Every visitor faces the same problem: the museum holds far more than anyone can see in a day, and the building is a maze of numbered rooms across three floors. This page gives you a British Museum map of the area, the official British Museum map of the rooms, a route I would follow through the highlights and a short note on each stop. If you would like a guide to do the walking for you, my guide to tickets for the British Museum compares ten tours with priority entry.
British Museum Map: Entrances, Stations and Streets Around It
The map below shows the museum with its nearest stations and the sights around it, from Google Maps data. This British Museum map covers the streets and stations only, so use it to plan the approach and use the official floor plan in the next section for the rooms.
The address is Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, per Google Maps. The nearest stations are Tottenham Court Road and Russell Square, both about 410 and 450 m away in a straight line, which I estimate at 7 minutes on foot (straight line times 1.3 at 4.8 km/h). Holborn and Goodge Street are about 9 minutes, and Covent Garden is about 12. My British Museum opening hours guide goes through the stations and the meeting points that the tours use.
The official British Museum map marks three ways in. The main entrance faces the forecourt on Great Russell Street, a second entrance sits on Montague Place at the back, and there is a separate groups entrance. A cloakroom, an information desk and a ticket desk are marked near the Great Court, so you can leave a coat before you start.
The Official British Museum Map
The museum publishes its own plan, and it is the one to trust for room numbers. It is a PDF with the ground floor, the upper floor and the lower floor on separate sheets, a numbered “Don’t miss” object for each floor and a legend for lifts, stairs, toilets, baby changing and the cafes. You can open the official map (PDF) from the museum’s museum map page. The copy I read is dated 03/2026.
Two notes on the British Museum map matter before you plan a route. First, it warns that some galleries close at short notice for refurbishment or unforeseen circumstances, and that this can affect step-free access. Second, it says Rooms 7, 9, 10, 19 and 20 on the ground floor are open from 11:00 to 15:00 each day, and Rooms 57 and 58 upstairs follow the same hours. That affects the lion hunt reliefs in Room 10, so I would not make them the first stop of a morning.
The Route I Would Take Inside the British Museum
Keep the British Museum map open for this route. It is what to see in British Museum rooms if you have two to three hours and want the objects that the official map and the tour listings both name. I have left the times blank, because the museum does not publish a time for each room and I will not invent one. The order walks west from the Great Court, then up the stairs and back down.
My route through the British Museum
1Great CourtStart under the glass roof
2Rosetta Stone, Room 4Ground floor, east side
3Assyrian lion hunt, Room 10Check the 11:00 to 15:00 opening
4Parthenon sculptures, Room 18Ground floor, west side
5Hoa Hakananai'a, Room 24Ground floor, near the Great Court
6Mummies, Rooms 62 and 63Upper floor, Level 3
7Lewis Chessmen, Room 40Upper floor, medieval Europe
The Great Court
Everyone enters the building by the Great Court, and the official plan puts the shop, the reading room and the Court Cafe around it. It is the best place to orient yourself on the British Museum map, because every staircase on the plan leads off it. The plan marks south, west and north stairs, with lifts beside them.
What to See in the British Museum: the Rosetta Stone, Room 4
On the British Museum map, Room 4 holds the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian sculpture, and the official map lists the stone as the first object a visitor should not miss, “the key to deciphering hieroglyphs.” Wikipedia records that it arrived in 1802 as a gift from King George III, according to Wikipedia. The tours I compared nearly all begin here or at the Parthenon, so the room is crowded.
The Assyrian Lion Hunt, Room 10
Room 10 on the map is the Assyrian gallery for the lion hunts, the Siege of Lachish and Khorsabad. The official plan calls the lion hunt reliefs “an ancient king’s triumph over nature,” and the tours name the Winged Bulls from Khorsabad as well. Because this room is on the 11:00 to 15:00 list, schedule it in the middle of the visit. Rooms 6, 7, 8 and 9 hold more Assyrian sculpture if you want to stay.
The Parthenon Sculptures, Room 18
Room 18 is the Parthenon gallery and the longest walk from the Great Court. The map marks it as “iconic sculpture from ancient Greece,” and the tours I compared name it as a fixed stop. Rooms 12 to 23 around it cover the rest of ancient Greece, from the Bassai sculptures to the Nereid Monument. If you only have time for one Greek room, stay in 18.
