Nobody hands you a rulebook when you walk into a museum. There's a ticket, maybe a map, and a guard who looks at you like he already knows you're going to lean on something.
Most museum rules are unwritten. You're expected to pick them up by watching other people, which works until you're the one standing too close to a painting when the alarm goes off.
So here they are, written down, with the reasons. The reasons matter more than the rules, because they let you work out the right thing to do in a museum you've never been to.
Don't touch (unless it says you can)
The big one. Skin carries oils, salts and moisture. One touch does nothing visible. Thousands of touches a day, for years, wear through paint, polish bronze and stain stone. You can see this on statues in public places, where one shiny foot or nose has been rubbed bright by passers-by.
The rule covers frames, plinths and glass cases too. Leaning on a case can set off an alarm or shift what's inside.
The exception: anything clearly labelled as hands-on. Science museums like the Science Museum in London are full of things you're supposed to touch. If it says touch, touch.
Keep a little distance
Many galleries have a line on the floor or a low barrier. Where they don't, a good default is to stay about an arm's length away from the work.
Two reasons. First, accidents: bags swing, people trip, fingers point. Second, other people. Standing nose-to-canvas means nobody else can see it. Step in for a detail, then step back.
Photos: check, then be quick
Photography rules vary more than any other rule.
- Many museums allow photos without flash in the permanent collection.
- Temporary exhibitions often ban photos, usually because the works are on loan and the lenders set the conditions.
- Flash is almost always banned. Repeated strong light can fade sensitive materials, and it's distracting for everyone else.
- Tripods and selfie sticks are usually not allowed.
Look for a camera icon with a line through it at the entrance to each room. When you do take a photo, take it and move. The worst museum habit isn't the photo. It's standing in front of a masterpiece for a full minute framing a shot while ten people wait behind you.
Talk at café volume
You don't need to whisper. Museums aren't libraries. But keep conversations at the level you'd use in a quiet café, and take phone calls outside the galleries.
Some spaces ask for more. Memorial rooms, sacred objects, places connected to war or tragedy: if the room goes quiet, follow it. When a museum asks for silence, it's usually telling you what the space means to people.
Bags, coats and food
Large bags and backpacks are often refused in the galleries or must be checked into a cloakroom. Some museums ask you to carry small backpacks on your front so you don't swing them into anything behind you.
Food is almost always limited to cafés and picnic areas. Drinks vary: some museums allow a closed water bottle, others don't. Check the museum's visitor page before you go, and pack light either way.
Sketching is usually welcome
Drawing in front of works is a centuries-old museum tradition, and most museums still welcome it. The usual rules: pencils only (no ink, paint or charcoal, which can spread), a small sketchbook, and don't block a doorway or a popular work for long.
If you've ever wanted to slow down in a museum, sketching is the best trick there is. You can't draw something without really looking at it.
Kids are welcome, running isn't
Museums want children. Many build whole galleries for them. The basics are simple: hold hands in crowded rooms, no running in the galleries, and explain the touching rule before you go in rather than in the moment. Natural history museums like the American Museum of Natural History are some of the easiest places to start.
Be nice to the guards
Gallery attendants spend their days watching people almost touch priceless objects. They're often also the best source of information in the building: where the quiet rooms are, which work is about to be moved, where the toilets are hiding.
Ask them things. They usually know more than the app.
The one rule behind all the rules
Every museum rule comes back to the same idea: the objects have to survive you, and everyone else has to enjoy them too.
If you remember that, you'll do the right thing in museums that have none of the usual signs. Whether you're in the Louvre or a two-room local museum, it's the same courtesy.
For the practical side of planning, from tickets to timing, see the complete guide to planning a museum visit. If you're new to museums, the beginner's guide is a good place to start.
Mooseum helps you find museums, plan your visit and know what to expect before you arrive. Explore museums near you.