Free British Museum Audio Guide
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
Audioguide.London is a free audio guide for the British Museum in Bloomsbury. Take a photo of an object and listen to a commentary about it in your language. If the photo isn’t recognised, type the audio number shown next to the object instead. No app to download, no account, nothing to pay.
The museum’s own Audio app charges £6 per language for its full guide. Audioguide.London covers every object in that guide for free, plus many more that you can reach by photo: over 1,000 objects so far, and growing.
How it works
- Open Audioguide.London on your phone and choose British Museum under “Where are you visiting?”.
- Take a photo of an object, or type the audio number from its label.
- Listen to the commentary for that object, in your language.
Free audio guide vs. the British Museum Audio app
How Audioguide.London compares with the museum’s official app and other museum apps. Details of the official app are taken from the British Museum’s website.
| Audioguide.London (free) | British Museum Audio app | Other museum apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | £6 per language for the full guide; themed tours sold separately | Often £4–£8 |
| Objects covered | 1,000+ and growing, including every object in the official guide | About 250 objects, plus free gallery introductions | Usually under 100 |
| Languages | 6: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin | 9: English, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, French, Korean, Japanese, German, British Sign Language | Varies, often English only |
| How it works | Take a photo, or type the audio number from the label, in your browser | Download the app, buy a bundle, then type a number or browse | Browse a list or map in the app |
Every audio number works
Labels across the galleries show a small audio number: the stop numbers used by the museum’s own app. Audioguide.London accepts every one of them. Choose British Museum on the home page and a box appears for the number: type it, press Go, and the commentary starts. It is the quickest route whenever a photo isn’t recognised.
What photo recognition is good at (and what it isn’t yet)
The British Museum holds around eight million objects, so we started with the ones visitors stop for: large, famous and much-studied pieces, from the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures to the Assyrian winged bulls. Recognition is still improving, and it works best on:
- Big, eye-catching pieces: statues, reliefs, sarcophagi, monumental sculpture.
- Famous, named objects: the Rosetta Stone, the Sutton Hoo helmet, the Lewis Chessmen, the Standard of Ur.
- Harder for now: small things in crowded cases (coins, beads, seals, small jewellery) and less-visited objects we haven’t added yet. Type the audio number instead where there is one.
- Tips: fill the frame with the object, step slightly to one side to avoid glare on the glass, and photograph the object rather than its label.
If a photo isn’t recognised, please keep taking them. Every photo shows us which objects visitors care about, and that decides what we add next, so each one makes the guide better for the people who come after you.
Available in 6 languages
Listen in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese or Mandarin Chinese, and switch at any time. The official app offers more languages, including Korean, Japanese, German and British Sign Language, but not Portuguese, and charges for each one. Ours is free in every language.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free audio guide for the British Museum?
Yes. Audioguide.London is a free audio guide for the British Museum, with over 1,000 objects in 6 languages. It runs in your phone’s browser, with no app and no account. British Museum support is new and in beta, so it is still improving.
How much is the British Museum audio guide?
The museum’s official Audio app charges £6 per language for its full guide, and sells themed tours separately. Audioguide.London is free and covers every object in the official guide, plus many more.
What if my photo is not recognised?
Type the audio number shown on the object’s label instead: every number works. And please keep taking photos. They show us which objects people care about, which helps us improve the guide for the next visitors.
Is the British Museum free to enter?
Yes. General admission to the permanent collection is free. The museum encourages booking a free timed entry ticket in advance, and special exhibitions such as the Bayeux Tapestry are ticketed separately.
Does it work in the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition?
Photography is not allowed in that exhibition, so the camera will not help there. Use our free walking guide instead: choose “Bayeux Tapestry – British Museum” on the home page, or open audioguide.london/bayeux-tapestry.