BEST TOURS LONDON LTD
2h British Museum Guided Tour with Priority Entrance
★4.9 (1,715 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: A 2-hour guided tour with a priority timeslot for the main entrance: $39, 4.9 from 1,715 reviews, in several languages.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Guided tour of the British Museum with commentary in English/Italian
✓ Entrance tickets to the British Museum for the main entrance with priority timeslots
✓ Option for headsets are available
Not included / not suitable
✕ Transportation
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Tips
Meeting point: The MEETING POINT is inside of the museum, on the right side of the information desk, next to the column. Your guide will be there 5-10 minutes before the tour starts and will have a YELLOW FLAG.
https://goo.gl/maps/93hhDrcHH7An1ftf9 52 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3BA, UK
Languages: French, Italian, English, Greek, Chinese
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“we had a good time with Daniel.He helped us to focus on the most essential part in the museum as we have only limited time.Will recommends to those who have limited time.” – GetYourGuide review
Room 24 is the Living and Dying gallery, and the official plan lists Hoa Hakananai’a, “a colossal ancestor figure from Rapa Nui/Easter Island,” as its highlight. The tour listings call the same object the moai. It sits close to the Great Court on the ground floor, so it is the natural last downstairs stop before you climb.
The Mummies, Rooms 62 and 63
The Egyptian life and death galleries are on the upper floor. On the plan, Room 61 covers Egyptian life and death and Rooms 62 and 63 cover death and the afterlife, with the mummies. Rooms 64 to 66 follow with early Egypt, Sudan and Nubia, and Ethiopia and Coptic Egypt. The mummies are the room most often named in the listings, and one tour names the Mummy of Katebet in particular.
The Lewis Chessmen, Room 40, and Sutton Hoo, Room 41
Rooms 40 and 41, on the upper floor, are the medieval Europe and Sutton Hoo galleries. The official plan lists the Lewis Chessmen as “the most famous chess set in the world,” and the Sutton Hoo finds are the room next door. Both are named in the tour descriptions I compared. If you still have energy, the Oxus Treasure in Room 52 and the Portland Vase in Room 70 are the other upper-floor highlights on the plan.
Spirit of Discovery Tours
British Museum Tour with Archaeologist Guide
★4.9 (88 reviews)
2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: A tour led by an archaeologist, 2.5 hours, 4.9 from 88 reviews, $57: the one I would choose if you want the stories behind the upper galleries.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Entry to British Museum
✓ British Museum tour
✓ Archaeologist guide
Not included / not suitable
✕ Food and drinks
Meeting point: Your guide will meet you at the entrance of Russell Square Station and will be holding a tablet with "Spirit of Discovery" displayed on the screen.
We have to leave promptly at 9.45am to make our entry slot for the museum so cannot wait for latecomers.
If you are running late please call to be directed to the group. Bernard St, London WC1N 1LJ, UK
Languages: English
Duration: 2.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“A very interesting and informative tour! We were in a small group, which made the experience even more enjoyable, and we learned a lot of fascinating new things. Highly recommended!” – GetYourGuide review
The British Museum map marks lifts and level access lifts beside the main staircases, accessible toilets and baby changing on each floor. Remember its caveat that closures may change the step-free route. On the lower floor, Room 25 holds the Benin brass plaques, and the plan says access to it may be restricted during busy periods. The Ford Centre for Young Visitors is open at weekends and school holidays, with a drop-in picnic space for families, though capacity is reduced.
Because the collection is so large, a guide is often easier than reading the British Museum map alone. My British Museum tours page compares every guide, and my page on the British Museum history tells the story behind the building. When you are ready to book, my British Museum tickets page explains which guided option has priority entry. The home page lists the other attractions I cover.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official British Museum map?+
Yes. The museum publishes its own British Museum map as a PDF, dated 03/2026, with a separate plan for the ground floor, the upper floor and the lower floor. I link it as the official map in the section above. It also lists the lifts, toilets, cloakroom and the galleries that are only open for part of the day.
What are the top things to see in the British Museum?+
The official British Museum map lists a Don't miss object on each floor. On the ground floor these include the Rosetta Stone (Room 4), the Parthenon sculptures (Room 18), the Assyrian lion hunt reliefs (Room 10) and Hoa Hakananai'a from Easter Island (Room 24). Upstairs it names the Lewis Chessmen (Room 40) and the Portland Vase (Room 70).
Where are the Egyptian mummies in the British Museum?+
On the official map the Egyptian death and afterlife galleries with the mummies are Rooms 62 and 63, on the upper floor. The Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian sculpture are downstairs in Room 4, so the Egyptian collection is split between two floors.
How long do you need inside the British Museum?+
Allow at least two hours for a focused route. The guided tours I compared run 2 to 3 hours, and one archaeology course lasts 5.5 hours. The collection is too large for one visit, so choose a few galleries from the map.
Are all the British Museum galleries open every day?+
No. The official map says some galleries close at short notice for refurbishment or unforeseen reasons, and that Rooms 7, 9, 10, 19 and 20 on the ground floor are open from 11:00 to 15:00 each day, with Rooms 57 and 58 upstairs on the same hours. Check the museum website for the latest information.
Is the British Museum accessible without stairs?+
The official map marks lifts, including level access lifts, and accessible toilets. It also warns that gallery closures may affect step-free access, so I would check the museum website for your day and plan the route around the lifts shown on the plan.
