the home of science, arts and inspiration

Tours and Talks

Enjoy a talk, join a debate, take yourself on a tour,  or book into one of the guided tours in South Kensington.

Albert Memorial

Daily
Kensington Gardens
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Located in Kensington Gardens, it is one of London's most ornate ornaments. Unveiled in 1872, The Albert Memorial commemorates the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, who died of typhoid fever at the age of 42. Public tours are available.

Tour of the Great Exhibition

Online
The Royal Parks
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Navigate through a virtual Crystal Palace and experience Prince Albert's great achievement and see what captured the hearts of the Victorian world.

Discovering Britain: Albertopolis Walk

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
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Take a self-guided tour and explore how London’s quarter for the arts and sciences was created. Discover more about it's great institutions and magnificent buildings.

Royal Albert Hall Tours

Most days of the year
Royal Albert Hall
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Take a peek inside London's most iconic music venue. Did you know that the Royal Albert Hall once hosted a séance; flooded the auditorium with 56,000 litres of water for an opera concert; and that criminals, as well as musicians and politicians, have graced the Hall’s stage?

V&A free tours & talks

Daily: 10am-5:45pm - Friday: 10am–10pm
V&A
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Get closer to the Museum and its incredible collections with our wide range of free or paid-for bespoke tours.

Princess Diana Memorial walk

Daily
Hyde Park
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The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk takes visitors through four of the most beautiful parks in the world, including Hyde Park and Kensington Palace.

Dinosaur Trail

Daily
Natural History Museum
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Are you big on museums, but short on time? NHM's knowledgeable visitor assistants have designed just the dinosaurs tour for you. It will introduce you to some of the Museum's most famous and imposing specimens. One hour

Explorer Trail at the Design Museum

Daily
Design Museum Kensington
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The trail will include creative looking, thinking and drawing activities as you explore the museum and exhibitions. The trail asks the user to consider what it's like to be a designer, maker and user of some of the wonderful objects in the collection. Takes 30 - 40 minutes.

The Great Exhibition Augmented Reality Experience

Online
Hyde Park
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Visit Hyde Park, where the 1851 Great Exhibition was held. Download the free app to see a true-to-size recreation of the Crystal Palace. Explore the site, admire the building's scale and details, and learn about its fascinating history.

Family Trails at the Science Museum

Science Museum
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Go on a journey of discovery and exploration around the Science Museum.

Giants of Today Trail

Natural History Museum
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From hefty herbivores to jungle jumbos, discover who's topping the charts when it comes to being the biggest, the tallest and the heaviest of them all. Follow the trail to meet some of world's biggest animals and to find out all about the highs and lows that come with being so big.

Seeing Things Queerly

10am-6pm
Science Museum
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Follow this self-led trail to discover some of the objects on display at the Science Museum that tell stories of queer communities, experiences, and identities.

Imperial Events online

Varies
Imperial College London
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You can join Imperial from wherever you are in the world with their online content and events!

The Queen's State Apartments

Daily
Kensington Palace
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William III and Mary II were crowned as joint monarchs in 1689, after they were invited by Parliament to take the throne in the place of Catholic King James II, Mary’s father. They bought Kensington Palace to become their new home, away from the bustle of Whitehall Palace, and transformed the building into a royal home.

Hyde Park Self Guided Walks

All Year Round
Hyde Park
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Discover the magic of Hyde Park and head on a self-guided walk. All of the activities are guaranteed to get you walking and discovering interesting things about the history, wildlife and horticulture around you.

Kate Strasdin: Gilded Splendour

4th April
6.30pm
Leighton House and Sambourne House Museum
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Join Dr Kate Strasdin as she looks at the often hidden world of couture embroidery artisanship,The evening includes the chance to view the exhibition Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne (1880-1910), and the chance to buy signed copies of Strasdin’s latest book.

National Art Library and Archive talks: each Monday from 15 January

https://shorturl.at/ioOV1
V&A
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The V&A will be holding free, open sessions every Monday (except bank holidays) in the National Art Library. A member of the Library or Archives staff will introduce the history and purpose of the Library and talk about an item from their collections.

Friday Late: Here and Elsewhere

22nd March
6.30pm - 10pm
V&A
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This Friday Late features artists dealing with land and occupation, from Ghana to India, and places in between. Join the V&A to unpack our relationship with archives as sites for memory and reflection, and reanimate museum spaces through performances that spotlight anti-colonial struggles of not just the past, but also the present.

Michael Backman: Courtly Splendour

2nd May
7pm - 9pm
Leighton House and Sambourne House Museum
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Art historian and author Michael Backman will lead a fascinating talk about the Malay ancient tradition of working with silver and gold as well as the appeal their craft had for collectors in the Victorian era.

Science of the Natural History Museum Tour

3rd March - 28th April
Various Times
Natural History Museum
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Join the Natural History Museum for a tour to discover the work that they do, from advocacy and outreach to identifying new species and protecting their collections.

Hidden Stories of Hyde Park Walking Tour

19th April
11am - 12.30pm
Hyde Park
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From the notorious criminals that met their untimely end at the Tyburn Tree to Peter Pan’s first adventure – there's a lot to learn about one of London's most iconic and well-known green spaces. Register for our guided tour and uncover the history of Hyde Park!

Hidden Stories of Kensington Gardens Walking Tour

26th April
11am - 12.30pm
Kensington Gardens
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Discover the beautiful Kensington Gardens as it comes into full bloom in the first week of spring. Join the walking to explore the hidden stories behind its famous statues including a behind the railings experience of the Albert Memorial and get a close-up view of the stunning Frieze of Parnassus.

Brothers by Jackie Thomae

21st March
7pm
Goethe-Institut
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Join Nii Ayikwei Parkes, in conversation with German writer Jackie Thomae and translator Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp. Brothers is about family and masculinity, and the question of whether we shape our own destiny - or whether our background and character inevitably shape us.

The Tulip Garden

25th March
2pm - 3pm
V&A
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Celebrate the start of spring with a colourful look at the rich cultural history of one of the world’s most popular flowers.