Best London Museums that are free: top tours + map 2025

No visit to London is complete without stepping into one of its world-class museums. From art to architecture, dinosaurs to design icons, there’s a gallery here for you. And as a bonus, you can visit the best London museums for free. But how do you beat the crowds and navigate these dauntingly vast collections? Here’s your ultimate guide to making the most of the best London museums that are free to enter. Completely updated 2025

London’s free museums: are they worth visiting?

London has a spectacular array of museums and art galleries. Whatever your interest you’ll find something here to capture your imagination. And most amazing of all? You can enter the majority of the great London museums for free.

But of course there are pros and cons. The most popular free museums in London are vast edifices, crammed with information collated over centuries. And in peak times they’re also crammed with visitors!

Rooms full of glass cases can seem daunting. Signage can be brief. Jostling crowds can spoil your enjoyment as well as block your view. And without knowing these museums and galleries well you can take a wrong turning and miss any number of masterpieces.

Not only that, you can enter a museum to see a special exhibition, only to find out it has an extra entry charge and is sold out for weeks in advance.

How to Make the Most of London Museums that are Free

I’ve lived in London all my adult life and my sons have grown up here, so I’ve been to lots of London’s free museums many times. I’m lucky because I can pop in and out on quiet days, but I know all the frustrations of tackling a crowded museum with limited time.

This post will help you choose the best free museums that’ll appeal to you, with tips for making the most of your visit. First of all we’ll take a look at the most popular free museums in London and how best to visit them. Then I’ve listed them all according to London neighbourhoods to make it easier for you to fit your museum visits into your London itinerary.

Top Tips for Visiting London’s Free Museums

• Check the websites before you visit. You’ll find links in this post. Some museums require you to pre-book your free entry tickets online, even at quiet times of year.
• Also check ahead for opening days and times. Smaller museums may not open every day. Others open late on some evenings.
• Busiest times of year include the summer months and during UK school holidays.
• Museums that offer free entry are still very grateful for donations, you’ll find collecting boxes at the entrance.
• You can also support their work by snapping up stylish London souvenirs in museum shops and stopping for lunch or a snack in their in-house cafes.
• Temporary exhibitions often carry a separate charge and can sell-out, so plan ahead.
• Many museums offer free tours at certain times of day.

Is a Museum Tour worth it?

Free tours Many of the free museums in London offer tours. Some are free and volunteer-led, others are paid-for tours that you book in advance. They’re all helpful and illuminating and definitely worth joining. Check the museum websites for latest tour details.

The one problem that you’ll find during busy periods is that these tours are very popular. And you might find yourself in a large group, struggling to hear what the guide is saying or see what they’re pointing at!

Why book a museum tour

London’s an expensive city and sometimes we can get over-focused on the idea that we can visit museums in London for free. We’re happy to pay for a visit to The Tower of London, where the entry ticket includes a free tour led by one of the yeoman warders. So, by the same token, why not pay for a guided tour in one of London’s free admission museums?

London’s best free museums hold vast collections. They can seem daunting when you only have limited time or you’re with fellow travellers with limited patience. Add onto this the long queues and crowds at busy times and suddenly skip-the-line tickets and a professional expert guide seem a very good idea.

I always find museum guides have a knack of bringing the exhibits to life. They can tell the stories behind the paintings, give context to seemingly insignificant artifacts and their own enthusiasm can really fire up your own. A good guided tour will elevate your visit and make it a properly memorable part of your stay.

Top 6 London Museums that are Free

These are the must-see free museums in London, the world-class big hitters that are the most popular in the country – and in some cases, the world.

British Museum

Best free London museum for: antiquities from all over the world

There’s two million years of human history around the world in the British Museum and you can stroll 50 galleries full of treasures. School groups go straight to the Egyptian mummies, whilst there’s always a crowd around the Rosetta Stone. But my favourites are the Anglo-Saxon wonders from Sutton Hoo, the Lewis chessmen, and the Parthenon Sculptures from ancient Greece, also known as the controversial Elgin Marbles. It’s the most famous free museum in London and you’ll find it in leafy Bloomsbury, close to Russell Square.

