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British Museum

British Museum: Our most recommended tours and activities

London: British Museum Guided Tour

1. London: British Museum Guided Tour

Discover some of the highlights of the British Museum with a licensed guide, and get a flavor of one of the world’s oldest and finest museums. Because there is so much to see, you could spend a week at the British Museum and still not discover it all. Experience the best of the British Museum’s collections, starting with a view of the breathtaking ceiling. Admire the spectacular glass roof of the Great Court, a work of art in its own right. Then, see the world-famous “Rosetta Stone,” the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Admire the controversial Parthenon Sculptures, taken from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin, the former British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. Go to the Ancient Egypt galleries to see the large collection of Egyptian mummies, and discover the Anglo-Saxon “Sutton Hoo” burial relics, as well as the “Winged Bulls” from Khorsabad.

London: Big Bus Open-Top Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

2. London: Big Bus Open-Top Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

Discover what London has to offer on a hop-on hop-off tour of the English capital. Pass iconic landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, London Eye, and Big Ben with audio commentary available on board. Choose from a 24-hour (Classic), 48-hour (Premium), or 72-hour (Deluxe) ticket where you will have the flexibility to explore at your leisure. You can also explore London on foot with a live guide with a choice of 3 daily walking tours (included in Premium & Deluxe tickets). Walking Tours last about 1.5-2 hours. Discover London via 3 specially-designed routes covering over 45 stops: Red Route The Red route takes in the best of historic London including Big Ben, the London Eye, and St Paul’s Cathedral. Blue Route The Blue Route is a comprehensive route covering all of central London from Kensington Palace in the West to the Tower of London in the East. Stops include Harrods, the South Kensington Museums, and Madame Tussauds. Green Route The Green Route links the beautiful, regenerated area of St Pancras and King’s Cross with the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden making its way through Bloomsbury en route. River Cruise Classic, Premium & Deluxe tickets includes a river cruise from Tower of London to Westminster in either direction. The river cruise includes live commentary in 8 languages. See top London attractions lining the Thames, including Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, Shakespeare's Globe, and the Tate Modern. Departure times for the river cruise are approximately every 45 minutes. Panoramic Evening Tour The panoramic evening tour is included in the Premium & Deluxe ticket. Discover the magic of London as the city becomes illuminated in the evening. Hop on for a one-round panoramic tour past London's top landmarks as the sun begins to set.

London: London Eye, Big Bus and Thames River Cruise

3. London: London Eye, Big Bus and Thames River Cruise

Discover the best of London with a hop-on, hop-off tour onboard an open-top, double-decker bus and enjoy a trip on the London Eye as part of your ticket. Enjoy a relaxing river cruise along the Thames as part of your ticket as well. A hop-on, hop-off tour is the ideal way to discover the best sights, landmarks, and attractions of London at your own pace. The tour gives you unlimited use, with stops strategically placed at all the places you would like to visit including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, and St Paul's Cathedral. Hop off the bus at Westminster Bridge to take an unforgettable ride on the London Eye. From the top, you can take in the breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view of the city's impressive skyline. See the city's most famous sights including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from an unrivaled bird's eye view. You can start your tour at any of the Big Bus stops. Popular starting points include the London Eye, Marble Arch, Victoria Station, and Trafalgar Square. With all ticket types, you can enjoy a boat cruise along the River Thames. A Classic ticket includes a single river cruise between the Tower of London to Westminster Pier (in either direction). Big Bus route highlights include: Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, London Dungeon, Sea Life London Aquarium, Madame Tussauds, Covent Garden, Bank of England, Monument, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The Shard, City Hall, Lambeth Palace, British Museum, Marble Arch, Mayfair, Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, Harrods, South Kensington Museums, Kensington Palace and Notting Hill.

