Victoria and Albert museum in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea area of London is in my book a must visit. I am kind of surprised at myself that it took this long to check it out! I just had no idea what we were missing. As they say, better late than never because, not only did we enjoy visiting the museum for the first time on this latest London visit, we actually went back again for a second time within the same week. Yeah..it’s that good!
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Victoria and Albert Museum: Awesome History
The Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) was founded in 1852. It is of course named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert who was also her first cousin. Those royals just didn’t believe in spreading their wealth did they?. Has much changed nowadays? :-).
Victoria and Albert museum started life as the Museum of Manufactures and the collections were of applied arts and science. Queen Victoria made her last official appearance at the laying of the foundation stone on May 17, 1899. The name was officially changed then. Her speech ended with the words ” I trust that it will remain for ages a Monument of discerning Liberality and a Source of Refinement and Progress”. Mission accomplished!
3 reasons why Victoria and Albert museum is worthy of a visit:
- Immense size filled top to bottom
- Variety of the collection
- Free entry
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Victoria and Albert Museum Size:
The V&A museum has 145 galleries in over twelve acres! It houses over 5,000 years worth of art from Europe, America, Africa and Asia. It is important to have a battle plan when you visit. We had mistakenly thought we could see the collection in about 3-4 hours. That is until we got there ;-). I had wanted to see the textiles and fashion collection while Federico was interested in seeing the photography one.
Both display sections were on the second floor and armed with our map, we were on our merry way. The only problem was that we were easily sidetracked by all the amazing works of art that we had to pass by and of course stopped to admire. Before we knew it, several hours had passed without making it to the second floor. We decided to come back a couple of days later. We did make it to the second floor this time, but only to the photography section.
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The fashion collection will have to wait for another time. I really want to see the old Victorian wedding gowns especially. My point is you could literally spend a few hours a day for a week straight and still not see everything. At last count, the Victoria and Albert museum has over 6 million objects.
Even though not all are on display (4.5 million permanent) at any one time, you can see what l mean about the size. Just the sculptures number over 17,000 including full size replicas of Michelangelo’s David and Bernini’s Rape of Persephone among others. Even having seen the originals at the Borghese Gallery, we were still duly impressed. Since there is a lot of walking to be done, comfortable shoes are a must.
V & A Exhibitions: Rotating Exhibitions Include
- Cars
- Rachel Kneebone
- Kimono
- Bags
- Renaissance Watercolours
- Alice in Wonderland
- Epic Iran
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Variety of artwork:
No matter what your taste in art is, it’s almost a guarantee that you would find something to your liking. Furniture, metal work, ceramics, glass, paintings, sculptures, miniatures, fashion, even musical instruments. The list goes on. If for some insane reason none of these appeal to you and you consider yourself a bookworm, rejoice in the fact that the Victoria and Albert museum also has one of the biggest collection of books in the world.
Over 750,000 of these books, and they include important books like the Codex Forster, some of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. Famous popular authors like Charles Dickens and Beatrix Potter are also well represented. There is just no pleasing you if you can’t find something to love ;-).
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Victoria Albert Museum Roman Room:
Free Admission to the Victoria and Albert Museum:
This is perhaps the best reason of all. London is a very expensive city. Sure, you can visit and do things to cut down on the costs, but overall, compared to other places, you will spend more. Any activities you can do freely is therefore welcome. The Victoria and Albert museum is funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Like all other national British museums, entry to the Victoria and Albert museum is free. Gratis!
Compare that to the entry fee of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ($25) or €15 for the Louvre and you see what an awesome deal this is. If there is a special exhibition, there is a charge for that. There is an upcoming Pink Floyd one which we would have loved to see and would gladly pay for. These are reasons why l think a visit to the very awesome Victoria and Albert museum is a must. It is wall to wall chock full of good stuff! Next time we’re in London, we’ll pick up where we left off :-).
Tips on visiting Victoria and Albert Museum London:
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- You can check your coats and small items at the coat check for £1 if you don’t want to lug it around.
