Arrival by car

A limited number of accessible parking spaces are available on-site to Blue Badge holders. These spaces must be booked with the British Museum in advance of your visit though – either by email (tickets@britishmuseum.org) or by phone (+44 (0)20 7323 8181).

There are also public Blue Badge parking spaces near the British Museum too (on Montague Place, Montague Street and Coptic Street). These can’t be booked in advance though – so if you plan to use one of these public Blue Badge parking spaces, you will just have to hope that one is empty.

Arrival by public transport

The Tube (Underground): The nearest tube stations are at “Tottenham Court Road” (on both the Central Line and Northern Line), “Goodge Street” (also on the Northern Line) and “Russell Square” (on the Piccadilly Line). However, of the three, only “Tottenham Court Road” has step-free access. If arriving at “Tottenham Court Road” on the Northern Line, it’s a simple case of rolling off the underground train on your own. However, you will need to use a ramp to leave the train if arriving at “Tottenham Court Road” station on the Central Line (and you must notify the staff of this – before you board the train at your DEPARTURE station – so they can call ahead and arrange for the ramp to be available/arrange for any assistance that you require).

So arriving at Tottenham Court Road, and on the Northern Line, is the easiest option by Tube.

Bus: A number of different buses run past, or near, the British Museum. And all buses in central London are wheelchair accessible – and are equipped with a retractable ramp (automatically controlled by the bus driver). Bus travel is also free for wheelchair users (your companion has to pay the correct fare though). I recommend that you use the official TfL Journey Planner to find the best route for yourself.

Taxi: By far the easiest way to arrive at the British Museum in a wheelchair, using public transport, is in one of London’s famous black cabs (taxis). It’s also the most expensive way to reach the British Museum (but is so worth it in my opinion). All London taxis are equipped with a retractable ramp.

My recommendation though:

On foot/by wheelchair!

The British Museum is just one of the stops on the circular London West End DIY Walking Tour (it runs in a circuit between Buckingham Palace > Green Park > Piccadilly Circus > Leicester Square > Trafalgar Square (and the National Gallery) > Whitehall > Downing Street > Houses of Parliament (and Big Ben) > Westminster Abbey > St.James’s Park, and finally returning to Buckingham Palace.

Because it’s a circular route, you can start/finish at any point along the route – and still see everything.

You could dash around the whole circuit in under 2 hours, but I’d leave a whole day to cover this DIY walking route – as there are just so many places to visit/stop and look at.

Entrance – Access

There are two entrances to the British Museum – and both of these entrances are wheelchair accessible (both entrances have lifts which bypass the stairs at each). The main entrance to the British Museum, at Great Russell Street has two lifts (one on either side of the main steps to the entrance). The other (much quieter) entrance is at Montague Place (at the rear of the British Museum building). There is only one lift here, but as this is a much quieter entrance, I would recommend accessing the British Museum from here.

Manual wheelchairs are also available (free of charge), to use during your visit. But they too MUST be pre-booked though – through the British Museum Ticketing team: either by email (tickets@britishmuseum.org) or by phone (+44 (0)20 7323 8181): 2 days notice is required. These manual wheelchairs can only be collected at the Great Russell Street entrance though – but can be returned to either the Great Russell Street entrance or the Montague Place exit at the end of your British Museum visit.

Building Accessibility

Most lifts in the British Museum are wheelchair accessible. The lifts also have audio announcements and braille signage. All lifts are indicated on the official British Museum Map.

Assistance is always available from the British Museum’s Visitor Services team during your visit. Staff members are easily identifiable (they’ll be wearing blue or black shirts, and a red lanyard/name badge). Assistance can also be requested at the Ticket Desk in the Great Court.

Wheelchair Accessible Toilets

Wheelchair accessible toilets are available (in the Great Court on the main ground level).

And although there is no Changing Places facility in the British Museum, there is in Great Ormond Street Hospital (just a few minutes away).

Wheelchair Accessible Cafes/Restaurant

There are a variety of eating & drinking options at the British Museum:

The Great Court Restaurant is available for a very special treat (on the first floor, and under the stunning roof of the Great Court).

On the same first floor you will also find the Coffee Lounge – which overlooks the Great Court.

On the ground level of Great Court itself, you will find the two Court Cafés.

The Montague Café is located just inside the Montague Street entrance at the rear of the British Museum – perfect for grabbing a coffee or snack on your way into or out of the Museum.

The Pizzeria is also wheelchair accessible – but wheelchair access to the Pizzeria is via a back-of-house route. Simply ask a uniformed member of staff for assistance.

See the excellent Official Access Guide for full details of all wheelchair accessible features.

Photo credit: The Great Court, British Museum, London, by Aurélien Barre from Pixabay.

See the Wheelchair Accessible London Guide for details of other wheelchair accessible attractions, restaurants and hotels in central London.