London

Crash course in archaeology at the British Museum

Badge of ExcellenceLondon, England

5 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Explore the highlights of the British Museum with a private archaeologist guide during this shared five-and-a-half-hour tour. Learn about the explorers, archaeologists, and relic hunters who helped build items from the collection. See classic pieces from Egyptian, Assyrian, and Greek empires, from the Rosetta Stone to the Parthenon Marbles.

A 5.5-hour guided archaeologist-led tour through the British Museum
See the world-famous collections through the eyes of a trained archaeologist
Learn how to write your name in Egyptian hieroglyphs and how to play an ancient boardgame
Explore many of the world’s cultures through art and artifacts, from Aztecs to Vikings

What's Included

Qualified archaeologist guide

Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Russell Square
Bernard St, London WC1N 1LJ, UK
Your guide with be holding a tablet with "Spirit of Discovery" displayed on the screen outside of Russell Square Station.

Start time

09:45 AM

End point

The British Museum
Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, UK

What To Expect

The British Museum

5 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

52 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 52 reviews

The best day!

Susan_B, May 2024

Great guide. Wonderful day. Grateful for the fold up chair. We had to queue for entry. Not at the main entrance which would have taken longer. He explored human development from Stone Age to the Anglo Saxons. A small space at each stop was found. Here the guide delivered a succinct talk on that particular aspect of development. Always fascinating and packed with interest and facts. Not one boring moment. 40 minute stop for lunch. 10 minute stop later as the guide extended the time to make up for queue ing time at the start. The best day!

Great experience!!!

Sanjay_R, May 2024

Amazing time with Rossa, he is super knowledgeable and a great story teller. I learned so much and the time flew by! We enjoyed it very much. Highly recommend!

Wonderful informative tour with knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide !

Tobias_C, Apr 2024

This tour was a wonderful way for people to get an informative, entertaining introduction to archeology and ancient history. Rossa, who conceived and leads the tour, is a great story teller ! He managed to make various periods of complex history and archeological discovery accessible for history buffs like me. I might add that I am a tour guide myself, at the Louvre, and I do not know that many tour guides who are as passionate and knowledgeable as Rossa ! Best of luck to him,

Worth your day!

MarieHelene_D, Apr 2024

Very interesting tour! I learned a lot, and our guide was a good storyteller. The only thing I didn't like was how long we would stay standing up in one place to listen; my feet hurt and I would have liked to see more pieces.

You’ll love it!

sharron_h, Feb 2024

Our tour guide was an absolute expert and brought the subjects to life. There were 11 in our group and he kept us all interested for over 5 hours!

Great story teller

Kristoffer_S, Jan 2024

Very knowledgeable guide and great story teller. More depth than breath as it focuses more on the most important items in the museum and the historical context rather than giving short descriptions of as many items as possible.

Excellent and very informative day course on Archaeology

Butcher, Jan 2024

It was very informative. We were given a wide chronological introduction to archaeology, showing man in the world from our earliest times, using many of the Museums artefacts, in various of the museums rooms. It was also very enjoyable.

Fabulous tour of the British Museum highlights

Genevieve_S, Dec 2023

On this tour, we heard awesome stories and comprehensive explanations about some highlights of the British Museum.

Fascinating and engaging

Eli_B, Oct 2023

For some reason I thought this would just be Egyptology but it was from the beginning of civilization until the Normans. The guide was amazing! Very knowledgeable. The only downside is the length. Standing for 5 hours is tough. I would have left early except I was completely enthralled. I couldn't bear the thought of missing anything. Pro-tips: the museum offers little portable folding chairs. Grab one first thing. I found one near the end and it saved me. Second, this museum is enormous and amazing. Give it several days of your time. It's completely worth it.

Disappointing result!!!!

Stephen_G, Aug 2023

The tour was cancelled on the day due to illness of lecturer’s wife!!!! We wasted a considerable part of the day and when on holiday time is precious!!!! We are expecting a complete refund as a consequence.

Amazing, Don’t Miss it!

Stephen_G, Jun 2023

If you have an opportunity to take this course/tour with Rossi, do yourself a favour and don’t miss it. The presentation is very well thought out and his delivery of the material was exceptional. I’m so happy I did this. I learned so much!

A Wealth of Knowledge Shared

Ashley_M, Mar 2023

Rossa was an amazing guide and really brought history to life through stories, observations, and games! The British Museum is massive and I was intimidated to visit. I was very pleased having a guide to point out important exhibits that I likely would have overlooked or not appreciated to their full extent on my own. Rossa placing these objects into historical context truly brought them back to life. I will return to the British Museum to confidently see more in the future!

Archeology nerds rejoice!

Elizabeth_S, Jan 2023

Rossa was the tour guide, he did a wonderful job. Six glorious hours of archaeological information in one of the world’s best museum. Allow yourself time to see more artifacts after the tour, you will not be able to see everything in one visit.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thanks Elizabeth, it was a pleasure another fellow archaeology nerd. I'm glad you had a good time.

Book this tour!

Deborah_T, Dec 2022

Ross is a fantastic guide. He is incredibly knowledgeable, but shares his knowledge in a very accessible way. He tells a great story and brings history to life. Absolutely recommend.

Great tour that exceeded...

Arik_R, Oct 2022

Great tour that exceeded all of my expectations! The tour serves as a great "refresher" for the experienced archaeologist as well as an amazing intro to newcomers interested in the field.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thanks Arik, it was great having you along.

Educational and unexpected

Ana_K, Aug 2022

This was so very interesting. Rossa gave a tour for anyone who is curious about history and early human beginnings. He also hit some significant high points in what otherwise could be a very overwhelming museum.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thanks for the lovely review. Glad you enjoyed it

Brings the British Museum to life

Jason_C, Jul 2022

Very highly recommended. A great way to experience the museum. Rossa is incredibly knowledgeable and really brings the exhibits to life.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Thanks, it was great meeting you guys.

Wonderful!

johndD8078AG, Oct 2019

Rossa was an amazing guide. He is an archeologist and he guided us through the highlights of the British Museum and made it come alive. We could have listened for longer. I would give him more stars if possible.