Don’t miss: the glorious glass and steel roof of the Great Court, designed by Foster and Partners. It complements the original neo-classical building and together they form the largest covered public square in Europe.

Tickets and Tours of the British Museum

The BM website encourages you to book your free ticket in advance for priority entrance. Walk-up tickets are available each day but in busy periods you may have a long wait.

On the website you can book paid-for exhibitions and also a guided highlights tour of 90 mins. It runs 3 days a week and costs £14 per head. Free volunteer-led tours are shorter and focus on individual areas. But they can’t be booked in advance.

This British Museum Private Guided Tour inc Tickets is exactly the kind of bespoke private tour that I would choose if I was visiting with a family group. The reviews are very complimentary of this particular Blue Badge guide who ‘knows the museum like the back of his hand’ and is ‘a great storyteller’. It’s this kind of personable and engaging expert overview that can really help you to understand and engage with the BM’s disparate and wonderful collections. Check it out here:

Natural History Museum

Best free London museum for: dinosaurs, the history of life on earth

Worth a visit for the epic Victorian building alone, the Natural History Museum‘s entrance hall is a cathedral-like space watched over by a statue of Charles Darwin. Look out for the terracotta gargoyles on the exterior and the teaming wildlife in the architectural embellishments.

The museum is famous for its dinosaur gallery with its animated T Rex and adults can learn just as much as children here. But there’s much more: from the story of the Earth and evolution to the balance of nature and the environment.

Don’t miss: the Hogwarts-style Hintze Gallery: you half expect those staircases to start moving. And literally feel the earth move in the earthquake simulator.

Natural History Museum tickets and tours

The NHM encourages you to book free tickets online in advance. It reserves walk-up tickets too but there may well be a queue for these in busy periods. Check the website for their wide range of paid-for tours.

Alternatively this Natural History Museum Private Tour and Skip the Line gets very good reviews and is reasonably priced, especially for a group of 3 or more. The tour lasts 2 hours and includes insights into the museum’s signature displays like the dinosaur gallery and the earthquake simulator.

Tate Modern

Best free museum in London for: modern and contemporary art and installations

Dramatic commissions hold centre-stage in the vast Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, a former Bankside power station. Families, students, sightseers and locals all flock here to the tune of nearly 4 million visitors a year. The galleries are arranged by theme rather than date so dive in to see ever-changing displays of art by the likes of Picasso, Warhol, Dali and Rothko. Take a map: it’s not the easiest museum to navigate.

Don’t miss: I love popping in here to see an exhibition, then stopping for coffee and the additional grandstand views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium bridge.

Tours of Tate Modern

Currently you don’t need to pre-book for the free tickets to the permanent collection. Although it’s a good idea to book in advance for the paid-for exhibitions.

Tate Modern offers free guided tours of around 45 mins on most days. You can call ahead to check they are running on the day you plan to visit.

See Tate Modern with an Art Historian in London Reviewers describe this 2 hr tour as ‘unforgettable’ and ‘one of the highlights of our trip’. It focuses on developing the skills of looking, seeing and talking about art, and experiencing Tate Modern’s contemporary collection from a fresh angle. Make sure to book it in advance!

Victoria & Albert Museum

Best free London museum for: art history and fashion

I first set foot in the V&A on a school trip. I can still remember some of the treasures I saw that day even though I’ve been back countless times since. One of my first impressions was how big it is and yes, it has 145 galleries and covers 12.5 acres over 6 levels. So it’s a good idea to prepare in advance for your visit.

True to its Victorian roots the Victoria and Albert Museum holds a vast – and free – permanent collection of decorative arts from all over the world. You can visit the fashion room with Jane Austen-style everyday gowns and iconic couture. Or view the Cast Courts: Victorian plaster reproductions of some of the most epic sculptures in the world from Michelangelo’s David to the massive Trajan’s Column from Rome.

Local’s tip Have a look at a map on the website and work out a few of the things you’d like to see.

The V&A is loved by Londoners for its blockbuster shows. Christian Dior, ocean liners, the role of divas, Chanel: its roll call of deeply researched and gorgeously presented temporary exhibitions is memorable.

