The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
The V&A is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in an area known as "Albertopolis" because of its association with Prince Albert, the Albert Memorial and the major cultural institutions with which he was associated. These include the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and Imperial College London. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. As with other national British museums, entrance is free.
Monday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Thursday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Friday | 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
Saturday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Sunday | 10:00 AM – 5:45 PM |
Stefan Mitik | Feb 26, 2018
There is no word to explain the glory and beauty of this museum. I would definitely visit again and again. I especially liked the Pink Floyd Exhibit. Overall, the museum is very spacious and very informative. There are over 2 million objects of human creativity and being a passionate art lover myself, I enjoyed it. The gift shop is loaded with various gifts ranging from pins to homeware. Recommending to anyone who is in London, it is a must-visit.
Byron Boyle | Feb 2, 2018
Amazing museum that has a little bit of everything and it's FREE! The building itself is also a spectacular work of art. I took a break in the back cafe, which like the rest of the museum it just stunning and drink prices were totally reasonable--2.95 for a cappuccino. And to top off the perfect cafe experience there was someone playing some incredible music on the grand piano in the middle of the tables. I loved my visit here and would come back in a heartbeat.
Alan Bailey | Feb 24, 2018
A British museum at its best. You could come here regularly and always find new stuff to explore. Best to decide on a couple of things and just stick to them. Temporary exhibitions are expensive but usually very imaginatively done. Good choices inside the museum for refreshments and meals. If you are thinking of going regularly then think about becoming a member; there are lots of benefits.
Barry Steele | Feb 24, 2018
You must allow 4/5 hrs to take in a good part of the beautiful contents. 7 miles of gallery display will mean get there in the morning and you can have lunch from large selection and dine in the most exquisite surrounds in the first dining area to open in any museum in the world. We arrived from Australia went straight there with our luggage, booked it in and then off to explore. Cost £7. For 4 items. Entry is Free.
Javier P. | Feb 18, 2018
The place is just excellent! Outstanding for children, parents, artist, is just for anyone. All welcome! Spotless, clean, sophisticated and really nice. TOP 10 to visit in the UK. Clean Toilets, Buggy Parking, Children Changing Room, Disable Toilets, excellent food but really expensive £10 - 15 per person, but Food and Hygiene is on 5***** rating. Every single events is just well organized. It could not be better in terms of the location. This is at the the heart of the action, at Kensington which is next to Science Museum, close to the Royal Albert Hall, Hyde Park Corner and Excellent Restaurants.
Desmond Cole | Mar 31, 2018
A fantastic collection of things that would take a week to go round. Have a look at the Japanese gallery for amazing crafts and the cute items. The jewelry through the ages is a delight, with some stunning pieces - diamond covered tiaras and beautiful necklaces. The silverware gallery has some superb examples of table display pieces. If you want a quiet space go to the iron work gallery, for beautiful skill with iron gates and grilles.
Bettina Dyer | Apr 5, 2018
One of my forever favourite places in London. I can always find something new to see each time I visit the V&A. I love wandering through the rooms filled with statues and often find a quiet corner where I can sit and read. I visited the Winnie the Pooh exhibition which I loved. I also went to a evening fashion event recently which showcased clothes by the talented designer John Skelton. Definitely worth becoming a member. Highly recommended!
sam fowler | Mar 24, 2018
Went to the ocean liner exhibition. Very well curated and really informative. Great to see some beautiful posters and model ships from a the golden age of ocean travel. Largest piece of titanic debris available to see. Was great. The rest of this museum is wonderful could visit 1000 times and never be bored.
Kirsty MacKenzie | Mar 30, 2018
The V&A is a great museum to spend a few hours in or just to pop in whilst passing. I went to see the Winnie the Pooh exhibition which was very good. I also spent additional time looking around the paintings, statues and jewellery sections. I went on a Friday evening so drinks and nibbles were served in the main entrance along with music which made it feel more like the weekend. I’d highly recommend visiting and checking out some of the paid exhibitions.
ashley harman | Mar 29, 2018
First of all, the building alone is beautiful and worth a visit. They have a huge array of free exhibits, permanent collections, rotating displays, and additional exhibits for an additional fee. I spent several hours on the free exhibits and still didn't see everything. Their website and pamphlets on-site are really helpful for figuring out what exactly you want to see and plan for. I can't attest to the quality of the paid galleries, but the free portion of the museum was high-quality, interesting, and varied. I particularly enjoyed the miniature portrait and gem collections. While I didn't try their on-site cafeteria or cafe, it looked like it was bustling with a variety of food and seating to choose from.
