British Museum, London

As I've mentioned in some of my other posts, I'm a huge history fan. So if you're at all interested in history, you'll love the museum. Even if you're not into history, you'll probably love the museum. I did the "highlights" audiotour. Even that took quite some time as there is a lot of stuff. It can be kind of crowded though, so plan a good time, otherwise its not as enjoyable. I posted some photos and other London tips on my travel blog:
http://adams-travel-blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/first-couple-days-in-london.html

We arrived in pouring rain at the museum and rented audio machines for ourselves. I think I need 5 days just to visit this place and explore it. There is so much here, but it is impossible to take it all in n one go. I will come back one day.

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An outstanding musuem. One of the best musuems I have ever visited. Lots to look at, lots of depth and almost like walking back into the time of the Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and more.
Highly historical and educational.

In Room 24, Living and Dying at the British Museum is a unique exhibit called Cradle to Grave Pharmacopoeia. It illustrates (as the picture in this tip shows) two roles of perscription pills (one for female and one for male) that we take in a lifetime.

The exhibit shows with pills and pictures that the average British citizen takes 14,000 perscribed pills in a lifetime. Now, at first you may say, 14,000, no way, but think of it like this. If you take 1 perscribed pill per day starting at the age of 50 it will only take you 38 1/3 years to reach 14,000. With the average life expectancy continuing to increase that 14,000 number will undoubtedly go much higher as the years go by. Oh, and they add that if you add all the over the counter medication, aspirin, etc the number of pills is actually 40,000.

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Strange to see a building in the middle of London, that resembles a Greek temple
The museum’s extensive collection spans two million years of human history. Visitors can ‘travel the world’ through the diverse collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. World-famous objects include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, and Egyptian mummies. In total there are 7 million objects in the museum.

Hours:
Daily: 10AM - 5.30PM

No admission fee.

Due to the British fondness for carrying home treasures from their vast empire, the British Museum is full of world-renowned artifacts. Among them is the Rosetta Stone, which upon its discovery in 1799, allowed archeologists to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. The stone told the same story in the hieroglyphics, modern Egyptian, and Greek.
The famous Elgin Marbles, taken from the Parthenon and other buildings of the Acropolis, are also located here.
Entrance to the Museum is free, although you may drop a donation into the collection box.

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An absolute Must-See, there is an amazing collection of artifacts from every corner of the world, emphasizing the one-time scope of the British Empire. The museum is really overwhelming and cannot be seen all in one visit- not even close. The fortunate thing is that entrance is by donation only so you don't have to feel pressured to get your money's worth when you go. It's much better to make a few short visits, if your schedule allows, than one marathon visit after which everything melts together in your mind.

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The museum was founded in 1753 and its collection spans over 2 million years. The most impressive thing for me here was the actual building - re-built internally recently it is certainly very impressive inside.
My first visit was rushed and we very near closing time but the exhibits we did see were interesting and well presented.
The ground floor cafe does let the museum down and is reminisant of a school dining room - also very expensive food and drink so buy locally before or after your visit.
Free admission although special exhibitions are £8.
Good disabled access but pre-book car parking.