The complete guide to: The British Museum

One of the UK's leading tourist attractions, the British Museum celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. And its six million exhibits mean you can travel the world, from antiquity to the present, without leaving London, says Cathy Packe

Why is the british museum so popular?

It's free (though drivers will find it lies within the Congestion Charge Zone). Oh, and it's the oldest national museum in the world. More accurately, it's an international museum, with exhibits from all parts of the globe. When Hans Sloane, who died 250 years ago, conceived the idea, the vast majority of visitors would have had little or no chance of seeing much of the world. The museum offered glimpses of exotic cultures ­ and still does.

Was sloane a ranger?

Yes. A doctor by profession, Hans Sloane was a naturalist, a traveller and an enthusiastic collector of everything from books to plants; on a single visit to Jamaica, in 1687, he discovered 800 new species of plants. He bequeathed his entire, priceless collection to the nation when he died in 1753.

An Act of Parliament created the British Museum, where Sloane's treasures formed the basis of the display; other collections were added to it. Some of the museum's original contents ­ including the dinosaurs ­ have been dispatched elsewhere, notably to the Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road, London SW7; 020-7942 5000; www nhm.ac.uk; open daily 10am-5.50pm; Sun from 11am). The collection has been most significantly amplified by the Royal Library, founded by Edward IV in 1471, which was donated to the British Museum by King George II. This occupies the King's Library, the oldest part of the current museum.

The present building in Bloomsbury has been the museum's home since the mid-19th century, when it was necessary to move out of its original premises, Montagu House, because no more exhibits could be squeezed in. The structure was purpose-built, the first part opening in 1827. There have been many additions ­ the most recent of which was the creation of the Great Court in 2001.

The British Museum is on Great Russell Street, London WC1 (020-7323 8299; www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk), and is open daily 10am-5.30pm (Thur, Fri to 8.30pm). The Great Court is open Sun-Wed from 9am-6pm, and Thur-Sat from 9am-11pm. Admission is free, but there is a charge for special exhibitions. "British Museum Friends" are eligible for free entry to these, and for a range of other benefits; individual membership costs £50 a year (020-7323 8195 or e-mail friends@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk).

What's in it?

Antiquity: the basis of the museum is a plundering of Classical sites, from Mycenae to Mesopotamia. But there are occasional surprises. In the HSBC Money Gallery, where you can find out about the history and uses of money going back as far as 2500bc, you will find a portable e-payment terminal, made in 2001 ­ that is, if you have time to get there. The British Museum has around six million exhibits. So the best approach is either to plan several short visits, or to target galleries that interest you. The museum's "greatest hits" include the Rosetta Stone, whose inscriptions in Greek and Egyptian helped scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and, of course, the Parthenon sculptures, bought by the nation in 1816 after being acquired in Athens by Lord Elgin.

Acquired? don't you mean stolen?

That's a matter of interpretation. Lord Elgin, who was British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, had a permit from the Turks, rulers of Greece at that time, to remove from the Parthenon any stones with figures and inscriptions on them, which is how the frieze now known as the Elgin Marbles was brought to London. The Greek government has never given up hope of displaying the marbles in Athens and, in anticipation of their return, is building a new museum for them alongside the Parthenon. This is intended to be ready next year when Athens is to host the Olympic Games. But for the moment, the nearest thing to the Elgin Marbles in Athens is the replica installed along the platform at Akropolis metro station on line 2 of the city's new underground system. The Parthenon itself is open to visitors, as are the other Acropolis monuments (00 30 210 32 14 172). These include the Propylaea or ceremonial gateway; the temples of Erechtheion and Athena Nike; and a museum containing all the movable objects discovered at the site since 1834. All are open daily from 8.30am-3pm until 31 March; in summer until 7pm. Admission is ¤12 (£8), and is free on Sundays until 31 March.

How can I get an overview of the british museum?

With one of the excellent tours organised by the museum. The daily highlights tours last for 90 minutes and cost £8 (children £5).

