Plan your visit

• We're limiting numbers of people in the Museum to ensure there's room for you to safely enjoy your visit. You're advised to book a timed slot in advance to guarantee entry. 
• To book simply pick the date and time you'd like to visit. Please only book tickets for the dates and times you plan to attend.
• If the date or time you wish to visit has no availability, please note that walk-up visits are available each day for those who arrive at the Museum without advance bookings. But this does depend on capacity, as walk-up entry cannot be guaranteed. Please speak to staff on your arrival to enquire about availability. 
• To book tickets for exhibitions, visit our exhibition pages. Your exhibition ticket also gives you access to the permanent collection.
• If you need any access assistance, please see our Accessibility page.

Important information about your ticket booking

• Tickets to the permanent collection are free. 
• You can book tickets up to a maximum of eight people in your group.  
• Self-led groups larger than eight people are not currently permitted in the Museum.
• School groups should contact the Ticket Office on +44 (0)20 7323 8181. 
• Tickets will be released on a regular basis, so if there's no availability showing then please check again soon. Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest updates. 
• We'll email your ticket to you, and you'll need to show it either printed out or on your device when you arrive.
• Please arrive at the time stated on your ticket – we can't guarantee admission before or after your allotted time slot.
• Last entry to the Museum is at 16.00.
• We kindly ask you to contact us if you no longer need your ticket so that we're able to reallocate it.

• Members do not need to book for the permanent collection or our exhibitions Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything and Peru: a journey in time (opening on 11 November). You'll need to show your Membership card to gain entry. 
• If you can't find your card, please contact friends@britishmuseum.org or visit the Membership Desk in the Great Court. 
• Visit our Membership page for enquiries or to find out about becoming a Member.

Participation in the UK Government's NHS Test and Trace scheme is now optional in all venues and the information you provide when making a booking will not be shared with NHS Test and Trace. You can still participate in Test and Trace if you wish by using one of the following methods: 

• If you have a smart phone and have downloaded the Test and Trace app, you can scan the NHS QR code when you arrive at the Museum.  
• If your are not using the Test and Trace app you can provide your details to a member of staff at the Ticket Desk.  

For further details on how the British Museum uses your data for Test and Trace please see our Test and Trace Procedure or request to see a copy which will be available at the Ticket Desk.

The majority of our galleries are open, allowing you to safely explore world cultures from the Mediterranean to the Middle East and from the Americas to Africa. 

• View a map of the Museum. 
• Explore more of the Museum with our object trails or try a selection of our Museum Missions. 
• The Audio Guide Desk is closed but audio guides are available on YouTube Music and Apple Music. You'll be listening to them on your own device, so please bring along headphones.

See the list of available galleries for you to enjoy (please note this list is subject to change):

Lower floor

• Room 25: Africa (The Sainsbury Galleries) 

Ground floor

• Great Court
• Room 1: Enlightenment
• Room 2: Collecting the world 
• Room 2a: The Waddesdon Bequest (funded by The Rothschild Foundation)
• Room 4: Egyptian sculpture
• Room 6: Assyrian sculpture and Balawat Gates
• Rooms 7–8: Assyria: Nimrud
• Room 9: Assyria: Nineveh
• Room 10: Assyria: Lion hunts, Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad
• Room 12: Greece: Minoans and Mycenaeans (The Arthur I Fleischman Gallery)
• Room 13: Greece 1050–520 BC 
• Room 14: Greek vases 
• Room 21: Mausoleum of Halikarnassos
• Room 22: The world of Alexander
• Room 23: Greek and Roman sculpture 
• Room 24: Living and Dying (The Wellcome Trust Gallery)
• Room 26: North America 
• Room 27: Mexico

Upper floors

• Room 33: China and South Asia (Sir Joseph Hotung Gallery) – this is now a ticketed gallery. Book your free timed slot at the Ticket Desk in the Great Court.
• Room 33b: Chinese jade (The Selwyn and Ellie Alleyne Gallery) – this is now a ticketed gallery. Book your free timed slot at the Ticket Desk in the Great Court.
• Rooms 38–39: Clocks and watches (The Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly Gallery)
• Room 40: Medieval Europe, 1050–1500 (The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery)
• Room 41: Sutton Hoo and Europe, AD 300–1100 (The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery)
• Rooms 42–43: The Islamic world (The Albukhary Foundation Gallery)
• Room 46: Europe 1400–1800
• Room 47: Europe 1800–1900
• Room 48: Europe 1900 to the present
• Room 49: Roman Britain (The Weston Gallery)
• Room 50: Britain and Europe 800 BC–AD43
• Room 51: Europe and Middle East, 10,000–800 BC (The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Gallery)
• Room 52: Ancient Iran (The Rahim Irvani Gallery)
• Room 53: Ancient South Arabia (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 54: Anatolia and Urartu, 7000–300 BC (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 55: Mesopotamia, 1500–539 BC (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 56: Mesopotamia, 6000–1500 BC (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Rooms 57–59: Ancient Levant (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 61: Egyptian life and death: the tomb-chapel of Nebamun (The Michael Cohen Gallery)
• Rooms 62–63: Egyptian death and afterlife: mummies (The Roxie Walker Galleries)
• Room 64: Early Egypt (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 65: Sudan, Egypt and Nubia (The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery)
• Room 66: Ethopia and Coptic Egypt
• Room 67: Korea (The Korea Foundation Gallery)
• Room 68: Money
• Room 69: Greek and Roman life
• Room 70: Roman Empire (The Wolfson Gallery)
• Room 71: Etruscan world
• Room 72: Ancient Cyprus (The A.G. Leventis Gallery)
• Room 73: Greeks in Italy
• Rooms 90–90a: Prints and drawings displays
• Rooms 92-94: Japan (The Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries)
• Room 95: Chinese Ceramics – Sir David Percival Collection (The Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Ceramic Studies)

Due to regular maintenance work, there is no step-free access to Room 67: Korea and Room 95: Chinese Ceramics – Sir Percival David Collection. However lift-access can be provided if booked in advance. Please email access@britishmuseum.org to arrange a visit with lift-access or for further information.

