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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Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice
Read more: Bow Street Museum of Crime and JusticeAn award-winning museum in a former Police Station and Magistrates’ Court, once home to London’s first official law enforcement service, the Bow Street Patrols and Runners. Its original cells and corridors now house galleries that chart the evolution of policing, the lives of those who served here, and the stories of famous cases, prisoners, and…
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Buckingham Palace
Read more: Buckingham PalaceThe royal family’s official London residence – millions of tourists peer through its gates every year, watch the famous Changing of the Guard, and wonder what’s behind its huge, majestic facade. Its opulent, magnificent state rooms open to the public every Summer, and are open to some small group tours year round. Highlights include the…
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Charlton House
Read more: Charlton HouseOne of the best examples of Jacobean manor houses in London. You can explore and learn about its rich history and its walled garden. Also includes the exhibition ‘Living in Greenwich: Tales Through Time’, showcasing its collection.
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Chiswick House & Gardens
Read more: Chiswick House & GardensA Grade I listed Villa, famous as one of London’s gems of Georgian architecture gems. It features large gardens (the first ever English landscape gardens); while in the house, Neo-Palladian in style and extremely striking, you can explore its ornate details, period rooms and art collection.
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Crossness Engines (The Crossness Pumping Station)
Read more: Crossness Engines (The Crossness Pumping Station)A sewage station might not be your average day out – but the Crossness is a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, credited with playing a crucial role in saving London from the Great Stink in 1858 and subsequent cholera epidemics. Architecturally it’s massive in scale and stunning, giving it the nickname ‘the Cathedral of Sewage’. Only…
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Cutty Sark
Read more: Cutty SarkThe Cutty Sark is a former tea clipper, and was the fastest ship of its time. It’s now an immersive experience: explore its deck and cargo hold, take the ship’s wheel, and discover what life was sea was like. Below the ship you can see the Cutty Sark dramatically suspended above you – on the…
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Danson House
Read more: Danson House1760s Georgian mansion in Danson Park with rich interiors. The gardens are free to visit, while the house is only available to visit as part of a guided tour. It is also Bexley’s Registery Office.
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Eltham Palace & Gardens
Read more: Eltham Palace & GardensA dizzying fusion of architectural styles. A medieval palace which was then further developed during Henry VIII’s time, who spent much of his childhood in here. After the Civil War it fell out of favour and much of it was abandoned. The Great Hall where Henry VIII once ate and dance beacme a farm barn.…
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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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Gunnersbury Park Museum
Read more: Gunnersbury Park MuseumA large museum, with over 50,000 items in its collection, focused on the history and culture of West London boroughs Ealing and Hounslow. Features archaeological artefacts from the area; exhibitions on the culture of Ealing and Hounslow and its famous residents; social history; fashion and industry. It’s housed in a former Rothschild mansion, and some…
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Hackney Museum
Read more: Hackney MuseumHackney’s local museum, exploring over 1,000 years of history. This includes exhibitions on Saxon Hackney all the way through to its modern, diverse identity and rich history of migration. It’s all presented in an engaging, family-friendly way and is know for being an inclusive community resource with plenty of interactive elements for children.
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Metropolitan Police Museum
Read more: Metropolitan Police MuseumA 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.
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National Maritime Museum
Read more: National Maritime MuseumBritains 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,…
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Old Royal Naval College (Painted Hall)
Read more: Old Royal Naval College (Painted Hall)Greenwich’s architectural gem, designed by Sir Christopher Wren originally as a hospital for injured Seamen before becoming a naval college. It’s now most famous for the iconic Painted Hall, a Baroque masterpiece by Sir James Thornhill. More than 3,700 square metres of Baroque art cover the walls and ceilings, depicting kings, queens, naval glory and…
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Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Read more: Pitzhanger Manor & GalleryThe country home of Sir John Soane (Ealing was countryside back then!), designed by him. Soane is one of Britain’s most influential architects. You can explore the manjor, recently restored to Soane’s original design. There is also a contemporary art gallery.
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Red House
Read more: Red HouseThe former home of William Morris, stunningly decorated with original furnishings, Pre-Raphaelite art and gardens. Visit to the house is by pre-book only.
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Royal Mews (Buckingham Palace)
Read more: Royal Mews (Buckingham Palace)Part of Buckingham Palace, but entered separately and with a separate ticket. Home to the royal collection of stables and a collection of carriages and coaaches used by the Royal Family. Highlight includes the Gold State Coach, used in the coronation of both Elizabeth II and Charles III.
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Sherlock Holmes Museum
Read more: Sherlock Holmes MuseumA musueum at the real 221B Baker Street, address of the world famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Aims to recreate Holmes’ world through Victorian style rooms, including his ‘study’, filled with items referenced in the stories and guides in costume. Also home to the largest collection of Sherlock Holmes gifts and memorabilia in the world.
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The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Read more: The King’s Gallery, Buckingham PalacePreviously known as the Queen’s Gallery, a public art gallery within Buckingham Palace that showcases work from the Royal Collection on a rotating basis. Exhibitions often explore members of the Royal Family, its history and fashion, as well as its vast collection of art and photography.
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The Queen’s House
Read more: The Queen’s HouseA former royal villa and one of Greenwich’s most beautiful buildings, now an art gallery. Designed by Inigo Jones, setting the blueprint for the rest of maritime Greenwich. Highlights include a painting by Gainsborough; a famous portrait of Queen Elizabeth I and the Tulip Stairs – its dizzying, elegant staircase, the first unsupported spiral stairs…
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Whitehall Historic House
Read more: Whitehall Historic HouseA Grade II* listed Tudor manor house, home to exhibitions about the local area and the building’s former inhabitants.
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