![]() ![]() If you’re worried about missing anything important, you can follow the “Museum Trails” so you can do your own self-guided tour through any of the four zones in the museum, which normally last between one to two hours. Recommended visiting time to the Natural History Museum is around three to four hours but one could easily spend the entire day wandering around all four of the museum’s coloured zones. Otherwise, parking is available on Exhibition Road, and you can park your car between 8:30am and 6:30pm. Walking: If you are walking to the Museum, you can reach the main entrance via the East Gardens, which are located on the corner of Exhibition Road Street and Cromwell Road Street.īy Express: If you are travelling by express, there is a stop outside the Cromwell Road entrance.īy Car: If you are travelling by car, there are parking bays for visitors with blue badges, so you can enter via Queen’s Gate Street, to the west of the museum, however, you must book your parking in advance. If you can, try to visit the museum during the evening hours, as the building and hallways are especially beautiful when lit up at night.īy Tube: If you are travelling by tube, the nearest station is South Kensington (which is a 4 minute walk from the Museum).īy Train: If you are travelling by train, the nearest station is West Brompton Station.īy Bus: If you are travelling by bus, you can get to the museum on routes 14, 49, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430 and C1. If you want to avoid this, the side entrance tends to have shorter queues, especially on weekdays. The main entrance tends to have a long queue which means you may have to stand outside for up to an hour before you get in. Try to avoid visiting the museum on school holidays as it can get incredibly busy – otherwise, be prepared to be surrounded by children at all times! An earthquake simulator in the Earthquake Room (where visitors can step onto a platform in a “supermarket” and feel the room shake, just as it would during a real earthquake).The Aurora Collection (consisting of nearly 300 different coloured diamonds).The Pompeii casts of a man and dog (dating back to the Vesuvius volcano eruption near Naples in 79 AD).The 1st edition of Charles Darwins’ Origin of Species.The largest gold nugget in the world (which weighs 27.4 kg, and is worth around $1.5 million).A 14,700-year-old cup made from a human skull (which was found in Somerset).An archaeopteryx fossil (which is the most valuable fossil in the museum’s collection).The Wold Cottage meteorite (which is 4.6 billion years old – making it the oldest item in the museum).Dippy the Diplodocus skeleton (which hangs in the Central Hall).Some of the many fascinating items at the Natural History Museum include: The Blue Zone, on the other hand, covers everything from dinosaurs, amphibians, mammals, reptiles and marine invertebrates, and the Orange Zone leads you through the Wildlife Garden (which is only open between April and October). The Green Zone has more of a focus on birds, insects, fossils, and minerals, while the Red Zone focuses more on Earth, the planets and the universe (like the evolution of humans, volcanoes and earthquakes). The Natural History Museum is conveniently divided into four different coloured zones, each of which focus on specific topics or subjects. Today, the museum attracts more than five million visitors each year, and is considered to be one of the three most important museums in London (behind the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum). Apparently, Sloane wasn’t pleased with the natural history collection at the British Museum, and as a result he decided to help fund a second museum in a separate building to house more of these items. The museum was founded in 1754 (although it moved to its current location in 1881), and was founded thanks to the generous contributions of Sir Hans Sloane, who was also responsible for contributing items to the British Museum. The Natural History Museum is home to more than 70 million specimens (with at least 500,000 items being added each year), making it one of the largest collections of natural history in the world. From dinosaur fossils and chunks of moon rock, to exotic plants, and even a dodo skeleton, there’s no telling what you’ll come across during a visit to London’s Natural History Museum. ![]()
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