Tours

Choose from:

Whether a group has a special area of interest, wishes to explore a particular gallery or just get an overview of the museum's collection, the Groups Team can help.

Choose from four options:

Explore the museum and its incredible collections with our wide range of tour options.

Duration: 1 hour
Number of people: 1-25 (except for Islamic gallery, 1-20). Multiple tours can run concurrently for larger groups.
Cost: £10 per person (minimum fee £150)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Email: hello@vam.ac.uk

We recommend booking a minimum of 1 month in advance.

Choose from one of the following topics:

Discover the V&A
An ideal tour for first time visitors or those who have a general interest in art and design and are keen to learn more. Discover the origins of the museum and learn about the many fascinating treasures held in the V&A's extensive collection.

20th century
The 20th century saw a dramatic period of change in design. This tour looks at the broad contrasts between mass produced items and hand crafted goods, including nostalgic objects ranging from unusual radios to familiar posters and even a pair of modern day trainers.

Architecture
The Architecture gallery brings together the unparalleled collections of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the V&A, showing original drawings and models, photographs and building fragments. Over 2,500 years of architectural history is on display.

British Galleries
Critically acclaimed and unmatched in scope, the British Galleries display the most comprehensive collection of British art and design on view anywhere in the world. Trace changes in design and lifestyle from the Tudor monarchs to the end of Victoria's reign. (Tours concentrating specifically on the Tudor and Stuart, Georgian and Victorian galleries are also available).

Eastern Art & Craft
Around 60,000 spectacular works of art make the V&A's collection one of the largest permanent displays of Eastern art and craft in the world. The galleries are designed to immerse the visitor in the unique culture of each country.

European styles
This tour takes you through a broad range of galleries to explore the development of European styles, from medieval to French empire, and the influence of Eastern art on European design.

Fashion
The V&A's world renowned fashion collection covers changing shapes and tastes in style, from beautiful 17th-century fashions to contemporary, cutting-edge designs and haute couture. The collection also includes accessories such as jewellery, gloves and handbags.

History of tea
Explore the history of tea drinking, from its origins in China and East India to its popularity in Victorian Britain. Find out more about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and look at tea paraphernalia, including teapots on displays in our Ceramics galleries.

Innovation & techniques
A fascinating look at the techniques of crafting different materials such as silver, glass and ceramics. This tour introduces the extensive materials galleries, explaining how pieces were made and how techniques have developed with changes in fashion and technology.

Interiors
Interiors can reveal an astonishing amount about the preoccupations of a given age. This tour covers the epitomes of British interior style from the 1600's to present day, including a look at some of the V&A's five reconstructed period rooms.

Islamic
This stunning gallery houses one of the most extensive and renowned collections of Islamic art in the world. Some 400 objects of exquisite beauty are on display, including ceramics, textiles, carpets, metalwork, glass and woodwork. This tour tells the story of Islamic art in the Middle East and beyond, from the 8th to the 20th century.

Love, betrothal & marriage
Discover stories of love and seduction from the worlds of classical mythology and the Medieval court. Consider rituals of courtship and marriage in Renaissance Italy and Tudor England by looking at sculpture and jewellery, including a selection of beautiful betrothal rings, marriage chests and the wedding suit of King James II.

Paintings
The V&A's collection of oil paintings and watercolours include celebrated artists such as Turner and Constable, Botticelli and Degas. The paintings are displayed in elegant galleries originally built to house them during the 1860's.

Enjoy a tailor made tour by a V&A lecturer on a subject of your choice.

Duration: 1 hour 30 mins
Number of people: 1-25
Cost: £17.50 per person (minimum fee £245)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Email: hello@vam.ac.uk

We recommend booking a minimum of 1 month in advance.

We offer a range of tours and talks that complement the V&A's extensive exhibition programme.

Exhibition-related tours of the permanent collection
Complement your group visit to an exhibition with a tour of the V&A's collection of related art and design. The theme of the tour will vary according to our current exhibition programme.

Duration: 1 hour
Number of people: 1-25. Larger groups can be accommodated, but will need to be split into smaller groups. We regret that we are unable to offer tours of exhibitions.
Cost: £10 per person (minimum fee £150)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Email: hello@vam.ac.uk

We recommend booking a minimum of 1 month in advance.

Exhibition-related talks
Enhance your visit to a V&A exhibition with a 30 minutes or 1 hour slide-illustrated introductory talk.

Number of people: 1-50
30 minute: £8 per person (minimum fee £240)
60 minute: £10 per person (minimum fee £300)

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Email: hello@vam.ac.uk

Please note, slide talks are dependent on room availability, so early booking is advised. Tea and coffee, with biscuits or pastries, can be supplied during these introductory talks, at an additional cost.

Duration: 1 hour
Number of people: 1–20. Larger groups can be accommodated, but will need to be split into smaller groups. Multiple tours can run concurrently for larger groups.
Cost: £250 per tour. Please contact us on +44 (0)20 7942 2000 to book. Reduced price may be available for youth and community organisations, supplementary schools and charitable faith organisations.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Email: hello@vam.ac.uk

The V&A has extensive collections from South Asia and the Far East as well as beautiful recently designed galleries on Middle Eastern art and of Sacred Silver and Stained Glass. These galleries are rich with objects associated with many of the world's religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam as well as Christianity and Judaism.

To increase awareness of its collections the museum is offering specialised Sacred Object and Intercultural tours delivered by specially trained guides. You can choose to concentrate on your own or another faith, or choose a tour looking at objects across faiths.

Individual faiths
Choose one from: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism for an in-depth appreciation of these faiths.

Abrahamic faiths
Choose a tour which celebrates and compares the objects associated with Judaism, Christianity and Muslim cultures.

Asian faiths
Choose a tour which highlights the diverse range of painting scripts and manuscripts within Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Please ask if you would like Sikhism to be substituted for one of the other faiths within the tour.

Our thematic trails reveal the fascinating stories behind both much-loved and little-known museum objects.