British Museum - How Much Time?

Old Jul 9th, 2004, 01:59 PM
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Lets_Go13
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British Museum - How Much Time?

Hello Fodorites,
This is my first post so please forgive any posting faux pas. I am planning a trip to London and have found a wealth of information on this site. I have few questions. First, how much time should I set aside for the British Museum? Should I split it up over the length of my stay (1 week) or do it in one shot? If I split it up, are there reasonable hotels within walking distance? I'm a female traveling alone, so a safe neighborhood for walking to and from the bus/tube/etc. is important. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!
 
Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:03 PM
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You could spend an entire week there, however, I suspect you have a passing interest in the exhibits. I'd suggest three to four hours. If you find you have free time towards the end of your trip (which I would imagine is unlikely) then by all means go and look at other rooms there or come back to certain exhibits in more detail.

Do you have a particular area of interest or a more general one?
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:10 PM
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We like museums, brother not. Last year we met him in London for the day, walked all over, among which the Brit Mus. Spent maybe 60-90 minutes. Saw Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone, lots else. Rushed but nice. Somehow I expected more exhibits, but then maybe my bro was more into exiting. From what I could see, Chicago's Museums (and DC's) have more stuff, but I hate to say that without knowing more.

So, I'm looking at Rosetta Stone, and a woman speaks from across the (large) room, " are you from [our home town]? wife turns around, woman says. "do you teach at [her school]?

5,000 miles, and you can't get away for a weekend.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:17 PM
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The British Museum is open evenings on Thursdays and Fridays. Depending on the time of year, you may have many exhibit areas all to yourself. Since admission is free, you can come and go as you like.

We stayed right around the corner at The Morgan Hotel, which offers modest,updated, extremely clean, en suite rooms with a decent cooked to order breakfast included. Elaine often recommends a place in Bloomsbury called Arosfa which is even more reasonable. There are loads of other places.

We found the area to be very safe and convenient within easy walking distant of several tube stations,restaurants, theaters, etc. There is a bus stop right in front of the Morgan.

JoeG

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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:24 PM
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Wow - what a quick response! I would be tempted to spend the week at the museum, but there are other things I want to see in London. However, if I were limited to one destination in London, this would be the place!.

I do have a few general areas of interest. Britain's history, Roman-Medieval, classical civilizations Greece/Rome, mythology and the representations from various cultures.

Tomboy, I used to live in the Washington D.C. area and spent many weekends at the various buildings of the Smithsonian Institution, so I understand that a complete visit to the British Museum is not possible in one trip.

JoeG - Thanks for the information on the late hours - what a great plan to come and go. I also appreciate the hotel information. I'll add them to my things to research list.

I'm thrilled to be going to London - have always wanted to go. Am selfishly traveling on my own so I can go where I please and spend extra time where I want.
 
Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:29 PM
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the british museum has the most important collection of ancient civilzation artifacts you could ever imagine- just about every major important piece is there. it is amazing. if you just focused on all the monumental pieces i bet four hours would be sufficient. plan that and then if you'd like to take your time, go again- as admission is free.(or it used to be!)
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 02:47 PM
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I agree with Kingdom2, you could spend a week in the Museum. Each time I visit London, I always seem to re-visit the museum, to look at things I missed last time. There is so much to take in, its like information overload. I enjoy the Anglo Saxon section, especially, the metal chieftans helmet, and the body preserved in the bog.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 03:06 PM
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I'd say it depends on how in-depth you like to get. We did the museum in an afternoon and didn't feel like we missed much. It was near the end of our trip though, and we weren't in the mood to read each and every card accompanying the objects. At the same pace, covering the Louvre took us about six times as long.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 04:23 PM
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I would go to the web site and review the exhibits so you have an advance idea of what you really want to see and how much time to allow.

I usually spend most of the day when I go - but I'm a true museum lover - many people last no more than 2 hours or so.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 06:38 PM
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We took the Original London Walks (www.walks.com British Museum walk. It lasted about 2.5 hours and hit the highlights of the museum. As the guide mentioned, the walk is designed to give you a small taste of what the museum has to offer. The guide gave us a lot of information and history of things like the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles. It was all very interesting. We really enjoyed the walk and will probably revisit the museum on later trips.

We've stayed at a nice hotel very close to the British Museum. It's the Bonnington of Bloomsbury (www.bonnington.comon Southampton Row. It's about a 3 minute walk to the museum and a five minute walk from either the Holborn or Russell Square tube. It's a safe neighborhood and a bit quieter, especially at night, than many areas of London.

