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British Library
Library
London
The experts at Time Out London and The Guardian recommend this place
"Wow, absolutely love the Reading Rooms."(14 Tips)
"usually not crowded exhibit of the Magna Carta"(7 Tips)
"important manuscripts"(5 Tips)
"Good for informal meetings and has Business and IP centre resource."(5 Tips)
173 Tips and reviewsFilter:
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Ryan WaggonerSeptember 16, 2017Free admission. See the Magna Carta, original Shakespeare folios and handwritten Beatles lyrics. Casual cafe on the 2nd floor serving a variety of quaintly food.
Upvoted 2 weeks ago
Louis VuittonApril 5, 2012The world's third largest library, offering itself as a visiting place for both the scholar and the laytourist. On display through summer 2012: "Writing Britain." Kristin Knox, The Clothes Whisperer
Fatima Al-HalwachiMay 11, 2017Inspiring exhibitions all year round, a great working place and a pleasant retreat for the curious. If you're into coffee don't miss out on Origin's great selection of espresso & filter coffees.
Upvoted Dec 29, 2024
ShaymaaMarch 2, 2017See the work of conservation and gain an insight into the techniques used to care for our collections on a ‘behind the scenes' tour of the Conservation studios!
Nick FrantzJuly 6, 2018One of the highlights of our visit was the Treasures Collection. Handwritten music, Gutenburg and King James Bibles, Shakespeare's First Folio and the Magna Carta, all in one place!
Shamsa AbdulrahmanFebruary 16, 2016Absolutely beautiful place to visit if u love libraries! Spend some time reading ❤ or have a bite in the cafe and enjoy looking around. So peaceful
Laurel MayApril 25, 2014Plan to spend half your day here because once you get in, you'll want to spend hours and hours walking around and learning about different kinds of books/writers.
Pim WesselsDecember 13, 2019The King’s Library looks amazing. Loved the Treasures Gallery. Great giftshop and lots of coffeeshops. You could easily spend an entire day here.
BreeMay 7, 2017You'll never regret spending an hour of your trip at this spectacular library. Jaw-dropping collection of books and historical texts.
Wayne FordAugust 1, 2011Even if you smply visit the British Library for a coffee and pastry at the Peyton & Byrne cafe, its an inspiring space to be surounded by so many great texts. Read more
Carlos Zavala HydeAugust 20, 2014The British Library is the second largest library in the world: 14 million books and 150 million items.
H RSeptember 25, 2014You can sign up to the reading room. They hold lots of creative thematic exhibits such as the recent ones regarding comic books and, most recently, gothic literature.
Alex CurielDecember 20, 2018The national library of the UK. It has one of the largest collection of books in the world. Great place to study!
Megan McNishApril 8, 2015The Treasures of the British Library is a fantastic exhibit! And they have a nice café to get a pick me up before you're on your way again!- Emily SkarbekMarch 1, 2015Amazing free, quick, and usually not crowded exhibit of the Magna Carta and other unique treasures.
Ashley GenevieveAugust 19, 2014As a librarian from the states, I was blown away. The exhibitions were wonderful and I've never seen so many books together in my life. Great experience.- Juli Foranna JulieroMay 14, 2013Visit sir John Ritblat Gallery.. Very interesting things such as Two of the three earliest and most important manuscripts of the entire bible in Greek from the 4th and 5th century
berrybeansJanuary 2, 2015It might not be the first choice on the sightseeing list for first-time London visitors but it's worth visiting. I like Gutenberg.
Time Out LondonMarch 27, 2012The British Library's exhibition spaces are open late weekly on Tuesdays, from 9.30am-8pm. On show are temporary displays as well as permanent exhibits in the John Ritblat Gallery. Read more
Hani EFebruary 12, 2016The exhibits are pretty cool. The bookshop is disappointing. The Alice in Wonderland exhibit was fun!
Be sure to check out all their exhibits: as well as the current exhibition, go read the Magna Carta, check out the philately exhibition and sign up for a damn reader's pass and help improve the world Read more
Jeanette MaylandOctober 6, 2019Outside a horrendous building but inside the kind of environment that makes you want to go back to school
- Helen LawsonJuly 30, 2016It's a place of work and pleasure - reading rooms and exhibitions. I always like to swing by the treasures gallery when I'm passing.
