I am buiding my itenerary for September, and these are the places on the "maybe" list.
Kensington Palace
Natural History Museum
Cabinet War Rooms
British Museum
I know some of you may say it's persoanl preference, but I am holding out for the people who will tell me THEIR opinions on these places. Thanks everyone!!

Hi Luv2Travel - Absolutely see the Cabinet War Rooms! This was the underground command center during WWII. There's a audio guide which explains what went on and what each room was for. It was a highlight of my last trip to London.

adrienne

The Natural History Museum totally depends on your interests - for some it is a MUST, for others it is a yawn. So you need to tell us more about what you like.

I can't see either the British Museum or War Rooms being a "maybe". For most people they are both "musts". But if you are not interested in history - well that is your call.

Kens Palace - I'd say the gardens are a must in spring/summer. The water garden is beautiful and you will likely be in the park at some time during your visit so it doesn't take special planning. As for the interior - this one is definitely personal preference. For some it is a highlight and for others it is boring. The edwardian dresses, the royal gowns, the state room are all lovely - but some people just aren't interested in those things.

The Cabinet War Rooms and the British Museum a MAYBE!! Surely you jest! These are a must see. I'm a history buff so I really got a thrill out of the Cabinet War Rooms. Also you can easily see them in a couple hours. You could spend the whole day at the British Museum and still feel like you had not seen much.

MarkInBoston

Of these, the one Ive been to so far (I'm rememdying that next trip) is the British Museum. In order for you to know if it is worth it to YOU, you need to know what's in them...

The British Museum has a vast array of artifacts from history, including celtic, saxon, egyptian, oriental, roman, etc. cultures. We spent all day there, and barely scratched the surface. We are, however, history buffs (especially ancient history) and were like kids in a candy store. There are people, I know, who could care less about history -- those people would probably be pretty bored there. But then, they wouldn't be hitting a history museum, then, would they?

ok, I am getting the picture here. I do have the British Museum on the schedule, along with the Cabinet War Rooms, for my dear husbands sake. I might kick out the Kensington Palace. As far as the Natural History Museum, that will remain a maybe. I had planned to hit that on the same day as we do Portobello Market (a Saturday) and Harrod's. So, if we have time...

The Natural History and the British Museum are very big. I don't know how long you are in London and how much time you plan to devote to these, but my advice for each would be to do a bit of research before you go and pick a few areas of each museum that interest you and spend half a day at each museum. You can always go back if you have more time.

If you try and see too much in either place you will end up seeing a lot of things but you won't take much in because you will have to move at a fair pace and feel pretty exhausted at the end. In my opinion to spend all day at either place is too long.

I live in London so I can go any time (they are both free as well) but last time I went to the British museum I went to the Egypt and Roman Britain sections, that was about three hours.

Both places are full of fascinating information and items so I would try and find time to see them both unless you have been to a big natural history museum like New York's already.

I expect the weather will also have an impact on whether you are up for indoor or outdoor activities.

What I love about the Natural History Museum is the building. Since it's free, if you are in the area at least go in and have a look.

You bet!! The Cabinet War Rooms.
If you really a WWII history buff...take a look at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon...short tube ride from Central London.

Hi:
I definitely found the British Museum
a great find. I also suggest The British
Library especially the room called Turning Pages( all old things} El

I didn't do Kensington my last trip (and being from DC, the natural history museum didn't sound any better than what's in my backyard), but the War Rooms and the Britism Muesum are must-see if you love history.

Caveat: the British Museum can be overwhelming - it's best to do it early in the trip while you have the energy. I went on my 4th day and i was so overloaded on old stuff i was pretty jaded. Luckily, I'm going back this fall and it's the first stop.

Without a doubt, I'm another that could spend all day in the British Museum and complain about a lack of time. Highly recommended.

I DID spend all day in British Museum, and still did not see all of it.