They depart from the information desk in the Great Court at 10.30am, 1pm and 3pm. Shorter "eye-opener" tours are free, and last 50 minutes. They take place daily, and begin every half-hour between 11am and 3.30pm; leaflets at the information desk will tell you where to join the tour. Regular tours cover subjects such as the Egyptian Mummies room, or the plaques from outside the royal palace in Benin City known as the Benin Bronzes. There are shorter tours, too, that introduce exhibits from a particular culture or geographical area.

I prefer to see things in their place of origin

That's not always possible: by the museum's north stairs is a large marble Buddha from a Chinese village called Hancui, which no one can locate any more. In fact a number of the museum's displays are from cities that no longer exist ­ such as Nimrud in Assyria, and the Sumerian city of Ur. The Royal Tombs of Ur were excavated in the Twenties, and some of the findings now form part of a magnificent display in the Ancient Near East rooms. Other treasures from the tombs are found in the University of Pennsylvania Museum (33rd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia; 001 215 898 4001; www.upenn.edu/museum; open Tue-Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun 1-5pm, admission $5/£3). The rest are in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. Since Iraq is currently not recommended for tourists, foreign museums offer a rare opportunity to see some of the country's historical artefacts, such as bricks from the Ishtar gate at Babylon, or relics from the ancient city of Sippar.

Can i travel the world from the centre of london?

Yes ­ just follow the signposts to Africa, Asia, the Americas, or whatever interests you. A visit to the British Museum is a marvellous way to prepare for a trip to a new destination, to see more from an area you have visited, or to inspire you if you can't decide where to go this year. Visit the Indian rooms, for example, where the reliquaries dating from the 2nd century bc might make you want to visit the Great Stupa at Sanchi, where they were originally used to contain sacred relics; this is an important Buddhist site about 30 miles from Bhopal in central India. Or look at the gold fragments from Bodh Gaya in Tibet, and start planning a trip to one of the most significant of the Buddhist holy places, where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

It makes me want to start travelling

The British Museum can help: it has a tour-operating division, which runs cultural trips to many different destinations, each led by a guest lecturer. Some of these offer a different angle on a popular theme: a weekend tour to Monet's garden at Giverny focuses on the way Japanese art influenced the artist's garden paintings. Other trips visit destinations not widely covered by more mainstream tour operators: the ancient sites of Iran, for example, and the Gold Coast of Ghana. In November, a tour to Easter Island will include a visit to the original location of a ceremonial figure dating from ad1000 that is now on display in the museum's Great Court. Contact the British Museum Traveller on 020-7436 7575 or visit www.britishmuseumtraveller.co.uk.

Armchair travellers might prefer the destination lectures that are held regularly at the British Museum. The next destination, on 12 April, is Beijing; tickets cost £18. And then there is the Film Society, which has a screening on the first Friday of every month. The films in this year's programme are set in a number of interesting foreign locations: the choice in September is Fitzcarraldo, set in the Peruvian jungle, while the next film, on 7 March, is Kandahar.

None of this sounds very british

The museum has plenty to remind us of this country's heritage. The British rooms on the first floor contain some prize exhibits, many with interesting stories attached. A prime example is the Mildenhall treasure, an astonishing hoard of 4th-century silver unearthed during the Second World War when a farmer struck one of the buried bowls with his plough.

During the Eighties, some peat-cutters near Manchester discovered the body of a man with a cord tied around his throat. The police were called in, as he appeared to be a murder victim; but it was eventually decided that the body was probably that of a Celt, who may have been a sacrificial victim. Officially known as Lindow Man, he has become affectionately known as Pete Marsh, and is on display in the museum.

One of the finest of the collections of treasure was discovered in 1939 in a ship which had lain beneath a burial mound at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, since the early 7th century. Excavations were carried out, and it was identified as the burial site of an important Anglo-Saxon king, probably Raedwald.

Can I visit the burial site?