- Consider bringing some water and your own packed lunch to save money. There is a cafe at the museum, but the prices are dear for what you get. £7 for a simple sandwich and £3 for a sliver of cake ;-). Better yet, visit on a full stomach. It’s a posh area and the closest cafe to the bus stop we saw was pretty expensive.
- How to get to V & A museum – The nearest tube station is South Kensington station, just a 4 minute walk from there. It’s on the same road as the world famous Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, so you could walk another 10 minutes from there or take the C1 bus and get off at the museum stop.
- If you’re short on time, determine what collections you would like to visit before hand. Grab a map upon entry at the information desk and head straight there. It is very easy to get distracted.
- Since you are in London, carrying a lightweight raincoat is a good thing as it rains so frequently.
- There is also a Victoria and Albert museum shop so you can purchase your favorite books and other works of art for a lasting memory
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How long to visit Victoria and Albert Museum:
While you could easily spend a whole day there at the museum and still not see half of the collection, you should allow yourself at least four to five hours in my opinion if you can’t spare the whole day. It is immense and easily the best museum in London bar none.
Victoria and Albert Museum Hours: (V&A Opening Times)
10AM-5:45PM Daily
10AM- 10PM Fridays
Have you visited Albert and Victoria museum? If yes, what did you think of it? If not, is this a place you would care to visit? What collection would you head for?
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I Love the V&A – So glad you got the chance to visit!
I can see it’s going to become a must visit destination for us every time :-). I love it too!
I have never been to the V&A, but it has been on my list for ages. After reading this post I feel I must visit next time I am in London. Impressive collection of art, I would particularly like to see the fashion and textiles section.
Very very impressive collection. You definitely have to have your battle plan ready. It really is quite easy to get distracted. I really want to see the wedding gowns of old and l saw some pictures of their ceramic collection online. It’s insane. You could spend a day just on that!!! Thanks for reading.
Anytime you can find something free in one of the world’s most expensive cities, that’s all good!
Haha! For sure, and not just free but excellent as well! Winning!!!! 🙂 🙂 ;-).
That place is humongous and beautiful. I really like the fact that you get to see bits from other cultures as well, that’s great for diversity. In the end, I think that any Museum that you feel like visiting for a second time in the same week is clearly a winner!
I agree completely. The Asian section was incredible with the subdivisions. It really helps you identify things from different regions and eras. It was nice testing my knowledge of dynasties for instance. It’s definitely worth going several times. I just saw pictures of the Pink Floyd exhibit which starts today and it looks absolutely amazing!
This reminds me of the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC where you just can’t cram all the exhibits into one or two visits during a trip. I’d love to see the Victoria and Albert Museum and will definitely put in on our list for a *someday* London visit and plan on at least a couple of days. I can see why you’d get sidetracked but I’m with you as the textiles and fashion collection would be at the top of my list of things to see. (That python bag is really creepy though, isn’t it? Anita
I didn’t even like looking at that python bag! It just looked way too realistic :-). You definitely have to plan on at least 2 days if you go. Best to put blinders on and start from the top probably for us next time. It amazing how much longer the list gets no matter how many more places you visit..haha! This thirst for knowledge and discovery is endless which l guess is a good thing. D.C is another place l have yet to visit :-).
We didn’t make the V&A on our first visit, but it will be on our list for the next one. Great overview! But yes it is so easy to get sidetracked and lost along the way in some of these huge museums. A second visit seems to always be in order.
For this one, I think a 3rd and even 4th one is in order :-). We saw maybe 20% of the museum so l am looking forward to our next visit. I hope you guys get to fit it in on your next visit. Loving your current place…except for the monkeys and sloths of course :-).
Looks like a buffet of historical artifacts! I always enjoy museums of this kind.
Frank (bbqboy)
It certainly is a feast for the eyes :-). I appreciate them more and more.
I love your take on the V&A. And isn’t it such a fantastic museum? Plus most museums and galleries in the UK are totally & 100% free.
