Natural History Museum, London: Photos, Reviews & Location

Landmark museum of animals and natural phenomena, with hands-on exhibits and animatronic dinosaurs.

At a glance

#29 of 392 Tourist attractions in London #8 of 85 Museums in London

LocalGuideWorld score: 4.70

4.1 km from the center of London

Rating breakdown

5 ★79%
4 ★15%
3 ★4%
2 ★1%
1 ★2%

Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom

nhm.ac.uk

+44 20 7942 5000

Photos of Natural History Museum (345)

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Natural History Museum, London – photo 1

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Quick facts

What is the rating of Natural History Museum?: Natural History Museum is rated 4.7 out of 5 based on 46,476 reviews.
How does Natural History Museum rank in London?: Natural History Museum is #29 of 392 Tourist attractions in London by LocalGuideWorld score (rating weighted by number of reviews).
Where is Natural History Museum located?: Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom — 4.1 km from the center of London.
How can I contact Natural History Museum?: Phone: +44 20 7942 5000 · Website: nhm.ac.uk

Reviews (11)

Ольга Демидова 2023 Oct 20

The Natural History Museum has three obvious strengths: free admission, the building itself, including the escalator entrance, and the dinosaurs. Otherwise, it loses badly to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Very crowded and unbearably hot. There is a sign in one of the center halls apologizing for the unbearable conditions for visitors. They refer to the fact that the museum is in a historic building. It seemed reasonable to me, until I read that the Americans opened their museum 4 years earlier. And there are no problems with air conditioning.
But here's a moving dinosaur we haven't seen anywhere before. The building (like, it seems, almost any building in London) is marvelous both inside and outside. Well, the money saved on entrance tickets is money well earned.

Raghida Ismail 2023 Oct 08

The National History Museum in London is a fascinating treasure trove of history, offering an impressive collection that spans from ancient civilizations to the animal kingdom, boasting a captivating display of dinosaur bones, precious stones, and a vast array of historical figures. With its diverse exhibits and extensive collections, this museum is a must-visit for anyone seeking an enriching and educational experience.

Joanna Louise 2023 Sep 30

This museum is amazing and not just for kids!

The Natural History Museum is free for all, but of course it’s great if you can donate to keep the place going. Exhibitions are at an additional cost.

I always love coming here and feel like a I learn so much. The building is stunning, and it’s even worth walking around and looking at the beautiful ceilings the centre has.

This museum has everything from Dinosaurs, rocks, insects, animals and planets. There are many interactive elements, which is great for kids, but also a lot of in-depth information for adults.

There are quite a few cafes inside to grab something to eat and drink and the pricing is not too outrageous.

I highly recommend everyone visit this museum.

Cheria W 2023 Sep 27

Phenomenal exhibit displays and very educational too. Recommend to plan half a day for the visit to slowly take in the sights and information. Pre-book your free entrance tickets on their website before heading over, so you get to join the “fast pass” line.

I know Science Museum is just right behind, but not sure if I had enough brain space to process so much information in one day…..

Sanjit Singh 2023 Sep 19

This museum has been on my bucket list forever and finally I have made the trip here earlier this year in spring. Reserved the tickets online. There was a queue in the morning. It was still pretty quick to get in when the doors opened.

Ah the displays were wonderful! Everything was a delight. Especially the more famous displays. Was floored by the hanging skeleton of the whale in the entrance hall.

To anyone out there who loves museums. This is a must visit. You may not be able to cover it all in one day but it is sure fun to try.

Be prepared for some crowds I guess. It wasn't too overwhelming on the day I visited.

Scott Darby 2023 Sep 19

Excellent museum. We made reservations, but there was not a wait when we arrived. There is an earthquake exhibit on the top floor. It was okay, but we enjoyed the escalator ride to it more than the actual exhibit. Our favorite two exhibits were the gem stones (beautiful) and the dinosaurs. Their animatronic T-Rex was awesome. The sheer size of fossils and animal skeletons were good reminders of just how small we are in creation. Amazing!

Lola. A 2023 Sep 08

Lovely place to take children, lots of other museums within walking distance all available to visit free of charge. Book ahead online to avoid queuing, especially during peak periods. Can get really warm and stuffy in summer, best to visit at other times.

Neil S 2023 Sep 04

This is a wonderful museum and a must visit if ever you are in London. The sheer volume ans quality of items on display is astounding. From dinosaur skeletons down to small invertebrates they have it all. Lots of educational material to consume if you choose to and the food and gifts are very well priced for a museum of this type. Please note it is a little warm in areas. There are plenty of fans for comfort and lots of seating for comfort breaks

Ade 2023 Aug 26

We went on a Friday afternoon, and it was super busy and I think this affected the experience. I am the sort that typically require some space and quite to ponder on the specimens and exhibitions. There was also a long queue, guessing this had to do with the fact it was a Bank Holiday weekend.

The Museum itself wasn't bad. Sections of the building and ground was under renovation but this didn't take away from the beauty of the building. I thought it was grand. I loved the intricate designs both in and out as well as the elegant ceilings. Those were worth paying attention too as well. And the hanging specimens from the roof were a stunner.

Although the weather control didn't seem to work and it was mostly a sweaty experience, we still managed to have a good time. In the end, we found the Cafe/Restaurant on the ground floor and sat by a fan. The toilet was clean.

Luke Sherran 2023 Aug 25

I've always wanted to go to the Natural History Museum, so I was very exicted to finally get the opportunity to visit. We visited on a Friday, and should definitely have booked tickets in advance to save the queue time outside. The staff did very well to get us all in, but it was busy, and we had to wait a while to get in.

The exhibits are amazing. I loved the huge scale of all the prehistoric fossils, and the building itself is beautiful. The dinosaur and marine sections were really enjoyable for me. It took a few hours to view just these zones alone, so you could easily spend the whole day there if you wanted.

Some of the popular areas are very busy, so you have to be patient if you want to see everything. Because of the volume of visitors, it can get very hot! They added some portable fans and air conditioning units into some of the rooms, which took the edge off, but we skipped some of the really hot areas.

In between the visit we went to the cafe, which was pretty reasonably priced and had a nice lunch box for kids.

It's definitely worth buying a map (it costs £1) as the place is huge, and it would easy to miss a few of the rooms. For a free museum, the place is amazing and definitely worth some extra donations as you enter. The only negative is that as the museum got busier and busier, we became keen to leave and rushed through the last few rooms. This will obviously be different depending when you visit, but definitely recommended.

Rohan Davidson 2023 Jul 12

Really enjoyed my second visit to the Natural History Museum. Absolutely fantastic museum with loads on offer for everyone. I've now done the dinosaur exhibit twice, and will likely make it my first stop on my next visit.

The cocoon was quiet - away from the hustle and bustle of crowds of school kids. Some really cool specimens of insects in there, and had the opportunity to watch some scientists working in real time through the viewing windows.

The mammal exhibit is great with plenty to see, but it would be nice if the invertebrate sea life section had a bit more to look at, it felt like a part of the museum that is coming up for an update.

Plenty of great birds to look at as well, some really cool birds on display.

The architecture too is phenomenal, a genuinely beautiful building to look at, inside and out.

Really looking forward to my next visit, when I'll do the red zone and spend more time in geology. This is really a three visit museum at minimum.

If you've read this far - book tickets. There must have been 300 people queued up in the non-ticket line when I got there, so I just got on my phone and booked tickets and walked straight through the ticket line, no wait.