national history museum london tour

Natural History Museum Tour

Where else in London can you walk amongst dinosaurs, discover pre-solar diamonds, a 4,568 million year old meteorite or climb in through the centre of the Earth? Unveil nature’s wonders with a private guided tour of the Natural History Museum in the expert company of a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide.

The Natural History Museum in London boasts a treasure trove of fascinating specimens, spanning billions of years of Earth’s history; your London Blue Badge Tourist Guide will help you explore this ‘Cathedral to Nature’ including many of the highlights and areas which hold a personal interest to you and your family.

Before your enter this cathedral to nature, your specialist guide will reveal the history of the Natural History Museum’s magnificent building.

At the Entrance Hall be awestruck by Hope, the magnificent blue whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling, a breathtaking reminder of the ecological vastness of the animal kingdom.

Explore the iconic Hintze Hall, a vast space teeming with dinosaur skeletons. Marvel at the Diplodocus, a long-necked giant, and the imposing Tyrannosaurus Rex. Learn about these prehistoric creatures and imagine their world.

At the Darwin Centre you can delve into the world of evolution. Explore interactive exhibits that showcase Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking theories and the process of natural selection.

Be dazzled at the Minerals Gallery. See a breathtaking array of crystals, gemstones, and minerals from around the world. Admire the beauty of amethysts, the sparkle of diamonds, and the unique formations of meteorites.

Depending on your personal interests, you can explore other fascinating exhibits. Learn about animal mummies in the ancient Egypt section, marvel at the diversity of birds in the bird gallery, or delve into the world of insects or bio-diversity.

With 80m objects, this museum does not only house the world’s most important natural history collection, the very fabric of the building itself is teeming with life in every nook and cranny. Your London Blue Badge Tourist Guide can help you to navigate this fascinating collection providing you with a private tour with added flexibility – you can stop to linger at a particular spot, you can ask as many questions as you like, share your thoughts and observations. You’ll be informed and entertained and have the undivided attention of your guide throughout. This tour is recommended for both adult and young explorers!

If you require a guide with a private car to conduct your tour please tick above. This will send your request to one of our driver guides who are UK licensed, registered and insured.

If you like this tour, you may also like:

London food tour, national portrait gallery tour, shakespeare tour of london.

Tips for Visiting the Natural History Museum in London: a Full Guide (2024)

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The Natural History Museum is one of London’s most iconic museums, and as someone who absolutely loves this museum more than life itself (okay that’s a bit far, but I love it a lot), I’ve got the full rundown of what to expect as a visitor to the Natural History Museum, including my Natural History Museum London review.

Nestled in the museum area of South Kensington , it’s one of the “Big 3” in this area (including the Science Museum and V&A ), one of the best things to do in London , and it is a huge hit with families with children – possibly because of the dinos, but also because of the fun and colorful exhibits featuring everything from earthquakes to gemstones.

It’s one of the best museums in London and can get incredibly packed during school vacation time and the summer months, so make sure you know your plan of action to make the most of your visit.

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Tips for Visiting the Natural History Museum

• The museum has some wonderful self-guided tour maps on their website to help you explore the museum at your own pace while still hitting the highlights – as with many London museums, you won’t see it all, so this is a great option.
• Peak hours at the cafes are from around 12-2pm – get a little creative and plan your lunchtime around that if you’re visiting during busy season.
• Want lower crowds? Get there at opening time and head straight to the dinos.
• The closest tube stop is South Kensington Station , and the museum is a short walk away (there are plenty of signs with directions because it’s one of the most popular things to do in the area).

Exhibits at the Natural History Museum

There are quite a few different galleries spread across different colored zones, but some of the most popular are:

• Dinosaurs (one of the best things to do in London with kids )
• Volcanoes and Earthquakes
• Earth’s Treasury (Gem Stones)
• Creepy Crawlies

Take a look at some of my pictures of the exhibits to get a feel for what’s in store!

Natural History Museum Opening Times

The museum is open every day of the week from 10am to 5:50pm, with the exception of December 24th, December 25th, or December 26th when it is completely closed.

Natural History Museum London Tickets

You have the option to book your slot to enter the Natural History Museum online in advance.

This is a very good idea during the busy season (again, summer and major school vacations).

However, it’s not really needed during other times of the year and you will likely still get in during the busy season, but you may need to wait a bit.

So to be on the safe side – book a ticket. You have nothing to lose, it’s free, but if you find yourself in the area and want to just randomly stroll up, go for it – you’ll likely get in just fine.

How Much Does the Natural History Museum Cost?

Entry to the Natural History Museum is completely free to the main exhibits for all visitors.

You can access special exhibits or traveling exhibits at an additional charge, but there is plenty to do at the museum that doesn’t cost, so these aren’t worth it unless you’re specifically interested in visiting for a traveling exhibit that’s on.

Cafe and Dining Options

As far as museum dining goes, the Natural History Museum actually has some great options.

If you’re just looking for the basic museum café for the whole family, the Central Café is your best bet with plenty of options including vegetarian and vegan food. It also kind of looks like a Hogwarts dining hall with the surrounding walls so that’s a bonus.

Then there are additional eateries that offer similar sandwiches and crisps and salads and hot and cold options, just with shorter opening hours.

But if you’ve got kids with you, you’ve got to try the T. rex Resturant.

It’s super fun and dinosaur themed and has plenty of kid-friendly food like pizzas, sandwiches, desserts and special kid’s meals.

You can also bring your lunch with you!

How long does it take to walk around the Natural History Museum London?

This is such a subjective question and the answer is, if you wanted to see everything and every room and actually read things and have lunch, you could totally spend a whole day here.

