I first learned about the British Museum's out of hours tours while I was browsing kid-friendly tour options in London. Family tours have always been great because they take the strain off parents and keep everyone having fun and learning. These tours are run by the museum and take place during times when the museum is closed to the public (hence the “out of hours” part, which means outside opening hours in British English).
After-hours tours run from 8:50-10am and all enter through the main entrance (the museum is closed so you wait and someone will come to pick you up) and cost £33 (about $42) for adults and £16.50 (about $21) for children ages 5-15.
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These guided tours are led by expert guides, focus on specific collections, and take place at times when only your group is present (on the tour I took, the group was probably around 30 people.) It feels like a private tour without the private tour pricing.
There were several tours to choose from, including introductions to Ancient Egypt, the Ancient Greek World, China, the British Museum, and even an in-depth look into life and death in Ancient Egypt. You can book up to a year in advance, but the earlier you book the better your chances of getting the tour that most interests you.
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Why would I pay for a tour outside opening hours?
British Museum tours aren't particularly expensive, but whatever you pay is still a lot more than you'd have to pay since the museum is free. Also, these tours tend to book up well in advance, so you'll need to decide and book several months in advance.
I've been to the British Museum dozens of times, but this was by far my favorite. It was fun and exciting to be able to enter the museum before it opened, and it was also very memorable to be able to enter the museum in a quiet and uncrowded environment.
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It was the kids' first visit and I honestly, and in the best way, I think it has put them a little off for future visits where they'll have to peer over people and deal with the usual positioning to see the Rosetta Stone, mummies and manuscripts.
What else should I know about after-hours tours?
These tours require you to stop and listen for quite some time so they need to suit your family to work for you. I took my kids and my nieces on the tour and while the older kids were engrossed the whole time, the younger ones tried really hard but were clearly bored by the end.
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A lesson learned the hard way is that it's a good thing you can stick around the museum after the tour is over. The public starts to filter in after the tour ends, but by the time the tour ends you're so far into the museum that you can easily find an open room or exhibit to enjoy before it gets crowded. I had activities planned right after the tour, so I wasn't able to make the most of my time in the museum during this less crowded time.
We took our kids on an after-hours tour of the British Museum and it was even better than we expected. This article originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com
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The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. We use the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology to review and select family trip ideas, family getaway spots, all-inclusive family resorts and quintessential family getaways for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations.
