London Museums

The National Gallery has some great seating in the gallery rooms, comfortable couches, and we loved moving from room to room and sitting and looking at gorgeous paintings!
It was crowded, but the most crowded area was near the Van Gogh Sunflowers where everyone was taking photos. Other places were not so bad.

I can only speak to the British Museum. It was 208 and late September on a weekday afternoon and the museum was quite busy with school groups. On the same trip I tried to walk up to the Churchill Museum but there was a line down the street if you didn't have a reservation.

My daughter was at the Imperial War Museum in May and she says it wasn't busy at all.

We didn’t find much seating in the British Museum and it was very crowded in May.
It was less crowded in the area with the frescos and sculptures from the Parthenon (some of them also known as the Elgin Marbles) and other Greek works.
Sitting in the great hallway (I think that is what it is called) with a drink and snack was relaxing and beautiful.

London is a VERY popular travel destination. I’ve gone for decades usually in November. Although last year did attend Wimbledon.

People are traveling and exploring after the Covid lockdowns. Over my last two trips there have definitely noticed far more visitors from Asia: China, Thailand and Japan.

Those are 3 popular London Museums.

October isn’t truly off season. However, English school terms include October so that helps some unless you arrive on day when there are school visits.

You will need to secure a timed entry to the Churchill War Rooms, NOW. The British Museum is huge with the Mummies and Egyptian artifacts the most popular. Research what you can see in the Museum.

I made many trips (five?) to the British Museum in September 2022. It tends to be mobbed, but the upper floor is not as awful as the ground floor. Perhaps October 2023 will be a bit better, but I wouldn't count on it since tourist traffic seems higher this year. I was told by a guard at the museum that weekends are busiest, then Fridays, and that if the day is rainy even more people go to the museum. If you show up at opening time, you'll probably end up in at least a 30-minute security line. Once a week (I think on Friday) the museum is open late. In my single experience with that schedule, the museum was less crowded during the late hours, and a fair number of the visitors seemed to head out before 5 PM. However, there will probably be no food available after 3 or 4 PM.

I'm afraid I don't remember the seating situation. There's a restaurant on the upper floor that's nicer, quieter and more expensive than the grab-and-go place downstairs. (There's apparently a pizza places somewhere inside, as well, but I've never seen it.) The upstairs spot serves afternoon tea as well as lunch. It would be prudent to reserve, though you might get lucky.

The British Museum is free/donation requested, so your best option might be to make multiple shorter visits, though the security line-up would cost you extra time. The place is huge, so you can't possibly see the whole thing in one visit.

I went to the Churchill War Rooms in September 2019. That's a sight for which you should get tickets in advance. The line to buy tickets on the spot can be very long, and I wouldn't be surprised if tickets sell out on some days. The war rooms section is very crowded; it's just a warren of small offices. It takes less than an hour to see that section. The Churchill Museum section can be a lot more time-consuming if you're interested in Churchill. Unlike the war rooms section, the museum section has an open plan, so you're not forced to follow an established walking route. However, there's not a lot of room there, either. I don't think there's any extra space in either section where they could have seats. There's a cafe on site. That would be your best bet for a break.

I went to the Imperial, War Museum at least once in 2017, 2018 and 2019. It's pretty popular, but it doesn't suffer from significant crowding in my experience. It offers a mixture of explanatory material, some sizeable pieces of war materiel and usually one or two good temporary exhibitions. I can't say that I remember seats, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are some. This is another free/donstion requested museum that cannot possible be fully absorbed in one day.

If you enjoy art go to some of the smaller galleries. These are way less crowded and an altogether nicer experience. The Courtauld and The Wallace Collection have great collections. Tate Britain is not as popular as the other large galleries. The V&A is also fine. You can usually find some very quiet corners there. The National Portrait Gallery always used to be ok too. That’s just reopened after a 3 year closure so I don’t know how busy it will be.

Another way to avoid the hoards is to pay to see one the exhibitions that are always running. Numbers are limited. I tend to see a small amount of the main gallery and then spend an hour or so in an exhibition. It’s just more enjoyable.

I haven’t been to the Imperial War Museum or the Churchill Rooms for at least 15 years so can’t comment on current conditions. The British Museum is very busy. Go early or late.

We went to London in October long ago and it was less crowded, but who knows these days. We also went there in April and hit school holiday break with lots of kid groups from the Continent. We enjoyed the Churchill War Museum (you can feel the vibes of history), the Imperial War Museum (fun fact: it is built on the gounds of Bethleham Hospital "Bed'lam"). we did the British Museum and looked at the ancient stuff (it had a handy cafe). Don't forget the Victoria and Albert, or V &A, the Tate Modern, the Tower, etc. Downtown London is pretty walkable, and the buses are easy to take. Don't take the Underground unless you are traveling a decent distance, because you can spend a lot of time going up and down, over and under like you are in an Escher Print. I would just check what's available when you get there. There is so much to choose from and lot's of monuments along the Thames and throughout town. Lots of Theatre (sic). Go or a ride on the Thames from the Tower to Greenwich and visit the Prime Meridian. There are lots of Parks to wander. Look at the Metropolitan London listings on www.nationaltrust.org.uk to see museum homes that are wonderful to visit. The various Street Markets are on different days and a lot of fun and a great place to buy souvenirs. Bon Voyage!

I was at the British Museum and the IWM in mid-May (before Memorial Day). The IWM never felt crowded despite there being several large school field trips there. There are benches to sit on the bottom floor. I can’t recall any elsewhere but the IWM’s floors are fairly small and they have 5 stories if I’m remembering correctly so you can keep coming back to the central stairs if you need a break.

