Must see items at V&A

Honestly, go and see what interests you. My personal favourite things are the costume and jewellery galleries. I’ve been a bunch of times and there are whole areas I’ve never looked at. It’s one of those places that is different for everyone.

I rather enjoy the sculpture galleries (cast courts to give the proper name)

I love the porcelain galleries, but really, it depends on what your interests are. Looking at the V&A website to see what catches your fancy might help you narrow things down.

Honestly, go and see what interests you.

This. For me, it was everything forged from iron.

They also have free docent tours on various subjects who make anything interesting to me.

I loved the Jewellry collection, which is kind of funny since I own and wear very little besides my wedding band. Beautiful and interesting pieces from throughout history and all over the world. It was quite crowded in the gallery space when we went, which led to it taking longer to see the objects, so if it is something that interests you, maybe go first there? On a related note, the Cartier Exhibit (tickets £27-£29) runs through November 16.

I’m sure you remember from your first trip seeing the Cafe. Even though the food (esp the scones, sweets) get mixed reviews, we really enjoyed sitting in the stunningly beautiful gallery with the mosaics and stained glass sipping our Earl Grey. The gift shop is also really great. Reasonably priced, interesting items. I bought quite a few lightweight, packable things there.

Good advice given previously to look online ahead to see what you think you’ll find interesting in this incredible museum. Like you said, it is so big, it’s best to have a plan. Have a wonderful time!

I went there for the very first time a few years back.

I loved it all. There was no favorites. And it is huge.

Just allow yourself a lot of time, if possible. Maybe hours, if possible and enjoy whatever you see.

Someone suggested going to the website first and seeing what interests you most. And someone said something about docent tours.

When I travel, I try to focus on what I got to see and not on what I missed. That is what I try to do and I am not always successful.

And then when I was there, there was a visiting show which had sold out so I did not have to make a decision about that.

The Islamic galleries are really stunning. When you enter (the main entrance) walk toward the welcome desk and turn left.

Hi Elizabeth, the highlight I thought I would enjoy the most in 2023 was the jewelry section. I arrived before the museum opened and was the first in the museum. I hurriedly walked to that section when it opened & thoroughly enjoyed the pieces with just a few people in the rooms while I was there. Afterwards, I browsed through several sections, had a nice break in the courtyard with a snack in the shade, and finished with time in the nice museum shop.

Have a great time!

I was just going to say that i a did a docent tour that focused on history of building. There were only 8 of us. Two were from London and said they saw things they had never seen. I really like architecture and history so perfect. We saw some of the exhibits too.

I saw more than my husband did so a tour is a good idea if you don’t have all day and there aren’t one or two areas you want to focus on.

The Caste Courts - two huge rooms with incredible casts of art works from all over the world! It is so incredible seeing them and reading where in the world the original is located.

Great idea to spend some time at the V&A- one of the best museums in London (or, in my opinion, anywhere). We've been doing a long-term project where we visit every room in the V&A on Sundays we are free, a few rooms at a time, so have gotten to know the museum quite well. My main advice is to head straight for the gift shop and buy the guide book, which only costs £6. In addition to some general background info about the museum, the guidebook shows the top 20 items in the collection and top highlights in each room. We've really been enjoying taking our time in each room but also having some specific recommendations on what to focus on, and I'm sure this will help you narrow down what you want to see. A personal favourite of mine is the cast courts. I will note that the last time we were there I saw that the fashion section is now closed for several years as they do a major renovation, so unfortunately you won't be able to see that. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

I enjoyed the Rapid Response Collecting Gallery. "Contemporary objects are acquired in response to major moments in recent history that touch the world of design and manufacturing." At the time I was there (spring of 2022), there were several items that were designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in March 2020, Italy's hospitals struggled to treat the huge numbers of COVID patients due to a shortage of respiratory equipment. A retired doctor suggested to an Italian 3D printing company that a full-face snorkel mask could be fitted with a special valve to become a fully functioning CPAP mask. The company designed the valve, successfully tested it, and then made the design files for the valve freely available online.

Also in March 2020, a Belgian 3D printing company responded to evidence that coronavirus could live on surfaces up to 72 hours by rapidly developing a set of 3D-printed door openers that could fit over existing door handles. Developed and tested within 24 hours, the handles enable people to open doors with their arms instead of their hands, thereby reducing the spread of germs.

There are plenty of items not COVID-related that are just as interesting -- a Google Maps camera that looks like Wall-E's cousin, for example. I think the gallery is on the second floor (but don't take my word for it!).

Just to comment that the V&A Cafe has very good food in a stunning setting. After all of the walking around the museum, having lunch in this beautiful cafe was the right choice for me and my friend.

Jean's technique of going to the jewelry gallery at opening time has worked for me on three visits since 2017. In late May this year I had about 45 minutes to enjoy the very uncrowded gallery before many other people showed up. It takes somewhat longer than that to see everything, but it's a little easier if you aren't fighting a crowd the whole time. Because jewelry is small and needs to be seen from up close, that section of the museum is one where you are affected by the presence of other visitors.

The Cartier exhibition is magnificent but extremely popular. It's selling out most time slots way in advance and is likely to be crowded. You can't move through the exhibition rapidly, and it's not small. I wouldn't want to buy a ticket for one of the last entry times; I don't think you'd have time to see everything, and it's an expensive ticket.

The V&A is large, and moving between its various areas is complicated, especially if you want to hit different floors. It doesn't get easier when sections of the museum are closed. It you want to visit two or more sections of the museum, buy a map and allow extra time for navigation. You may still need to ask a staffer for help.

Definitely do this museum, it's great. And definitely study the gallery listings and a map beforehand, only you know what will interest you.

The cast courts are quite amazing, I just wander through there in awe. And Elton John has endowed some photography galleries upstairs which are very interesting. As mentioned, it's also a good place to eat (scope out the various food stations before you commit and then search around for available seating.

Don't be discouraged if you enter from the Tube station, it's a long dank tunnel that unceremoniously dumps you into a side area of a sculpture gallery. Head straight and then turn right through the gift shop and enter under the dome, as one should.

Allow plenty of time for the gift shop, my travel partner had to be pried out of there with the jaws of life.

The must sees in my opinion are the Becket Casket , the Raphael Cartoons and Tipu's Tiger. We also spent a lot of time in the Islamic arts and Indian arts section. I wished we had had the time to see the jewelry section though. We only had about 4 hours in this museum but I could see where one could spend 1-2 days.