05 / Decorative arts, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, furniture, photography and design
V&A South Kensington
Art, craft and design seen through the things people make and use.
Opening details
Fashion Gallery Room 40 is closed until autumn 2028; South Asia Rooms 41 and 47b until spring 2028; Korea Room 47g until December 2026. These are room closures, not a whole-museum closure..
Japan Room 45 is closed 5–13 October and 20 October 2026. Tapestries Room 94 is closed 13–15 and 19–20 October 2026..
Staff begin clearing galleries 30 minutes before closing. Some galleries are unavailable during the Friday late opening..
Check official hours before visiting.
In this guide
Follow the objects that interest you
The V&A is a museum for people who enjoy noticing how things are made. Ceramics, metalwork, furniture, sculpture, photographs and textiles let you move between artistic ambition and everyday use.
A useful first visit starts with a material or craft that already catches your eye.
Try comparing objects that share a purpose but differ in place or period. A vessel can reveal changing habits, a chair can carry an idea about status, and a piece of jewellery can be both a technical achievement and a personal statement.
Build a selective visit
The collection is too broad to treat as a single checklist. Choose two or three areas, leave time to move between them and let an unexpected object interrupt your plan.
The museum’s map is more useful than a promise to see everything.
Check the current closure notice before choosing those areas. The main Fashion Gallery is undergoing redevelopment, and South Asia and Korea have separate closures.
A named temporary fashion exhibition can still be operating even while the permanent Fashion Gallery is closed.
Make the ticket match the visit
Ordinary collection admission is £0. Ticketed exhibitions are separate choices, including Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, currently scheduled through 15 November 2026.
The visitor information lists weekday and weekend prices, so compare the appropriate date rather than assuming one flat charge.
Allow the building itself some attention as well. Its decorated exterior is a good introduction to a collection in which surfaces, materials and skilled making matter as much as images.
Last reviewed: . Check the museum’s website for current hours and ticket prices.
Location
Walking directions3D shows approximate buildings where map data includes heights. Map privacy.
Use two fingers to move or pinch the map on a touch screen; one finger scrolls the page. In full screen, drag to move. Use plus and minus to zoom. Arrow keys move the map; zero fits all stops. Escape closes the preview or full screen.
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