20 of the Best Museums in London

The biggest museum in London, the British Museum is also the most popular thanks to its eclectic collection of art, curiosities, and artifacts from around the world. Covering nearly 19 acres, the space in Bloomsbury contains everything from the riches of the Roman Empire to the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt—and yes, that includes a 5,000-year-old mummy. Equally as impressive as the museum’s collection is the Foster and Partners-designed inner courtyard, whose sun-flooded atrium is the inspiration behind a million Instagram shots.

Undoubtedly the museum to have inspired more future paleontologists than any other, the Natural History Museum is the spiritual home of dinosaurs in London. The star attractions among the dino collection include a full fossil of a tyrannosaurus rex and the skull of a triceratops. Housed within a vast Victorian building that dates back to 1881, the museum and its ornate structure is as much an artifact of historical importance as the artifacts inside. Split into sections that explore themes ranging from the oceans to space, human evolution to the mysteries of extinction, it’s basically the ultimate place for any curious mind—young or old.

Among the smallest of London’s museums of natural history, the Horniman Museum is nonetheless a cult favorite thanks to the combination of its eclectic collection of artifacts, amazing park gardens with views over the London skyline, and neat aquarium. And that’s without even mentioning its famous mascot, a huge, grotesquely overstuffed (but still cute) walrus which was the result of some creative handiwork by an ill-informed Victorian taxidermist.

Tucked away in Bermondsey a short walk from London Bridge, it’s hard to miss the Fashion and Textile Museum thanks to its bright pink and yellow façade—whether you’d call it dazzlingly on trend or a fashion faux pas, either way, it stands out. Exploring everything from printing techniques to typography in t-shirts, the secret life of scissors to the role of clothes in subversive politics, there’s more to the museum than clothing.

Housed in a vast former power station on the south bank of the Thames, the towering structure of Tate Modern dominates its particular section of riverfront real estate and the building alone is worth visiting. On top of the impressive collection of modern and contemporary artists—like Picasso, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, and Duchamp—on display in the main gallery and the new Herzog & de Meuron-designed Switch House, there’s the grand Turbine Hall to explore. Measuring 445 feet long and 115 feet high, the cavernous space is the place to discover interactive installations—past projects include Ai Wei Wei’s sunflower seeds.

All regal grandeur and impressive portico architecture, the classy—not to mention super old—Tate Britain was opened in 1897 and owns a collection spanning 500 years, with some works dating back to 1500. The home of British art, Tate Britain is the best place to see paintings by Turner, Constable, Freud, Gillian Wearing, and William Blake. Don’t miss John Everett Millais’s ‘Ophelia’ or Francis Bacon’s famous triptych, ‘Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion’.

If the old masters are too staid for your liking, White Cube Bermondsey is the place to go, with its focus on young, up-and-coming artists alongside superstars of contemporary British art like Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, and Gilbert & George. Located in Bermondsey, close to Borough Market and Tower Bridge, the gallery boasts a minimalist design that’s almost as appealing as its eclectic collection, the sleek space seducing anyone with a penchant for polished concrete.

A cult institution that has gained mainstream popularity in recent years, the Sir John Soane’s Museum is a museum with a difference, in that it’s a loving memorial to the late great British architect in the shape of the perfect preservation of his former home in the heart of Holborn. A four-story townhouse, the home has been left untouched in accordance with the wishes of Sir John Soane upon his death in 1837. Part museum, part gallery, part historic London estate, it’s a beautiful time capsule of design. For those interested in history, London’s offers an incredible selection of historic hotels.

Hipper than the average museum thanks to its varied subject matter and a sweet Soho location, the Photographer’s Gallery focuses on—you guessed it—photography, alternating between exhibiting the best in new and established photographers from Wim Wenders to William Eggleston. Founded in 1971, the gallery has played its own part in elevating photography into a bona fide art form in the minds of its visitors. Five floors of gallery space display a continuous rotation of exhibitions from group shows to retrospectives. Looking for cheap things to do in London? Entry to the Photographer’s Gallery is free before 12 pm every day.

Opened in 1901, the Whitechapel Gallery has been ruling the roost in East London for over a century when it comes to cutting-edge, contemporary art. Known for showcasing superstars before they blow up, the gallery has helped to break the likes of David Hockney and Gilbert & George in the past. With a diverse roster, you’re always likely to find work here that breaks from the norm, from video art to immersive installations, like Mark Dion’s most recent show, Theatre of the Natural World. Located on a frenetic stretch of street on Whitechapel Road, the gallery’s spot amidst the chaos of its surroundings is another reason to appreciate it.

Between learning about the amazing intricacies of super viruses, embarking on a journey into space via VR, and tracing back the history of flight, there’s not a lot left uncovered by the Science Museum. With a mission to educate and entertain, the Science Museum is one of those places where adults and children can both get their kicks. Located in South Kensington’s Museum Quarter, it makes a great double bill with the Natural History Museum, which you’ll find right next door. Oh, and don’t leave without visiting the museum’s famous earthquake simulator—the only way to experience the tremors of 1995’s Kobe earthquake in the heart of London.