Don’t miss: They aren’t free, but I really recommend the V & A’s special exhibitions. If the subject appeals then you’ll be glad you booked well in advance.

Tours of the V&A South Kensington

Currently you don’t need to book your free entry tickets to the V & A. They offer daily free tours of must-see items in the collections, led by volunteer guides. You can’t book them in advance but they can get busy. See the website for other free tours such as Fashion: Dress and Style.

Or check out this 3 hr bespoke private guided tour which gets wonderful reviews. Victoria and Albert Museum London Private Guided Tour 3 hour “beyond outstanding” and “magnificently informative” say different reviewers about the very knowledgeable private guide on this bespoke tour.

National Gallery

Best free London museum for: famous masterpieces

The National Gallery, standing in the centre of London in Trafalgar Square has one of the world’s greatest collections of Western European paintings. It’s the most famous of the free art museums in London and you’ll find over 2300 works here, dating from the 13th to early 20th centuries.

Don’t miss: some of the most famous paintings in the world: Sunflowers by Van Gogh, Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus and The Umbrellas by Renoir.

National Gallery tickets and tours

I love popping in here but advance booking online is really recommended to avoid queueing. Daily taster tours are available for free but may be busy.

You can book the Official National Gallery Highlights Tour here which includes headsets and is led by a gallery-approved, accredited Blue Badge guide. Reviewers say “every minute was a learning experience” and describe the guide as “amusing, informative and passionate”. The tour lasts around an hour and is a reasonably priced £20.

Science Museum

Best free museum in London for: Space exploration kit

You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy the Science Museum. From Tim Peake’s Soyuz landing capsule to the search for a Covid vaccine it covers a broad remit and is very family-orientated. This was my children’s favourite when we lived nearby.

To get the best from the Science museum – especially with children – you’ll want to visit a paid-for interactive exhibition like Wonderlab. But you can still drop in for an hour or two to enjoy the free displays. The interactive Careers section lets you try your hand at lighting a film-set or fixing a wind turbine.

Don’t miss: The medieval clock mechanism, dated 1390, from Wells Cathedral. It still chimes every 15 minutes.

Science Museum free tickets This is the one of the free museums in London that requires you to pre-book your free tickets, with a timed entry, online. See the website for more details.

London’s free museums in Kensington

South Kensington, to the west of London, has no less than three of London’s top 6 major museums, and plenty more cultural finds. You could easily spend all day here.

The Kensington Big 3 include the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum, all and all listed above. They”re just a few minutes apart on Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road and close to South Kensington tube station. And you can visit all of these London museums for free.

But that’s not all. Kensington and Chelsea are home to two more London museums that are free:

Design Museum Kensington

Best free London museum for: design icons

This is a small museum that you can easily fit into a shopping visit to Kensington High Street. Founded by Terence Conran, the Design Museum celebrates modern design and its role in everyday life. You can try your hand at designing a car or see how a 3D printer works. Its 1960s modernist home, the former Commonwealth Institute, is worth a visit itself.

Don’t miss: see if you agree with the crowd sourced ‘most important objects’ display at the entrance.

National Army Museum

As its name implies, the National Army Museum is the museum of the British Army. It is sited in Chelsea next to the Royal Hospital, home of the army veterans known as the Chelsea Pensioners. It asks: Could you be a soldier? And helps you decide through artefacts and stories from the Civil War to present day.

Free Museums in Bloomsbury and Holborn

Bloomsbury is home to the most popular free museum in London, the world-famous British Museum, top of our list, above. It’s one of the most-visited museums in the world. But this academic neighbourhood has a couple of lesser-known treasures to discover too.

British Library

Best free London museum for: original manuscripts or a quiet read

Not just any library, the British Library is a treasure trove of some of the most significant books, manuscripts, maps and recordings in the world. Head to the Treasures of the British Library room to see its greatest hits.

Don’t miss: King John’s Magna Carta from 1215, and hand-written lyrics by Lennon and McCartney.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

Best free London museum for: Grand Tour vibes

Sir John Soane was the Regency architect who designed the Bank of England, and this extraordinary building, now Sir John Soane’s Museum, was his home. A keen collector, to put it mildly, Soane filled his house with art, architectural models and antiquities. A master of small-space living his ingenious panel system allowed him to hang 118 paintings in one small room. And his collection includes Hogarths, Turners and Canalettos. He bequeathed the house to the nation and it hasn’t altered since his death in 1837.

