You do not need a ticket for the British Museum, and the page that says “book tickets” is offering you something you do not have to pay for. Entry is free, and what the museum asks you to book is a free ticket in advance, which gives you key information before your visit and priority entry during busy periods. The things it does charge for are listed below, with what each costs.
The other fact worth knowing before you go is the hours. The museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, and on Fridays it stays open until 8.30pm.
What is free and what is not
Free entry covers the galleries, which the museum describes as more than 50 galleries and two million years of human history, including the Sutton Hoo ship burial, the Islamic world collection and the Egyptian mummies. Advance booking of the free ticket is recommended and not required.
The museum says it may occasionally close galleries at short notice and is not always able to alert visitors in advance. It publishes a list of available galleries and of planned gallery closures, so look at that before you go for one particular room.
Korea, a special exhibition, runs from 1 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 and is ticketed. The Bayeux Tapestry, on a historic loan from France, is shown as an experience from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027, and is now open. Check the museum’s page for the booking and price of each, as we could not read a figure for either.
The free exhibitions
Two displays are free. Declaring Independence: USA 250 runs from 30 June to 29 November 2026, and Multiplied Wonders: Italian Renaissance woodcuts opened on 8 October 2026 and runs to 21 March 2027. John Constable: views of nature has closed.
Paid tours and after hours
The Around the World in 90 Minutes tour is 15 pounds and covers ancient Greek sculpture to Egyptian antiquities. The out of hours tour is 35 pounds: an introduction to the museum, in the oldest room in the Museum, before the galleries open to the public. There is also an LGBTQ+ tour, Desire, love, identity, which is volunteer led.
The Korea sleepover is 79 pounds, an after dark experience with dance moves, traditional crafts and scholarly skills. A free lecture, the Dingwall-Beloe Horological Lecture on Precision and Polemic, is on 29 October 2026, and an online event on Harald Hardrada, the other Harold, is 6 pounds on 5 November.
When to go
The Friday late opening is the useful one: the museum is open until 8.30pm, three and a half hours after it closes on every other day. The museum is closed from 24 to 26 December. Members get 10 per cent off at the cafes, restaurants and shops.
The address is Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. For what else costs nothing, the free museums list covers the other national collections, and the Natural History Museum is the other that needs a free ticket on a busy day. What is on across the galleries dates every show.
British Museum
- Address
- Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
- Nearest
- Tottenham Court Road, Holborn or Russell Square
- Hours
- Daily 10am to 5pm, Fridays until 8.30pm. Closed 24 to 26 December
- Booking
- Free entry ticket recommended for priority entry at busy times. Exhibitions and tours are booked separately
- Price
- Entry free. Korea is a ticketed exhibition. Tours from 15 pounds, out of hours tour 35 pounds, sleepover 79 pounds
- Standing
- Free entry to more than 50 galleries across two million years of history
How to get in
Galleries can close at short notice. Check the list of available galleries before you go.
Where to go next
The free museums in London covers the rest of the national collections, and the exhibitions guide dates every show.
Central London in Zone 1 covers what sits inside the same ring, and the bookshops are a short walk through Bloomsbury.
Questions we get asked
Is the British Museum free?
Yes. Entry is free. The museum recommends booking a free ticket in advance, which gives you information before your visit and priority entry during busy periods. Special exhibitions such as Korea are ticketed.
What time does the British Museum open and close?
Daily 10am to 5pm, and on Fridays it stays open until 8.30pm. It is closed from 24 to 26 December.
Do you need to book the British Museum?
Not to enter, because entry is free, but advance booking of the free ticket is recommended and gives priority entry during busy periods. Exhibitions and tours need their own tickets.
What exhibitions are free at the British Museum?
Declaring Independence: USA 250, to 29 November 2026, and Multiplied Wonders, on Italian Renaissance woodcuts, which opened on 8 October 2026 and runs to 21 March 2027. John Constable: views of nature has closed.
How much is a British Museum tour?
The Around the World in 90 Minutes tour is 15 pounds and the out of hours introduction to the Museum is 35 pounds. The Korea sleepover is 79 pounds. Some talks and tours are volunteer led.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 189 in the guide.
Last checked 13 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
