Stay at Holiday Inn London - Kensington Forum for the Natural History Museum

How far is the hotel from the Natural History Museum?

Nine minutes to the nearest door, 12 to the main entrance. The museum has three entrances, and the one in the middle of its Cromwell Road front can't be reached from the pavement outside it. According to the museum's getting-here page, you reach the Central Entrance through the East Gate, on the corner of Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road.

Where the hotel's Cromwell Road front and its Ashburn Place side give different times, we quote the longer one. Minutes are rounded up.

The tube doesn't save time from here. Gloucester Road station is 270 metres from the lobby, and the museum puts it 7 minutes from the West Entrance and 12 from the Central Entrance. If you arrive by tube with a buggy or a wheelchair, the museum recommends the subway from South Kensington station to its Subway Gate, which gives step-free access to the Central Entrance. South Kensington station itself is not step free; our South Kensington station guide has the details.

Museum day at a glance

All three close on 24, 25 and 26 December. The Science Museum is also closed all day on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and closes at 17:00 on Thursday 26 November. Sources: Natural History Museum, V&A and Science Museum visit pages, checked 11 October 2026.

The Natural History Museum says it is busiest at weekends, in school holidays and in the mornings, and that weekday afternoons are normally quieter. The Science Museum says the same for term-time weekday afternoons. Staying nearby means you can go at 14:00 instead of 10:00 and still get three and a half hours before last entry.

Can I just turn up at the Natural History Museum?

Yes. Entry is free and booking isn't required, but a free ticket guarantees entry. Without one, the museum admits you only if there is space, and you may have to queue. Ticket holders, including free-ticket holders, skip the queue.

Bags may be searched on arrival, and large or wheeled suitcases must go in the cloakroom, which charges per item: £5 for a pushchair or a bag under 4 kg, £6 for a bag over 4 kg (facilities page). On the day you leave, the hotel stores luggage free, so you can check out by 12:00, walk over with a day bag and collect the cases afterwards.

Can you stay overnight at the Natural History Museum?

Yes, at a Dino Snores sleepover, which starts at 18:30 and runs to the next morning. There are two versions:

• Dino Snores for Kids is for children aged 7 to 11, from £87 a person, with at least one adult for every one or two children. Saturday 7 November 2026 is sold out; Saturday 19 December 2026 and Saturday 30 January, Friday 19 February and Friday 19 March 2027 were on sale when we checked.
• Dino Snores for Grown-ups is for over-18s, from £235, sleeping under the blue whale skeleton in Hintze Hall, with a three-course dinner and a cooked breakfast. Dates on sale: 24 October, 21 November and 12 December 2026, then 16 January, 5 February and 5 March 2027.

Kids' groups arrive at the Queen's Gate entrance by 18:45. That's the West Entrance, 9 minutes from the hotel, so a room the night before or after keeps the bags out of the sleepover.

The family room

A family room is 32 m² and sleeps up to four, with one king and two single beds or two queen beds. A cot for an infant is available on request. The room page lists it from £189 on weekdays and £209 at weekends, and that rate includes breakfast for the whole family.

Children under 12 eat free under the hotel's Kids Stay and Eat Free programme, and high chairs are available. Breakfast runs from 06:30 to 10:30 on weekdays and 07:00 to 11:00 at weekends, so a 10:00 museum opening is easy to make. More ideas for children are on our families page.

What the room costs

These are the prices printed on the room pages, not a quote for your dates. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 12:00, with early and late times subject to availability.

Driving in for a museum day

The hotel car park costs £35 a day and must be reserved in advance (hotel FAQ). Park once, walk to the museums, and leave the car until you check out. Check your car against the ULEZ before you drive in; the Kensington congestion zone guide has the 2026 charges.

Where to eat after the museums

Four of the restaurants in our South Kensington restaurants guide are 2 to 4 minutes from the museum's East Gate: Thai Square and Comptoir Libanais (2 minutes, both with children's menus), Daquise (3) and Brother Marcus (4, with high chairs). Back at the hotel, room service runs 24 hours and The Forum Bar is open until 01:00.

The V&A is the late option: it stays open until 22:00 on Fridays. On a concert night, the Royal Albert Hall is the next stop north; our Royal Albert Hall stay guide covers the walk.

Common questions