This is one world-class museum nobody can miss! And it's the best price in the world, FREE! Even the kids will like it! If you are without children on the visit, plan to spend at least half a day there, as it is so huge, it just takes that long to see the important stuff. I recommend taking an afternoon to see it. Tours and school groups tend to come in the mornings and that makes the museum crowded. Crowds make me feel overwhelmed and often the more important pieces are hard to see.

If you chose to go, you must see the Egyptian collection, the Greek and Roman collection (which includes the Elgin Marbles -- the Parthenon Friezes), and the Near Eastern sections. The bulk of these are on the first floor of the museum and are often jumbled up together. The Near Eastern collection includes a great deal of artwork from ancient Iraq and the section is almost always empty. The museum can be fickle about letting people in that section, especially if its crowded (the space is rather narrow), but be persistent. Slightly out of the way on the first floor is a collection from the Mausoleum of Hallicarnasus, an important Greek monument from Turkey. Don't miss it – it’s cool and you won't find as many tourists there as in the neighboring Elgin marbles. Also don't miss the Egyptian mummies on the second floor! The mummies are almost always crowded, but well worth the agony! If you have time, see the Roman Britain section on the second floor.

The new courtyard in the center of the museum is a great place to relax and have a cup of coffee and tea, too.

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.

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.

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.

We met our guide (Tom) at the Holborn tube stop, then wound our way through Bloomsbury on our way to the British Museum. Tom pointed out the homes of the famous and infamous, past and present, and we then arrived at the British Museum.

As would be expected, the place is huge and crowded, and one could easily spend weeks there without seeing everything. Tom took us directly to the highlights, and his commentary was insightful and informative, adding immensely to the experience.

After seeing the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, the Assyrian friezes, and a wealth of other artifacts, we were left on our own to explore further the things we found most interesting. My friend and I had tea in the snack area in the Great Hall, which was very tasty and reasonably priced. The gift shop is wonderful, with great gift items for everyone on your list, including yourself.

Since we visited during the school year, there were few tourists, but many groups of uniformed school children. Our guide informed us that the children are given free rein so they may develop enthusiasm for art and learning. They were pretty rowdy at times, but it was really great to see their energy and excitement.

Admission to the museum is free, although donations are requested. A tour is a great way to become oriented and then go back to explore the museum's treasures in more depth. Since the museum covers over 13 acres, an orientation tour can save you from wasting your valuable time roaming around aimlessly.