London museums - to see or not to see?
 

Hi all,
I'm trying to get an itinerary together for my October trip to London. We'll have 7 full days in London and would like to see some of the museums. I have been to London one other time for a few days, but the friend who I am traveling with has not so we're going to hit the main attractions such as the Tower and Abbey for her.
The museums we're thinking of going to are the V&A, Imperial War Museum, British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Tate. My last trip to London was pretty short so I didn't get to go to any of the museums.
At any rate, my question would be this, which of these museums is a must-see and which ones can be saved for a later trip? If we make it to all of them - great, but if we are pressed for time and cannot, then I would appreciate some input as to which are better than others so we can decide which ones to go to. We have been to the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid and the Uffizi in Florence and loved them all, so we are familiar with European museums.
Also, we are definitely going to the Cabinet War rooms and the Museum of London as I've heard the CW rooms are great and that the Museum of London gives a very good overview of the history of London.
Thanks so much!

Liza

If you can only squeeze in one more, I would choose the British Museum.

British Museum followed by the National Gallery. The War Museum was wonderful but I guess to really see it you need 3 hours or so. There is a great section devoted to the British FBI and spies. It is much more informative(gives more classified info) than the spy museum in DC.

They are all a "must see". Really depends on your focus of interest. And the truth is that you can't go wrong with any of the places you've mentioned. For me it's an art versus history dilemma. I go first for the arts (V&A is my fav) but my husband is a history guy.

Don't try to do them all. Pick one or two a day (minus other excursions) and save the rest for your next visit.

An abundance of riches. Bon voyage!

Hi Liza,

I am not sure if you are interested or not, but one museum you did not mention is the science museum of london on exhibition rd.

The reason I mention this is because if you are a Lord of the rings fan, the museum is having a special exhibition from the country of new zealand/peter jackson of the LOTR showcasing costumes, film clips, behind the scenes, etc of the films.

It is a special exhib and therefore not free (I think about 11 pds), but from what I have heard it is well worth it.

We will be there from oct 15-24th and we are now counting down the days......
I can't wait!

If you haven't been you need to see the british museum...it is fabulous. I have been but will be going again. I will also be at that exhibition and will be going to the V&A as I missed it the last two times I went to london. I am going to try to do as much as I can on sunday the 19th for the museums, as most of the bookstores will probably not be opened that day.

we have our itinerary pretty well locked in, with lots of free time this time to do what I love and that is bookhunting.

have a great time!

Liza:

I was in London in June and went to the War Cabinets Room. This is tied administratively to Imperial War Museum but in a different location. It was the underground bunker for Churchill during WWII. This is a very manageable museum if you are in area of Parliament. I really enjoyed it.

I hope you have a nice trip. I hope to go in Nov.

London is full of museums and those you have listed are the probably the most visited. I would choose the British museum and the National Gallery, I was there six months and couldn't stay away from it.
I thought the V & A was a bit of a mess, badly laid out and a real mixed bag, it did not flow. However, maybe they have improved it in the last couple of years since I was there. I was at the British museum in october.

The British Museum is the one I absolutely wouldn't miss. It's got the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles! Sorry, I get excited about those.

Anyway, I agree that the V& A si not the best laid out, but if you like decorative arts you'll love it. the National Portatriat Gallery is very centrally located and is ioen late vertain nates, and like other museums it's free (and, for me, not as crowded as the others). Probably my second favorite. If you are a history or WWII buff, do not miss the Caibnet War Rooms! They are great and well worth the visit (although not free).

Wow--holy typos. The National Portrait Gallery is open late certain nights..that's what it was supposed to say. Damn, I'm bad at typing.

The National Gallery is similar to the other galleries you list as having seen, i.e., primarily the canon of European figurative art.

The British Museum is a broader, more archaelogically-focussed museum of a much wider range of cultures and forms of 'cultural expression' (not just what we think of as art now).

The V&A is primarily decorative arts of all sorts, with strong collections of oriental arts to add to the British collections. The Natural History and Science Museums are near by.

The National Portrait Gallery is what it says it is - you can get a slightly oblique view of British history, particularly modern political and social history through it, though it may be better appreciated if you already have some idea of who all those people were.

