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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Autograph Gallery
Read more: Autograph GalleryA free to visit photography gallery which puts on groundbreaking exhibiitions, usually focused on identity, race, human rights and social justice.
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Ben Uri Gallery & Museum
Read more: Ben Uri Gallery & MuseumA 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.
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Black Cultural Archives
Read more: Black Cultural ArchivesAn archive and heritage centre devoted to Black British History. Temporarily closed as a museum, but continues to host events and tours of its exhibition.
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Bruce Castle Museum
Read more: Bruce Castle MuseumA Grade I listed, 16th century manor house, which is also home to the museum of the London Borough of Haringey. Its collection includes artefacts from the past and present of Haringey’s neighbourhoods (including Tottenham, and Tottenham Hotspurs memorabilia!). The former grounds of the manor house are now a large public park. As of 2025,…
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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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Foundling Museum
Read more: Foundling MuseumA moving museum, telling the story of the Foundling Hospital, a children’s home opened in 1739, making it the first home in England specifically dedicated to caring for abandoned and destitute children. It includes objects left by mothers when they handed their baby over, which would have allowed the hospital to match the child to…
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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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Irish Cultural Centre
Read more: Irish Cultural CentreAn Irish culture centre which hosts exhibitions and art exhibitions throughout the year.
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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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Museum of London Docklands
Read more: Museum of London DocklandsThe 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,…
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Museum of the Home
Read more: Museum of the HomeThe 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.…
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Museum of Wimbledon
Read more: Museum of WimbledonAn independent, volunteer-run local history museum showcasing Wimbledon’s history and the people who’ve lived here. Includes a collection relating to the campaign for Women’s Suffrage; models of lost manor houses; and local archaeology finds.
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Museum of Youth Culture
Read more: Museum of Youth CultureThe world’s first permanent museum dedicated to youth culture, opening 20 June 2026 in Camden. Across three new galleries it will explore youth culture, and how British subcultures, from post-war teens to acid house ravers, have shaped the mainstream.
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Ragged School Museum
Read more: Ragged School MuseumLondon’s largest Victorian Ragged School, which served some of the poorest children in the East End. It aims to recreate what life was like for Victorian children (it has a reconstructed Victorian classroom, where they host ‘Victorian lessons’). Exhibits also showcase the history of the school, its founder (Dr Barnardo) and what life was like…
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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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V&A East Museum
Read more: V&A East MuseumThe latest branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, opening up more of its huge collection up to visitors. The V&A East Museum will focus on art and design over five floors – with its permanent gallery ‘Why We Make’ exploring and celebrating design and creativity through over 500 objects across global art, design and…
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V&A East Storehouse
Read more: V&A East StorehouseThe storehouse for the some of the V&A’s vast collection not on display in the main museum, allowing you to get a behind-the-scenes look. Across three levels are public walkways to see the museum store at work and some of its collection. There are also mini displays showcasing the collection, and free group sessions highlighting…
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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 cartoons, 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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Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Read more: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis MuseumThe world’s largest tennis museum, within the Wimbledon Tennis Club, right next to Centre Court. Usually visited as part of a tour, it tells the story of the tournament through interactive galleries, with memorabilia and artefacts about many of the great players to have graced its courts.
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