10 tips for visiting the British Museum with kids

With around eight million pieces in its collection – although ‘only’ about 80,000 on display at the Bloomsbury site – there really is something to fascinate all ages if you’re visiting the British Museum with kids.

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I’ve been visiting since I was a child myself, when a wander around the Egyptian gallery sparked a lifelong fascination with Ancient Egypt – and I’ve been returning with my daughter since she her own first visit as a three-year-old, but there’s always plenty that’s new to discover.

So if you are visiting the British Museum with kids, here are my tips to make the most of your time.

For my complete set of tips on visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids, check out my ultimate guide

1. Plan ahead

Don’t even think of trying to see everything. There’s simply too much to take in in one go and it would be ambitious for an adult to try to see it all, let alone with kids. Instead, check out the maps online and work out which rooms you don’t want to miss.

Some, like the Egyptian mummies, are particularly popular so you can expect bigger crowds during holidays but there are plenty of other galleries to appeal to kids – the ‘buried treasure’ from Sutton Hoo, and plenty on Ancient Greece and Rome too (for starters).

As it’s free, several short visits are probably better if you have the time. There’s also an audio app if you’d like someone else to guide you around – better if you’re visiting the British Museum with older kids though as these are paid, costing from £1.99 each – as well as family trails (read on for more details).

2. See the highlights

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start, the museum has 12 highlights to see with children listed on the website, plus a floorplan which you can print out.

There’s also an idea for a one-hour trail, as well as a three-hour trail if you want to make the most of the time you’ve got to visit, which take you past some of the museum’s key pieces, as well as everything from a 5,000-year-old game to samurai armour.

If you need something to do outdoors after wandering around the museum, Coram’s Fields is only for families and is walking distance away.

3. Try an activity trail

The museum has its own free museum explorer trails for kids – you can pick these up from the family desk in the Great Court at weekends and during school holidays (limited copies available), or download and print your own to bring. You can also download them to your phone when you arrive, by scanning the QR code.

The trails are aimed at different ages, and there are two fantastic ones for age three to five, focused around colours or counting, as well as six more aimed at age six and up on topics including Ancient Egypt.

They’re perfect for making a game/treasure hunt for little ones who might otherwise get quickly bored of looking at things in glass cases: my then preschooler daughter loved the counting trail on our first visit, which also took us into galleries I might not otherwise have considered.

The suggested time is around 30-40 minutes, so you can easily do more than one, or one plus some wandering. With younger kids, I found a single trail was just right for a visit with a three-year-old before her attention span wandered.

4. Pick up an activity backpack

Grab an activity backpack – there are nine different versions, including one aimed at kids under five. These are only available when the Families Desk in the Great Court is open, from 10am–12.30pm and 1.15–4.30pm at weekends and during school holidays

There are two other options suitable for children aged 3+, including a sensory support backpack for children with additional sensory needs and the young artist backpack for age 3-7, plus other themes for older kids covering everything from Africa to the Egyptians and Romans. You can also try a second art backpack for age 8-16 if you’re visiting the British Museum with teens, plus the Marvellous Mexico backpack for ages 9-12.

The backpacks all have a mix of hands-on activities to help kids explore different cultures. They’re designed to take around 90 minutes, and you’ll need to leave a £10 deposit. There’s also limited availability so it is worth getting there early if you want to try one.

5. Get hands on

The museum runs various talks and tours throughout the day as well, but more fun for kids is the chance to touch some of the exhibits and chat to staff at the hands on desks with seven dotted around the museum.

Alternatively, you can often borrow art materials at the families desk to design your own trail featuring a few favourite items from the collections (and you’re welcome to take your drawings and designs home, of course).

You’ll also find extra events and activities taking place, especially during school holidays, or linked to the latest exhibitions, as well as the chance to join out-of-hours tours (paid) which go into far more detail for teens and older kids.

Check out our review of Legion: Life in the Roman Army

6. Make the most of your phones

As well as being able to download the audio app and follow the activity trails using QR codes, you can also take on one of the Museum Missions on your phone or tablet.

There are currently six themed missions, including ones for the Ancient Egypt galleries, Roman Empire, Africa and Mexico, each with five fun challenges to complete, from finding objects and spotting specific details to performing and posing for photos.

They’re all free to access, with free WiFi in the museum

7. Skip the queues

The main entrance on Great Russell Street is impressive in its own right with soaring pillars but there’s a second quieter entrance on Montague Place around the back. 

It’s the group entrance, so there is always the risk of getting stuck behind a tour and you still have to go through the bag search, but otherwise you stand a good chance of skipping the queues even if you then head straight to the Great Court anyway.

If you’re visiting with children under five (or have accessibility needs), you may be able to use the easy-access lane into the museum: check with staff before you join the queue.

It’s worth knowing that even if you have prebooked free timed tickets (or exhibition tickets), you’ll still have to queue to get in – there’s no fast-track option. You’re welcome to visit any point after the time printed on your ticket, and if they do have to limit numbers inside, those with prebooked tickets will still be allowed in, so it’s still worth doing.

The museum galleries are open from 10am (until 5pm, or 8.30pm on Fridays).

8. Discover some museum trivia

There’s plenty to learn about the museum’s exhibits, but you can also entertain kids with a few of the unexpected facts about the British Museum.

The world’s oldest national public museum, it was founded in 1753 and first opened its doors in 1759, making it older than the United States.

Its collections were so big that there was enough to create the Natural History Museum and the British Library, and there are still replica buildings inside – you can even see a Japanese tea ceremony in one on occasions.

The museum once had its own tube station, which closed in 1933 (when Holborn station opened, a mere 100m further away)… and it takes two weeks to clean the glass of the Great Court!

9. Child-friendly facilities

There are toilets on every floor, although if you can avoid the ones in the Great Court, do – these tend to have the longest queues.

You’ll also find three sets of baby changing (plus the Ford Centre for Young Visitors) as well as high chairs and kid-friendly food in the cafes – especially The Pizzeria which has a children’s menu.

At weekends/school holidays, you can picnic in the Ford Centre for Young Visitors on floor -1, or on the grass in front of the museum if the sun is shining. There are plenty of places to eat around the museum if you time your visit around meals (or the queues for re-entry aren’t too long)

You can also breastfeed or bottle feed anywhere in the museum, although there are two feeding rooms too (one in the Ford Centre open only at weekends/school holidays) if you want a quieter space.

10. Bring a buggy

If you’re visiting with a baby (or hoping for a bit longer to wander as a toddler naps in their buggy), there are lifts between floors if you’re taking a pushchair.

These are also free to leave in the cloakroom by the main entrance as well, as long as you can fold them. 

There are also lockers in the Ford Centre for Young Visitors from 10am-4.30pm at weekends and during the school holidays – you can reach this by the stairs near the Information Desk or lifts near the Great Russell Street entrance.

Big bags (including suitcases) aren’t allowed at any point. If you need somewhere secure to leave larger luggage, check out LuggageHero and Radical Storage which has locations around the city.

For my complete set of tips, check out my ultimate guide to visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids

*last updated 2024*

PIN FOR LATER: BRITISH MUSEUM WITH KIDS

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