The British Museum & The National Gallery

You could probably spend a week in the British Museum and still not see everything.

I spent about 3-4 hours at the British Museum with a very specific idea of what things I wanted to see. I spent about 2-3 hours at the National Gallery with a similar approach.

Only you can decide how much time and energy you have....I hope you enjoy your visit!

You could spend days in the British Museum, depending on how interested you are in how many things. I've been there twice for partial days, neither was enough. Just to see the Rosetta Stone, Elgin Marbles, and a few other highlights might take a couple of hours. But there's so much more.....

Likewise, the National Gallery could take a day if you want to see "everything." But if you're interested in just certain paintings or periods or styles you could see them in a few hours. Both museums are free so you can revisit as often as you want if time allows.

I've taken a day at the National Gallery and it wasn't enough.

Then, in your spare time, there's the Tate and Tate Modern and the portrait gallery and John Soane's house and the design centre and the Queen's galleries and .... well, you get the point. It's not a question of how much time it will take, it's how much time you got. Slow down; see something at a relaxed pace so you can both enjoy it and remember it. London is great at that pace.

The Victoria and Albert is another monster. Unfortunately, it's also very interesting.

Glad to see a mention of Sir John Soane's Museum (located by Lincoln's Inn Fields). I stumbled upon it and found it utterly charming and fascinating. In answer to the original question about time, I think 1 to 1.5 hours is enough to do justice to Soane's.

Luckily they’re both free so you can always pop back and see bits you missed.*

I’d broadly allow 3 hours for BM and 2 for NG but plan carefully ahead of time & give yourself a break if you get museum fatigue. Both have good cafe facilities and places to sit. I go to the BM every couple of months but there’s some rooms I’ve never bothered with. And some I visit repeatedly.

*please give a donation on one of your visits. Doesn’t have to be the full recommended amount and you don’t have to do it on every visit. They’re funded by the UK taxpayers. We’re proud to have such great free museums, but do please show gratitude.

I've spent hours in the British Museum on each of several visits. How long you spend there depends on your own interests.

Check out the museum's site to learn about the exhibits and plan your visit.

I rarely spend more than an hour at any museum. I just get tired. But, that's me. I traveled with a young friend and she spent an entire day in a museum.

They're both huge and can easily take multiple days to explore. Rick has inexpensive ebook guides that will give you the highlights, I'd say those books are well worth the couple of dollars.

I don't see how one possibly could get bored in any number of London museums. The Magna Carta, Gutenberg Bible, Elgin Marbles, Babbage's Difference Engine-the first accurate computer-all mechanical and designed in 1832, Harrison's longitude clocks: this is civilization-and it is all there and it is all free! Pick out some must sees, plan your time and map out your routes before you go and prepare to be amazed. The DK Guidebooks are really good to look at to whet your appetite. Enjoy.

We followed Rick Steves' suggestions/tour for the British Museum; it's in his Pocket London as well as other books of his. It gets you to all the major historical sites and past many others. Yes, we did not see everything, but we didn't have time to see everything. This "tour" was right for us at that time. Next time we can see something different.

I agree Rick's guidelines are excellent. The British museum has more to see than you could probably see in your lifetime. I was aching to see John Harrison's clocks after reading Dava Sobel's book Longitude, as well as the Cutty Sark and the Prime Meridian, but that waited for another day which didn't happen for 10 years. Your can't ever see it all, but seize the moment.

Some great suggestions for bolt-on's to Nat'l Gallery and British Museum visits (Tate, V&A, etc).

If itinerary permits, would also advocate seeing the British Library. Spent half-a-day here and wasn't nearly enough to appreciate all the artifacts within its walls. In no particular order, a one stop shop for Shakespeare sonnets; Beatles lyrics sketched on back of an envelope (in John Lennon's hand); Bibles going back centuries before the printing press and movable type; the Magna Carta; and so much more.

Do check the web sites for the different museums once you've got your broader dates for the trip.

There are often special exhibits (paid tickets typically required for them) that sound interesting and some of them like the Pink Floyd exhibit at the Victoria & Albert have a limited number of time slots each day that can largely get bought up a month or more in advance.

Many museums will also have extended evening hours one night a week, and factoring the later hours into a plan can maximize time available to see the cool stuff.

I took advantage of the late hours at some of the London museums last year. One thing to be aware of is that in some cases only part of the museum remains open into the evening--often the ground floor. If you plan to take advantage of the night hours, stop at the information desk on the way in to check, so you'll know where you should spend whatever time you have pre-usual-closing-time. If you have special interests, don't count on being able to cover them if you're just there during the special nighttime hours.

One of the best pieces of advice I got from another traveler 'way back in 2000 was to not try (yes, split infinitive) to see the big museums on your own, to take the tours because the museums are huge and there is just so much to see.

So, check the museum websites for the tours they offer, usually free. Also, London Walks (walks.com) offers tours of both museums, among many other tours, that are extremely good value -- 10 pounds or less, Blue Badge guides, 2+ hours, sure to cover the highlights, and more entertaining than a snoozy university lecture.

And, as someone else posted, Rick's tours in his books do a good job covering the highlights.