Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum is the national museum of art, design and performance at Cromwell Road in South Kensington, and its permanent collection of more than 2.8 million objects makes it the world's largest museum of applied and decorative arts. General admission to V&A South Kensington is free and needs no booking; some exhibitions and events carry a separate charge. Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. South Kensington Underground connects by pedestrian tunnel; buses stop on Cromwell Road. Yes. Events, ceremonies, maintenance and security can alter the ordinary route or timetable. No. Special tours, exhibitions and upgrades use separate tickets when offered. Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. South Kensington Underground connects by pedestrian tunnel; buses stop on Cromwell Road. Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. South Kensington Underground connects by pedestrian tunnel; buses stop on Cromwell Road. Yes. Events, ceremonies, maintenance and security

The set pieces at the V&A are the rooms rather than single objects. The two Cast Courts, built by Henry Scott between 1870 and 1873 with ceilings 25 metres high, hold hundreds of plaster casts taken from European monuments: Trajan's Column stands there in two stacked halves because it does not fit in one, alongside a full-size cast of Michelangelo's David and the Portico of Glory from Santiago de Compostela. The three Victorian refreshment rooms, restored between 1974 and 1978, are still the museum cafe. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. South Kensington Underground connects by pedestrian tunnel; buses stop on Cromwell Road.

Allow two and a half hours for a first visit to V&A South Kensington, which is the duration recorded on this page. That is enough for the Cast Courts, one or two subject galleries chosen in advance, the Madejski Garden and a sit-down in the Gamble Room, and it is not enough to see the museum. Nobody sees the museum. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries.

Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. Dated closures, ceremonies, performances, weather or security notices from the operator take priority over ordinary hours. Arrive early enough to complete the public route before final admission. Follow staff directions on arrival. Follow staff directions on arrival.

General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. The base amount and currency follow the operator tariff; premium products and separate institutions remain excluded unless named. Yes. Events, ceremonies, maintenance and security can alter the ordinary route or timetable.

South Kensington Underground connects by pedestrian tunnel; buses stop on Cromwell Road. Use the named entrance and station because security, separate exits and large complexes can change the practical route. Allow extra time for screening and the final walk. Follow staff directions on arrival. Follow staff directions on arrival.

Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. Open daily 10:00-17:45 and Friday until 22:00; closed 24-26 December. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately. Step-free Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road entrances, lifts, accessible toilets and loan wheelchairs connect all principal galleries. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.

The V&A's visitor pages do not publish a general policy on personal photography, so this guide records none; what they do state is that drones are not permitted anywhere on the premises. Individual exhibitions and loan displays set their own rules and post them at the door, and those are the ones to read. On light: the Cast Courts are top-lit through enormous skylights and are at their best on a bright morning, when Trajan's Column is legible from the upper corridor in Room 111 rather than as a silhouette. General collection admission is free; major temporary exhibitions charge separately.