When checking rates for the Bonnington, check on expedia.com or travelocity.com to compare rates. They are sometimes cheaper than from the Bonnington direct.

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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 07:38 PM
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One thing to check out when you enter the museum is the board showing any special lectures and/or films for that day. Those offer a chance to get off your feet and pick up some interesting information on the museum's many exhibits. DOn't miss the Edward VII gallery, where some of the most significant items in the collection are housed.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 07:49 PM
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You might wish to expand your horizons beyond the British Museum and include the V&A and the Museum of London. The V&A has a fascinating exhibit of the history of Britain from Henry VIII to Victoria which seems just down your alley.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/micros...20Lectures.htm
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 07:52 PM
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The British Museum does have tours which last about 1 1/2 hours. I just happened upon it and it hit the highlights. Worked well for me at the time. You could check that out thru their website re times and then mosey around afterwards on your own. Personally, I enjoyed this tour instead of just wandering and reading the little signs.

Later, while I was in London on my own I rented an apartment (Nell Gwynn apts, So. Ken/Chelsea) wherein I felt very safe and comfortable (market down the street). Lots of restaurants along Sloane Ave. where Nell Gwynn is located). Tube stations in 2 directions, about a 15 minute walk.

It doesn't so much matter where you stay (as long as it's a safe area). The tube takes you everywhere very quickly and easily. If you'd like any info on my London trip and stay at Nell Gwynn, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 09:03 PM
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Yes, it depends on how much time you want to spend there. It takes me 5 hours to get through the egyptian section alone. But I like to read everything...At least a day. Also if you have time the Imperial War Museum is great, can see it in 3-4 hours.
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Old Jul 9th, 2004, 11:26 PM
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It's 30 years since I first visited the BM, and I'm still in there every few weeks discovering something new.

I strongly believe there's a pretty short period of time anyone can allocate to a museum before Museum Head attacks: a sense your head's about to burst and an inability to take much more in. At places like the Louvre or the Met, for me that's about 3 hours.

At that point, you need to get out and do something totally different (NOT see a similar museum, though a completely different kind of place - like the War Rooms - might work. Personally I'd eat a new cuisine, go for a walk, or look at shops). But it's close to impossible to do anything resembling justice to the BM in 3 hours.

So go once and do a quick review. Take a tour by all means, but browse quickly yourself as well. Then go back for the things you want to look at properly a day or two later. And then again a day or two later still.

And remember: It'll be there (though there's an outside chance the Elgin Marbles won't) in 30 or 300 years.
It really isn't difficult to organise most people's lives for the odd 24 hour stopover in London. And for most of us, the nicest things in the BM aren't the things they point out on the tour (the Rosetta Stone, for example, really isn't that interesting to look at). They're the things you think you've discovered for yourself (like the astonishingly preserved Egypto-Roman funeral portraits, or the letters home from the garrison on Hadrian's wall).

Incidentally, to all intents and purposes, there's no unsafe part of London for a visitor - even a lone female - to stay in. There are unsafe areas, but they don't advertise B+Bs in the tourist press. Concentrate on finding places that are convenient for what you want to do, that you can afford, and that have the character you want.
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Old Jul 10th, 2004, 01:46 AM
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I think a little advance research goes a long way when it comes to the BM.

By all means you can easily rush round, see the "top ten" must sees and be out in a couple of hours.

I find it much more rewarding to choose a section that interests me, concentrate on that and go when I'm done (2-3 hours is enough for me before I like a break to go and do something different).

Are there certain sections that interest you more than others?
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Old Jul 10th, 2004, 02:38 AM
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British Museum can seem small since it often closes sections. Night hours I have seen it mostly closed off, perhaps due to staff shortages. Other sections maybe are having exhibits rotated. Makes a good case for multiple visits to see what's newly open, maybe including snack bar.

It's a pleasant area for hotels and eating, although I should think you'd want to spend most time at the many other museums and attractions around town. Someone mentioned an expedia/travelocity discount for the Bonnington: after grabbing one of these I found a far, far deeper discount at the same place via an Asian discount web site.
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Old Jul 10th, 2004, 07:33 AM
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Hi lets,

The neighborhood around the BM, Bloomsbury, is where we usually stay in London.
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Old Jul 10th, 2004, 07:41 AM
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The costume exhibit at the V&S is exceptionally good and very interesting. There's also a fine collection of Japanese netsuke.
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Old Jul 10th, 2004, 07:42 AM
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Very much dependent on your own tastes. We usually go twice as we find an entire day is just too long. We also try not to schedule to tightly so that we can keep the museum for a rainy/overcast morning/afternnon.
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