Museums in London: 25 of the best

What is it? Based in South Ken, The V&A is a vibrant hub of decorative art, design, fashion and textiles. The permanent collection contains 2.3 million (yes, 2.3 million!) objects, with over 300,000 of them on display at any one time. The museum is so vast that you could easily spend several full days walking around. Plus, the majority of exhibits free to visit, and there are several themed tours available to join free of charge each day.

Why go? To check out some truly amazing artefacts encompassing everything from Michelangelo and Rodin sculptures to 17th century kimonos, 19th century portrait miniatures, to iconic Modernist furniture. And to eat cake in the sunny Italianate courtyard. Bliss.

Cromwell Rd, SW7 2RL. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? Only the first-ever national museum to open to the public. No biggie. Given its epic heritage, it’s no surprise that the British Museum’s displays have been unparalleled since ithe museum first opened in 1759. Start exploring and you’ll soon come across infamous artefacts ranging from the Rosetta Stone and an Easter Island basalt carving to the Parthenon sculptures and treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial.

Why go?  Value for money. The main galleries are free, so if you like a bargain, start early and take in as many of the 50,000 objects they have on display as possible – just a fraction of their entire eight-million-strong collection. Woah.

44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? A first-class and entirely free-to-enter artistic institution in the heart of Trafalgar Square. Founded in 1824, The National Gallery is home to more than 2,000 works from artists such as da Vinci, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Turner, Picasso, Matisse and Cézanne.

Why go? To learn more about many of the world’s most famous and acclaimed artworks, and perhaps to try your hand at sketching in the galleries.

Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? Full of more nature-based information than David Attenborough, this is the magnificent South Kensington home of around 80 million plant, animal, fossil, rock and mineral specimens. 

Why go? To come face-to-face with animatronic dinosaurs, a man-sized model of a foetus, a dodo, a giant sequoia tree, an earthquake simulator, glow-in-the-dark crystals and much more. Plus, it’s also a world-class research institution.

Cromwell Rd, SW7 5BD. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? A fascinating museum that completely devotes itself to contemporary design in every form. From temporary exhibitions, pop-ups and bookable displays, they've got it all.

Why go? The museum has a newish home in Kensington, right next to Holland Park Kyoto Garden where you can take a short walk for some rest and recuperation, and then over to Pappa Roma for some inexpensive authentic Italian food.

224-238, High St Kensington, W8 6AG. Free entry to permanent display, temporary exhibits from £16 (concessions available).

What is it? A huge museum on the corner of Trafalgar Square, housing the most extensive collection of portraiture in the world. The NPG has everything from oil paintings of stiff-backed Tudor and Stuart royals and gloriously unflattering political caricatures, to contemporary photographs of football stars, musicians, artists and celebs. Its collection numbers some 220,000 works, dating from the 8th century to the present day.

Why go? It’s just reopened after a three-year renovation costing more than £40 million. Pay it a visit to see have a snoop around its brand new wing funded by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, check out cool new doors by Tracey Emin, and stay for a drink at swanky new basement cocktail bar Larry’s.

St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? You don’t have to be a physics or chemistry nerd to have an incredible time at the Science Museum. Founded in 1857, all seven floors of the building house have hands-on exhibits, mad-looking inventions from throughout history and shiny machines. Highlights include a sixteenth-century artificial arm and a cross-section of a real-life Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.

Why go? To discover the incredible ‘Information Age’ exhibition – which is where the Queen sent her first tweet, signed ‘Elizabeth R’. And to play some retro video games at its new time-hopping arcade Power Up.

Exhibition Rd, SW7 2DD. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? An eccentric anthropological museum, with an aquarium, a Victorian conservatory and extensive grounds offering great views of London. The Natural History Gallery is dominated by an ancient walrus (overstuffed by Victorian taxidermists, who thought they ought to get the wrinkles out of the animal’s skin). There’s also a permanent gallery dedicated to African, Afro-Caribbean and Brazilian art and a collection of around 1,600 musical instruments. There are loads of activities for families on offer, including a nature trail and weekend workshops.

Why go? The Horniman is a rite of passage for south-London families. It’s a lovely, manageable size, has a wildly diverse collection and its setting is beautiful.   

100 London Rd, SE23 3PQ. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? A powerful museum shining a light on people’s experiences of conflict from the First World War to today. A few minutes walk from Waterloo, IWM is made up of permanent galleries, such as the ace Curiosities of War exhibit, and temporary displays, exploring recent conflicts and terrorist attacks.

Why go? For impressive and extensive collections, including the profoundly moving and troubling permanent Holocaust gallery (not recommended for under-14s).

Lambeth Rd, SE1 6HZ. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? Housed in a set of Grade I-listed eighteenth-century almshouses, this lovely little Hoxton museum has for more than a century offered a vivid physical history of the English interior. Its permanent exhibits display a sequence of typical middle-class living rooms based on real London homes dating from 1600 to the present.

