The British Museum's collection of seven million objects representing the rich history of human cultures mirrors the city of London's global variety. In no other museum can the visitor see so clearly the history of what it is to be human.

The British Museum in Bloomsbury is open every day and offers a full and exciting exhibition and events programme.

Explore highlight objects from the British Museum by ancient, historical and living culture.

Explore highlight objects from the British Museum collection by historical, contemporary people from kings and mythical figures to artists.

Explore highlights from the British Museum collection by modern geographic location.

Explore highlights from the British Museum collection by the materials they're made out of.

The nearest underground stations to the British Museum are:

Tottenham Court Road (300m)
Holborn (500m)
Russell Square (800m)
Goodge Street (800m)

Opening Times:

Monday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Tuesday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Wednesday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Thursday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Friday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Saturday: 10.00am – 5.30pm
Sunday: 10.00am – 5.30pm

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Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch.

Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every year. For visitor information, please visit the Royal Collection website.

Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.

The Palace is very much a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family.

The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household.

Although Buckingham Palace is furnished and decorated with priceless works of art that form part of the Royal Collection, one of the major art collections in the world today. It is not an art gallery and nor is it a museum.

Opening Times:

23rd July - 3rd October 2011: 9:45pm - 6:30pm

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Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London.

The war rooms became operational at the outset of war in 1939.

Step back in time and discover the secret underground headquarters that were the nerve centre of Britain's war effort. Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the 'Cabinet War Rooms' to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. It was there, in the underground Cabinet Room, he announced 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'.

Also within the Churchill War Rooms, is the interactive Churchill Museum, dedicated to the life and achievements of Sir Winston Churchill. Explore the man behind the legend and learn how Churchill came to merit the iconic status he holds to this day.

Opening Times:

Monday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Tuesday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Thursday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Friday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Saturday: 9.30am - 6.00pm
Sunday: 9.30am - 6.00pm

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Warning: this is an attraction for those willing to test their bravery! Utilizing special effects, live actors, and rides this tourist attraction attempts to recreate various forms of torture used during the Medieval Age. All of the scenes are based on real historical events and characters including, Bloody Mary, Jack the Ripper, and a scene set in London in 1665 when many were suffering from the bubonic plague.

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With over 720 different species of animal, ZSL London Zoo is a brilliant way to immerse yourself into the animal kingdom.

The Zoo, located in the north east corner of London's Regent's Park, is open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

ZSL is actively involved in ‘bringing down the bars' by creating interactive, immersive and inspiring exhibits. As visitors walk around the Zoo's 36 acre site, they are brought closer to nature.

In recent years new exhibits, such as Animal Adventure (our new children's zoo), Giants of the Galapagos, Butterfly Paradise, Meet the Monkeys, Rainforest Life, Gorilla Kingdom and the Blackburn Pavilion, show how ZSL creates realistic environments to house some of the world's most impressive and inspiring animals.

Opening Times:

Until Friday 18 February: 10am - 4pm
Saturday 19 February - Friday 4 March: 10am - 4.30pm
Saturday 5 March - Friday 15 July: 10am - 5.30pm
Saturday 16 July - Sunday 4 September: 10am - 6pm
Monday 5 September - Saturday 29 Oct: 10am - 5.30pm
Sunday 30 October: 10am - 4pm

Extended opening hours (10am - 6pm) will run on the following holidays:

• Good Friday (22 April)
• Easter Saturday (23 April)
• Easter Sunday (24 April)
• Easter Monday (25 April)
• Royal Wedding (Friday 29 April)
• Saturday 30 April,
• Sunday 1 May
• May Day Bank Holiday (Monday 2 May)
• Saturday 28 May
• Sunday 29 May
• Spring Bank Holiday (Monday 30 May)

ZSL London Zoo is open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

Last admission is one hour before advertised closing time. Some animal houses may close 30 minutes before this time.

Children under 16 will not be admitted without an adult.

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Millions and millions of people have flocked through the doors of Madame Tussauds since they first opened over 200 years ago and it remains just as popular as it ever was. There are many reasons for this enduring success, but at the heart of it all is good, old-fashioned curiosity.

Today's visitors are sent on a unique, emotionally-charged journey through the realms of the powerful and famous. The museum-style ropes and poles have gone so guests can truly get up, close and personal with A-list celebrities, sporting legends, political heavyweights and historical icons, reliving the times, events and moments that made the world talk about them

Opening Times:

Monday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Tuesday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Thursday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Friday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Saturday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Sunday: 9.30am - 5.30pm

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The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington.

