Discover every museum in London all in one place.
There are nearly 250 museums in London – more than just about any other city in the world. Through London’s Museum Guide I want to encourage others to share my love of London’s incredible museum scene, and help you to discover gems you might not have heard of.
Below you’ll find a full, filterable list of everything the city has to offer. Head to the London Museum Guide homepage to explore bespoke guides.
A complete A-Z of London’s museums by theme & location
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all 250+ 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. If you prefer to look at a map, visit my London Museum Map here.
Finally, have fun, and if you have any tips, want to leave a review for a museum, or notice an error, don’t hesitate to comment or contact me!
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BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple)
Read more: BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple)One of London’s most beautiful buildings, tucked away in Brent. When it was built, it was the largest Hindu temple outside of India, built entirely using traditional methods. It’s extremely intricate and stunning inside, free to visit with people of all faiths welcome. But this is an active religious site so be respectful, and photos…
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Brent Museum
Read more: Brent MuseumA small museum housed in the Willesden Green library, exhibiting Brents diverse local heritage and history, from Wembley Stadium memorabilia to everyday life artifacts.
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Carlyle’s House
Read more: Carlyle’s HouseA Chelsea townhouse which was home to essayist and philosopher Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane in the mid-19th century. While living there they hosted literary greats such as Dickens, Tennyson, and Ruskin. Now a National Trust museum, it retains its original Victorian furniture, books and even Carlyle’s smoking pipe. A time-capsule into Victorian intellectual…
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Chelsea FC Museum
Read more: Chelsea FC MuseumThe museum at Stamford Bridge, telling the story of Chelsea FC and visited as part of a stadium tour. Features trophies, VR, memorabilia, and stadium access.
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Chelsea Physic Garden
Read more: Chelsea Physic GardenOne of Europe’s oldest botanic gardens, founded in 1673 . It was originally created by The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London for its apprentices to study medicinal plants and their uses. It became one of the world’s most important centres of botany, and it continues to maintain over 5,000 plant species with medicinal, edible…
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Design Museum
Read more: Design MuseumA world-leading museum of design, covering everything from graphics to fashion, furniture to technology. Its permanent exhibition, Designer Maker User, explores the history of contemporary design — how things are conceived, made, and used, and how this has evolved over time. It’s wide-ranging and full of surprises, featuring everything from the London Tube map to…
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Emery Walker’s House
Read more: Emery Walker’s HouseThe former home of Emery Walker, an important figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and close friend of William Morris. Beautifully preserved with its interiors almost exactly as they were when Walker lived here, described as “the last authentic Arts and Crafts interior in Britain”.
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Fulham Palace
Read more: Fulham PalaceFor over 1,300 years, this was the home of the Bishops of London. Now you can explore its history through its preserved rooms and museum, as well as explore its 13 acres of gardens with exotic plants. Other highlights are its Tudor Hall and its archaeological finds (the site is still being excavated, with findings…
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Irish Cultural Centre
Read more: Irish Cultural CentreAn Irish culture centre which hosts exhibitions and art exhibitions throughout the year.
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Kensington Palace
Read more: Kensington PalaceA historic royal residence in Kensington Gardens, most famous as the childhood home of Queen Victoria. A visit explores opulent State Apartments, the beautiful Sunken Garden and the Jewel Room, home to Queen Victoria’s emerald tiara. There’s also an exhibition about Queen Victoria and the King’s Gallery, which showcases some of the finest paintings from…
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Leighton House Museum
Read more: Leighton House MuseumThe former home of Victorian artist Lord Leighton, showcasing paintings, sculptures and is studio. The highlight, though, is the Arab Hall – one of London’s most beautiful rooms, housing a collection of tiles from the Middle East, stunningly arranged. It cost more than the entire rest of the house. A real hidden gem.
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M P BIRLA MILLENNIUM ART GALLERY
Read more: M P BIRLA MILLENNIUM ART GALLERYA small gallery with rotating exhibits of art across cultures and generations – especially focused on Indian art and culture.
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Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
Read more: Museum of Brands, Packaging and AdvertisingA museum tracing 150 years of consumer culture. Its centrepiece is the Time Tunnel, with plenty of historic packages, consumer items and adverts, telling the story of how our lives – and what we’ve consumed – has changed over time, and placing this in its historic context. Full of nostalgia for people who grew up…
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National Army Museum
Read more: National Army MuseumThe 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…
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Natural History Museum
Read more: Natural History MuseumOne of the world’s top museums in an utterly stunning Victorian building envisaged as a ‘Cathedral to Nature’. Home to a vast collection of natural history. Highlights include the ever-popular dinosaurs, its central hall with the skeleton of a blue whale, the glittering gem gallery, and rooms with just about every animal you can imagine,…
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Paradox Museum
Read more: Paradox MuseumAn immersive museum offering over 50 interactive exhibits that play with perception, including a Zero Gravity Room and Infinity Well.
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Roca London Gallery
Read more: Roca London GalleryA gallery designed by Zaha Hadid Architects with cutting edge exhibitions on architecture and design. Within a showroom for Roca, who make bathrooms.
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Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum
Read more: Royal Hospital Chelsea MuseumA small museum within the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners (British Army veterans) established in the 17th century. The stable house, which houses the museum, has recently been refurbished, and is a modern, interactive museum telling the story of the Hospital’s founding by King Charles II and the lives of the…
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Saatchi Gallery
Read more: Saatchi GalleryA cutting-edge contemporary art gallery, known for large-scale, immersive art exhibitions that often push boundaries and showcase emerging artists, presented in sleek, minimalist spaces. For example, in the past it has housed the most comprehensive street art exhibition in the UK; a blockbuster showcase of JR; photography chronocling the impact of hiphop. It also shows…
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Sambourne House (18 Stafford Terrace)
Read more: Sambourne House (18 Stafford Terrace)The perfectly preserved Victorian family home of cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, with beautiful interiors in the ‘aesthetic style’. Stunning stained glass windows and original WIlliam Morris prints. A time capsule of a museum, beautifully cluttered and over the top. You can also learn a little about Sambourne, who was most famous for his cartoons in…
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Science Museum
Read more: Science MuseumA world-famous museum of science and innovation, spread across seven floors of interactive exhibits. Very hands-on and great for kids, with a reputation for making science fun and accessible. Begin in the huge ‘Making the Modern World’ hall, which takes you through 250 years of innovation, showcasing objects that have shaped our society, such as…
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Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
Read more: Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)One of London’s greatest museums, and possibly its most eclectic. Amogng the world’s largest and best collections of art, design and culture, with more than 100 galleries showcasing everything from photography, to Raphael’s cartoos, ancient Buddhist sculpture and Islamic carpets, alongside modern design and fashion. Designed by the Victorians, its setting is just as jawdropping…
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William Morris Society Museum
Read more: William Morris Society MuseumThe smaller of London’s two museums on William Morris, in the home he lived in his final years. Rich with his work and information about his life, of interest to Arts & Crafts lovers.
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