Top 10 Free Museums in London
London is practically a paradise for museum lovers. There are museums about almost everything: from the British Museum to the Science Museum and even the Tate Modern art gallery. The best of all is... that most of the museums are free! You are not required to pay an entrance fee, but if you enjoyed the visit, the museum invites you to give a donation. Even if you are not passionate about museums, a visit to one of the museums in London is almost mandatory. The list we present is diverse and free, so you have no excuse not to visit them and a little extra culture never hurt anyone! In addition, museums are perfect for rainy days, and in London they are quite common...
That said, here are some of the best free Museums in London:
British Museum
The British Museum is one of the most important and visited museums in the world. Its collections cover various fields of human knowledge such as history, archeology, ethnography and art. First-time visitors generally head for the mummies, the Rosetta Stone, Lindow Man, the Lewis Chessmen and the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial.
Where? WC1B 3DG Find accommodation near The British Museum
Web: britishmuseum.org
V&A
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) is a museum mainly dedicated to the decorative arts and design. It offers great resources to design students as it contains the British national collection of applied arts. The museum has an extensive collection of European, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Islamic decorative arts, with more than four million objects.
Where? SW7 2RL Find accommodation near The Victoria and Albert Museum
Web: vam.ac.uk
Natural History Museum
Besides the permanent dinosaur exhibition, the Natural History Museum houses a collection of the biggest, tallest and most curious animals in the world. It is possible to see a life-size whale, a 40 million years old spider and its wonderful central hall. The museum is divided into areas marked with different colours in order to make it easier to walk around without getting lost.
Where? SW7 5BD Find accommodation near The Natural History Museum
Web: nhm.ac.uk
Science Museum
The Science Museum is a museum dedicated to science in London; part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. It is an interactive museum that brings visitors into the world of science and technology in a fun way, which makes it one of the favourite museums among children and adults always looking to discover more and more.
Where? SW7 2DD Find accommodation near The Science Museum
Web: sciencemuseum.org.uk
National Gallery
The National Gallery is the main art museum in London, located in Trafalgar Square. It houses a collection of more than 2300 European paintings dating from the 1250 to 1900, including some of the most important, rare and emblematic works of the history of art, by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso.
Where? WC2N 5DN Find accommodation near The National Gallery
Museum of London
The Museum of London is a museum documenting the history of the British capital since prehistoric times to the present day. It is part of the appealing Barbican complex of buildings created during the 1960s and 1970s, as part of an innovative restoration of a bomb-damaged area of the city during World War II. The museum is mainly about the social history of London and its inhabitants throughout time.
Where? EC2Y 5HN
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London. Since its opening in May 2000, the museum promotes important temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, and has become one of the most important London attractions.
Where? SE1 9TG Find accommodation near The Tate Modern
Web: tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank. It hosts the world's largest collection of British art from the 16th to the 19th century. In total, the museum houses 3,500 paintings, prints and sculptures. The various works of art are arranged chronologically. In Tate Britain you’ll find works related to the legacy of JMW Turner, one of the best known artists of England during the 19th century.
Where? SW1P 4RG Find accommodation near The Tate Britain
Web: tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich, London, is the largest maritime museum in the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. Children will be kept entertained at the All Hands gallery while the older ones can try the professional ship simulator on the bridge or study the impact of recklessness at sea.
Where? SE10 9NF Find accommodation near The National Maritime Museum
Web: rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum
Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum is a British museum in London founded in 1917 in memory of the wars in which the British Empire was involved. The museum features thousands of artifacts such as military vehicles, weapons of all kinds, fighter planes, books, photographs, documents, clothing and a collection of art of the 20th century and earlier dedicated to the war.
Where? SE1 6HZ Find accommodation near The Imperial War Museum
Web: iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-london
