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British Library


British Library
96 Euston Road St. Pancras
London NW1 2DB
England
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What's Near British Library

Top-Rated Nearby Hotels
Hotel GBP* Distance Rating
MIC - Hotel and Conference Center £135 0.0 mi 0.0 km 4.5 of 5 stars
Premier Inn London - Euston £110 0.1 mi 0.2 km 4 of 5 stars
The Euro Hotel £96 0.2 mi 0.3 km 4 of 5 stars
Megaro Hotel £130 0.2 mi 0.4 km 4.5 of 5 stars
Premier Inn London Kings Cross St Pancras £112 0.4 mi 0.6 km 4.5 of 5 stars
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*Average price
Top-Rated Nearby Restaurants
restaurant Distance Rating
Hason Raja Indian and Bangladeshi Restaurant and Takeaway 0.7 mi 1.2 km 4.5 of 5 stars
Barrica 0.9 mi 1.5 km 4.5 of 5 stars
Terra Restaurant 1.0 mi 1.6 km 4.5 of 5 stars
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Top-Rated Nearby Things to Do
Thing to Do Distance Rating
Lord John Russell Pub 0.2 mi 0.3 km 4 of 5 stars
Foundling Museum 0.4 mi 0.7 km 4.5 of 5 stars
British Museum 0.7 mi 1.1 km 4.5 of 5 stars
All Things to Do in London

Traveller Advice on British Library

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  • Ask a question or view 1,128 posts on London from this week.
Professional Advice (9)
Title Source
“British Library” Wcities.com
“British Library” UK Travel.com
“London: Royal and Rambunctious” RickSteves.com
“The Right Side of the Tracks” New York Times (free registration required)
“England by the Book: A Guide to the Best Bookstores and Libraries” GoNomad.com
“Lennon-McCartney songs among hits at British Library” Dallas Morning News (free registration required)
“Buskers, Bunkers, Free Museums and a Cool Maze” New York Times (free registration required)
“Britain's best 50 days out” timesonline.co.uk / Times Newspapers Ltd.
“The 50 Best: Wedding locations” Independent.co.uk
TripAdvisor Traveller Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: #36 of 1,238 attractions in London
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Traveller Description:
Divided into public and members-only areas, this superb library includes three exhibition galleries featuring the Illuminated Manuscripts display,...... more » Divided into public and members-only areas, this superb library includes three exhibition galleries featuring the Illuminated Manuscripts display, Shakespeare original folios and the Gutenburg Bible. « less
Familiar with British Library? Write your own description and share what you know with other travellers.
Attraction type: History museum, Library, Neighbourhood
Activities: Group tours/walking tour, Getting married
Address: 96 Euston Road
St. Pancras London NW1 2DB
England
Tel: 44 20 7412 7332

Reviews you can trust

[ Date ] [ Rating ]
“Definitely Worth a Stop”
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5 of 5 stars
capsfan2002
Richmond, Virginia
24 May 2009
6
people found this review helpful

British Library is located next to St Pancras station. New, modern, almost Japanese style building. Photos allowed outside of galleries. Entry is free to the Sir John Ritblat Gallery inside which is where several of the Library's "treasures" are on display. Some of my faves in the Gallery were music scores by Mozart and Beethoven (in their hand), a number... more

“A neat sight to see if you're in the neighbourhood”
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4 of 5 stars
politikgirl
Toronto, Canada
6 Apr 2009
1
person found this review helpful

To think that every book every published in the UK is stored in this library... It's pretty amazing. While you probably won't spend more than 15 minutes looking around, unless you're here to do some actual research, this is still worth a few minutes of your time to drop by. Check out the chair that looks like a book in... more

“One of the Best Places to Visit in London”
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5 of 5 stars
TravelsWithEmily
Pullman, Washington
19 Jul 2008
5
people found this review helpful

Even if you only have an hour, visit the British Library, next to (west-side of) St. Pancras station. The Sir John Ritblat Gallery is what you want to see ... Magna Carta, Gutenburg Bible, ancient texts, scientists notebooks/writings, Shakespeare texts, Beatles texts, etc. It is all displayed nicely, in a subdued lit room. I and my two teenagers visited the... more

“A day in the world's largest library”
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4 of 5 stars
mayfsi
Philippines
15 Apr 2008
2
people found this review helpful

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the American Library of Congress is the "World's Largest Library" in terms of shelf space, but the British Library is the "World's Largest Library" in terms of the number of books in its collection. The Library used to be housed in the British Museum, but it now has its own building, a... more

“Bigget Secret in London”
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5 of 5 stars
Janda05
New York
28 Feb 2008
6
people found this review helpful

Well, it's probably not a secret, but most tourists don't come here. I enjoyed it MORE than the Bristish Museum. It was uncanny -- Gutenberg Bibles, Da Vinci Notebooks, Shakespeare notebooks, Magna Carta, the list goes on and on! I was blown away by the amount of treasures in the room. If you love history, come here before anywhere else. more

“Wonderful exhibition”
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5 of 5 stars
sfleis2
New Jersey
17 Nov 2005
3
people found this review helpful

If you like history or antique books, this is the best place. We saw a Magna Carta, 1,000 year old Bibles, old Korans and many old documents. In my opinion, this is a must see treat. more

“Fascinating Exhibits!”
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5 of 5 stars
A TripAdvisor Member
10 Apr 2004
11
people found this review helpful

The British Library near King's Cross tube station is one of the most fascinating attractions in London. The collections are only open to researchers, but the building is beautiful (despite Prince Charle's foolish objections to it) and the public exhibit of the Library's treasures is truly incredible! Plan to spend 60-90 minutes viewing this suberb collection of historic books and... more

“Perfecto!!”
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5 of 5 stars
vikabresp
Madrid
20 Sep 2009

Absolutamente perfecto!!! No hay que pagar y es impresionante! Todo el ambiente es perfecto para los amantes de la lectura... more

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British Library Address

96 Euston Road | St. Pancras, London NW1 2DB, England
Tel: 44 20 7412 7332