The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections:

• Botany
• Entomology
• Mineralogy
• Palaeontology
• Zoology

The museum is a world-renowned centre of research, specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Darwin.

The Natural History Museum Library contains extensive books, journals, manuscripts, and artwork collections linked to the work and research of the scientific departments. Access to the library is by appointment only.

The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, and ornate architecture — sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature — both exemplified by the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the vaulted central hall.

Originating from collections within the British Museum, the landmark Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened by 1881, and later incorporated the Geological Museum. The Darwin Centre is a more recent addition, partly designed as a modern facility for storing the valuable collections.

Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum does not levy an admission charge and so entry is free.

Opening Times:

Monday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Tuesday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Wednesday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Thursday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Friday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Saturday: 10.00am – 5.50pm
Sunday: 10.00am – 5.50pm

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The Kew Gardens, fully named The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a landscape of over 300 acres containing plant collections, greenhouses, conservatories, and numerous other exhibits. The Kew Gardens is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site, with an important historical legacy as well.

Explore glasshouses, landscapes and 250 years of history at the world's most famous garden. Climb to the treetops, delve into rainforest or discover more on a guided tour.

Opening Times:

Monday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Tuesday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Thursday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Friday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Saturday: 9.30am - 4.15pm
Sunday: 9.30am - 4.15pm

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The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World, making it the official starting point for each new day and year. It is also home to London's only planetarium, the Harrison timekeepers and the UK's largest refracting telescope.

The Royal Observatory, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium (at the stroke of midnight GMT as measured from the Prime Meridian).

The Observatory is now part of the National Maritime Museum and is one of the most famous features of Maritime Greenwich – since 1997 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors to the Observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously by placing their feet either side of the Prime Meridian – the centre of world time and space. The Observatory galleries unravel the extraordinary phenomena of time, space and astronomy, the Planetarium lets visitors explore the wonders of the heavens and Flamsteed House, Sir Christopher Wren’s original building, also has London's only public camera obscura.

Opening Times:

Monday: 10am - 5pm
Tuesday: 10am - 5pm
Wednesday: 10am - 5pm
Thursday: 10am - 5pm
Friday: 10am - 5pm
Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: 10am - 5pm

Last admission to The Royal Observatory is at 4.30pm

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The Science Museum as an institution has been in existence for about a century and a half. It has its origins in the Great Exhibition of 1851, held in Hyde Park in the huge glass building known as the Crystal Palace. The popularity of the exhibition ensured a large financial surplus, which its patron Prince Albert suggested should be used to found a number of educational establishments on the land available nearby. The first of these was the South Kensington Museum, opened in 1857 on land which is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Science Museum's collections form an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical change since the eighteenth century.

The Science Museum has over 300,000 objects in its care, with particular strengths in the history of western science, technology and medicine since 1700.

It has been uniquely placed to acquire objects recording the Industrial Revolution, and now holds unrivalled collections in this area. Medical artefacts from all periods and cultures also form an important part of its holdings.

Opening Times:

Monday: 10am - 6pm
Tuesday: 10am - 6pm
Wednesday: 10am - 6pm
Thursday: 10am - 6pm
Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: 10am - 6pm

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Located in the heart of London, the SEA LIFE London Aquarium is one of the largest collections of global marine life. With over 1 million litres of water, the aquarium contains sharks, eels, starfish, piranhas and numerous other fish and sea life. With interactive displays and an impressive glass tunnel walkway, it's the perfect attraction for kids, a date, or just an escape from a rainy day in London.

Want to see sea life? There’s no better place. With over 500 species, 14 themed zones and more than 2 million litres of water, SEA LIFE London Aquarium is home to one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life.

And if you want to see sharks you won't be disappointed. We have more than 40 of them and a very special shark walk where you can watch 4 species swim below your feet. Dare you?

You will get closer than ever to the creatures of the deep too. Interactive feeding, diving displays and touch pools mean every visit will bring new surprises – and an amazing opportunity to learn about the wonderful creatures of the deep.

