South Kensington

The museum is open daily 10am to 5:50pm. Entrance is FREE.

020 7942 5000

The Natural History Museum is one of the most popular tourist spots in London. Rather than displaying pictures and fossils of animals from the past and present, the focus here is on actually trying to recreate what the creatures were like - and so the museum contains countless models, replicas, and stuffed displays, of everything from dinosaurs to pigeons. It contains over 70 million items in total, in its five main categories of Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology.

Immediately upon entering, you'll be confronted with a 105-foot long replica Diplodocus skeleton. This startling display has become the museum's trademark – and it proved to be so popular that copies were made for many other museums in Europe and South America, making it the most-seen dinosaur skeleton in the world.

There are other star attractions here too, including a model T-rex, a comprehensive display of gemstones, a recreation of an earthquake, and – perhaps most impressively – a life-size replica of a blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. The model is a full 25-metres long, and can be viewed from above and below.

The museum is sometimes nicknamed the Cathedral of Nature, because of its famously ornate architecture. It is less well-known that this beautifully designed building was actually the result of a competition – which Captain Francis Fowke won in 1864. Unfortunately he died soon afterwards, and so his plans were revised by Alfred Waterhouse. The building eventually opened in the late 1880s, as a department of the British Museum. This only changed in 1991, when it took on the name we know today.

The Natural History Museum often has temporary exhibitions, to go along with its permanent collections. In the past, these have included art, photography, and more animal models. There are also many other things to do here, including guided tours, children's activities, shops, cafés, and, during winter, even an outdoor ice rink. Whether you plan ahead, or just turn up and take everything as it comes, you're guaranteed to never be bored.

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