Can you believe that I’ve only been to the V&A once? (Hangs her head in shame!). And it’s not that I didn’t want to, but Kensington has a sort of Cultural Square filled with other Museums. And (she whispers..), the Natural History Museum & the Science Museum are my favourite!
Thanks Victoria. We had so much fun there. It really is an awesome place. No need to whisper..haha! I had visions of being able to squeeze the Science museum in there too, but one week is just not enough to experience everything :-). Next time we always say. I have a feeling that will also be a favorite. We did manage to visit the Tate though, another awesome one even though l much prefer the V&A.
Love, love, love, these museums. Beautiful read
Thanks for reading Nadine :-).
OMG! I haven’t been here since I went on a high school trip (as I am a local living in London) and looking at the photos sure brought back some memories! Maybe its time for a revisit 🙂 Great post 🙂
Thanks Danik! I do think it’s time for a return visit..haha! I hear you though about missing the things that are right in our own backyard. 20 years in Los Angeles and there are tons of places l haven’t been to :-). Thanks for reading.
Wow, there really does seem like an abundance of things to do and see at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Certainly, it’s rather surprising how many cultures are areas in history are represented and it’s great that everything is so well maintained. Anyway, great read and thoroughly enjoyed
Thanks for reading Gareth. It was definitely a feast for the eyes and we enjoyed reading the stories going along with the artifacts. I can only imagine if all 6 million items they have were displayed! One would have to spend a week there. Good thing that it’s free entry ;-).
I can see why you went back a second time in one week. I have yet to visit London but when I do, I will add this to my list. Your photos show how diverse the displays are.
Definitely diverse as far as what it has to offer. For sure at least 2 more visits to be able to finish the other 2.5 floors that we didn’t get to :-). I hope you get to London soon and visit the museum. It’s amazing that they are offered free, so definitely worth taking advantage of.
Missed this on my last visit to London, but hoping to fit in next time!
I hope you get to. So worth it :-).
Great article, I will visit Victoria and Albert Museum on my next trip to London! Looks a perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon… Thanks for sharing!
It certainly is a nice place to spend a rainy afternoon. Seemed like we had 4 weather changes everyday..overcast, rainy, windy,cold ..warm..everything :-). Thanks for reading and for the comment.
Museum hopping is one of our fave things, specially if the museum is as impressive as V&A. In case of huge museums like this one, we have realized that its so much better to decide which galleries to see and which to leave, otherwise you just end up spending too much time in some and rushing in and out of others.
It’s definitely becoming a favorite thing of ours as well :-). I was so confident in our plan to set out and see what we wanted..that is until we started walking..haha..and it was a repeat the second time. We’re like..let’s finish with the statues and then we’ll go up…Blinders are needed. Since we love London so, I’m sure we’ll get around to it at some point. Along with the others in the same area. Thanks so much for the comment.
i am embarrassed to say that i have lived in london for 14 years and not been! Your post has got me moving though – i will fix this!!!
Haha! Don’t feel so bad. I am still embarrassed that l never visited the Getty museum in 20 years of living in Hollywood ;-). You’ll love it :-).
London is just so chok-a-bloc full of amazing museums. I’ve never even heard of this one but the Japanese collection looks really cool, definitely need to add it to my future London to do list 🙂
And 750,000 books, where the heck do they store them all! Incredible!
The samurais were so cool and lifelike. I stood there for the longest staring at the armor. Yeah.. l googled the vases they had and the image was insane…humongous!!! Plan to be gobsmacked when you visit. It’s great!!! Thanks for the comment.
Loved reading about your highlights! This is one of my favorite museums in London and you’ve definitely covered some of my highlights too. Also, how beautiful is their cafe? Ha.
Definitely beautiful, and so many choices of sandwiches, cake and scones :-). It is now one of my favorite places now, having surpassed the museum of transport ;-). I can’t wait to go back! Thanks for the comment.
This really seems like a spectacular museum! I would definitely love to visit it!
Definitely worth it. I can’t wait to visit it again :-).