Tours and talks
Choose from
Around the world in 90 minutes
Eye-opener tours: 30–40 minutes
Hands on desks: 11.00–16.00
Lunchtime gallery talks: 45 minutes
Friday night spotlight tours: 20 minutes
The British Museum is closed temporarily.
We continue to remain accessible through our digital channels. Find out more.
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Get to know the collection through tours, talks and Hands on desks.
We offer tours of different durations and you'll find something happening every day. Try a daytime Eye-opener tour, a Friday night spotlight tour or travel Around the world in 90 minutes. We have seven hands on desks where you can see objects up close and discuss them with our volunteers. Free 45-minute gallery talks with guest speakers and curators also take place regularly. Take a look below for more details.
Around the world in 90 minutes tour
Explore some of the most famous objects on display at the Museum on this guided highlights tour, as well as some lesser-known but equally fascinating objects.
- Each tour lasts for 90 minutes and covers multiple galleries
- Tours take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11.30 and 14.00
- Each tour has a capacity of 20 people
- £14 per person
- Recommended for adults and children aged 12+
- Please note that the tour will visit a number of galleries on different floors of the Museum and involves a considerable amount of walking
Eye-opener tours
- Our free volunteer-led Eye-opener tours are 30-40 minutes long
- The tours are recommended for adults, though children are welcome
- Please ask at the Information Desk about the meeting point for each tour
- We offer tours between 11.00 and 15.45
- The availability of tours and talks may be reduced on bank holidays – see dates of upcoming bank holidays
- Please be aware these tours are subject to cancellation. Please ask at the Information Desk on the day for details
Desire, love, identity: an LGBTQ tour
- This tour focuses on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) themes and histories
- Each tour lasts for around 70 minutes
- Tours are free but booking is strongly recommended
- Each tour has a capacity of 20 people
- The tour visits a number of galleries on different floors of the Museum and involves a considerable amount of walking
Hands on desks
Please note the Hands on desks are temporarily closed until further notice.
Take a close look at some of the objects from the collection at our Hands on Desks. Sessions are free and take place daily from 11.00–16.00, subject to availability, in the galleries listed below:
Room 1 – Enlightenment Gallery
Room 2 – Collecting the world Gallery
Room 24 – Africa, Oceania and the Americas
Room 49 – Pre-history and Roman Britain
Room 68 – Money Gallery
Rooms 42–43 – The Islamic world Gallery
Room 33 – Asia
Friday night spotlight tours
- Our free volunteer-led Spotlight tours are 20 minutes long
- The tours are recommended for adults, though children are welcome
- We offer tours between 17.00-19.00
- The availability of tours and talks may be reduced on bank holidays – see dates of upcoming bank holidays
- Please be aware these tours are subject to cancellation. Please ask at the Information Desk on the day for details