London: Go City Explorer Pass for 2 to 7 Attractions

4. London: Go City Explorer Pass for 2 to 7 Attractions

Get your London Explorer Pass, a digital credits package, and create your own city itinerary. Redeem your credits against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 attractions from a selection of over 80 monuments, tours, cruises, dining experiences, and more. Choose from a variety of venues, including the Tower of London, the Shard, and St. Paul's Cathedral. Get instructions on how to plan your itinerary and place reservations ahead when needed. You have 60 days to use your attraction credits starting with your first choice. Save up to 35% with each visit equaling 1 credit used. Choose any 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 attractions from the following list: Popular attractions: • 1-day Hop-On-Hop-Off London Bus tour • Tower of London • The View from the Shard • Kensington Palace • Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition & Theatre Tour • St Paul’s Cathedral • Thames River Cruise (City Cruises Thames River Pass) • Tower Bridge Exhibition • Westminster Abbey • The London Bridge Experience • ZSL London Zoo Fun Activities and Tours: • Up at the O2 • Brit Movie Tours • Brit Music Tours • Brit Icon Tours • Hop-on Hop-off Open Bus tour of Windsor • 20+ London Sights and enjoy Fish & Chips - Top Sights Tours • 30+ London Sights Tour - Top Sights Tours • Palaces and Parliament Tour - Top Sights Tours • Chelsea FC Stadium Tour & Museum • Emirates Arsenal Stadium Tour • Tottenham Hotspur FC Stadium Tour • Wembley Stadium Tour • Twickenham Stadium Tour & World Rugby Museum • Kia Oval Ground Tour • London Bicycle Tour • Fuller's Brewery Tour • Hard Rock Café London • ArcelorMittal Orbit • Curzon Cinema Bloomsbury (Renoir) • Curzon Cinema Mayfair • Curzon Cinema Soho • Swingers Crazy Golf (West End or City venues) • Sherlock: The Official Live Game • All Star Lanes (bowling) • The Chocolate Cocktail Club • The Bermondsey Bierkeller • The Dare Skywalk • Solve a Mystery: the Murder at Trafalgar Square • Solve a Mystery: the Murder at Westminster Museums and Places of Interest: • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew • Royal Observatory Greenwich • London Transport Museum • Cutty Sark • Benjamin Franklin House • Florence Nightingale Museum • Freud Museum London • Hampton Court Palace • Household Cavalry Museum • London Bicycle Tour - Hire • Museum of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising • The Painted Hall • Old Royal Naval College • Pollock's Toy Museum • Royal Albert Hall • Garden Museum • The Guards Museum • The Monument to The Great Fire of London • The Postal Museum • Wembley Stadium Tour • Apsley House • Eltham Palace • Jewel Tower • Wellington Arch • Chiswick House and Kitchen Garden • Royal Air Force Museum

London: Private British Museum Tour

5. London: Private British Museum Tour

In the company of a live guide, explore the highlights of the British Museum, one of the largest museums of its kind in the world. Make the most of your time in the museum and see treasures, such as the Rosetta Stone, with your guide. After your tour, spend the rest of the day exploring the rest of the museum at your own pace. During your tour, see the museum's most sought-after pieces and learn more about their importance in the modern art scene and as historical collection pieces. From the well-preserved Egyptian Mummies to the mysterious Lewis Chessman, admire collections from around the world and understand what makes these artifacts so unique.

London Private Family & Children British Museum Tour

6. London Private Family & Children British Museum Tour

Visiting the British Museum with a special children’s guide is a fantastic way to give kids a taste of this important museum. Visited by up to six million visitors per year, it is one of the largest and busiest, museums in the world and an important landmark in London. In addition to the vast collection, the museum’s special exhibition, displays and events are all designed to advance understanding of the collection and cultures they represent. Your tour guide will focus on tow to three exhibits to keep the kids from becoming overwhelmed and losing interest. Experiencing your visit of the British Museum as a family will be a fascinating and memorable moment. You will also be able to take advantage of the museum’s range of family-friendly activities throughout autumn and winter.

London: 5.5-Hour Guided British Museum Tour

7. London: 5.5-Hour Guided British Museum Tour

Follow in the footsteps of the great archaeologists, relic hunters, and explorers who acquired the treasures of the British Museum, and learn about their adventures and the hazards they braved to make their astounding discoveries. Unlock the secrets of the British Museum's extraordinary collection with a qualified archaeologist, tracing humanity's journey from the Stone Age to the modern age.  You'll get to grips with the history of human civilization, exploring our earliest origins in Africa, the first civilizations in Mesopotamia and the first cities, as well as the great empires of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and Rome, and what happened after they collapsed. Along the way, you'll tour the British Museum's most famous galleries, including Ancient Egypt and Assyria, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Vikings, and the Aztecs, discovering world-famous artifacts such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Marbles, the Sutton Hoo Helmet, and the Lewis Chessmen. Then, join some fun and play one of the world's most ancient board games, The Royal Game of Ur, whose rules were deciphered by British Museum scholars. After lunch, you'll find out how we know what we know in the second part of the tour. Hear about the geniuses who decoded ancient languages such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Sumerian cuneiform, the world's earliest written language. Learn the basics in reading these writing systems and even get to try your hand at writing your name in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Look at some ancient languages that have not yet been deciphered and try to come up with ideas of how they might be translated. Finally, learn about the science behind archaeology, finding out how ancient objects are dated, how ancient sites come to be buried in the first place, and puzzling over some of the mysteries of the ancient world that still elude us.

London: British Museum Private Guided Tour with Tickets

8. London: British Museum Private Guided Tour with Tickets

Discover the history behind some of the British Museum’s most famous artifacts with a guide. Come out from your visit with a greater appreciation of the museum’s treasures. Meet your guide by the red telephone box next to the main entrance to the British Museum on Russell street. Follow your guide who'll retrace the history behind the relics found in the vast exhibits. See the Rosetta Stone and why it is crucial to the understanding of Ancient Egypt. Learn how Tutankamun died, his legacy today, and discover the book of the dead. See the great statue of Ramesses 11, a sacred metal cat, a giant scarab beetle, and gold-covered mummies. Explore an impressive collection of Greek antiquities and Roman statues. Admire a gladiator's helmet, brilliant roman glass, and a bust of the greatest emperor of rome. Find out the mysteries of the Sutton Hoo burial and get a glimpse into the Anglo Saxon world. See parts of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Have free time after the tour so you can visit other parts of the museum.

