Trace the 250-year development of the modern industrial world, delve into the history of medicine, blast off to outer space and enjoy the motionride simulators.
The Science Museum is one of the world’s finest collections of its kind. It is a huge undertaking, and you can’t hope to see everything here in a single visit. On the other hand there are so many pieces that are landmarks of industrial history, technological milestones, works of art, or just amazing objects in their own right, there really is something that everyone can identify with and admire.
To see the best of the collection in one visit buy the excellent museum guidebook, which will navigate you through the ‘must-see’ exhibits such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Edison’s early lamps, Crick and Watson’s DNA model, the prototype computer (the dauntingly huge Babbage’s Difference Engine), the Apollo 10 Command module, the first iron lung and many other famous technological landmarks.
The Science Museum is famous for its pioneering interactive hands-on areas and adults with children should start with the most popular hands-on display, Launchpad. Here youngsters can discover how machines and gadgets work. Other family favourites include the Flight Galleries, featuring a whole array of historic aircraft, many of them slung dramatically from the ceiling. For sheer spectacle it’s hard to beat the Energy Hall, where some of the great beam-and-steam behemoths that powered the Industrial Revolution still push and thrust their mighty workings.
The fifth-floor Science and the Art of Medicine displays range from ancient medicine to the very latest discoveries, from Roman tweezers to face transplants and artificial noses.
Map Reference 4D 
Exhibition Road 
0870 870 4868 
Daily 10–6. Closed 24–26 Dec 
Free 
Restaurants (£), café (£), picnic areas 
South Kensington 
9, 10, 14, 49, 52, 70, 74, 345, 360, 414, 430, C1 
IMAX cinema (moderate); simulators (inexpensive)