From dinosaur fossils to chunks of moon rock, exotic plants and even a dodo skeleton, there's no telling what you'll come across on a visit to the London Natural History Museum.
Let's discover it together!
Natural History Museum in London: article summary
Natural History Museum in London: at a glance
The Natural History Museum houses over 70 million specimens (with at least 500,000 items added each year), making it one of the world's largest natural history collections.
The museum was founded in 1754 thanks to the generous contributions of Sir Hans Sloane, who was also responsible for contributing objects to the British Museum.
Apparently, Sloane wasn't satisfied with the British Museum's natural history collection and, as a result, decided to help fund a second museum in the city. a separate building to house more of these items.
Why visit this museum?
The Natural History Museum is divided into four colorful zones, each focusing on specific subjects.
The green zone focuses more on birds, insects, fossils and minerals, while the red zone focuses more on the Earth, the planets and the universe.
The blue zone covers everything from dinosaurs and amphibians to mammals, reptiles and marine invertebrates.
Finally, the orange zone takes you through a wildlife garden that is only open between April and October.
The Natural History Museum in London: some tips for your visit
First of all, try to avoid visiting the museum during school vacations. It can be very busy during these periods.
The main entrance tends to have a long queue, which means that you may have to stand outside for an hour before entering.
If you want to avoid this, the side entrance tends to have shorter queues, especially on weekdays.
If you can, try to visit the museum in the evening, as the building and the corridors are very busy. particularly beautiful when lit up at night.
How do I get there?
The Natural History Museum is right in the center of London. Getting there isn't too difficult, thanks to a range of public transport options.
If you are travelling in metrothe nearest station is South Kensington
Visit busyou can reach the museum via the 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 and C1.
Natural History Museum in London: more information
The recommended length of visit to the Natural History Museum is around three to four hours. However, you could easily spend the whole day wandering around the museum's four colorful zones.
If you're worried about missing something important, you can follow the "Museum Trails" to take your own self-guided tour through one of the museum's four zones.
An application to find you
You can also download the Natural History Museum's visitor app before your visit, so you can view the museum's interactive maps and find out more about the many exhibitions during your visit.
What are the opening hours?
London's Natural History Museum opens :
- Every day 10 a.m. to 5:50 p.m.
The Natural History Museum in London is a must-see on your city break. If you don't have any other museums on your list, you can expand your knowledge at in this place dedicated to the life sciences.
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