On the other hand, the British Museum was horrible. It was really difficult to get close to any displays in the popular areas. I did not particularly enjoy the visit.

All the reports this year are that London is very very busy this year and as a consequence most of th3 bigger museums have been rammed. It is generaadvised to make advance reservations for the Churchill War Rooms these days.
Claudia is not quite correct about school holidays in October. There is a half term week’s holiday in England at the end of October.

Over the years I have been to the IWM over 20 times and it's never been ridiculous - even when they had most of the downstairs area closed off as they were filming link pieces for the Remembrance TV coverage.

The British Museum in October can still be quite busy - I think it is laid out in a smarter way than the Louvre. I only went to the Rijks once, the month it reopened so it was mobbed, but is an unfair comparison!

The Churchill War Rooms is fine - they control entry. A lot of it is quite narrow so it's tight even without people.

I agree with making several visits to the British Museum-there's too much good stuff to wrap your head around on just one visit.
The Imperial War Museum has a good cafe.

The British Museum and the Chruchill War Rooms are two of the biggest attractions in London. The Imperial War Museum is more of a tertiary or niche attraction, and crowds should not be a problem in October. (And incidentally, the IWM is my favorite museum in London by far; I was last there in late September 2017, and it was not crowded.) It does seem you can get tickets in advance for both the Churchill Rooms and the IWM.

absence of anywhere to sit and get off your feet for a moment (we're
both in our 70's)

I know how you feel. We are in the same camp. A friend just returned from a European vacation and took one of these:

https://www.amazon.ca/Boreeman-Upgraded-Lightweight-Collapsible-Retractable/dp/B08PT4GRZM/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=25VOTCFG03792&keywords=collapsible%2Bseat%2Bstool&qid=1688685558&sprefix=Collapsible%2Bseat%2Caps%2C705&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

that she bought on Amazon. I'm planning on getting one for myself because, while I can walk for hours, standing still for any length of time does a number on my back. It takes literally 2 seconds to unfold or refold. Doesn't help with the massive crowds, but solves the sitting problem.

We were in London last October and went to the Churchill War Rooms , the British Museum and the National Gallery. All 3 were really crowded; the one that was the most crowded was the British Museum. The Mummies and Egyptian wing was very crowded and there were lots of school groups. We started on the upper floors which weren't that crowded and made our way down.
There was a really long line to get into the British museum at the main entrance and when I went up to the main gate to ask a question prior to getting on the line a security guard told me to use the other entrance around the corner. So I did and walked right in without any wait.

It might also help to know what your strategy was for visiting the Rijks, Van Gogh and Louvre. Both the Rijks and Louvre have seating in some galleries. I was just in the Van Gogh in April but can’t recall about seating, lol.

I’m a morning person and thus I usually go in the earliest I can when I go to a museum. I’m also not very tolerant of heat and to me all the big museums get very hot and stuffy so I like to be out by early afternoon. Your needs might be different!

I did get to British Museum at 10A in late April and while there was a long line for entry it only took about 20 minutes from the end of the line by the Morgan Hotel to the front door after security. I’ve been there lots of times so headed to the Rosetta Stone first because it gets very crowded, then did the Greek Marbles and the Assyrian Lions. After that I headed up to visit the Lewis Chessmen which are a favorite and the Sutton Hoo Hoard. By noon it was getting very crowded and hot in there so I had a snack and left.

National Gallery I visited a special exhibit first thing with a timed entry, then did the Rembrandt and Leonardo areas which were not crowded. It gets very busy in the Impressionist area. I like the seating in front of the Constables, particularly the Hay Wain. There are nice leather-y sofas there.

I hope things will work out for you to enjoy these terrific museums!

Is there something in particular you wanted to see at the British museum? You could take a before hours tour (for a fee) that gets you in early, and then book it to your priority exhibit to see it before the crowds get there. I enjoyed the tour itself but this was the main reason I considered it, and being in a ground level tour got me to the Rosetta stone before the crowds. This area on the ground floor and the Egyptian wing are both very crowded, as are the cafes, but the rest was fine in early June.

I've been reluctant to mention the entry point on the back North) side of the British Museum since my September 2022 visits. That's where all the tour groups have to go, and they get priority at the screening point. Still, it can work well, especially for folks approaching the British Muaeum from the north rather than the south (it's quite a long walk all the way around that large building).

I'd guess the tour groups tend to be there mostly in the morning, so that entry may work especially well, on average, for afternoon arrivals. However, all bets are off if there's an equipment problem, which there was mid-way through my most recent stay in London. The screening equipment on the north side malfunctioned, so they had to screen bags and purses manually. That took so much extra time, they didn't allow the general public to use the north entrance; you had to be with a tour group. As a result, anyone who showed up there had to walk back around to the main entry point on the front (south) side of the building.

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Churchill War Museum - pre book first thing in the AM. Fewer people for maybe 30 - 60 minutes. National Gallery, lots of seating. Wallace Collection , Tate (not Tate Modern), Courtauld good suggestions for fewer crowds. Imperial War Museum usually not crowded, but can be “full” on weekends. British Museum, I’ve walked in with no crowds during busier fall tourist season, but also had to wait in mid- January week days due to school groups.

Whenever I have contacted UK tourist destinations directly with questions like yours, I have received helpful responses. Perhaps contact directly, explain situation and ask what are typically quieter times.

Enjoy!