Natural History Museum - Review for families

In a nutshell: A super-popular museum housed in a breathtaking building, particularly noted for its dinosaur exhibit and a HUGE Blue Whale but with a LOT of other stuff to see too. This can be a good 3 to 4 hour trip - wear comfy shoes!

Best for: Toddlers / 5-8 years / 9 -12 years / 12 years +

Cost: Free – but the special exhibits cost a little extra (around £11 per adult and £6 for children). Though we reckon you'll have a great day just looking at the free stuff unless they're something on you really want to see.

The best bits: Dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs! The whole collection of dinosaur history is sure to be a hit with children – not only is there a life-size animatronic dinosaur for photo opportunities (and general amazement), but each stop contains lots of information delivered by touch screens, things to feel and videos to watch.

However, anyone hoping to see 'Dippy' - the huge diplodocus skeleton that used to greet people as they entered, should note he has gone on tour and will be back in summer 2017. Instead, a blue whale skeleton has been put in is place. Still pretty impressive stuff.

Queues can get huge and can look overwhelmingly long - especially in the holidays - but they're usually quite fast in comparison to other London museums. Hurrah!

The museum is generally suitable for a casual stroll rather than a detailed plan of what to see and where.

There are three floors and countless educational exhibits, filled with models, stuffed animals and real skeletons of extinct, rare and living creatures. You can experience a natural disaster in the earthquake machine and explore specific areas dedicated to geology, sea life, dinosaurs, land animals and even creepy crawlies.

Make sure that as well as looking at the exhibits you look at the architecture itself - there are little stone animal carvings everywhere in the hidden in the pillars and walls which little ones especially will love looking out for.

There's usually a cool seasonal outdoor activity - around winter there's an ice-skating rink (though you have to pay) and in summer they often have a butterfly walk which is free, and lovely.

In terms of facilities, there are maps that show you where the loos are - and there are baby changing facilities too.

What to watch out for: If you think your child might be frightened by taxidermy (stuffed animals), they're hard to avoid here, so maybe reconsider your visit.

As with all London museums, visiting during term time helps avoid long queues and a warm, stuffy building.

If you’re hoping for a purse-friendly day out, avoid the café. Have a picnic or packed lunch on the grass outside instead. We know that can be a bit chilly but if you wrap up war and get one of those lovely sunny wintry days you'll be OK.

The toilets are out of the way and aren’t particularly great, and a couple of them, in the Earth galleries and Flett Theatre, will be closed from the end of June to the end of August 2016.

You can leave prams for free but beware - if you want to leave coats and bags it costs £2 a time which can add up for a whole family, so travel lightly if at all possible.

MFM Tips: Don’t rush away from the ground floor as you enter. Some of the most interesting extinct creatures and skeletons are here.

One savvy TripAdvsor user says that if it’s busy, try to find the side entrance along the right side of Exhibition Road, towards the V&A museum.

Beware if the HUGE gift shop geared towards children beside the exit. There are specific gift shops near the big exhibitions. Shield their eyes or be prepared to shell out on a very cute but pricey dino toy.

Don't just take it from us: We scoured TripAdvisor to see what other parents were saying about the museum One said:

"Lots to see for kids. I loved it too...Spent 2 days there with an 8 year old. His choice... Need I say more…"

Another said:

"Spent over 4 hours here with a 3-year-old boy and we did not see it all! He loved it, there is so much to engage the young, while still appealing to parents. We only left because he had seen so much he was worn out and fell asleep!"

Getting there: South Kensington Tube - if you want to make it a full-on cultural day the Science Museum & the V&A are nearby.

Visit the official Natural History Museum website