history into our 1 week in London, but how could I not at least check it out? I mean, at least we could see the Rosetta Stone, if nothing else… So I dragged my companions to the Tottenham Court Road Tube stop and we forged on.

The first shock I received after walking in the main entrance was discovering that photography is allowed!! This was almost too much for me to take, especially since that was the day I had absentmindedly left the hotel without my camera! Luckily, though, my daughter had hers, and allowed me the use of it whenever I wished. We allowed ourselves only a few hours here, soaking up all that we possibly could.

The museum is divided roughly into the following areas: Britain & Europe, Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece & Rome, Americas, Asia, and Africa. There are free gallery “eyeOpener” tours, guided tours, and audio tours available; we found the museum guides to be quite willing to help us locate a particular section or answer a question. In addition to hours of potential browsing, there are lectures, workshops, films, and children’s activities, such as drawing materials, games, and free hands-on sessions with genuine museum objects. There is a marvelous souvenir shop (though rather pricey), the Court Restaurant, a couple of self-service cafes, and even a family picnic area with vending machines.

For me, one of the most unforgettable sights was kind of hidden away back in the Greek & Roman Antiquities area. It was a Caryatid, which is a sculpture of a maiden that served as one of six columns of a building on the Acropolis of Athens. It was made in 415 BC and stood 2.31m tall. To me, the loveliness of this piece really stood out.

The British Museum is open daily from 10am until 5:30pm (8:30pm Thursday and Friday). Admission is free.

From journal I Love London!

The British Museum

  • January 27, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Nosferatu from Newark, California
The British Museum

This is one of the most amazing museums in the world today--and there are a LOT of spectacular museums. It pretty much has the history of the world, from pre-civilization to modern times, all under one roof. What is equally amazing is that the museum continues to be free of charge, not counting the special exhibits.

A large chunk of the museum is dedicated to the collections from ancient Greece and Egypt. The collections from these two areas are absolutely fascinating, and the descriptions given on the artifacts are diligently done. One of the highlights in this part of the museum is the famous Rosetta stone, which allowed archaeologists to understand and translate hieroglyphics.

I found that the best way to explore the museum was to come back a few times and only spend a couple of hours at a time. That way, you will not be overwhelmed with the large number of galleries you will need to see or numb with information and sensory overload. A visit to London should include the British Museum without fail. It is both grand and fun.

From journal London--The Heart of the Empire

Editor Pick

The British Museum – the world in a building

  • December 26, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Drever from Ayr
The British Museum – the world in a building

Being only a short walk from our hotel, we visited the British Museum. Its advantage is that everything stretches out before leaving you are free to make your own discoveries--instant world travel! Some might view this stripping the earth of its treasures as a tragedy, but often it is the only way to preserve them. The Elgin Marbles would, for instance, have been destroyed by corrosive pollution if left on the Parthenon in Athens

The museum, established in 1753, is the world's greatest collection of antiquities, particularly from Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, and Asia. Among its most famous holdings are the Elgin Marbles, the Rosetta Stone, and the Portland Vase. The British have gone to the ends of the earth in search of artefacts to document the history and aspirations of the civilizations and cultures of every continent. It all comes together here, from Rome to the Far East, from the Americas to the Pacific Rim. The collection is too vast for anyone to truthfully say they have "done" the museum.

Its creation was spurred by a private donation to the government in the 1730s of over 71,000 exhibits. These combined with another collection already held created an urgent need for a museum. Additions to the collections led to continual remodelling of the building, leading to a mixture of Victorian, French, and Greek Revival architecture styles. The central plaza contained the Reading Room, one of the great centres of European scholarship, where Karl Marx famously wrote Das Kapital. At the turn of the millennium, this Reading Room was given its own museum, The British Library. Then a delicate glass dome was erected over the entire central plaza, creating the Great Court. Its dome arches gracefully over the floor below and converges on the copper roof of the former Reading Room, as if one dome rested on another. It is a spectacular sight and enhances the rest of the building's architecture. It is also a good place to have a cup of coffee and a snack or browse the bookshop.

I spent a considerable time in the first gallery I came to that was devoted to Islam. In truth, it would be possible to spend a day or so studying the beliefs and achievements of each of the many cultures covered. Having only a few hours before catching the connections back to the airport, I realised that a whirlwind tour was called for. Fortunately, photography is allowed, so I have a record of some of the main items together with their captions.

To assist those who know what they are looking for, COMPASS is available in the former Library's Reading Room. It provides a much-needed orientation tool for the surrounding galleries.

The museum hosts lectures, study days, and celebrations of cultures. The latter often includes a host of free activities, performances, and displays, which may include dancers, listening to stories, and music. If I stayed in London, I would attend many of those.

From journal December in London: Theatres, Art, and Antiquity

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
6-10 of 50

Compare London Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Helpful London Links

London Travel Deals