Group visits

Planning a group visit

If you're a group of ten or more, let us know when you’re coming, and we can help you make arrangements for a self-guided visit.

Guided group tours

Guided group tours are limited to groups of 20. We have two slots for guided tours that are available to be booked by groups Tuesday–Sunday at the following times:

• 11:45 – 12:15
• 14:15 – 14:45

These guided tours are led by a member of our Visitor Experience team. Each tour is unique, written individually by members of our Visitor Experience team. The tour will take place in either Being Human or one of our temporary exhibitions. If you have a preference, please let us know.

If you would like to book onto one of these slots, please let us know. They will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and require two weeks’ advance notice.

School groups

We run a programme of events and activities for schools and young people. You can also plan your own group visit. Our galleries can take up to 30 students at a time. There must be one teacher or responsible adult for every ten students in your group.

Some of our exhibitions include human remains, sexual content and graphic images of surgery, so you may want to visit the current exhibitions in advance and check the content’s suitability for your group. They may be unsuitable for children under 14.

We have learning resources to help teachers prepare for a visit. You are also welcome to bring your own learning resources. If you are planning to use activity sheets, please ensure you bring appropriate writing materials and clipboards as we only have a limited number available. We also kindly ask that you do not lean on gallery cases or displays while writing.

Risk assessments are available on request – these are for information only and are not designed to replace any risk assessment you may need to do yourself.

Self-guided visits

You can bring groups of up to 30 visitors at a time. If you have a large group, we will ask them to split into smaller groups on arrival.

Our galleries are closed on a Monday and weekends can be quite busy. We recommend groups visit us Tuesday–Friday and avoid arriving between 12:00 and 13:00, as lunchtimes can be busy.

We recommend approximately two hours of visiting time to allow for enough time in all of our galleries, but you may stay for longer should you wish.

Get in touch to arrange your visit

If you are a group of ten or more, email us to book a group visit. We need to know:

• When you will arrive, how long you will stay, and roughly when you plan to leave.
• How many people in your group.
• The email and mobile phone number of the group leader.
• What we could do to make visiting more accessible for your group.
• Which exhibition(s) you would like to visit.

We will respond as soon as possible to confirm your booking. We aim to respond within five working days.

During your visit

There is information about accessibility here and you can let us know if there is anything we can do to make your visit more accessible.

Arrival

On arrival, please go to the Information Point on level 0, near the entrance. Let us know if you are running late by calling us on 020 7611 2222. You’ll be sent a confirmation email prior to your visit, detailing your reference number. Please bring this number with you on the day of your visit.

In the exhibitions

Please tell your group about the gallery rules in advance: no touching the objects unless signs say otherwise, no leaning on the cases, and no running.

If there are more than 30 people in your group, we’ll ask you to split up and alternate separate parts of your group between galleries so that everyone has enough space.

There will probably be other groups visiting on the same day as you, but our booking system is designed to make sure groups don’t overlap.

Sketching and photography

You are welcome to sketch in the galleries using dry materials. You can also take photographs for your own personal use in most of our exhibitions and in other public areas of the building, except where signs indicate otherwise. Please do not use flash or tripods.

Check the photography page for more about photography for different purposes and how to share your photos with us.

Eating

Wellcome Café on level 0 serves a selection of sandwiches, cakes and hot and cold drinks. The café can get quite busy at lunchtime. It isn’t possible to reserve a table there.

We do not have a dedicated area for eating packed lunches, and only food purchased on the premises may be eaten in the café. Food and drink must not be consumed in any other parts of the building. In warmer months, you could picnic in local parks, like Gordon Square or Tavistock Square, both a short walk away.

Toilets

There are toilets on levels 0, 1 and 2. There is a Changing Places toilet on level 0. You can also find an accessible toilet with baby-changing facilities on level 0.

If you have any questions about bringing your group to the building, please get in touch.