London's Victoria and Albert museum is a treasure trove of everything art and design related. The permanent collection of over two million objects covers ceramics, fashion, jewellery, glass and more, spanning 5,000 years of design history. In addition to the fascinating permanent exhibits, the V&A regularly hosts temporary exhibitions on specific aspects of design history.
With over 2 million objects to see in the museum, it is easy to spend the whole day and still not see everything. The following tips should help you maximise your time in this fascinating museum.
The V&A has a wide range of tours ranging from introductory tours showing visitors the highlights of the collection, to specialist tours concentrating on set periods of history. These tours are free of charge. If you prefer to see things at your own pace, there is a range of audio tours which can be collected from the ticket office.
There is no entrance charge for the permanent collections at the V&A. Some of the termporary exhibitions may charge separately. There are also additional charges for bespoke tours.
Experts will always argue about the most important items in any collection, but two of the stand-out exhibits are Tippoo's Tiger, a bizarre Indian automaton and the painting of Hampstead Heath by Constable.
Download the V&A app onto your smartphone or tablet and use the museum's Wi-Fi to access features such as the interactive map and more detailed information about the exhibits and the people who created them.
Booking hotels near the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington put you at the heart of everything London has to offer. Good connections by tube make exploring the city centre simple.
The V&A is just across the road from the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. As with the V&A, there is no entry charge for the permanent exhibitions.
A short stroll up Exhibition Road from the Kensington museums brings you to Hyde Park, London's most famous green space.
London's most famous shop is a destination in itself. From the food hall selling the finest produce from the UK to the toy department, you can easily spend an afternoon browsing for souvenirs in this iconic store.
Visit during the summer months and you have the opportunity to get into the State Rooms while the Queen is absent. Whatever the season, time your visit for 11am to catch the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