There are two Tates in London, the collection of British art remaining in the original building on Millbank, and the modern/contemporary art now in the converted Bankside power station opposite St Pauls (complete with exploding grand piano). There is a fast riverbus service between them during the day.

The Imperial War Museum is a lot more than just a collection of big boys' toys - some attempts to mock up the experience of different aspects of warfare (you can get slightly shaken, though possibly not stirred, in a WW2 air raid shelter), lots of explanation of how different wars developed, including newly-released information on WW2 resistance, espionage and so on, and a deeply sobering section on the Holocaust.

I would say 'you pays your money and you takes your choice', except that it's time that's the issue. Either way, it depends what interests you. Personally I love the Museum of London, but then I'm a Londoner born and bred. A new one in similar vein is the Museum in Docklands at Canary Wharf, which tells the story of the river and the importance of river-borne and dock-based trade and commerce.

They all have their own websites, so you can get from them a much better idea of what they offer, especially any special temporary events they may have on while you're here.

Actually, to make a correction, the LOTR display starts in September, not October, for any others interested. This is per the museum website.

Since they're all free, deciding between them all isn't traumatic. But a personal plea:

- All art museums contain acres of stuff most of us would really rather not bother with. The National Gallery is no exception. BUT I, personally, cannot imagine a year passing without spending half an hour with the National's Piero della Francescas. And I wouldn't spend over half an hour in the National at a time, ever. Just see a couple of things, then get out before Art Gallery Headache hits you. Then pop back the following day. to catch up.
- the National Portrait Gallery sounds arcane. But it's the closest thing to a Museum of Britain, since its portraits take you through most people important enough to have been painted. A quick and pleasasnt way to brush up on your British history
- We all have our faves in the British Museum. Mine are the Roman portraits: terrifyingly lifelike and extraordinarily preserved portraits of ordinary Egyptian citizens in Roman times. Looking like they were done yesterday. Better: looking like they were done yesterday by someone who could paint, and not some post-modernist splatterer.

If you are definitely going to the Cabinet War Rooms (a decision I wholeheartedly support) then save the Imperial War Museum for another trip.

As for the others, "must-see" status is so subjective, you might as well pick at random, or according to how you feel when you get up in the AM, or which is handiest to your hotel!

Personally, I find places like the Brit and the V&A to be overwhelming, and prefer places like the Portrait Gallery and Soane's. Most reviews of the new Tate Modern are negative.

I really love the V&A (lay out a bit confusing but the stuff in it is great). And if you do go there, right across the street is the Museum of Natural History. Even if you are not interested in the subject matter, the building is fantastic. Just stop in (it's free and you'll be right there) for a few minutes to look at the great hall.

If you find yourself in the area of the V&A, I would strongly recommend you just pop into the lobby, even if you don't go in the museum itself. Hanging from the ceiling is a fantastic Dale Chihuly chandelier which contrasts so wonderfully with the building. It really is amazing (there is another one in Claridges). Also, the interior of the British Museum, redone for the Millennium, is equally stunning and breathtaking. Many magazine photos shoots staged there.

Wow, what thoughtful advise. As Flanneruk said, for me, the National Portrait Gallery is the perfect combination of art & history. I had missed it for so many years thinking it would be, well, just lots of old portraits. Well it's not! Yes, there's some of that, but there's also much newer stuff as well as some great sculpture.

While your list is already too long, you didn't mention the Soane museum or the Wallace collection-2 lovely smaller museums.

Just a note on the Tate Modern.

Anonymous said that most reviews were negative. I think that certainly seems true of this travel forum, where tastes (sorry folks) seem to tend towards the conservative.

However, for anyone who IS a fan of Modern Art, then the Tate Modern is the most cutting edge modern art gallary possible in the world at this moment in time, and should not be missed if you have an interest in Modern Art. It's also housed in a spectacular building - a former power station.

If modern art ain't your thing, then by all means give it a miss.

On the natural history museum, I agree with comments about nipping into the entrance if you're visiting the V&A. It's built to look like a cathedral from the inside, to reflect the glory of God's natural creation - a reaction by the founders of the museum against Darwin's theory of evolution which was causing a storm at the time of its construction. I love stuff like that, even if it is twaddle.

IMHO, the Tate Modern is filled mostly with weird art that looks more like a gross accident than a skilled design.