Don’t miss: the candlelit tours, not free but an atmospheric way to experience this Georgian collection as Soane himself would have enjoyed it.

Tickets and Tours

This jam-packed little museum used to be a hidden gem, but last time I went there was a 20 minute queue. Entry is free and you can’t pre-book so I’d recommend going early. It isn’t open every day so check the website to plan your visit.

You can enter without a wait if you book onto one of the excellent small-group Highlights tours. I’ve taken one of these expert-led tours which help to de-code the collection and Soane’s life in Regency London.

London’s free museums in the West End

The epic National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, see above, is one of the most popular museums in London that are free to enter. But right alongside it is:

National Portrait Gallery

Best free London museum for: close ups of famous names

This newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery is one of my favourites in London. Images are chosen according to the subject rather than the artist: these are people who’ve made history in Britain. From Shakespeare and Anne Boleyn to Grayson Perry’s Map of Days, a self portrait of what’s going on inside his head, it adds up to an engrossing visit. Get a map: like Tate Modern, I find it easy to get lost in here.

Don’t miss: To see the collection chronologically start at the top and work down, and look out for the Antony Gormley figure above the escalator.

Free tickets The gallery recommends that you book timed tickets online to avoid a wait and guarantee entry. A few walk-up tickets are also available each day.

Tate Britain

Best free London museum for: 500 years of British art

From Hogarth, Turner and Constable to the pre-Raphaelites. Lowry and Hockney, Tate Britain is the place to discover British art through time. You’ll find much loved favourites like the luminous Carnation Lily, Lily Rose by John Singer Sargent, along with the work of lesser known stars like Mary Beale, a professional female portrait painter in the 17th century.

Don’t miss: Tate Britain is on Millbank, overlooking the river Thames from its northern embankment. Art buffs can hop on the Tate to Tate boat which runs a scenic shuttle service on the Thames between the Tate Britain and Tate Modern in Bankside.

Royal Academy of Arts

Best free London museum for: the Summer Exhibition

The Royal Academy, at Burlington House on Piccadilly, was first formed by and for artists and sculptors in 1768. It is still run by 80 elected Royal Academicians, all leading names in art and architecture. Current RAs include Thomas Heatherwick, Sir Anish Kapoor and Tracey Emin.

The RA is a prestigious post-graduate art school, it supports new artists and holds a mind-boggling collection of more than 30,000 works of art, displayed on rotation in its free-to-enter permanent collection.

Don’t miss: the Summer Exhibition one of the key summer events in London in June. Anyone can submit a work to be hung and successful candidates can find themselves sharing gallery space with legends of the art world. You’ll need to buy a ticket but the Summer Exhibition is a must-do on the London social event.

Wallace Collection

Best free London museum for: a stately home collection

Tucked away behind Selfridges in Manchester Square, Marylebone is Hertford House, a grand townhouse that was once the private residence of an aristocratic family. Their home is now The Wallace Collection, a public museum with a rich and lively collection of art amassed over generations. From armour to Old Masters you’ll find something to enjoy here.

Don’t miss: Fragonard’s The Swing, considered very naughty in its time and newly restored. My top tip is to stop for lunch or afternoon tea in the lovely hidden cafe in the covered courtyard. It’s worth a visit in its own right if you’re in Marylebone.

City of London Free Museums

Head to the City for more fascinating London museums for free. You’ll find Roman treasures here, uncovered by building work as this financial district has developed and grown skywards.

London Mithraeum

Best free London museum for: Romans in London

In 1954 a Roman Temple of Mithras was discovered during building work. It was dismantled, moved 100 metres, and an office block was built in its place. In 2010 Bloomberg returned the Temple to its original position, below the street at 12 Walbrook, to become a permanent exhibition space within their new headquarters. London Mithraeum is one of the few significant traces left of the Romans in London. This is a relatively quick immersive experience conjuring Roman temple rites.

