The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum in London is located on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, close to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum. This historic building was opened in 1881 and is renowned throughout the world as one of London's most fascinating and informative museums.

The Natural History Museum contains over 70 million items, including a gigantic diplodocus dinosaur skeleton cast, a full-size blue whale skeleton cast, an 8 metre long giant squid, and a 1,300-year-old giant sequoia tree. It also houses an assortment of specimens collected by Darwin, an extensive collection of rocks and minerals, and an earthquake machine. The building itself is an awe-inspiring architectural feat, with its dramatic Romanesque entrance, tall spires, ceiling panels depicting plants from around the globe, and environmentally designed Darwin Centre.

The closest tube station to the Natural History Museum is South Kensington. Entry to the Museum is free although there is a charge for some temporary exhibitions.

The Science Museum

The Science Museum in London is situated in Exhibition Road, in South Kensington, London, just round the corner from the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Highlights of the Science Museum include the Apollo 10 Command Module, Stephenson's Rocket locomotive, a stripped-down Spitfire, and Crick and Watson's DNA model. There are exhibits on medicine, veterinary science, agriculture, space technology, the environment, energy, and many other science and innovation-related subjects. For those who prefer hands-on activities there are a wide range of interactive exhibits including an air, land, and water motion simulator, a combine harvester, and a garden exhibition. 

The Science Museum has two cafés, a shop selling science-based toys, a bookshop, and picnic areas. The closest underground station is South Kensington, and there are buses from the Royal Albert Hall. Entry to the Museum is free, although there are charges for the IMAX 3D Cinema, simulators, and some special exhibitions.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum, often referred to as the V&A, is situated in Cromwell Road, Kensington, just along from the Natural History Museum and Science Museum. This unmistakable building is home to over 3000 years' worth of incredible artefacts from some of the world's richest cultures.

The Victoria and Albert Museum contains a world-famous collection incorporating ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints, drawings, models, photographs, and more. There are well over six million objects in the V&A's collections, although not all of these are on display.

The building is a masterpiece of Victorian gothic design in its own right, with a room designed by William Morris, a ceramic staircase by Frank Moody, and frescos by Lord Leighton. Outside the Museum is a garden with a water feature and an outdoor café in summer.

The closest tube station for the Victoria and Albert Museum is South Kensington. Entry to the V&A is free, although there are charges for some exhibitions and events.

The Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt hotel

If you'd like to stay in a London hotel that's close to the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum, the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel makes the perfect choice.

This 4 star hotel is ideally situated for visiting London museums in the leafy streets of South Kensington. Many of the original features of the historic building have been preserved, including stained glass windows, wood-panelled rooms, and a beautifully painted ceiling. The bedrooms are furnished with warm fabrics and original artwork, with marble-clad bathrooms completing the luxurious effect.

The hotel offers a true London home-from-home, with comprehensive concierge and business services, 24-hour room service, and a valet laundry service. It also has a fitness room, a smart contemporary bar and restaurant. The Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel is conveniently close to Kensington, Knightsbridge, and the exhibition centres of Earls Court and Olympia.

Save money on entries to the Natural History and Victoria & Albert Museums

With our 'Let loose in London' scheme, you get a discounted hotel package at a London Radisson Edwardian hotel of your choice plus exclusive special offers and discounts at some of London's finest museums, galleries, theatres, restaurants and tourist attractions.

The discount booklet includes a voucher for the Natural History Museum with 25% off two full-priced adult tickets for the Shell Wildlife Photographer of The Year 2007 exhibition - 27th October 2007 to April 2008

It also includes a voucher for 25% off adult entry tickets at the V&A when you visit one of two major exhibitions:

• The Art of Lee Miller - 15th September 2007 to 6th January 2008
• The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 - 22nd September 2007 to 6th January 2008