Victoria and Albert Museum
What Visitors Say
This is one of the museums you can visit for free. It's quite large, so you can easily spend the whole day there. The exhibits are very impressive. The ceramics, silver, and jewelry sections are beautiful. There's a lovely café inside, perfect for a coffee or lunch break. The museum's gift shop offers a wide variety of options. It's very easy to get to. It's 5 minutes from South Kensington station. If you wish, you can enter the museum through the underground entrance. Also, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and Imperial College London are right in front, and Harrods is a 10-minute walk away.
This museum is just beautiful. It’s a paradise for anyone who loves art and design. The building itself is a masterpiece, but the Cast Courts are my favorite part seeing those massive replicas of world-famous monuments like Michelangelo's David is mind-blowing. It’s a very inspiring place with a very unique vibe. Definitely a must-visit in London.
The museum is absolutely huge. You think you are done at a floor and yet somehow it carries on. The museum has some amazing items and some not so interesting to me personally. I feel like that’s most museums especially large ones such as this one. The Roman area is interesting but also somewhat what you’re expected or seen before but still nice. It also has China, Japan, Buddhism and Islam. I feel these areas were mixed, some times more interesting than others. The jewellery and gems area was really cool especially the crowns. The paintings area was great, most of the paintings were generally good with some I really enjoyed. One area with black metal gates, I think floor 3 didn’t make a whole lot of sense it me. Looked a bit like a garden centre and wasn’t my favourite area. The 4th floor has so many ceramics and was really interesting and beautiful
🩷We actually ended up in this museum by accident because it was raining, we were close to it and went in. Was a nice museum however my 3 year old was with me so i was not able to appreciate it as fully as i wanted to. We did stop for a bite to eat in the restaurant area which i loved they had some really tasty homeade treats. I also really enjoyed the interactive areas here such as the build your own crystal palace. 🩷
We were in there for five hours and we’re still unable see all the rich cultural treasure the place has to offer. The best cafe area I’ve seen in a long time and a lovely outside space for a break and some sunshine. Recommend the diverse history from huge ancient Roman pillars to tiny exquisite jewellery, and ancient relics to modern-day fashion and interactive theatre. Happy to get lost in there for the day.
Highlights
Cast Courts
Life-size masterpieces in plasterOpened in 1873, these soaring halls hold full-scale casts of European monuments, including Trajan’s Column displayed in two gigantic halves.
Level 1, Rooms 46a-b
Jewellery Gallery
3,000 years of adornmentFrom ancient gold to modern couture pieces, the gallery charts techniques and fashions that travelled across empires and centuries.
Level 2
Raphael Cartoons
Renaissance designs for tapestriesPainted around 1515-16 for the Sistine Chapel, these vast works show apostles and miracles on a monumental scale.
Level 1, Raphael Court
Tipu’s Tiger
18th-century automaton from IndiaCarved c. 1790, this wooden tiger mauls a European soldier while hidden bellows mimic cries - a political satire from Mysore.
South Asia Gallery, Level 1
Great Bed of Ware
Famous Elizabethan bedMade around 1590, over three metres wide, the bed became a celebrity in its own right, mentioned by Shakespeare and graffiti-scarred by guests.
British Galleries, Level 2
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Founded in 1852, the V&A holds over 2.8 million objects across 145 galleries.
The V&A café opened in the 1860s and is often called the world’s first museum restaurant.
Trajan’s Column cast is displayed in two halves because the original stands about 35 metres high in Rome.
Tipu’s Tiger, carved around 1790, hides bellows and pipes that once produced roaring and groaning sounds.
The Raphael Cartoons were commissioned by Pope Leo X for the Sistine Chapel tapestries in 1515-16.
Similar Museums
Nearby Places
Natural History Museum
4 min 👣
Museum of Life Sciences
4 min 👣
Science Museum
4 min 👣
RCM Museum of Music
6 min 👣
Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum
7 min 👣
Paradox Museum London
8 min 👣
Saatchi Gallery
14 min 👣
Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum
17 min 👣
National Army Museum
17 min 👣
Museum of Army Music
17 min 👣