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Natural History Museum London: Opening Hours, Tickets, Bag Policy & Cloakroom Guide (2026)

Updated: 13 April 2026

London’s Natural History Museum: Highlights, Tips, and Bag policy

When you visit the Natural History Museum in London, you can admire the grandeur of life on earth. The enormous size of  animals and plants alike will truly make you feel that you’re walking amongst giants. From dinosaurs bones to the skeleton of a blue whale, you will be awestruck by the sheer scale of these creatures. In this article, we will highlight some key displays and share practical guide information related to visiting the museum, particularly where you can find luggage storage near the Natural History Museum in London.

Access to the museum is free, but make sure that you book your tickets in advance. They do offer walk-up visitors, but you may have a delayed entry at peak busy periods. Book your Natural History Museum tickets here.

Museum Highlights

(1) Blue Whale Skeleton

Nicknamed “Hope”, this 83 foot (25.2 metre) blue whale skeleton hangs majestically from the ceiling. You can walk underneath this monstrosity to appreciate the sheer size of the world’s largest mammal.

(2) Dinosaur Fossils

 There are plenty of fossils to admire and an animatronic tyrannosaurus rex that moves and roars. Sophie the Stegosaurus, one of the most complete stegosaurs, is also on display. It was only recently discovered in the mid 2010s.

(3) Giant Sequoia Tree Slice

Gaze into the past of our world through rings of a giant sequoia tree. Originally felled in 1891, this tree trunk indicates an age of over 1300 years. It’s diameter is 16 feet (4.9 metres) wide, indicating that it originally stood over 300 feet (91 metres) tall.

Natural History Museum’s Luggage Storage

Upon arrival, your bags may be searched by the security team. If you have a large bag or suitcase that cannot be carried, then you cannot bring this with you throughout the museum. Wheeled suitcases are not allowed around the museum.

Since the cloak room is subject to availability, the museum staff recommend not bringing suitcases with you.

There are 2 cloak rooms available for storage at the Natural History Museum:

Central Entrance: large bags & suitcases only

East Entrance: everything, including coats

Cloak Room Prices

£3 – Umbrella or Scooter

£4 – Coat

£5 – Bag (less than 4kg)

£6 – Bag (more than 4kg)

£5 – Folded bike

£5 – Pushchair

CitySpareSpace Luggage Storage

CitySpareSpace offers convenient luggage storage nearby London’s Natural History Museum. If you don’t want to risk unavailability at the museum’s cloak room, then you can easily book bag storage near the Natural History Musuem. From only £7, you can easily leave your suitcase, rucksack, handbag, pram, and much more with our South Kensington luggage storage locations.

CitySpareSpace offers convenient luggage storage in trusted shops and hotels all over the world. In just 2 minutes, you can easily book your bag storage on our website. Every storage partner is vetted through our registration process. If your plans change, all bookings are refundable or transferrable to another date and/or location (subject to Terms of Usage). Book now to confirm your London Natural History Museum luggage storage.

Book Bag Storage

Getting to the Natural History Museum

Address: Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD There are 3 entrances:
  • Central Entrance: This is a step-free entrance accessible via East Gate. This is the main entrance, and we recommend using this one.
  • East Entrance: This is not step free accessible on Exhibition Road. It does have a lift from the lobby entrance, but this entrance is occasionally closed during busy periods.
  • West Entrance: As of 20 March 2026, this entrance is temporarily closed for landscaping work.

Transport

Via Underground

South Kensington Station is the closest Tube Station, less than 300 metres (0.2 mile) away from London’s Natural History Museum. You can access South Kensington Station via District, Circle, and Piccadilly Lines.

Gloucester Road Station is also a short walk from the museum, only 500 metres (0.3 mile). You can access Gloucester Road Station via District, Circle, and Piccadilly Lines.

Via Bus

There are convenient bus stops on Cromwell Road, which are literally a 1-minute walk away. Buses 70, 74, 345 will drop you here. Plan your TfL Bus Journey here.

Via Bicycle

You can access bicycle racks on Exhibition Road. Santander Cycles docking stations are dotted all around the museum. View Santander Docking Stations.

Via Car

There are no parking facilities on site, and parking is very limited. We don’t recommend trying to drive to the museum. If you’re a blue badge holder, then there is limited disabled parking. You must book in advance to coordinate this: +44 (0)20 7942 5000. Access for these spaces is via Queen’s Gate, SW7 5HD on the west side of the museum.

Accessibility

The museum is accessible, and there are a limited number of manual wheelchairs available to borrow from the museum’s cloak rooms. They are offered on a first come first serve basis, so you cannot book these in advance.

Bag Storage Natural History Museum

Photo Credits:

(1) London Natural History Museum: Photo by Sebastian Dziomba on Pexels.com.

(2) Blue Whale Skeleton: © Julian Herzog (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

(3) Stegosaurus Skeleton: © Gary Todd (CC0 1.0 Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons

(4) Giant Sequoia: © Fernando Losada Rodríguez (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Bag Storage Natural History Museum

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