Natural History Museum Tours and Activities

London Natural History Museum featuring heritage architecture, heritage elements and interior views
Choose two or more items and save on your trip:
Explore the wonders of the natural world for free in this fascinating museum. Learn about dinosaurs, creatures of the deep, our planet’s interior and much more.

Examine dinosaur skeletons, see animal specimens that are hundreds of years old and experience a simulated earthquake at the London Natural History Museum. Inside this magnificent Victorian terracotta building is a vast collection of items and interactive exhibits that cover the biology and geology of our planet.

The museum is divided into different colored zones, each one concentrating on a different aspect of life on Earth. One of the most popular attractions is the collection of dinosaur skeletons in the Blue Zone. Look at the first Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found and the skull of a Triceratops. Walk past the enormous animatronic T. rex and watch how it reacts to human “prey.” Elsewhere in this zone observe fossils and skeletons of extinct animals, including the saber-toothed cat.

Head over to the Red Zone to learn more about the natural forces that shape our planet. Look at film footage, play interactive games and step into the earthquake simulator. There are also casts of victims of the Mount Vesuvius eruption that destroyed Pompeii.

Inside the Green Zone, find a live ant colony and a life-size model of a termite mound. See the mineral collection, which includes a 635-kilogram (1,400-pound) iron meteorite that fell in Argentina. Go over to the Aurora Collection, an exhibit of almost 300 naturally-colored diamonds.

Visit the Darwin Center in the Orange Zone, which hosts more than 28 million insect specimens and a 28.3-feet (8.6-meter) giant squid. The area features glass windows through which you can observe the museum’s scientists at work. In the center’s egg-shaped Cocoon building are many centuries-old biological specimens, including some that came back with Charles Darwin on HMS Beagle.

The London Natural History Museum is easy to get to by public transport. It is on numerous bus routes and is a short walk from the nearest Tube station, South Kensington. Street parking in the area is limited and expensive. The museum is open daily, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and admission is free.

Plan a trip to see Natural History Museum

Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Suites and Residences
Hotel Riu Plaza London Victoria
ME London
Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Reviews of Natural History Museum

4.6
Top destination
5 - Excellent
129
" "5 - Excellent 66.15384615384616%
4 - Good
53
" "4 - Good 27.17948717948718%
3 - Okay
11
" "3 - Okay 5.641025641025641%
2 - Disappointing
1
" "2 - Disappointing 0.5128205128205128%
1 - Terrible
1
" "1 - Terrible 0.5128205128205128%

2/5 - Disappointing

Verified traveller
Nov. 16, 2019

Other than the excellent photographic display, this isn't a museum anymore but an amusement venue and a huge disappointment if you are looking to see their collections as there is little on display. Even the gift shop has gone downhill.

5/5 - Excellent

Emma
Apr. 16, 2019

Could have spent 2 days here. Our 8 and 10 year old were fascinated. We only managed 1 floor in the afternoon we were there. Really great if you are looking for something cheap to do in London as it is free (donations are encouraged as you enter)

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
Nov. 27, 2018

Great visit here; the place is huge and loaded with interesting stuff.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
Oct. 19, 2018

Go early and avoid weekends if you can.

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveller
Oct. 15, 2018

Did not visit

5/5 - Excellent

Rene
Sep. 27, 2018

Expect crowds, even on slow days - and pay for the map, makes it much easier to find what you want.

Popular places to visit


Best Lodging Options Near Natural History Museum

Royal Garden Hotel
Royal Garden Hotel
5 out of 5
2-24 Kensington High Street, London, England
Royal Garden Hotel
The Rembrandt
The Rembrandt
4 out of 5
11 Thurloe Place, Kensington, London, England
The Rembrandt
Park International Hotel
Park International Hotel
4 out of 5
117 - 129 Cromwell Road, London, England
Park International Hotel
Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington
Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington
4 out of 5
Scarsdale Place, Kensington, London, England
Copthorne Tara Hotel London Kensington
Corus Hyde Park Hotel
Corus Hyde Park Hotel
4 out of 5
1 Lancaster Gate, 1-7, London, England
Corus Hyde Park Hotel
Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel, London
Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel, London
4 out of 5
68-86 Cromwell Road, London, England
Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel, London
The Bailey's Hotel London Kensington
The Bailey's Hotel London Kensington
4 out of 5
140 Gloucester Road, London, England
The Bailey's Hotel London Kensington
Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington
Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington
4 out of 5
4-18 Harrington Gardens, London, England
Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington
Gainsborough Hotel
Gainsborough Hotel
3.5 out of 5
7-11 Queensberry Street, Kennsington, London, England
Gainsborough Hotel
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.