Being the largest museum of art and design in the world, it’s only right that the V&A Museum should inhabit a building that does justice to its collection. Towering over the roadside, the beautiful façade of the Victorian structure is just the start of the architectural treats on offer here, where inside you’ll find intricate ceramic staircases, marble vaulted ceilings, and frescoed walls before you even begin thinking about the museum’s collection of decorative arts. Arranged over two main levels, individual rooms feature contemporary fashion, fine art, ceramics, textiles, silver, and gold. The new courtyard—complete with a water feature ideal for paddling in—is the place to be during summer, when there are few places better in London to relax with an ice cream.

Instantly recognizable by its portico pillars overlooking Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is probably the square’s second most popular cultural attraction—placing close behind posing with the lions, of course. A grand gallery that shuns contemporary art in favor of masterpieces dating from the 1300s to the 1900s, the museum’s permanent collection includes paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Van Gogh. Arranged by century, a walk through the regal interior of the museum is a tour through art history from the Renaissance to Impressionism.

It may reside in the physical shadow of the larger National Gallery just around the corner, but the National Portrait Gallery is no less of a draw. In the age of selfies, we can all gain some vital insight into the way people have posed for headshots over the years. Start in the Tudor and Stewart rooms, where you’ll find a line-up of all the kings and queens of England and Scotland that have ever been. Don’t miss Graham Sutherland’s Churchill, the Darnley portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, or the only portrait of Shakespeare ever painted from life.

Uprooted from its home in Shad Thames, the Design Museum was transported to a glitzier space inside the remodeled remnants of a 1960s Grade II (meaning it’s historically significant) listed building in Kensington High Street in 2016. The successful relocation means that an already excellent museum is bigger and better than ever, inhabiting a building that’s an architectural showcase in itself. Focusing on the full gamut of design, the museum features everything from Anglepoise lamps to Penguin books, Eames chairs to the mighty Concorde.

Possessing the most picturesque location of any London museum, the Serpentine Galleries lie in Kensington Gardens in the heart of Hyde Park, which means that not only does a trip here end with a viewing of the museum’s excellent collection of established and up-and-coming contemporary artists, but the journey there is a literal walk in the park. Opened in 1970, the Serpentine Galleries have always championed the work of new artists with previous shows having featured the likes of Grayson Perry, Ai Wei Wei, and Zaha Hadid. As with most London museums, admission is free.

Not only is it the best museum to visit on a hot day—boom tish!— the Fan Museum in Greenwich is a genuinely enlightening experience on the subject of fans. Truly. If you’re a fan, ahem, of the quirkier, more obscure museums, then this is the place to come—where else could you discover the storied history of the hand fan? Discover objects from all over the world in a permanent collection that features the earliest example of hand printed fans, art deco fans, folding fans, and Brisé fans. What the Fan Museum doesn’t know about fans, probably isn’t worth knowing.

A kind of four for the price of one experience, the Royal Museums Greenwich includes the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark and the Queen’s House Gallery beneath its umbrella of attractions, which makes taking the trip to Greenwich a no-brainer. While the National Maritime Museum is an interesting place to brush up on the history of British sea power, the Cutty Sark is the real star attraction, providing the chance to see the iconic sailing ship in all its glory.

After strolling about below the hull and catching your sea legs on board the ship, make your way to the Queen’s House Gallery, where you’ll find the famous Armada Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I as well as work by the likes of Lowry, Canaletto, and John Russell—much of it with a maritime theme. Completing the Greenwich set, the Royal Observatory awaits at the top of a hill at the end of a picturesque stroll through Greenwich Park. Here you can catch a cheesy (yet informative) show in the planetarium and build yourself up to the one photo everyone should take on a visit to Greenwich—a shot standing astride the Prime Meridian Line of the world, the historic line where east meets west.

He may have been a fictional character who never lived beyond the pages of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels, but that hasn’t stopped fans from embracing Sherlock Holmes as a man very much of our world. Such is the international renown of the literary sleuth that it’s only natural he should have his own museum to celebrate his (fictional) life and times. Located at 221B Baker Street, in the very house the detective called home, the Sherlock Holmes Museum is dedicated to every aspect of the world’s most famous consulting detective. From the study where he worked on his toughest cases, to the sitting room where he played his fiddle, everything is just as it might have been in the Victorian era of Holmes—had he jumped from the pages of Conan Doyle’s books. Unlike most London museums, admission is not free.

The sister museum to the V&A Museum in South Kensington, the V&A Museum of Childhood in East London is one of the best museums in London for kids, so expect plenty of exhibits, screenings, and workshops geared towards youngsters. That’s not to say that adults can’t enjoy the museum too, with shows like Century of the Child: Nordic Design for Children 1900 to Today designed to engage both the young and not young. Expect to find toys, dolls houses, clothing, furniture, and games in the permanent collection. Entry is free, and the museum is open every day.