The Great Court in the British Museum, one of the best museums to visit for free in London. Photo by Adam Stawarz, via Flickr.
London’s an expensive city. It sometimes feels like just stepping out of the door costs money.
Luckily, when it comes to making the most of our city’s world-class museum collection, it doesn’t have to hurt your wallet.
London is home to 118 free museums. That includes global heavy-hitters like the British Museum and the National Gallery, as well as quirky, lesser-known gems across every borough.
Okay, so 118 is a lot of museums. I strongly encourage you to use the tool below to explore the full offering of museums available – but if you need a bit more guidance, these are my top picks of London’s best free museums.
Free ‘big hitter’ museums in London
Most of London’s ‘big-hitter’ museums are free:
If you’ve got kids, go to the Natural History Museum (dinosaurs!) or the Science Museum (highly interactive). Both are free to enter, but you may need to book a slot if you’re visiting at a busy time (it’s free and easy to do this).
If you’re after art, my personal favourite is the Tate Modern, London’s premier contemporary art gallery. If you’re after something a bit more traditional, the National Gallery is home to countless masterpieces, all totally free.
Outside these world-famous institutions, some of London’s best museums are free. Some of my personal favourites include
the Imperial War Museum, an important and moving collection of exhibitions about the history, harms and impacts of human conflict
the Wellcome Collection, an excellent interactive museum about health and what it means to be human
the British Library, with a free to visit exhibition showing treasures from its collection, including handwritten Beatles lyrics and important religious texts
Free hidden gems museums in London
Some of London’s hidden gem museums and most bizarre museums are free. For example:
London Mithraeum – the archaeological remains of a Roman Temple, built for the mysterious cult of Mithras, and brought to life by a multimedia display.
If you’re a London local, I’d also encourage you to explore my local museums page. London is home to some excellent local museums, telling the stories of the people that make up its many fascinating neighbourhoods. They vary in size and scope, but most are free and they’re usually excellent.
These are just a small selection of the best free museums in London. Explore all 118 free museums in London using the interactive tool below.
Interactive tool: explore all 118 free museums in London
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all 118 free museums in London. Use the filters to the right to show only museums you’re interested in.
‘Primary focus’ splits museums by their broad area of focus. You can click ‘additional themes’ to see more specific categories, such as museums covering World War Two, or modern art galleries.
A museum within the Bank of England’s headquarters, which charts over 300 years of monetary history from banknote design to financial crises. Visitors can handle a real gold bar.
A small museum dedicated to Jewish and immigrant artists in Britain, focusing n themes of migration, identity and social change. It aims to showcase and celebrate the Jewish, refugee and immigrant contribution to British visual culture.
This lesser-known collection showcasing the British Red Cross’ 150 years of history, featuring historical objects like medical kits from WWI trenches and documents from relief operations illustrating the evolution of emergency aid since 1870s.
An excellent museum exploring modern conflict. As well as military vehicles, rockets and artefacts, has excellent permanent exhibitions on the Two World Wars, an award winning and poignant Holocaust exhibition, and a collection of art and photography related to conflict. Its temporary exhibitions are also excellent and free, and the museum’s focus on real people’s…
A small museum about the Inns of Court Regiment, tracing its unusual history and predecessor units from 1584 through many conflicts right up to recent operations in Afghanistan. Open only on request.
A museum about the history of freemasonry, inside the impressive art deco Freemasons Hall. Exhibitions display regalia and ritual objects, and cover three centuries of Freemasonry in England. You can also take a guided tour which allows you to visit the Grand Temple. The Freemasons are a centuries-old fraternal organisation often shrouded in mistory, and…
A free to visit, multi-sensory experience based around the ruins of an ancient temple of Mithras, a secretive and mysterious Roman cult. Found below Bloomberg’s London headquarters, the ruins of the 3rd century AD temple are brought to life by an immersive light and sound show. There’s also a small exhibition.
A small museum, only available by booking ahead and only open on certain days, with exhibitions about the history of the Met Police, its offices, and crimes in the city.
The Museum of London’s East London branch, set in a Grade I listed warehouse on the Isle of Dogs. It tells the story of London’s port and the Thames, from the rise and fall of the docks to the Blitz. Highlights include atmospheric recreated dockside streets, plenty of interactive exhibits and a Mudlarks family gallery,…
The world’s only museum of the home, exploring home life and how homes have evolved and changed over the past 500 years. Includes ‘Rooms through time’, which features period rooms showing how lives in London have changed – from 1630 to 2049, across different cultures – and ‘Gardens through time’. A unique and thought-provoking museum.…
The British Army’s national museum, with a collection of over a million items going back 600 years. Explores how the British Army originated (from the Civil War to today); the lives of soldiers; the British Army’s global role (remember this is the official Army museum – don’t expect a fully rounded debate on the role…
Britains premier maritime museum and the largest of its kind in the world. A must-visit for maritime history enthusiasts, with exhibitions immersing visitors in naval history – a higlight is the jacket Admiral Nelson war at the Battle of Trafalgar – and home to ships and boats from all across the world. A Fijian canoe,…
One of the world’s most important collections of Egyptian archeology, comprised of more than 80,000 artefacts, tucked away in the UCL’s campus. Highlights include the earliest representation of weaving; the oldest woven garment and the earliest example of metal from Egypt.
A museum dedicated to Poland’s experience in the Second World War, especially the story of the Polish Armed Forces in exile and the government-in-exile in London. Founded in 1945 to preserve archives, artefacts, and personal testimonies, it became a vital centre during the Cold War for keeping this history alive when it was suppressed in…
The RAF’s flagship London museum, with six aircraft hangers looking at the RAF’s history, present and future. Plenty of interactive exhibitions and aircrafts.
A small museum in the old carpenter’s workshop at Wapping Police Station about the Thames River Police, which was established in 1798 and claims to be the first police force set up in England. Displays historic uniforms and equipment, and information about the history of policing the Thames. Because it’s in a working police station,…
One of the world’s most famous and London’s most visited museum, guiding you through Global history, with artefacts from every corner of the world. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone and the Benin Bronzes. It also hosts exceptional temporary exhibitions, among the best in London.
The world’s oldest institution dedicated to the study of the Holocaust. Its collection includes over one million items, including published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony. Hosts a variety of exhibitions on the Holocaust, its causes and its legacy.
A small museum inside Twinings’ flagship store on the Strand, which is the oldest dry tea and coffee shop. It’s mostly a shop, but features a small exhibit on tea and the history of Twinings.
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