• 1000s of creatures in over 2 million litres of water
• 500 species from every part of the world
• More than 40 sharks from 12 different species
• 65 displays with 30 species of plants and foliage
• 14 themed zones over 3 floors

Opening Times:

Monday - Thursday: 10am - 6pm (last entry 5pm)
Friday - Sunday: 10am - 7pm (last entry 6pm)

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St Paul's Cathedral is an iconic part of the London skyline, reaching up to 111m with one of the world's tallest domes. It was designed by court architect Sir Christopher Wren, and completed in 1710.

A cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood on this site since 604AD, and throughout the cathedral has remained a busy, working church where millions come to reflect and find peace.

St Paul's Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of London, a working church, as well as being the site for many important national events. The funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill took place here, as well as the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.

The most recent event to take place here was the celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. For visitors just coming to tour, The Whispering Gallery, 259 steps up from ground level, runs around the interior of the Dome, and fascinates visitors who can whisper on one side of the dome and be heard clearly on the opposite side. The external Golden Gallery provides visitors with spectacular views of the city. Those just coming to worship, can enjoy daily services.

A symbol of the hope, resilience and strength of the city and nation it serves. Above all, St Paul's Cathedral is a lasting monument to the glory of God.

Its rich and diverse history means there is lots for visitors to the Cathedral to discover.

Opening Times:

• St Paul's Cathedral is open for sightseeing from Monday to Saturday between 8.30am - 4pm
• Last tickets are sold at 4pm and the cathedral closes for sightseeing at 4.30pm
• On Sunday the cathedral is open for worship only and there is no sightseeing
• The galleries are open to sightseers from Monday to Saturday between 9.30am - 4.15pm (last admission)

Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult when visiting the galleries

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The Houses of Parliament, also referred to as the Palace of Westminster, are home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Palace of Westminster is also home to the clock tower, Big Ben, one of the most recognised London attractions worldwide. The Houses of Parliament are one of the centres for political life in the United Kingdom.

Tours are available for only two months in the summer while Parliament is not sitting, however it possible to view debates from the public galleries throughout the year.

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We want your flight on The Merlin Entertainments London Eye to be as enjoyable as possible, and that includes all the information you need to plan your trip.

This section includes London Eye opening times, how to get to the London Eye, facilities here, group bookings, and any special requirements you may have such as disabled or wheelchair access. There are notes and safety and security on board the London Eye too.

Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour - twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop.

As well as the ticket office for buying and collecting tickets for The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, our facilities include disabled access, gift shop, and cafes.

Opening Times:

January - March: 10.00am - 8.30pm
April - June: 10.00am - 8.30pm
July - August: 10.00am - 9.30pm
September - December: 10.00am - 8.30pm

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The Tower of London, founded by William the Conqueror in 1066, has been used over the years as a fortress, palace, armoury, and even housed a zoo for a number of years. However, it is best known as a prison, full of misery and torture, which housed many famous inmates including Anne Boleyn, Edward V, Guy Fawkes, and Sir Thomas More.

A visit to the Tower of London must include - a look at the Crown Jewels, a collection of over 23,000 gems, a tour of the White Tower, and an observation of the six resident ravens who according to legend would cause the kingdom and the tower to fall if they ever left the premises. They are just a few of the many attractions available to be explored at this site.

Opening Times:

Monday: 9am - 4.30pm
Tuesday: 9am - 4.30pm
Wednesday: 9am - 4.30pm
Thursday: 9am - 4.30pm
Friday: 9am - 4.30pm
Saturday: 9am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 10am - 4pm

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Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers; poets, priests, heroes and villains - the Abbey is a must-see living pageant of British history.

Every year Westminster Abbey welcomes over one million visitors who want to explore this wonderful 700-year-old building. Thousands more join us for worship at our daily services. The Abbey is in the heart of London. Once inside audio guides are available in eight languages or there is the highly-popular verger-led tour.

Westminster Abbey is the resting place and memorial for some of the most renowned citizens from the last 1000 years in British history. The list includes Elizabeth I, Charles II, Geoffrey Chaucer and Sir Isaac Newton. It also remains today as a working church, holding regular services, and as the site of coronations and burials for the English Monarchs.

Opening Times:

Monday: 9.30am - 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Tuesday: 9.30am - 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Wednesday: 9.30am - 7.00pm (last admission 6.00pm)
Thursday: 9.30am - 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Friday: 9.30am - 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Saturday: 9.30am - 2.30pm (last admission 1.30pm)
Sunday: Worship only, NO Tourists!

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