I *love* the British Museum. I think it should be a must even if you aren't a history buff.
The Cabinet War Rooms were interesting, but certainly don't rate over the BM! I really enjoyed the Natural History Museum, but it was big, and a lot to get through.
If you or your husband are military history buffs, be sure to see the Imperial War Museum too.

Opinions.....

Kensington Palace: gardens are terrific, but the interior isn't anything to write home about. The display of royal costumes was mildly interesting (btw: that opinion was shared by husband and wife)

Natural History Museum: nothing particularly "London" about this museum. The new Darwin Centre allows you to peek at all the "pickled stuff"(specimens) , some of which is scientifically and historically significant....but that doesn't make it a "must see" for most of us.

Cabinet War Room: They've just expanded the exhibit area to include Mrs. Churchill's bedroom and some other family areas. This is a very worthwhile stop, and it is something you can only see in London.

Britism Museum: I'll go against the crowd on this one and say "skip it". (and wait for the condemnations to follow on this message board...keep it civil folks!).

My reasons? Well, the museum is too vast to do much justice in a short visit to London, that's part one. Part two is, like the Natural History Museum, much of the content is somewhat similar to that of other great museums. You can ONLY see the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey in London--you CAN see an Egyptian antiquities collection elsewhere. Of course, there is no other Rosetta Stone, for example, so there are things here that you can only see at this museum. So if you have a particular interest, consider a focused tour of the museum.

KidsToLondon: You usually give such good advice - but that bit about the British Museum is plain daft.

It would be like saying skip the Louvre or the Smithsonian because they are too big.

There is nothing that says you have to try to see it all - which would be impossible anyway. But they have excellent guides - printed, audio, or actual humans - so you can easily pick and choose what to see.

You dissed me in Britspeak ("Daft&quot! I love it! ;-)

I stand by my comments, but emphasize that I am assuming the visitor has a limited time in London and is trying to prioritize a "must see" list.

I'd just hate to think that a visitor from New York City, for example, missed something like the Tower of London while looking at mummies in the British Museum. They can see something similar at the Metropolitan Museum.

actually, I agree with Kids to London. I have seen mummies etc in other museums just as well (Met as well as Cairo, Louvre has a good collection, also), and wouldn't put that at the top of my list of London must-sees either. I haven't seen the Nat History, not being that interested in it, but those museums are in lots of big cities, again.

I would much more place the City of London museum above either of those because it is unique. I also would place the V&A above either, or the Tate (the regular one, not Modern). I liked Kensington Palace quite a bit.

I love the British Museum, but Westminster Abbey and the Tower touched me much more - I agree with the other posters that they are experiences you can't get elsewhere.

The highlight of the British Museum for me was the Roman/British and the Celtic sections - deepening an understanding for some of the places we would see later in our travels around Britain.

On one trip our teenager refused to visit the museum (which she'd seen before) because "They stole all those things from other cultures and it's just not respectful." Now she's a senior in college with an international relations major...

You CAN"T skip the British Museum - it's one of, if not 'the' world's greatest museums of ancient antiquities. But I would agree with doing some research beforehand and being very targetted about what you want to see. With museums being free, you can easily skip in and out and just see what you want. Don't feel pressurised by those who say you have to drag yourself around for a day to do it justice.

Skip Kensington Palace - there are many grand palaces scattered around London, and you'll get much more from the Tower of London.

The Cabinet War Rooms are very unusual - a unqiued insight in Churchill's War operations. Living history, rather than a glass-cased museum. It's also quite small so won't eat up much more than an hour.

I agree with Grasshopper's suggestion of popping into the Natural History Museum if you're in the area (the V&A and the Science Museum are next door, so you could combine the 3 if you're feeling energetic). The entrance looks like the interior looks like a vast, elaborate cathedral, and this in intentional. It was built at a time when the arguments were raging about the publication Of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and the main force behind the building (I forget his name) belonged in the Christian, anti-Darwin camp who held with the Bible's version of the creation. So the interior is designed to worship God's glorious natural creation. And there's a big dinosaur in the reception too, to add to the drama.