Planning a trip to London?
Foursquare can help you find the best places to go to.
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)
"Many original manuscripts are on displayed."(5 Tips)
"Good for informal meetings and has Business and IP centre resource."(5 Tips)
174 Tips and reviewsFilter:
- magna carta
- books
- reading room
- manuscripts
- café
- (15 more)
Sort:
- Popular
- Recent
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.
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 WhispererUpvoted 2 weeks ago
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
Carlos Zavala HydeAugust 20, 2014The British Library is the second largest library in the world: 14 million books and 150 million items.- 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.
A great place to study if you're bored with your uni's library. Electricity sockets available by some tables.
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.
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
The GuardianApril 26, 2012"Click to listen to Kristian Jensen, head of Arts and Humanities at the British Library, talk about the special collections at the British Library which make it so unique." Read more
BoogaMay 5, 2014A wonderful place to just hang out, we went to the comic exhibition which was fantastic.
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.
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.
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.
TProphet February 17, 2015It is free and has an unbelievable collection of ancient and rare books on display. Don't miss it!
Danny UKJuly 28, 2015Lovely and peaceful, yet there is almost always a hive of activity with visitors working away on laptops.
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
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
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!
SuziJuly 18, 2015Preregister online and order your books before you visit. Some are stored in Yorkshire and take 2 days.
Gilbert CorralesMarch 27, 2015Free wifi, decent toilets and a great cafe. This is my temp office whenever I'm in London
Bianca NgAugust 28, 2016Amazing collection of the history of print. As a designer who is obsessed with print and typography, I felt goosebumps!
Matt ShortMarch 2, 2019Always nice to look around here and the coffee shops are a great place to have a think.
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!!!
Jeanette MaylandOctober 6, 2019Outside a horrendous building but inside the kind of environment that makes you want to go back to school
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
Little ScrapesJanuary 7, 2016Always an interesting set of exhibitions on, both free and paid for. Check out their website for details.- 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.
Hani EFebruary 12, 2016The exhibits are pretty cool. The bookshop is disappointing. The Alice in Wonderland exhibit was fun!
Robert EMarch 11, 2018So cool to see all the old books, including a 1st edition Gutenberg Bible and a 3rd century New Testament piece
Riz ANovember 7, 2013Excellent place for a meetup is at the cafe near the back as your walk up the stairs.- 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
It's such a shame on the weekends it closes at 5 and they hustle you out before then. Best place to read in London
The social science and science reading rooms get full early. Try one of the other rooms. Also, order any books you need before going to the library. It takes at least 70 minutes for them to arrive.
Gareth PittJuly 3, 2014Working al fresco - wifi, good coffee and great facilities. Suitable for meetings too.
Andrew SmithMay 27, 2014Extraordinary place, the comics exhibition is wonderful but so are the regular exhibitions.
Coffee machine at the third floor (Friends room). 65-85 pence
Jennifer CarterFebruary 27, 2015Need a pass to look at books, but the atrium is pretty cool - especially the Kings Library!
1,784 Photos
Foursquare © 2023 Lovingly made in NYC, CHI, SEA & LA
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.
Open until 8:00 PM (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
Wi-Fi
Yes
See More
Places inside British Library
You might also like
- 7.7
"There is an old fashioned swimming pool (no longer used) under the theatre. If you can sneak a peak. Stunning."
Chris Book - 7.7
"Fantastic library providing courses, activities for families, etc. The café upstairs offers great views and sweet and savoury food at popular prices."
María "Lovely old building houses the library. Two large comfortable sofa's inside. Perfect for spending an hour or two Reading in a relaxed environment."
Andrew Devine
Places people like to go after British Library
Appears on 634 lists
Created by Hiro A H R
117 items • 510 followers
Created by Charlie N
132 items • 1,340 followers
Created by Time Out London
23 items • 778 followers