Don’t miss: the Roman writing tablets, including evidence of an early financial deal in the City!

Tickets To be sure of entry, book timed free tickets online.

Guildhall Art Gallery

Best free London museum for: a Roman amphitheatre

This small gallery in Guildhall Yard is home to the City of London’s art collection. Guildhall Art Gallery is surprisingly undiscovered and includes many Victorian paintings, including Pre-Raphaelites, as well as fascinating images of London itself.

As an added bonus you can see the remnants of a Roman amphitheatre in the basement. It was discovered in 1988 when work began to re-develop the art gallery. Nowadays it’s cleverly displayed and is just a short walk from the Mithraeum if you plan to see both London’s major Roman sites.

Don’t miss: Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s masterpiece La Ghirlandata.

Tickets and tours Booking is recommended and free guided tours are available every day.

Museum of London – temporarily closed

The Museum of London is moving from its old site on London Wall to a new complex in the Victorian market buildings at West Smithfield. It will re-open in 2026 as the London Museum.

South and East London Free Museums

Head out from the centre and you’ll find more excellent London museums that are free. One benefit of exploring further afield is that you’ll avoid the biggest crowds.

London Museum Docklands

Best free London museum for: London social history

Flying the flag whilst the London Museum moves to its new site, this outpost in Canary Wharf appropriately occupies an old sugar warehouse at West India Quay. London Museum Docklands conjures up the teeming and vibrant life around the docks and river in the days when they were the heart of London’s commercial success.

Don’t miss: the dark and mysterious Victorian streets of Sailortown. Whilst new for 2025, the Secrets of the Thames mudlarking exhibition, with paid-for entry, is a must-see. Check out the medieval spectacles, gorgeous Roman glass jug, personalised Viking dagger and hoards of other treasures all reclaimed from the Thames foreshores.

Imperial War Museum

Best free London museum for: a close-up look at battlefield conflict

For obvious reasons a visit to the Imperial War Museum London can be moving and disturbing in equal measure. It focuses on modern warfare from WW1 to the present day and looks at the toll it takes on individuals and populations as well as combatants. But it’s about individual heroism as well as loss and you can get immersed in the rich details here as well as being awestruck by the machinery on display.

Don’t miss: I particularly like the displays on secret agents, especially from days gone by, when success relied on courage and great ingenuity!

How to get there and tickets: IWM is south of the river and within walking distance of both Vauxhall and Waterloo stations. Entry is free and currently there’s no need to book.

Museum of the Home

Best London free museum for: exploring ways of living at home

The development of domestic homes and gardens through time is shown in this small museum in Hoxton. Since its renovation the Museum of the Home has increased its focus on the home life and history of its local communities. It has a lovely shop too with vintage finds as well as modern homeware and books. This free London museum fits neatly into an east London itinerary as it’s around 20 mins walk from Brick Lane.

Young V & A

Best free London museum for: a child’s eye view

Newly transformed from the Museum of Childhood, the Young V & A in Bethnal Green has become a museum for children rather than about them. The collections that illuminate childhood across the centuries are still there, but alongside are interactive displays, mainly for younger children.

Don’t miss: the street of dolls houses.

Free Museums on the outskirts of London

Royal Museums Greenwich

The historic museum complex in Greenwich is good reason to take a boat trip along the Thames. In fact it’s one of the prettiest and most historic towns and cities close to London.

Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage site and includes several London museums that are free to enter as well as paid-for attractions like the Cutty Sark clipper and Planetarium.

• The National Maritime Museum explores the history of the UK’s seagoing exploits
• The Queen’s House a world-class art collection in a classically stunning 17th century villa
• Old Royal Naval College the Painted Hall here has been called the UK’s Sistine Chapel and featured in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon

Lots to see in Colindale with six hangars of planes, artifacts and stories to explore from the early days of flight to the present. The RAF Museum London is a free to enter museum with bookable paid-for add-ons like the tickets available to sit in the cockpit of an original Spitfire.

Map of London’s Free Museums

Click here for an interactive map of Free Museums in London

FAQs

Please note that all visitor information here is for guidance only. Please check the relevant websites for the most up to date information on tickets, entrance requirements, opening times etc.

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