VIBE

Founded in 1753, this museum houses the world's greatest collection (seven million artifacts) of world antiquities from ancient Greece, Rome, Asia, and the Middle East, plus items from prehistoric Britain.

GO HERE WITH

Anyone

WHY WE LIKE IT

Extensive collection of historical artifacts covering a wide range of geographic locations and time periods. It is a walking world history lesson.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Sheer size of the collection makes it difficult to see everything that you would like to see in one trip. If you are a history buff or a lover of artifacts, plan for plenty of time here.

GOOD TO KNOW

There are many items in the collection with disputed ownership claims, including the Rosetta Stone claimed by Egypt and Elgin Marbles claimed by Greece. There are free short tours called eyeOpener Gallery Tours (30-40 min. each) introducing different areas of the museum's collection, led by volunteer guides. There are also 90 min. highlights tours focused on specific geographical areas at 10:30am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm for GBP 8 which may be booked in advance on the museum’s website. Additionally, there is a multimedia guide (audio commentary and images) for GBP 4.50 which covers 200 objects in 61 galleries in a choice of 10 languages. A passport or national ID is required as a deposit for a multimedia guide.

CLOSEST COMPS

Victoria and Albert Museum (London); Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to London