Love CamdenOctober 20, 2010There are two excellent cafes in the British Library: a small one outside at the front, and another at the back as you walk up the main stairs. Both make an excellent destination to meet for lunch.
BoogaMay 5, 2014A wonderful place to just hang out, we went to the comic exhibition which was fantastic.
A great place to study if you're bored with your uni's library. Electricity sockets available by some tables.
TProphet February 17, 2015It is free and has an unbelievable collection of ancient and rare books on display. Don't miss it!
The British Library has a cash machine and a postbox. Both are on the lower ground floor; last collection from the postbox is 4pm Mon-Fri.
The temporary exhibitions are always worth a look, no more so than the current Maps exhibition. Reasonably good for free wifi, but can be patchy. Love the quirky gift shop.
All libraries need to be visited regularly and this is the mothership.
Little ScrapesJanuary 7, 2016Always an interesting set of exhibitions on, both free and paid for. Check out their website for details.- There are new seats and sockets up on the second floor by the Humanities reading room!
- Stephanie WongMay 12, 2016Amazing library! Recommend checking out the "Treasures of the British Library" exhibition - its fascinating!
Versha SharmaOctober 19, 2011The Treasures Room is incredible: handwritten Beatles lyrics on the back of bday cards and envelopes, artifacts from Austen, Shakespeare, a Gutenberg Bible, Magna Carta and more...heaven!!!
Best place to get warm and use of the facilities without paying and you don't need to be a member also good to leave luggage for the day as long as its not a big suitcase
Danny UKJuly 28, 2015Lovely and peaceful, yet there is almost always a hive of activity with visitors working away on laptops.- Time Out LondonFebruary 23, 2012The collection is unmatched (150 million items and counting), and the reading rooms (open only to cardholders) are so popular that regular users are now complaining that they can't find a seat. Read more
Robert EMarch 11, 2018So cool to see all the old books, including a 1st edition Gutenberg Bible and a 3rd century New Testament piece
Free wifi, decent toilets and a great cafe. This is my temp office whenever I'm in London
Andrew SaffreyFebruary 1, 2016a palace of knowledge. very busy in the cafe during the week! free wifi allegedly, but seems to need registration or membership
Matt ShortMarch 2, 2019Always nice to look around here and the coffee shops are a great place to have a think.
Bianca NgAugust 28, 2016Amazing collection of the history of print. As a designer who is obsessed with print and typography, I felt goosebumps!
SuziJuly 18, 2015Preregister online and order your books before you visit. Some are stored in Yorkshire and take 2 days.
If the reading rooms are busy there is always usually desk space in Business and IP floor 2 an the staff can move your books across
Andrew SmithMay 27, 2014Extraordinary place, the comics exhibition is wonderful but so are the regular exhibitions.
Riz ANovember 7, 2013Excellent place for a meetup is at the cafe near the back as your walk up the stairs.
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Yes, we have a copy of just about every book ever published in Britain. But we also stage events and run exhibitions. We have free wi-fi too! Visit us soon.
Closed until 9:30 AM (Show more)
- Mon–Thu
- 9:30 AM–8:00 PM
- Fri
- 9:30 AM–6:00 PM
- Sat
- 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
- Sun
- 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
+44 1937 546060
Features
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Yes
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Places inside British Library
- 7.2
"During studying, it's recommended to take short hourly breaks of five or 10 minutes - a great opportunity to have a snack, stretch your legs and take stock of what you’ve learnt so far."
RDI Online - 7.4
"Free wi-fi offered by The British Library upon registration."
Iván Farías - 8.8
"Great people & the best coffee. If you brew your own at home and need a freshly roasted bag of beans, try the Pathfinder. They’ll give you a free coffee of choice to drink in too"
Fatima Al-Halwachi
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- 6.8
"The mornings are quieter after 12 they apparently let in every child in hackney to scream"
Loren Cook - 7.6
"Great venue to study by distance learning, especially if you're after a quiet place, to minimise the chances of being interrupted."
RDI Online 
"Free public wifi but a bit slow. Tiny little library but has tables and chairs towards the front for studying."
Nisha Kapadia Bhesania
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