London: National Gallery and British Museum Guided Tour

9. London: National Gallery and British Museum Guided Tour

The National Gallery is one of the most visited art museums in the world and a must-do when you are in London. Discover the highlights of its remarkable collection with an Expert Art Guide to hear amazing stories about your favorite Western European painters from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Enter the world of art, creativity and inspiration! Join the 2-hour guided tour of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London. This famous art museum houses a national collection of roughly 2,300 paintings by 750 artists from the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Even people with limited art knowledge will recognise the museum’s highlights, such as the iconic Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh or The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci. As you explore galleries, corridors and staircases filled with beautiful art, your Expert Guide will take you on a journey through centuries of art history. Learn about the artists, their styles and techniques, as well as their muses, from Greek gods to Tudor diplomats. You will have the full attention of your Private Guide, so you can freely ask questions and choose the topics that interest you the most. Feel the power of art as a story device! Choose the 3,5-hour option to enjoy private car transfers from your accommodation to the National Gallery. We will organize a 5-Stars Driver and a clean, air-conditioned vehicle for your pickup and drop–off at the address provided when booking. This option includes private transportation exclusively for your group of friends/family, so you don't have to worry about sharing with other tourists. Join the extended 4-hour tour to visit the National Gallery and the British Museum with an Expert Guide, who will make the experience so much better. The British Museum houses one of the world’s greatest collections of rare historical, cultural and architectural objects from Ancient Egypt, Africa, Oceania, Asia, Middle East, the Americas and Europe, including ancient Greece and Rome. See highlights such as the Rosetta Stone of Egypt and immerse yourself in world history, archeology and ethnography! The 5,5-hour option includes private car transfers and a guided tour of the National Gallery and the British Museum. Forget tired feet and overcrowded public transportation. Book private transportation for your group to enjoy the comfort of a clean, private vehicle. Enjoy exploring London’s top 2 attractions without worrying about how to get there.

London: British Museum & National Gallery Private Tour

10. London: British Museum & National Gallery Private Tour

Join a guide on a tour from the dawn of human history to the present at the British Museum in London. Discover a collection of rare historical, cultural, and architectural artifacts from all six continents. Upgrade your experience with hotel transfers and a visit to the National Gallery. Be led by an expert on world history, archaeology, and ethnography as you step into the iconic collection. Travel around the globe, from Africa, through the Americas, to Asia and beyond, and hear stories from different ethnicities, cultures, and communities. Find the original Rosetta Stone of Egypt, the Babylonian Queen of the Night relief, a Column from the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, and much more. Learn about the history of these rare artifacts and how they got into the museum. Choose the 3.5-hour option for a private car transfer between the British Museum and your London accommodation. As the museum’s collection spans over 60 galleries, reduce walking by taking advantage of convenient transfers with a pickup and drop-off service. Join the 4-hour tour to visit London’s top 2 attractions, the British Museum and the National Gallery, on the same day. Enjoy a tour of a collection of paintings by artists including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Titan, Claude Lorrain, and Anthony van Dyck. See the iconic Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh. Opt for the 5.5-hour option to enjoy both guided tours of the British Museum and the National Gallery, as well as a private car transfer from your accommodation. Save time and effort by booking private transfers in advance and avoid overcrowded public transport and overpriced taxis.

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What people are saying about British Museum

Overall rating

4.2 / 5

based on 4,821 reviews

Incredible! It was completely worth it, a very good and quite impressive experience. The cruise staff were quite friendly and they give you a guided tour. It was good to know from previous reviews that the cruise only covers one leg so we took the cruise to the London Eye and waited for our reservation time right there. Once the London Eye loop was over (amazing btw) we got on the bus around 3pm and used the bus until 5pm when the routes ran out, and still got up early and continued to use the bus the next day. (The bus lasts 24 hours, so we visited several places using the time we had left.) I highly recommend downloading the Big bus app to be able to see the routes and buses in real time. Incredible experience, we were 4 people

We booked a private tour with Emily and it was well worth it. Emily was brilliant - her knowledge was amazing. And I sincerely appreciated her candor about some of less flattering aspects of how items ended up in the museum and British history overall. It was like having access to a history professor for 2.5 hours. Highly recommend!

Our 2 hour private family tour with Joe was fantastic, it focused on museum highlights and introduced them in an entertaining way. The British museum can be overwhelming, Joe made it accessible and fun. Our 12 year old boy loved it, however note that young kids may find it hard to follow as it is packed with information

Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. An excellent tour for the whole family.

Easy to use app and good to get a discount on main tourist attractions.