South Kensington.

Pick a museum. Make a day of it.

Natural history, design and science sit close together, but one museum is usually enough for a rewarding visit.

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Worth getting off for

Choose the V&A for design and decorative arts, or the Natural History Museum for the natural world.

At the V&A, pause to look at the historic café rooms as well as the objects in the galleries.

The V&A café is a useful museum stop; Exhibition Road and the streets by the station offer alternatives.

The Queens Arms on Queen’s Gate Mews is a pub option a walk away from the busiest museum entrances.

Station → Exhibition Road → chosen museum → nearby café → return. Allow a half day, not a one-hour dash.

The main V&A and Natural History Museum collections are free; some exhibitions and experiences cost extra.

Choose a small set of exhibits and leave time for breaks; check booking before a school-holiday visit.

The museum district grew from the cultural ambitions associated with the Great Exhibition of 1851.

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