But you probably don’t want to, and just want to know how long you need to spend to feel like you’ve “done the museum.”

In my experience, 2-3 hours is sufficient depending on how fast you go through the rooms and whether you really want to stop and see all of the fossils or you’re more in it for the interactive exhibits and earthquake simulator (me, that’s me).

London Natural History Museum Map

To find the map of all of the museum zones, click here .

Natural History Museum London Events

One of the great things about this museum is they’re always holding cool events – from Silent Discos to Valentine’s at the Museum to Yoga at the Museum and DinoSnores museum sleepovers, there’s a good chance there’s something interesting on while you’re in London so check our their Events Page to make sure you don’t miss an off-the-beaten path kind of London experience.

Tours of the Natural History Museum

There are regular Natural History Museum tours, but these are paid-for and can be booked through the website, including a Highlights Tour and a Science of the Museum tour.

There are also the free self-guided tours that you can find that are discussed above in the “Tips for Visiting” section.

And finally, you can book through a private company to do a tour (like this one ) of the museum which is a good idea if you are really interested in all of the exhibits and want an expert to guide you around and make sure you don’t miss anything worth seeing – as well as giving you plenty of additional information, of course.

>> Click here to check out pricing and availability for my favorite private tour of the Natural History Museum

That being said, you don’t need a tour to see the museum – it’s just a fun additional, optional extra and can be a great idea if you only have a few hours and want a guide to help you maximize your time.

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The Natural History Museum

London, United Kingdom

The Natural History Museum is a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use our unique collections and unrivaled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. Explore a story of natural history discovery in an interactive experience , Making Natural History, voiced by Museum researchers and curators. Dive into the museum's 80 million objects with unique, new features: encounter a prehistoric marine reptile in virtual reality, discover pioneering Museum research in a short film, navigate the galleries in 360 degrees care of Google's Street View team, take a tour of ten new exhibits tackling natural history themes, and take students on an expedition through the galleries to learn about adaptation in the natural world.

The Collection

• Photograph 19
• United Kingdom 92
• United States 72
• Australia 19
• Netherlands 3
• Indonesia 1
• Peter Forsskål 310
• Pierre Edmond Boissier 190
• Carl Peter Thunberg 148
• Joseph Gaertner 101
• Ferdinand de Saussure 88
• Coenraad Jacob Temminck 56
• Alfred Russel Wallace 39
• Marcus Licinius Crassus 24
• Friedrich Hayek 9
• Rudolf von Jhering 7
• Carl Linnaeus 6
• Maria Sibylla Merian 6
• Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim 4
• W. G. Sebald 4
• Carl Sigismund Kunth 3
• François Quesnay 3
• John Stuart Mill 2
• Friedrich Carl von Savigny 2
• Empedocles 1
• Chemistry 45
• Medicine 44
• Statistics 11
• Electronics 10
• Psychology 2

Peter Forsskål

Pierre Edmond Boissier

Carl Peter Thunberg

Online Exhibit

Take a virtual stroll through the exhibition

Get a sneak peek of the Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature exhibition.

Read the story

Five natural history trailblazers you may not have heard of

Meet five oft-unsung women who paved the way for future generations of female scientists.

Mary Anning: History's Pioneer of Palaeontology

Get to know the life and work of this pioneering palaeontologist and fossil collector

Butterflies and Moths: Life Written on Wings

The Hidden World of the Tank Room

Virtual visits

Virtual Tour

The Natural History Museum, Hintze Hall

Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature

Stay in touch

Follow The Natural History Museum on Google Arts & Culture for updates to the collection, new stories and upcoming events.

The Natural History Museum's website

• Monday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Tuesday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Wednesday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Thursday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Friday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Saturday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM
• Sunday 10:00 AM – 5:50 PM

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Behind the Scenes Tour: Spirit Collection

Get up close

A 45-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum's unique spirit collection.

Daily tours are currently available until the end of September.

Adult: £25, Child: £25,  Member : £20

Go behind the scenes with our knowledgeable science educators for a look at the Museum's fascinating zoology collection preserved in spirit.

As we explore some of the Darwin Centre's 27 kilometres of shelves, you'll encounter numerous treasures hidden among the 22 million animal specimens housed here.

You'll meet Archie, our 8.62-metre-long giant squid, view specimens collected by Charles Darwin himself and learn more about our cutting-edge research.

Find out about the security measures we have in place .

Important information

The tour is suitable for adults and children aged eight and over. This age limit is in place because the tour content, specimens covered and chemical smells in the tank room are not suitable for younger children. Children under 16 years must be accompanied by an adult.

Due to the chemical smells in the tank room, the tours may also not be suitable for pregnant visitors.

Bags are not allowed on the tour, but free use of the cloakroom is included in your ticket.

We welcome guide dogs at the Museum. There are grass areas for them outside and water is available on request. You can leave your guide dog with the attendants at either of our cloakrooms if you wish.

Guide dogs are not allowed on our Spirit Collection Tours. If you need help with access talk to staff at the information desks or call us on +44 (0)207 942 5000.

If you'll be using a wheelchair on this tour, please let us know in advance so can we make appropriate arrangements.

Due to the behind-the-scenes nature of the tour there will be some spaces which will require you to be in close proximity to other visitors and the guide for short time periods.

Please arrive at the   Turbinaria coral bay in Hintze Hall   a few minutes before your tour is scheduled to begin.

For private tour requests email us at  [email protected] .

Got a question? Call us on +44 (0)20 7942 5000, Monday to Friday, 9.00-17.00 or email us .

Meeting point

Spirit collection tours meet by the  Turbinaria  coral bay in Hintze Hall.

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