Please note that the northeast lift in the Great Court will be closed for essential maintenance until January 2022. For access to the lower and upper galleries from the Great Court, please follow signs to the northwest lift located on the west side of the Great Court. If you are visiting the Peru: a journey through time exhibition in Room 35 and require the use of a lift, please exit via the entrance to the exhibition returning to use the northwest lift.

For more information on access to the galleries visit our Accessibility at the Museum page. 

Galleries in the Museum may be closed for maintenance, refurbishment or private events. Where possible, we'll list the time and date of the closures below. All upcoming and current closures will also be detailed on the affected gallery pages. Occasionally we may need to close galleries at short notice for safety reasons. We regret that in these cases we're not always able to alert the public in advance. 

We regret that we are unable to open Room 33a: India: Amaravati (The Asahi Shimbun Gallery) at present. This is due to the need to address air circulation in line with current guidelines. We hope to be able to reopen this gallery in due course.

Due to regular maintenance, Rooms 15–20 have been temporarily closed. Rooms 15–18 are planned to reopen on 13 December 2021: 

• Room 15: Athens and Lycia
• Room 16: Bassai sculptures
• Room 17: Nereid Monument 
• Room 18: Greece: Parthenon 
• Room 19: Greece: Athens 430–400 BC
• Room 20: Greeks and Lycians 400–325 BC

To ensure safe distancing for all visitors, the following gallery remains closed:

• Room 69a

Our opening hours are Monday to Sunday, 10.00–17.00 (last entry at 16.00). 

• Box Office: 10.00–16.50, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays)
• Cloakroom: 10.00–17.00 (20.30 on Fridays)
• Families Desk: 10.00–16.30
• Ford Centre for Young Visitors: 10.00–16.30
• Galleries: 10.00–17.00 (please note: we begin clearing galleries 10 minutes before they close)
• Great Court: 10.00–17.30 (Fridays 20.30)
• Information Desk: 10.00–17.00
• Ticket Desk: 10.00–17.00
• Audio Guide Desk: closed

Find out about upcoming late opening on Fridays.

The Museum is closed 24–26 December. 

Special exhibitions are open daily 10.00–17.00 (last entry at 15.50) and on Fridays until 20.30 (last entry at 19.10).

Please arrive at the time stated on your ticket – we cannot guarantee admission before or after your allotted time slot.

We begin clearing galleries 10 minutes before they close.

• Bookshop: 10.00–17.00
• Family shop: 10.00–17.00 
• Collections shop and Grenville Room: 10.00–17.00
• Online shop: open 24 hours a day

• Court Cafés: 10.00–17.00
• Great Court Restaurant: open for a Hokusai-inspired afternoon tea, Thursday to Sunday, 11.00–17.00 (last sitting 16.00).
• Pizzeria: closed
• Montague Café: closed
• Coffee Lounge: closed

Find out more about the Museum's cafés and restaurants. 

Booking requests for the department study rooms at the British Museum main site can now be accepted. Opening hours vary.

Our library and archive are open by appointment: Tuesday – Thursday, 10.00–13.00 and 14.00–16.00.

• Opening hours: 10.00–17.00 (20.30 on Fridays).
  • Last deposits are one hour before closing time.
  • Please collect items 30 minutes before closing time.
• The cloakroom can be found by turning left immediately after passing through the Main entrance to the Museum. 
• Please note that items of luggage weighing more than 8kg and larger than 40x40x50cm (including all wheeled suitcases) are not permitted. 
  • Please see the restricted items section for full details.
  • Storage for luggage is available at major rail stations, including Euston, King's Cross and Charing Cross.
• Use of the cloakroom is charged per-item:
  • Coats – £2
  • Bags up to 4kg – £2.50
  • Bags 4–8kg – £5
  • Umbrellas – £1
  • Fold-up pushchairs – free
• Members can use the cloakroom free of charge. The same restrictions apply.
• You must retrieve items from the cloakroom before you leave the Museum site.
• In the event of a fire evacuation, the cloakroom will be closed immediately and you must follow our fire evacuation instructions. Our staff will help to retrieve your items from the cloakroom as soon as possible after the Museum reopens.
• Please note that the cloakroom has limited capacity, and when this capacity is reached, it cannot accept items until space becomes available again.
• The Museum reserves the right to vary or alter these conditions without prior notice.

If you've lost an item while visiting the Museum, please email lostproperty@britishmuseum.org

• Free wifi is available for all visitors to the Museum.
• Please connect to 'British Museum WiFi' only.
• You'll be required to supply your full name and email address before using the service.
• Free wifi is funded by the Mayor of London and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. Connectivity is supported by the Daisy Group.
• Charging phones and plugging in any other electronics is not allowed.

For information about facilities for parents, babies and young children, please see the Family visits page.

If you need help during your visit, please speak to a uniformed member of staff.

For information about facilities and resources for disabled visitors please see the Accessibility at the Museum page.

If you need assistance during your visit, please speak to a uniformed member of staff.

• Hand-held flash photography and video recording is allowed in most galleries for private purposes only.
• Signs will indicate where photography is restricted.
• Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks may not be used inside the Museum building.
• In special circumstances, a permit to use these items can be issued – if you have any queries, contact the Museum at filming@britishmuseum.org or on 020 7323 8380
• For questions regarding commercial photography or filming, please see our Commercial page.
• We regret to advise that sketching in the galleries is temporarily not allowed to help facilitate distancing measures and visitor flow.