Visiting FAQs

No, entry to V&A South Kensington and Young V&A is free and you don’t need to book a ticket. There may be a charge for temporary exhibitions. Discover what’s on and book online.

You can book tickets online or over the phone. We recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Some exhibition tickets might be available to buy in the museum on your day of visit.

V&A South Kensington
Tel. +44 (0)20 7942 2000

Young V&A
Tel. +44 (0)20 8983 5200

Phone lines are open 10.00 – 17.00 daily.

If you are visiting during peak times, queuing may be in operation for exhibitions.

Your e-tickets are sent directly to the email you submitted when you bought the tickets.

Search for ‘V&A Ticket Confirmation’ in your inbox. If you can’t find the email, check your junk email folder.

Still can’t find your tickets? Don’t worry, we can look you up on the system when you arrive.

Becoming a Member will ensure that you can see the exhibition, even if it is sold out.

No, Members enjoy free, unlimited exhibition entry and don’t need to book a time slot. For our busiest exhibitions, you’ll be asked to join a queue during peak times.

If you have any more questions about membership, see our Members FAQs.

We don't offer refunds or exchanges on tickets. Find out more under point 16 of our website terms and conditions. Please email us at: hello@vam.ac.uk if you have any concerns about your booking or need further information.

Exhibition tickets and Membership

If you have bought exhibition tickets and then decide to buy V&A Membership either before or on the day of your visit, you can get a refund relative to the level of Membership you bought. Find out more in the Membership terms and conditions.

Questions? Email membership@vam.ac.uk.

Over 60,000 objects from our collections are available to see in the galleries at V&A South Kensington or Young V&A, or by appointment in our Prints and Drawings Study Room.

To find an object:

1. Search for the object on Explore the Collections. You can filter by 'on display' and by location.
2. Select the object you want to see
3. On the right-hand-side of the object page, it will give details of the location of the object and if you need to request to see it.

Requesting to view objects

Requesting objects in our Prints and Drawing Study Room is by appointment only. We require at least one week's notice. Find out how to book an appointment on our Prints and Drawing Study Room page.

V&A South Kensington

We have a digital map of V&A South Kensington. Paper maps are available to pick up in the museum.

Young V&A

There is a map of the museum on the wall in the welcome area. There are no paper maps as we are making the museum as sustainable as possible. This visual story has photographs of different spaces in the museum.

Each museum has a café, shop, buggy park, accessible toilets, baby change facilities and a place to store your items. Bag restrictions apply.

If you’ve lost something valuable, contact us on:

V&A South Kensington
Tel: +44 (0)207 942 2000
Email: lostproperty@vam.ac.uk

Young V&A
Tel: +44 (0)20 8983 5200
Email yvalostpropertyenquiries@vam.ac.uk

Phone lines are open 10.00 – 17.00 daily.

Our guidelines when using the galleries page covers filming, photography, sketching and more.

V&A South Kensington

Luggage with wheels, and bags larger than 56 × 45 × 21cm, are not allowed in the galleries so you will be asked to put these in the cloakroom. Luggage is charged per item. Find out more in our facilities section.

Young V&A

Luggage with wheels or large bags are not allowed in the galleries. There are free lockers that can store cabin sized cases, but availability is very limited. Find out more in our facilities section.

V&A South Kensington

There are spaces to put your buggy inside the Exhibition Road Courtyard entrance and the Cromwell Road entrance next to the cloakrooms.

Young V&A

There is a buggy park inside the entrance, and we can open another space based on need. The museum is fully accessible, and you are welcome to keep your buggy with you.

Breastfeeding is welcome throughout the V&A.

If you want some privacy:

Yes. Baby change facilities are available in the majority of toilets.

Find toilets in V&A South Kensington in the museum map.

Families of all ages can enjoy a range of free activities at the museums every day.

Sign up to emails to hear about family events and activities.

All school self-guided visits to either of our London museums must be booked online in advance.

Booking a lunch slot

When you book a visit, you will have the option to add a lunchroom slot which guarantees you a space to eat packed lunch.

If a lunch slot is not available, it may be possible to use the garden for a packed lunch, if weather permits, but we can't secure a space.

Information about adult/student ratios, conduct, coach drop off, parking and facilities are on our visiting guideline pages:

Please complete a risk assessment for your school before visiting us. Our health and safety for schools page gives tips on what to include.

Questions? Contact us:

V&A South Kensington
Email: schools@vam.ac.uk

Young V&A
Email: yvaschools@vam.ac.uk

We have lots of activities and events for schools throughout the year:

Learn more on our schools page.

No, all our cafés are first-come, first-served.

We have gluten-free and vegan options in all our cafés.

If you have a specific allergy or dietary need, please let the café staff know and they will help you.

We prepare all our food in-house. We use a variety of ingredients with many of our products containing nuts, gluten and other allergens. There may be traces of various allergens present across our product range.

We don't offer afternoon tea, but have a range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and cakes available.

You are welcome to bring cold food and drink from home to both V&A South Kensington and Young V&A.

V&A South Kensington

You can eat and drink in the:

Young V&A

You can eat and drink in the:

You can't eat or drink in the galleries in either V&A South Kensington or Young V&A.

V&A South Kensington

The nearest tube that has step-free access is Earl’s Court. It is 2km (1.2 miles) away.

Young V&A

The nearest tube that has step-free access is Whitechapel. It is 1.2km (0.7 miles) away.

Buses run regularly outside our museums. Plan your journey with Transport For London.

Yes, you can book for either V&A South Kensington or Young V&A using our accessibility aid form. We recommend booking online at least 24 hours before your visit.

Yes. Disabled visitors are entitled to discounted exhibition tickets. You can add a free carer ticket with each disabled ticket. Find out what's on and book online.

V&A South Kensington

V&A South Kensington is an old building that has been added to over the years with accessible routes in different areas. Our staff can recommend the most convenient route depending on what you’d like to see.

Lifts are signposted around the museum and on the museum map.

Young V&A

Young V&A has accessible routes throughout the museum. Find out more about getting around the museum in our visual story.

Yes, we welcome appropriately trained assistance dogs into both museums.

Where possible, dog owners should bring their Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK), Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) identification book and animals should wear the appropriate tabards or harness, but this is not a requirement for entry.

Assistance dogs should be supervised and kept under your control throughout your visit, ideally remaining on a lead. If your assistance dog is not registered with ADI, ADUK or IGDF, we reserve the right to deny entry to your dog if it does not appear to have been appropriately trained. If you have any concerns about this, please contact us in advance of your planned visit.

If you plan to visit with an assistance animal other than an assistance dog, please get in touch to discuss your request with us: accessibility@vam.ac.uk.

Yes.

Questions? Email accessibility@vam.ac.uk.

There is also accessibility information and contact details for V&A Dundee and V&A Wedgwood.

Read FAQs about:

We also have visit and accessibility information for V&A South Kensington, Young V&A, V&A Dundee and V&A Wedgwood.

Or contact us and we'll be happy to help.