Two people at the RCM looking out over the new atrium Two people at the RCM looking out over the new atrium

What's on / Visit

Discover the RCM

Visiting the RCM

Where we are

   South Kensington: 0.5 miles
   Gloucester Road: 0.6 miles
   High Street Kensington: 0.8 miles

   Paddington: 1.5 miles
   Victoria: 2 miles

   Santander Cycles docking station and public cycle locking facilities adjacent to RCM

Prince Consort Road site, including main reception and concert venues:

Royal College of Music
Prince Consort Road
London SW7 2BS
+44 (0)20 7591 4300

RCM Jay Mews

39 Jay Mews
London SW7 2ES
+44 (0)20 7591 4300

Getting to the RCM

The Royal College of Music is easy to reach on foot from nearby attractions in South Kensington, from Kensington High Street and from Kensington Gardens.

Travelling by train or Underground

All local stations are in TfL fare zone 1. 

London Underground

The closest station is South Kensington (Circle, District and Piccadilly lines), which is a 10–15 minute walk from the RCM.

Gloucester Road (Circle, District and Piccadilly lines) is a 15 minute walk from the RCM. High Street Kensington station (Circle and District lines) is a 20 minute walk or 10 minutes by bus.

Night Tube services run on the Piccadilly line on Friday and Saturday evenings, providing Underground connections from South Kensington and Gloucester Road throughout the night.

Live travel information

National Rail

The closest mainline stations are London Paddington and London Victoria. The RCM can be reached from any London terminal by Underground, bus or taxi.

Live travel information

Travelling by bus or coach

London Buses

Bus number 360 stops directly outside the RCM on Prince Consort Road.

Buses 9, 2352 and 452 pass the Royal Albert Hall.

The number 70 travels along Queen's Gate.

Many other services run to South KensingtonKensington High Street and Knightsbridge from surrounding areas.

A comprehensive system of night buses operates between Central London and the rest of the city. The N9 passes the Royal Albert Hall and connects with other major routes at Trafalgar Square.

Live travel information 

Coaches

Scheduled coach services run to destinations nationwide from Victoria Coach Station.

Travelling by bicycle

A Santander Cycles docking station is located on Prince Consort Road, adjacent to the RCM. There are several alternative docking stations nearby.

There are also a limited number of facilities for securing private bicycles on Prince Consort Road and in the surrounding area.

Parking near the RCM

There is metered parking on Prince Consort Road and the surrounding area. It costs £4.22 per hour (£6.33 for Diesel vehicles) for a maximum of four hours and is free after 6.30pm and on Sundays.

There are a limited number of disabled parking spaces and designated motorbike bays available in the surrounding South Kensington area. Please check availability and restrictions before you travel.

Disabled parking bays

There are a limited number of disabled parking bays managed by Westminster Borough Council on Prince Consort Road and in the area around the Royal Albert Hall, which are within 175 metres of the RCM. In addition, there are spaces managed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on Exhibition Road, which are within 600 metres of the RCM.

Other useful information

Our public facilities are open for most of the calendar year, though often with reduced opening hours outside teaching terms. Some of our community activities, projects and special events take place during the vacation periods.

Opening hours

Royal College of Music Museum

  • Tuesday–Friday: 10.15am–5.45pm (last entry 5.15pm)
  • Saturday–Sunday: 11am–6pm (last entry 5.30pm). During the weekend the Museum closes for lunch between 1pm and 2pm.
  • Closed on Mondays.

RCM Library

Term time opening hours
  • Monday–Thursday: 9am–7pm
  • Friday: 9am–5.30pm
  • Saturday: 9am-2pm (RCM Junior Department days - access for college members only)

Last issues and returns are 15 minutes before closing time.

Café

  • Monday–Friday: 8.30am–4.30pm
  • Saturday: 8.30am–4.30pm (term time only)

Our café bar on the ground floor opens from 5pm for most mid-week concerts in the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Britten Theatre and Performance Hall. The bar serves a range of wine and bottled beverages in addition to barista-style coffees, sandwiches and snacks.

Term dates

The Royal College of Music has three teaching terms every academic year, Autumn, Spring and Summer, which run parallel to our three events seasons. Exam periods are contained within relevant terms.

The RCM closes completely from Christmas Eve until the first working day of the New Year.

Royal College of Music term dates

Please note, the year end date for MMus (Fast-track) and full-time MSc students is 30 September of the following academic year, not the final day of the Summer Term.

Term dates 2021-2027

Academic calendar 2023-24

Academic calendar 2022-23

RCM Junior Department term dates

Junior Department activities mostly take place on Saturdays. RCMJD term dates are slightly different to those of the senior College.

RCMJD term dates 2023-24

RCMJD term dates 2024-25

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