A trip to the Natural History Museum is the perfect family day out in London. One of the best, if not the absolute best, Natural History museum we’ve been to, the Natural History Museum is a must-see in London with kids.
Plan before you go
The museum is broken up into four zones, each section representing different types of animals and discoveries.
Blue Zone
Featuring dinosaurs and massive animals
Red Zone
Learn more about Earth
Green Zone
The evolution of Earth and the relationships between life and their environments
Orange Zone
A chance to see scientists at work in the Darwin Centre
You can also download a map here or you can buy one there for £1. I’d definitely recommend a map so that you can quickly work out which lift to use and pinpoint toilets and baby changing facilities.
Take the tube to South Kensington station
Regardless of which direction you are coming from, South Kensington station is the closest to the National History Museum, 200 metres.
Use the Exhibition Road entrance
There are 3 entrances to the museum – Cromwell Road, Exhibition Road
However, Cromwell road entrance is larger and closer to the dinosaurs entrance and has a better view of the main hall once inside.
Make sure your buggy folds up
Children aged three and under can leave items for free in the cloakroom, but pushchairs do need to be folded. It means you don’t have to use the lifts and if visiting during a busy period, you’ll find it much easier to get around.
You’ll probably find that your child is too excited to stay in their pushchair anyway, we hauled ours around with us but our 2 year old didn’t go in it once!
Go in the morning
As most things, the Natural History Museum can seem busy at first but only gets busier as the day goes on. Especially with little ones and guests unsettled by large crowds, it is best to schedule the Natural History Museum as your first activity for the day, followed by lunch and nap time.
Visit the Dinosaurs first
The dinosaur exhibition was absolutely fantastic. A combination of impressive skeletons combined with life-like models and even a robotic T-Rex made the exhibit a highlight of our time in London. I really enjoyed the layout of the exhibit too – following a winding path up and down levels takes the visitor on a cohesive journey through the time of the dinosaurs.
Visitors under 7 years can take advantage of a FREE Explorer Backpack when their parents check one out near the entrance of the Central Hall (must have valid I.D.). Included are kid-size binoculars and explorer’s hat, an activity booklet, magnifying glass, drawing kit, recording sheets and clipboard, plus clues to help complete a challenge.
Don’t attempt to do it all in one day
There is far too much to see to get it all done in one day. Properly, that is. We only made it through the first floor before Munchkin was too tired to settle down and it was getting close to lunch and nap time. Instead of sticking around, we double checked the map to make sure we crossed off all of our Bucketlist exhibits and called it day at the museum.
Personally, there are 2 places I refuse to be at in the afternoon; indoor playareas and museums. They are just too darn crowded. And considering how busy it was when the doors first opened, I knew we wouldn’t have enjoyed ourselves if we stayed.
The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 5BD
Open every day 10.00-17.50
Last entry 17.30
Closed 24-26 December
Entry is free. There is a charge for some temporary exhibitions.
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