What are the best museums in London to visit - I plan to go down over Christmas and take a few in.

Asks jammyjoe

A. The best ones include the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of London, the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum and the Greenwich Observatory, the Tower of London and the Museum of the Moving Image. But telephone the museum you wish to visit before your trip as many are closed from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.

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Q. How much is an average entrance fee

A. It is usually in the range of �6-10 for adults, but from 1 December 2001 entrance fees to all British museums will be free as a result of measures announced in the 2001 Budget. You will still have to pay a fee for special exhibitions.

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Q. Can you tell me more about each one

A. A brief outline of each of the above includes the following (although virtual tours of most of them and comprehensive information is available from their individual websites):

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The Science Museum

Voted London Visitor Attraction of the Year 2001, the Science Museum welcomes more than a million visitors every year. The museum was set up to help the public understand and enjoy the history and contemporary practice of science, medicine, technology and industry. The museum (and the V&A) was developed from the South Kensington Museum (which opened in 1857). The museum is open throughout the year (closed 24-26 December) from 10am-6pm.

Address: Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 2DD

Tel: 0870 870 4771

Admission: Prices are levied for the IMAX and Virtual Voyages.

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Victoria and Albert Museum

The V&A was established in 1852 (and named the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899), following the enormous success of the Great Exhibition the previous year. Its founding principle was to make works of art available to all, to educate working people and to inspire British designers and manufacturers.

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Although the V&A's collections are international in their scope, they contain many particularly important British works - especially British silver, ceramics, textiles and furniture. The V&A also has fantastic collections from India, South East Asia, Japan, Korea, China and the Islamic world and includes sculpture, furniture, woodwork, jewellery, metalwork and painting from these regions.

Address: Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL

Tel: 0870 442 0808

Opening times: 10am-5.45pm, 10am-10pm Wednesdays and the last Friday of the month.

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The British Museum

The British Museum was founded in 1753 to promote universal understanding through the arts, natural history and science in a public museum. Its collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures spans two million years of human history.

The Museum now holds national collections of antiquities; coins, medals and paper money; ethnography; and prints and drawings. Its natural history collections were transferred to South Kensington in the 1880s, becoming the Natural History Museum. The library collections (Printed Books, Manuscripts, Maps, Music and Stamps) became part of the British Library in 1973.

Address: The British Museum, Great Russell Street London WC1B 3DG

Tel: 020 7 323 8299

Email: [email protected]

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Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is the UK's national museum of natural history, and a centre of scientific excellence in taxonomy and biodiversity. The Museum's mission is to maintain and develop its collections and use them to promote the discovery, understanding, responsible use and enjoyment of the natural world.

Address: The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. Tel: Information - 020 7 942 5011; Switchboard: 020 7 942 5000

Opening times: Monday-Saturday 10am-5.50pm. Sunday 11am-5.50pm.

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National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich

The National Maritime Museum (NMM) was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1934 and opened to the public by King George VI on 27 April 1937. It includes the 17th-century Queen's House and, from the 1950s, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.

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The Museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory.

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The Museum is also unique in the architectural importance of its main buildings, the Queen's House in particular being the keystone of the historic park-and-palace landscape of 'Maritime Greenwich', which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Address: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF

Tel: 020 8 858 4422

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Museum of London

The Museum of London celebrates its 25th Birthday on 2 December - and to celebrate the event it will host many special events throughout the month which will include birthday tea and cake, balloon releases, street entertainers, face paining for kids, Punch and Judy shows, and an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records for pulling the most Christmas crackers at the same time.

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The Museum of London is the world's largest urban history museum with 1.1 million objects and Europe's largest archaeological archive. The Museum is committed to making its collections accessible to all who wish to learn from them and is divided into two areas Early London History (before 1700) and Later London History (after 1700). Current exhibitions include London's Voices (until 24 Feb, 2002), which is devoted to the recorded memories of Londoners.

Address: London Wall, London EC2Y 5HN

Telephone: 020 7 600 3699

Automated information line: 020 7600 0807

Email: [email protected]

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Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of the most famous and well-preserved historical buildings in the world and dates back to the 11th Century.

Address: Tower of London, Tower Hill, EC3N 4AB.

Tel: 020 7 709 0765

Opening Hours: 9am-5pm (closes at 4pm during the winter from November to February). Closed 24-26 December.

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Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum is unique in its coverage of conflicts, especially those involving Britain and the Commonwealth, from the First World War to the present day. It seeks to provide an understanding of the history of modern war and �war-time experience�.

Address: Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road , London SE1 6HZ

Tel: 020 7 416 5320

Opening times: 10am-6pm daily.

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Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI)

The museum is currently closed at its present site and will become part of the BFI Film Centre on the South Bank. It is due to open again in 2006.

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If you have any other Travel related questions, please click here

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By Karen Anderson