London Travel—Visiting British Museum

Founded in 1753, the British Museum ⭐⭐was the first national public museum in the world, and today it is Britain’s most visited with more than 7 million people arriving per year. 

Figure 1.  Exhibitions and Events of British Museum

British Museum

Entry has always been free and includes access to the institution’s most important and sought-after acquisitions, such as the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures and Ancient Egyptian structures. The museum is an architectural gem itself, with the newly refurbished Queen Elizabeth II Great Court a highlight. See the open hours below:

Every day, except Fridays, the Main entrance closes at 16.00 as the Museum closes at 17.00. On Fridays, due to the late opening of exhibitions, the Main entrance closes at 19.30 as the Museum closes at 20.30. 

However, the museums and public galleries stay open with only Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day closures.

Please note that Montaghue Place entrance shown on Figure 3 is not for general public.  On the day of my visit, I've seen it was only used for tour groups, but not for individual visitors.  If you're a member of the museum, you also need to enter via the main entrance.  But, you can join a shorter line which is solely used by members (do ask the gatekeepers first before joining any line).

Figure 2.  British Museum Map (Courtesy: Google map)

How to Access

Closest underground stations:

• Tottenham Court Road (Elizabeth Line / Central Line / Northern Line)
• Russel Square (Piccadilly Line)

You can download Citymapper app to your mobiles, which will get you to your destination easier.  You can also download Tfl Go app to complement what Citymapper app misses.  For example, Tfl Go covers Heathrow Express train ride, but not Citymapper.

Figure 3.  Room 30 Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery Ground floor, Level 0

Exhibitions

There are multiple exhibitions and events held now and then.  For example, a special exhibition "Hieroglyphs unlocking ancient Egypt" will be displayed in Room 30 (see Figure 3) from 13 October 2022 to 19 February 2023.

Hieroglyphs were not just beautiful symbols, they represented a living, spoken language.

We could only glimpse into this hidden world, until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone provided the key to decoding hieroglyphs, allowing us to read this ancient script. The breakthrough expanded our understanding of human history by some 3,000 years.

Marking 200 years since the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, this major exhibition takes you through the trials and hard work that preceded, and the revelations that followed, this ground-breaking moment.

You can start your visit early by downloading Audio App from either Apple App Store or Google Play Store and purchase the "Full bundle" for a price of £4.99.  But, remember to bring your headphones with you or purchase earbuds from the Guide Desk and British Museum Shop.

Figure 4.  Ground Floor (or Level 0)

Detailed Level 0 Map

Both Guide Desk and Membership Desk are in the Great Court.

References

1. British Museum 
2. Travelling between London airports
• National Express (LGW ⇔ LHR every hour)
3. London Stansted Airport (STN)
4. How To Visit The British Museum In 2023: Tickets, Hours, Tours, And More
5. One hour at the Museum trail
6. Maps of the National Rail Network of Great Britain
7. Whole Foods Market (UK)
8. How Safe is England? What Travelers Need to Know
9. A Guide to Westminster, London
10. Must-Visit Attractions in London
• St Paul’s Cathedral
• Kew Gardens
• London Zoo
• London Eye
• ArcelorMittal Orbit
• Madame Tussauds
• Tate Modern
• Tower of London
• Tower Bridge
• Sea Life London Aquarium
• The Old Vic
• Hyde Park
• Imperial War Museum
• South Bank
• Oxford Street
• Buckingham Palace (changing-the-guard schedule)
• The Shard
• The Victoria and Albert Museum
• British Museum (ticket information)
• Royal Albert Hall
• The National Gallery
• Borough Market
• Shakespeare's Globe
• Portobello Road
• Westminster Abbey
11. Best Times to Visit London
12. LHR Terminal 5 map
13. St Pancras railway station (Eurostar Station)
14. Heathrow Express (Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 and Heathrow Terminal 5 → London Paddington)
15. Transport for London
16. Museum map (link)
17. Museum Restaurants (link)
• Great Court Restaurant—Open: daily, 11.30–17.00 (last sitting 16.00)
• Lunch* – daily, 11.30–15.00 (last sitting 15.00)
• Afternoon tea* – daily, 11.30–17.00 (last sitting 16.00)
  
• Court Cafés—Open: daily, 10.00–17.00
• Pizzeria—Open: daily, 12.00–15.00
• is in the south-west corner of the Ground floor – just turn left immediately after you enter the Main Entrance and keep going.