On the Tates.
Tate Britain might be a bit off out of your way. And unless you're especially interested in British artists (great, but painting isn't our most distinguished contribution to world culture), not in the same world league as the National Gallery or the B Museum

Tate Britain's contents may not be your cup of tea. But if you're at the Museum of London, walk to St Paul's through the back streets round Postmen's Park (about 300 yds) then cross the river by the millennium bridge, opposite St Paul's.

The vistas are well worth it all, even if you pass on the inside of the Tate.

flannerUK, you're talking about Tate Modern, not Tate Britain, aren't you?

The Tate Britain has those work by two outstanding non-British artists, John Singer Sargent (Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose is sublime) and James McNeill Whistler (Nocturne: Blue and Gold, Old Battersea Bridge should make every Impressionist envious). Try to get one of the free docent tours. The master of light and sea, J. M. W. Turner has his own addition to the Tate, the Clore Gallery.

Somerset House, the home to the Courtauld Galleries and, on the river side, The Hermitage Rooms (A Rubens show starts Sep. 20), is a spectacular renovation.

For a treat visit the Dulwich Picture Gallery. It's a gem, and a short train ride from Victoria Station and a lovely little village for a lunch. A special exhibition, Shakespeare in Art, is on until Oct. 19. http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/

I don't think anyone's mentioned the Museum of Mankind. I always love the changing exhibtions there. They have the shrunken heads too. It's not a very big museum so doesn't take much time to see but is really worth it.
Have fun :-)

Mischka:
What is in this Museum of Mankind and where is it? This is the first I have ever heard of it.

The ethnographical/anthopological collections of the British Museum were housed there for at time, but they're now being reabsorbed back into the BM main centre
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ethno/ethhome.html

To help you to decide, check out the special exhibits at the museums you are considering. If you're torn between the British Museum and the V & A, for example, the fact that one has Cleopatra and the other Art Deco this month may just be the deciding factor.

Remember, too, that the churches are in many ways museums as well. Reading the memorials gives a wonderful sense of British history.

If you love theater, don't miss the Globe exhibit. Even if the theater season itself is over, this recreation of Shakespeare's most famous venue is worth a look.

Have a great trip.

I have this same question - thanks so much for posting it!

What do people out there have to say about John Soanes' museum & Daniel Severs' house? I've been considering those as well...

Went to London in May. My husband and I loved all the museum's we went to. Would highly suggest the John Soane Museum. Be sure to go when they have the tour. Don't think we would have enjoyed it as much if we didn't go on that. Another tip is if you go to the National Gallery, be sure to make a reservation for lunch or dinner at their restaurant. Our meal was fabulous! (A bit expensive but was worth it.) Save room for dessert, too.

Suddenly dawned on me, what about the Museum of the moving image, MOMI, surely one of the best if not the best of it's kind in the world?

Hi,
A Museum to save for later is the Design Museum by Tower Bridge- has it's own website. If this is your sort of thing you'll love it.
We also love the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. These two places can't really compete with the big guns but I adore them. But Museums are a personal thing - my husband will stare at old rocks all day whereas the Egyptian Mummies do it for me every time.
The Tate Modern causes mixed reactions - but the great thing about it is that it DOES cause reactions! Not a place you can leave unmoved, whether you loved it or hated it.
The National Portrait Gallery gets my vote but there again a personal thing - I find these pictures intriguing, and as it's fairly small you could swish round and just stop by the bits that really appeal - to me it is the famous Bronte portrait with Branwell painted out - I have to be dragged kicking and screaming from this......
Have a lovely trip.

MOMI has closed.

Dennis Severs was always very insistent that his house was not a museum and he was not offering a 'tourist' experience. His book '18 Folgate St' is quite vocal on the topic..Whether the present curators have the same idea, I don't know. www.dennissevershouse.co.uk

PatrickLondon, Has MOMI closed permanently? I thought it was scheduled to reopen sometime this year.

Thanks for the information Patrick. I was planning to visit again in April.
Luv2Travel I hope the museum is open by the time you visit.

A web search on MOMI just turns up some stuff from the British Film Institute which doesn't say anything about re-opening it (the running of the BFI is a saga in itself AIUI). They're offering actor/animateurs on a consultancy basis under the MOMI name, but that could mean anything.