Ava Podgorski | May 2, 2018
The V&A has some wonderful exhibits. I will state this early on as I have had an issue with it: if you want to see an exhibition that requires a ticket purchase this a week before your trip, or phone up to find out what the process is for on the day tickets. The website doesn't let you know if events are getting full, so you could be disappointed. The cafes serve lovely food, inspiring hot and cold meals, snacks and cakes. The decor is lovely and a welcome break from walking around. Service is generally good, though a little slow at busy times. It isn't cheap, but not extortionate either. The bathrooms are always clean (I've visited several times in the past 3 years and never seen them messy). The museum is well laid out, with distinct areas for different themes/periods/countries etc. so you can easily find things that will interest you. They have a good number of visiting exhibitions too, so even if you've been five times you'll find something new to see. You could happily spend hours here, but I would give at least 2 hours to go and have a proper wander around one section. It's in a great location and it a lovely building. Good for the whole family.
Nikita Deshpande | May 6, 2018
Wonderful and expansive and definitely worth a visit during any visit to London. Saw some cool things on the museum catalog that weren’t currently on display and contacted the museum to see if we could get a private viewing. We were able to do so (for free) and it was a super helpful and educational experience! It was wonderful to really talk to museum staff and understand that small things that make up the grand collections at this museum. They have a YouTube channel that goes more in depth or shows the work of some of the significant pieces here.
lejna j | May 5, 2018
On a beautiful sunny morning we took a stroll to the Museum of Natural History and the Victoria and Albert hall. That casual stroll changed my perception of museums. I love the V&A hall. The display so well arranged and has a continuity. There is a beautiful cafe where we had tasty scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. The kids can play in a shallow water body near the cafe. This place is a must visit when in London!!
Mintman 12 | Apr 21, 2018
Fantastic! Lunch in the beautiful suntrap square at the heart of the building was surreal, like being on a Mediterranean holiday and or in another period of time... honestly felt blissful. The food absolutely worth paying for, because it IS as good as it looks.... the shop actually has things that are relevant, fascinating, beautiful and reasonably priced (unlike the usual expensive tat found in "galleries, museums & attractions"). Then there is the museum.... amazing, all free and almost worth moving to London for
MIRABELA ONEL | Apr 8, 2018
This place is lovely. Very well maintained, the exhibit are placed in such a way that you can see everything from wherever. They even have interaction with people, helping you, free tours of you are ready to find more about historically facts. Is a really nice place to spend a day with your family, is interesting for all sort of ages. The only thing that may be considered a minus, at least for me is that they don't have any magnets with a picture or something, as I am collecting this sort of thing
Andra Maciuca | May 9, 2018
It's amazing but huge. I mean, if you have the time and energy go for it. Otherwise make a selection of what you really want to see and go see only those exhibitions. Trust me, your feet will thank you later. We saw the fashion exhibition and it was great and then the sculptures, jewelry, miniature portraits and paintings. They were all impressive and I highly recommend checking them out if you are into this sort of things. To be noted that I found great similarities with the British Museum plus some extras so if your time is limited I would say skip the British Museum and go through this one more thoroughly. You can also grab a scrumptious lunch at the restaurant of the museum and it's relatively cheap. We paid £12.50 for a warm meal that included meat, baked potatoes and vegetables. So quite a good deal I would say, and there were other options as well to choose from. The location is great as you can see this and the Natural History Museum in the same day.
Shanna Jackson | Jun 9, 2018
Vast museum with a large selection of exhibits, and best of all- it’s free! I really enjoyed this museum, as it is just MASSIVE and has a great variety of items. You could really spend days in there just wandering around. Inside there is Architecture from a thousand years ago, as well as an insane amount of ceramics, a great fashion exhibit, a large room dedicated entirely to rocks and geology, and multiple gift shops that are quite well curated, although somewhat pricey. This museum involves a lot of reading, and may be a bit stuffy to some, but I absolutely loved it. The benefit to it being a little less hands on, is that fewer kids are here, so there is much less noise. The interior courtyard is incredible as well, be sure to check it out! My personal favorite exhibits: Fashion Mosaics Furniture Ceramics
Dimah M | Jun 5, 2018
The museum is amazing! Huge exhibitions and wonderful masterpieces. The V&A museum is very well organized and it’s very comfortable to walk and explore collections there. Great collection of historical dresses and costumes. Walk throw the centuries of the British history. I was impressed and I wish come back there again. If you will be to London it is must have museum to visit. The location is perfect. Easy access to the nearest underground station South Kensington. Plenary of other attractions around.
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