Why go? Roaming between a Victorian parlour, an Arts & Crafts drawing room an ’90s loft-style apartment is an interesting way to take in domestic history, with any number of intriguing details to catch your eye, from a bell jar of stuffed birds to a particular decorative flourish on a chair.

136 Kingsland Rd, E2 8EA. Free (donations welcome).

What is it? Hello, sailor! An ode to all things nautical and a treasure trove of watery artefacts, maps, art and memorabilia. The museum is part of the Royal Museums, Greenwich, which also features the Queen’s House gallery, the Cutty Sark clipper ship and the Royal Observatory.

Why go? To be wowed by almost 2.5 million historical items, such as Admiral Nelson’s uniform from the battle of Trafalgar. 

Romney Rd, SE10 9NF. Free. 

What is it? Step one foot inside Covent Garden's hub of transport history and you'll leave a bonafide trainspotter. Alright, maybe you won't be lingering trackside, notepad in hand, in a hurry, but you'll be amazed by the wonders that are the vintage red Routemasters, early tube trains, maps, transport signs and uniforms. Plus there's a beautiful array of posters, artwork and photographs capturing London from 1860 to the present day.

Why go? Besides the top-class exhibits, one ticket grants you entry on multiple visits for an entire year. What's not to like?

Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BB. Annual passes from £22 per adult (free for under 18s).

What is it? The London home of architect Sir John Soane, who designed the Bank of England, Dulwich Picture Gallery and numerous other significant buildings. Soane (1753-1837) obsessively collected art, furniture and architectural ornamentation. In the nineteenth century, he turned his house into a museum, to which he said ‘amateurs and students should have access. The result is this perfectly amazing place.

Why go? There’s nowhere like it in London. In the world, probably. Quite apart from the collection, the decoration of Soane’s home is extraordinary. Mirrors and light wells channel and direct daylight, and walls open out like cabinets to display paintings (Canaletto, Turner, Hogarth). The Monument Court contains an alabaster sarcophagus so fine it’s almost translucent, carved for the pharaoh Seti I (1291-78 BC).

13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP. Free. 

What is it? Founded in 1828 for the purposes of teaching comparative anatomy and housed inside a former Edwardian library, University College London’s Grant Museum displays highlights from a 68,000 specimen collection. It features many rare and extinct creatures, including skeletons of the dodo and the zebra-like quagga (which lived in South Africa and was hunted out of existence in the 1880s, plus plenty of real oddities, not least a jar of moles.
 
Why go? It just reopened in February 2024 after a year-long £300,000 refurb. Head over to check out six fascinating new showcases exploring humanity’s impact on biodiversity and highlighting the use of the collections in several cutting-edge research projects conducted by the university.

Rockefeller Building, UCL, WC1E 6DE. Free.

What is it? Part of the Victoria & Albert Museum, and known as the V&A Museum of Childhood until its recent refurb, this Bethnal Green museum has been amassing childhood-related objects since 1872 and is home to one of the world’s finest collections of children’s toys, doll’s houses, games and costumes.

Why go? It shines brighter than ever after extensive £13 million refurbishment, which has given it an impressive entrance and massively upgraded facilities. The museum has lots of hands-on stuff for kids dotted about the many cases of historic artefacts, which range from Victorian praxinoscopes and bonkers 1970s puppets to ‘Incredibles’ figurines and Barbie Dolls.

Cambridge Heath Rd, E2 9PA. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? UK’s first ever LGBTQ+ museum offers a valuable peek into centuries of queer history. Its director John Galliano is a former editor of Gay Times, and has pulled together an impressive collection of donors, supporters and contributors from across the queer rainbow.

Why go? As one of London’s newest museums – it opened in May 2022 just before the 50th anniversary of London’s first pride march – Queer Britain feels properly urgent and exciting. Its first ever display is a riot of voices, objects and images covering over 100 years of queer life through the lenses of of activism, art, culture and social history. 

2 Granary Square, N1C 4BH. Free.

What is it? A time capsule attraction in which visitors are immersed in a unique form of theatre. Decked out by eccentric American creator Dennis Severs, the ten rooms of this original Huguenot house recreate snapshots of life in Spitalfields between 1724 and 1914 in a ‘compelling still-life’. With hearth and candles burning, smells lingering and objects scattered apparently haphazardly, it feels as though the inhabitants had deserted the rooms only moments before. 

Why go? For a fascinating insight into the lives of Londoners over the last 300 years. It’s a particularly special place to visit during the festive season, when the whole house is adorned with period Christmas decorations.

18 Folgate Street, E1 6BX. From £16 (concessions available, half-price entry on the first Thursday afternoon of each month).

