So much to see, so little time!
4
4
Date of visit: February 2026
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
I hadn’t been to the Natural History Museum in a really long time so I was excited to be going back. The last time I visited I had much better mobility so it was interesting going as a full-time wheelchair user. Entry to the museum is free but there are some paid exhibits. I found it slightly difficult to find the entrance as I had to come from Earl’s Court Station, which is the closest accessible Tube station. The closest station is actually South Kensington, and the route from the station to the museum entrance is clearly signposted. But there is no step-free access at South Kensington, and I found it more difficult to find the entrance via the route I had to take. Once I’d made it to the entrance, I had a really good experience. The staff were incredibly helpful, suggesting the simplest routes into the museum for me so that I didn’t have to navigate winding queues. There were lots of staff and volunteers around, even some that were showing some interactive items which could be touched and held; and you could ask the team questions about them too. The museum is so huge that it was impossible to see everything in one visit, but I enjoyed everything I saw. I went to one paid exhibit which had captions throughout, and this seemed to be consistent across any video materials. I also saw some cool access features, such as a mirrored display so that it could be easily seen from lower down. The thing I struggled with the most was just how busy the museum was. We had made sure to avoid the school holidays, but it was still really busy with younger families and school trips. There were some exhibits where it was more noticeable, for example the dinosaurs and fossils exhibit. There was lots of access information on their website that I was able to check before the visit, which was really helpful. It all seemed accurate when I visited. The information includes visual guides about some of the exhibits, details about hearing loops, captioning, wheelchair hire, and audio guides available when visiting the museum and more. There were also lots of accessible toilets available throughout the museum, and these were clearly marked on maps. There was also a Changing Places toilet.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are a few different entrances into the museum; from what I could tell, they all had step-free access. I personally used the entrance on Exhibition Road and this seemed to be the main entrance into the museum. As I approached the front where there were barriers for queueing, I was helped by a member of staff who showed me an alternative route which was easier for me in my wheelchair. There were lots of different exhibits throughout the museum with some located on different floors. There were always lifts available when I needed them, and they were quite large. I found that there were some really amazing access features around the museum. In the ‘Minerals’ exhibit there were long benches with glass displays that were a bit too high for me to easily see the gems and other minerals inside. However, above the display was an angled mirror which provided a view of everything inside the display from a seated position. This would also be great for showing children without having to lift them up to see. There were also some tactile displays such as one showing the inside of a volcano. And there was even an area where they had recreated what it was like to feel an earthquake and the ground shook beneath you! There were lots of places where it became quite crowded, especially in some of the more popular exhibits, such as dinosaurs and fossils. Due to the museum’s popularity, I don’t think there would be many times where the museum would be considerably quieter. We visited mid-week, outside of school holidays and it was still very busy. This also meant that some areas were also very noisy. There were lots of places to sit, either within the exhibits or at refreshment areas. There were a number of different food and drink options in different parts of the museum. There were sometimes volunteers at stands providing engaging and tactile interactions. These gave people the opportunity to hold and feel certain items and also ask the team questions, which was really good. From what I saw, there were always captions being provided on any video materials. This included the large paid exhibit I saw. The access information on the museum’s website is also really detailed. There I learnt: There are a small number of manual wheelchairs available to borrow Assistance dogs are welcome and water can be provided for them Large print guides are available in hard copy or digitally via your personal device Hearing loops are available at key points Audio guides are available to listen to from your personal device, either at the museum or at home They have visual guides of some of the spaces to help people see what it is like before they visit There is a Deaf Messaging Service linked to their fire alarm system which can provide communication to someone’s phone if there was an emergency. The information was really helpful. They also had a detailed digital map available which is colour coded and has icons for key places, such as toilets.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
The museum has a small number of accessible parking spaces available which must be booked in advance with the museum. There are also some public, on-street accessible parking spaces on Exhibition Road. The area is incredibly busy with limited parking elsewhere. The closest Tube station with step-free access is Earl’s Court. This station is on the District and Piccadilly lines. South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations are closer to the museum but neither of them have step-free access. On Exhibition Road, there is a bus stop on either side of the road. From these stops you can get the 360 bus with one stop for each direction. On Cromwell Road there is a bus stop where you can get the 345 bus. On Queen’s Gate, there is a stop where you can get the 70 bus.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
There were a number of accessible toilets available in the museum. The standard accessible toilets had standard door handles and didn’t require a RADAR key to enter them. They varied in size but they were all a fairly decent size with clear, unobstructed transfer space. On the ground floor there was also a Changing Places toilet. You need a RADAR key to enter; if you don’t have your own with you, staff can provide one from reception. The door opened outwards and wasn’t too heavy. It was a little bit tricky to find as it’s in a much quieter corridor of the building, but a member of staff was happy to show me the way. The door had a Changing Places symbol on it as well as a text and Braille sign. Inside there was a height-adjustable bench with shower facilities, a ceiling hoist, a privacy screen, a height-adjustable sink, and a toilet with bidet facilities. The height-adjustable bench was folded up against the wall with instructions on the wall about how to operate the bench. There was a safety rail on the outside edge of the bench which could be raised if needed. At one end, there was a shower head attached to the wall. The controls for the shower were set at quite a low height rather than really high up. Next to the bench was the ceiling hoist. This also had instructions on the wall next to it explaining how to operate the hoist. The remote was hanging freely from the mechanism that was attached to the ceiling. At this end of the room was also a retractable privacy screen on wheels. This was the most portable privacy screen I’ve ever seen as it was free-standing on the wheels at the bottom, rather than being mounted to a wall. The base would then separate into two sections as you pull the screen out and either end could be positioned anywhere in the room. The toilet was placed on the same side of the room as the door. It had a height-adjustable grab rail on either side of it as well as a fixed, vertical grab rail on either side. There was space for left- or right-side transfer. A sanitary bin had been placed against the wall on one side, but this wasn’t obstructing the area. The toilet paper dispenser was mounted to the wall on the right-hand side (facing the toilet). The toilet had no lid and the back of the toilet was a solid box that could provide back support. At the top of this was the flush and then a small colostomy shelf. Above the colostomy shelf were instructions on how to operate the bidet features of the toilet. The height-adjustable sink was located opposite the ceiling hoist. It was a wide sink with a large mirror behind it. The sink basin and mirror moved together when adjusting the height. The height was adjusted with a wired control which was stored on a hook on the right of the sink. There were also instructions placed on the wall about how to adjust the height of it. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever which seemed like it could be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. Mounted to the mirror was also a manual soap dispenser. On the left-hand side of the sink was an automatic hand dryer and on the right a paper towel dispenser. Other features inside the toilet included six coat hooks at different heights next to the door, a large mirror next to the hand dryer, and two emergency cords which were both hanging freely to the floor.
Facilities: Accessible toilet, Changing Places toilet, Changing Places toilet with shower
Staff
Excellent
All the staff I interacted with were super friendly and proactive about offering me options that could make my visit better. I always appreciate when easier options are presented to me without me having to ask for them.
