The National Gallery, London. Mistervlad/Shutterstock
Home to the world’s first national public museum and nearly 200 different institutions, London scores highly when it comes to museums. In a city that prides itself on culture, you will find a bounty of museums ranging from cutting-edge contemporary spaces to wonderfully eclectic treasure troves hidden down unassuming side streets. In London, whatever your niche, there’s probably a museum for that.
To help avoid decision fatigue, below you will find a string of museums ranging from mammoth cultural cornerstones to weird but wonderful smaller spaces where you can escape the crowds for an hour or two. The cherry on top of the cake is that you can enjoy the majority of these museums without spending a penny on the entrance fee.
1. Natural History Museum
Best for budding naturalists
An opulent, architectural wonder, this revered South Kensington institution houses over 80 million specimens, spanning plants, animals, fossils, rocks, and minerals.
In these hallowed Victorian halls, you can unearth some of the world’s greatest natural wonders.
Encounter the long-extinct dodo, marvel at ancient meteorites, walk amongst giants in the dinosaur galleries, and gawp at the vast skeleton of a blue whale suspended in Hintze Hall. The mammal may have died over 120 years ago, but it continues to symbolize this fantastic museum’s hopeful mission in reminding us that we have the power to protect and preserve Earth’s precious biodiversity. Best of all, admission to the Natural History Museum is entirely free (although temporary exhibitions and special events may cost extra).
2. London Museum Docklands
Best for local insight
Situated in a Grade I-listed warehouse in Canary Wharf, London Museum Docklands is a free museum that captures the capital’s fascinating history as a port city in a historic riverside setting. Here you'll learn about the more challenging chapters in London’s history in the Sugar and Slavery gallery; chart the docklands’ development over the centuries; and step back in time to the Victorian era in Sailortown — an authentic recreation of the once infamous sailor’s haunt known as Ratcliffe Highway.
Local tip: Aside from the free permanent displays, there are plenty of activities to enjoy in the interactive "Mudlarks" family gallery.
3. The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
Best hidden gem
Sequestered off a busy street near London Bridge in the slightly eerie attic space of a 320-year-old church, you will find Europe’s oldest surviving operating theater. Originally part of the Old St Thomas’ Hospital, this macabre museum was a storage space for medicines before an operating theater was installed in 1822. Used for female patients — in the gruesome days before anaesthetics and antiseptics — student doctors would sit and observe operations in the tiered platforms you see today.
Visitors can attend Victorian Surgery demonstrations and embark on family-friendly guided trails that offer a fascinating insight into medicinal history.
Planning tip: Note that The Old Operating Theatre Museum can only be reached via an extremely narrow 52-step spiral staircase.
5. Queer Britain
Best for LGBTQIA+ stories
Despite its immense significance as the UK’s National LGBTQIA+ Museum, this small but mighty space is also the newest on the list, having opened in just 2022. Free to enter and open only from Wednesday to Sunday, you’ll find Queer Britain near King’s Cross in Granary Square. Inside, expect a true celebration of queer culture through an ever-growing collection of objects, images, voices and archival works that chart the landscape of queer life in Britain over the past century and beyond.
Standout artefacts from this vital assembly range from a letter penned by Sir Elton John to his younger self to a copy of the landmark 1957 Wolfenden Report, which paved the way for the decriminalization of same-sex activity in Britain.
6. Dennis Severs’ House
Best time capsule
An enchanting house museum located in Spitalfields, 18 Folgate Street has been recreated as the fictional residence of a Huguenot London family. This theatrical ‘still-life drama’ was the passion project of the American eccentric Dennis Severs, who lived here in the 1970s.
To wander through its rooms is to journey from 1724 to the beginning of 1914, and it feels rather like stepping onto the film set of a Dickens novel. Numbers are limited, photos are forbidden, and silence is encouraged — truly capturing the feeling of having wandered into another world.
Planning tip: I highly recommend a silent night tour, or visiting Dennis Severs’ House in the run-up to Christmas for a mesmeric combination of flickering fires, ancient creaking floorboards, and the house lit solely by candlelight.
4. Garden Museum
Best indoor-outdoor experience
Step from the bustling South Bank into a quiet, green oasis with a visit to the Garden Museum. Although a haven for horticulturalists and green-fingered enthusiasts, I dare anyone not to relish a moment’s peace in the courtyard garden. Unusually based within a deconsecrated church, this scenic spot is now devoted to the history of British gardening and botany-inspired art.
Highlights include a permanent display dedicated to John Tradescant — Charles I’s pioneering gardener and plant hunter — and the chance to climb the church tower for a view across the Thames to Westminster.
Local tip: Check in advance for a host of fascinating temporary exhibitions and stop by the highly recommended cafe.
8. The Victoria & Albert Museum
Best for showstopper exhibitions
The V&A, as it’s commonly referred to, is a spectacle in itself. Its elaborate Victorian architecture is best appreciated in its original restaurant, which holds the accolade of being the world’s first museum cafe. As the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, prepare yourself for a feast for the eyes; whether that’s admiring the oldest dated carpet in the world, Michelangelo’s sculptures, or the preliminary sketches of the Crystal Palace — home to the Great Exhibition of 1851 that laid the foundations for the V&A, Science, and Natural History Museums.
With 2.3 million objects in the permanent collection alone, spanning all manner of visual arts over 145 galleries, you’re unlikely to see everything in one visit. Check in advance for its jaw-dropping roster of sell-out exhibitions, particularly in the fashion arena. Previous showstoppers have included Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty and Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams.
9. Transport Museum
Best for train fanatics
Whether it’s our black cabs, red double-decker buses or extensive tube network, London is home to some iconic modes of transport. There’s no better place to dive into the history and evolution of transport across the city than at this award-winning Covent Garden museum.
Step on board one of the first ever Tube carriages, admire vintage Routemaster buses and behold over a century’s worth of travel ephemera such as old posters and maps. Kids go free at the Transport Museum, and your ticket entitles you to an annual pass.
7. Science Museum
Best for families
Fun, free, and full of intrigue, the "home of human ingenuity" has something for everyone. Another South Kensington powerhouse, encounter a real piece of the moon in the Exploring Space gallery, an Apollo 10 command module in Making the Modern World, and plenty of hands-on interactive demonstrations in Wonderlab aimed at older children. Meanwhile, younger ones are bound to enjoy the Pattern Pod’s multi-sensory area.
Some exhibitions in the Science Museum are ticketed, such as Power Up, which promises to transport you back to the world of old school video games — ideal for a rainy day. Keep an eye on their adults-only "museum lates" programme for exciting after-hours activities at the museum.
10. National Gallery
Best for art-lovers
Occupying a majestic position overlooking Trafalgar Square, this temple-like building is a love letter to decorative and fine art. Having recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, the gallery’s undeniably impressive national collection encompasses over 2,500 works of art. A stellar line-up includes the likes of Picasso, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Van Gogh and Artemisia Gentileschi, amongst many others.
Surrounded by masterpieces on every wall, it can be hard to believe that the entrance to the National Gallery is free, although it's best to pre-book online to avoid having to queue.
Plan with a local