What is it? Founded in 1984 by consumer historian Robert Opie, this Notting Hill museum houses highlights from a collection of some 12,000 items tracing the history of branding in Britain over the past 200 years. Its a real maze of dark cabinets stuffed with wrappers, magazines, posters, toys, boxes and other colourful curios arranged in date order.

Why go? A nostalgia-stuffed tribute to the many, many things we buy, this is a museum that will appeal to any lover of stuff. One cabinet holds every iteration of can and bottle produced by Guinness, another is packed with cereal boxes from Kellogg’s, even Brasso gets its moment to, *ahem*, shine. 

111-117 Lancaster Road, W11 1QT. £10 (concessions and family tickets available).

What is it? Tucked away beneath Westminster and completed a week before the start of World War II, the Cabinet War Rooms were at the heart of Churchill’s wartime strategies, helping the Prime Minister and his inner circle to plan their moves, and keeping the King and the armed forces fully briefed on daily progress. Now part of the Imperial War Museum, the Churchill War Rooms have been preserved as they were in 1945.

Why go? For a fascinating insight into how the British Government operated during the momentous conflict. As well as the key aspects of wartime government revealed here, it’s in the little details that you get a sense of life in the bunker. For example, there was a daily-updated weather noticeboard so that workers knew what was going on above ground. During air raids, the notice would be changed to ‘windy’ as a joke.

King Charles St, SW1A 2AQ. £32 (concessions available).

What is it? This much-needed centre for black British history looks out onto Windrush Square, which is named after the ship that brought Caribbean workers to war-torn ’40s Britain. Black Cultural Archives preserves these peoples’ stories in its vaults, alongside temporary exhibitions which show how people of African and Caribbean origin have shaped UK history.

Why go? For a great insight into Black British history, culture and achievements. Recent temporary exhibits have covered the legacy of Windrush, the contemporary Black British art scene, and Black resistance to scientific bias, while the archives themselves house 50 square metres of archival materials.

1 Windrush Sq, SW2 1EF. Free (excl. some temporary exhibits).

What is it? The museum, library and headquarters of the Dickens Fellowship, and the house where Dickens lived from 1837-39, and wrote ‘Oliver Twist’. A mixture of reconstructed rooms and gallery space, visitors are taken back in time as they explore Dickens’s life through displays of his personal belongings, paintings and writing.

Why go? For a glimpse into how one of one of London’s most famous writers lived and worked, or to check out a costumed tour or candlelit late opening.

48-49 Doughty St, WC1N 2LX. £12.50 (concessions available).

What is it? Opened in 2004 on the site of the original Foundling Hospital, Bloomsbury’s Foundling Museum tells the story of England’s first hospital for abandoned children. Founded by philanthropist Thomas Coram in 1739, the hospital was also notable for housing the first public art gallery in the UK.

Why go? To check out treasures donated to the hospital by the likes of Gainsborough, Reynolds, Hudson and Hogarth, as well as loans and donations from contemporary artists including Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare, and an extensive collection of Handel artefacts.

40 Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AZ. £12.75 (concessions available).

What is it? Housed in a 200-year-old former storage warehouse, the Museum of London Docklands tells the story of the Thames port and the people from all over the world who settled there. Thousands of objects and pictures trace the area’s history, from the arrival of the Romans to the rise of Canary Wharf.

Why go? If you love a bit of London history, this one is for you. It’s also a really kid-friendly museum, with an excellent soft play area, the Mudlarks Gallery, for under-8s. 

Hertsmere Road, E14 4AL. Free (£3 for a 40-minute slot at the Mudlarks Gallery).

What is it? Situated in a herb garret in the roof of St Thomas’s Church in Southwark, the Old Operating Theatre Museum is Britain’s oldest surviving purpose-built operating theatre. Built in 1822 as part of the women’s ward for St Thomas’s Hospital, it predates both anaesthetics and antiseptics.

Why go? For a unique (and often horrifyingly grisly) insight into the history of medicine and surgery. Sanitised reenactments – just as gruesome as the operating tools that look like torture implements – are a highlight of the museum’s events programme.

St Thomas Church, SE1 9RY. £7.50 (concessions available).

What is it? Nestled round the back of Elephant & Castle in a former workhouse that was once home to a young Charlie Chaplin and his family, Lambeth’s Cinema Museum is an Aladdin’s cave of movie memorabilia, artefacts and film-making equipment founded by a pair of cinephiles and avid collectors in 1984.

Why go? To geek out over its vast and idiosyncratic collections, which feature everything from art deco cinema seats and 1940s ushers’ uniforms to around 75,000 posters, thousands of books, an estimated one million plus photos and 17 million feet of film. 

The Master’s House, SE11 4TH. Guided tours £10 (concessions available).