The British Museum

The British Museum in London is considered one of the most precious in the world for the vastness and quality of the material it has gathered; the most spectacular part is the section devoted to antiquities. The museum's enormous quantity of treasures covers more than two million years of history and civilisation. The 94 galleries, whose total length exceeds 4 km, have been divided into specific sections. The museum houses six million objects that bear witness to the history and material culture of humanity from its origins to the present day, but many of these are crammed into the basements for lack of space. It is located on Great Russell Street. The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court is a large square courtyard, the size of a piazza, at the centre of the museum.

Covered by a magnificent glass dome designed by Norman Foster's studio and opened in December 2000, it is today the largest covered square in Europe. The steel structure supports 1,656 glass panels, all different in shape and size. At the centre of the Great Court is the reading room freed up by the British Library, and open free of charge to the public who want to read and study here. Except for a period of a few months in 1972, entry to the British Museum has always been free; however, some temporary exhibitions, separate from the main museum, require an admission ticket. During 2002 it endured serious financial difficulties and was even closed by a strike against a proposal to cut staff. A few weeks later, the theft of a small Greek statue was blamed on a shortage of security staff.

Except for a period of a few months in 1972, entry to the British Museum has always been free; however, some temporary exhibitions, separate from the main museum, require an admission ticket. During 2002 it endured serious financial difficulties and was even closed by a strike against a proposal to cut staff. A few weeks later, the theft of a small Greek statue was blamed on a shortage of security staff. The museum's opening hours are from 10 am to 5.30 pm from Saturday to Wednesday, while closing is pushed back to 8.30 pm on Thursday and Friday.

The Great Court, on the other hand, is open every day from 9 am, with closing at 6 pm from Sunday to Wednesday, while from Thursday to Saturday you can get in until 11 pm The museum is easily reachable on foot from the Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square and Goodge St tube stops and from numerous bus stops (New Oxford Street: 7, 8, 19, 22b, 25, 38, 55, 98; Tottenham Court Road, northbound, and Gower Street, southbound: 10, 24, 29, 73, 134; Southampton Row: 68, 91, 188).