Yes. Some of the original treasure from the site, as well as a replica of the burial chamber itself, are on display at an exhibition at Sutton Hoo (01394 389700; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ places/suttonhoo). This is closed for the winter, but will reopen on 22 March (Wed-Sun 10am-5pm; daily from 1 June until 30 Sept; admission £4). Another exhibit which can be linked with a site visit is the Vindolanda Tablets. These fragments of wood, which are the oldest surviving hand-written documents in Britain, were discovered at the fort of Vindolanda, on Hadrian's Wall at Bardon Mill near Hexham (01434 344277; www.vindolanda.com), in 1973.

They are extremely fragile and need specialised conservation, which prevents them being displayed at Vindolanda itself. However, the fort has its own museum; it, and the nearby Roman Army Museum (016977 47485), open at 10am; closing is between 4pm and 6.30pm according to the time of year. Admission to the two museums costs £5.60 (children £4.10). Excavations at Vindolanda are continuing; volunteers should contact 01434 344277.

The Waddesdon Bequest is a priceless collection of gold, jewellery and other objects which were donated to the British Museum. If after seeing this you want to see more of the Rothschild family's treasures, visit Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury (01296 653203; www.waddesdon.org.uk). The house is open from 2 April until 2 Nov (Wed-Sun 11am-4pm; admission to house £7, grounds £4).

Tell me more about the great court

This was created by the architect Norman Foster, who built a glass-and-steel roof over the courtyard around which the original museum building was constructed.

In the centre of the Great Court is the Reading Room. It was once used exclusively by researchers ­ Karl Marx came here every day for 30 years ­ but has been open to the general public since 2000. Its circular structure influenced the design of several other libraries, including Washington's Library of Congress built in 1897 (001 202 707 5000; www.loc.gov; tours from the Thomas Jefferson Building on 1st Street several times daily Mon-Sat). Since the British Library moved to its new premises, the Reading Room has been restored and repainted to match its original decor, with a pale blue dome decorated with gold leaf. It now contains the museum's multimedia database, and a small exhibition about the room's fascinating history. There is a viewing area inside so that you can see it close up, but it is also worth admiring the building from the first floor gallery by the south stairs.

The dome of the Reading Room, which had stood in the middle of this quadrangle, peeps through the top of the new roof of the Great Court. Apart from making it much easier to get around the museum, the creation of the Great Court has turned an otherwise unused area into an indoor atrium containing a large bookshop, café and restaurant. This area has longer opening hours than the rest of the building, and makes a pleasant central London location in which to relax and meet friends. But so that you don't forget that you are still in the British Museum, a few priceless artefacts are casually displayed here too, among them a couple of heads of Egyptian pharoahs, a Ming statue, and a marble lion carved in Asia Minor in the 3rd century bc.

Are there any 250th anniversary celebrations?

The British Museum will be in party mood all year, with special exhibitions celebrating its anniversary. These include "London 1753" (23 May-23 Nov), a look at the capital at the time of the museum's founding, with pictures and personal memorabilia chosen to convey a sense of what it was like to live in the largest city in the world in the mid-18th century. The Wellcome Trust Gallery will open later in the year, featuring some of the ethnographic collections once housed in the Museum of Mankind. The highlight will be the opening of the restored King's Library.

We like a taste of egypt

Tutankhamun's tomb was the museum's most successful exhibition

The British Museum's most successful temporary exhibition was the "Treasures of Tutankhamun" in 1972, which was visited by 1,694,117 people. The Egyptian government has since decided that, in order to avoid further deterioration, the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb will remain in Egypt. Consequently, 1,700 of the artefacts found in the tomb by the British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 are on display at the Egyptian Museum (Tahrir Square, Cairo; 00 202 578 2448; www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg); a further 1,800 items also found in the burial chamber remain in storage. The Egyptian Museum is open daily from 9am-4.45pm (closed 11.30am-1.30pm Friday), and entrance is LE20 (£2.25).

The tomb itself is in the Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, one of 62 tombs so far discovered there. Entrance to the Valley, allowing you to visit three tombs, costs LE20 (£2.25) and tickets are available from the office next to the Colossi of Memnon. Once inside you have pay an extra LE40 (£4.50) to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun.