Grand and free: London
Top 10 free museums in London

Grand and free: London's top 10 museums

More than 240 museums in London hold evidence of Britain’s rich history and collections of the treasures of world civilization in the most diverse fields of science and art: from artifacts from the far corners of the planet to European art; from the first sprouts of culture to the latest achievements of the 21st century. The huge state museums are very diverse, and visiting them is free. I will tell you about 10 interesting free museums in London.
Map of the Top 10 Free Museums in London

The British Museum

The British Museum is one of the most important museums in the world. Its collections number about 8 million historical and archaeological exhibits, covering all fields of human knowledge and the open.

The British Museum’s collections are organized by country, historical period and theme: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Oriental countries, medieval Europe, Japan, India, China, Mexico and more. Additionally, temporary exhibitions and events are organized.

Signposts and maps can help you get your bearings in the galleries, or you can ask the museum staff for directions. If you come in a large group, agree in advance on the time and place of the meeting in case you accidentally get separated from each other.

There are many visitors to the museum, including noisy groups of schoolchildren. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, an audio guide can be rented at the entrance for £7, including in Russian. Additionally, there are links on the website to download free audio descriptions on YouTube Music and Apple Music.

British Museum, main entrance
British Museum, main entrance
British Museum, main entrance, lobby
British Museum, main entrance, lobby

Chances are you’ll only get a general impression of the grandiose British Museum in one go — and you’ll want to return more than once.

  • How to get there: walk from Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn or Russell Square tube stations to the main entrance to the museum, located on Great Russel Street.
  • Hours are Sat-Fri 10:00—17:00, last admission at 16:00; Fri 10:00—20:30, last admission at 19:30.
  • Closed Dec. 24—26.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required.
  • Inspection time: from 3 hours.
  • British Museum website.
The Sumerian collection at the British Museum
The Sumerian collection at the British Museum
A collection of antique mechanical clocks
A collection of antique mechanical clocks
Mexico Room
Mexico Room

Natural History Museum (Natural History Museum)

The main building of the museum in the ornate Romano-Byzantine style is called «the cathedral of nature» because of the abundance of thematic decorations on the facade. The exposition is based on the collections of the British Museum, which were separated from it in the middle of the 19th century and divided by themes: zoological, botanical, geological, mineralogical, paleontological.

  • How to get there: on foot from South Kensington or Gloucester Road tube station.
  • Opening hours: Tues-Fri and holidays 10:00—17:50. Last entrance at 17:00.
  • Closed Dec. 24—26.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required.
  • Inspection time: from 2 hours.
  • Natural History Museum website.
Museum of Natural History, main building
Museum of Natural History, main building

Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum)

The Museum of Art, Design and Performance is a collection of decorative art objects systematized by country, period and theme.

For example, you can see what objects decorated palaces in France in the 16th century, learn how the craft of forging developed in medieval Europe, trace the world history of men’s suits or the evolution of glassware.

The museum has many children’s interactive learning zones that can interest even adults. You can try on a knight’s glove, play an analog of an ancient musical instrument, etc.

The main building, courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum,
The main building, courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum,
Interior of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Interior of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Medieval Exposition
Medieval Exposition
Europe. Collection of antique keys
Europe. Collection of antique keys
Malaysia and Indonesia. Puppet theater
Malaysia and Indonesia. Puppet theater
Japan
Japan

The courtyard with copies of world masterpieces — sculptures and architectural fragments made of marble — may remind of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow: its collection of marble copies was created as an analog of the courtyard in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

  • How to get there: walk from South Kensington or Gloucester Road tube stations.
  • Opening hours: Wed-Fri 10:00—17:45. Last entrance at 16:45.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required.
  • Inspection time: from 2 hours. This is enough time to form an overall impression. If you are particularly interested in design and want to see most of the collections, it is worth considering the total length of the galleries — over 10 km.
  • Victoria and Albert Museum website.
Marble copies
Marble copies

National Gallery

The gallery showcases masterpieces of world painting created between the 13th and 19th centuries. You can see in one place paintings by the most famous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Diego Velázquez, Hieronymus Bosch, Raphael Santi, Rembrandt and many others.

  • How to get there: Trafalgar Square is a short walk from Charing Cross, Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus tube stations.
  • Opening hours are Sat-Fri 10:00—18:00, Fri 10:00—21:00.
  • Closed Dec. 24—26 and Jan. 1.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required. Additional exhibitions are usually free of charge.
  • Inspection time: from 2 hours.
  • National Gallery website.
Trafalgar Square, National Gallery building (with columns)
Trafalgar Square, National Gallery building (with columns)
National Gallery
National Gallery

Tate Britain.

The gallery contains works by British artists. For example, the Pre-Raphaelite and William Turner collections are represented.

The area of the museum is relatively small, you can walk around it in an hour. There is no exposition on the upper floor, there is a cafe there.

In addition to the paintings, the building itself is interesting — beautiful architectural solutions of facades and interiors.

  • How to get there: on foot from Pimlico metro station.
  • Opening hours: daily 10:00—18:00. The last appointment is at 17:30.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required. There is a charge for additional exhibitions.
  • Inspection time: from 1 hour.
  • Don’t be confused: there are two Tate galleries in London, the British and the Contemporary.
  • British Tate Gallery website.
British Tate Gallery, main entrance. To find the entrance to the temporary exhibition, walk around the building on the left.
British Tate Gallery, main entrance. To find the entrance to the temporary exhibition, walk around the building on the left.
The interior of the British Tate Gallery
The interior of the British Tate Gallery
Spiral staircase
Spiral staircase
Exposition
Exposition
British Tate Gallery, exhibit
British Tate Gallery, exhibit

Tate Modern Gallery

The museum contains works by artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including paintings by Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and Marc Chagall.

«Modern Gallery» is maximally equipped with modern technologies: an interactive map helps to navigate in the museum, and high-speed elevators quickly take visitors to the upper floors.

If you’re not a fan of modern art, it makes sense to stop by the Tate Modern Gallery for a view of London from up high. The upper floors of the Tate Modern are home to cafes, restaurants and terraces that offer great views of the city. The observation decks are free to visit.

  • How to get there: on foot from tube stations — Southwark, London Bridge, Blackfriars or St Pauls (via Millennium Bridge).
  • Opening hours: daily 10:00—18:00. Last entry 17.30. Restaurants (observation decks) stop admitting new visitors about an hour before the museum closes.
  • Attendance is free, reservations are required.
  • Inspection time: from 1 hour.
  • Tate Modern Gallery website.
Tate Modern Gallery, building on the left
Tate Modern Gallery, building on the left
Tate Modern Gallery, interior
Tate Modern Gallery, interior
Tate Modern Gallery, exhibit
Tate Modern Gallery, exhibit
Tate Modern Gallery, exhibit
Tate Modern Gallery, exhibit
View of London, the Thames and the Millennium Bridge from the Tate Modern Gallery bar window
View of London, the Thames and the Millennium Bridge from the Tate Modern Gallery bar window

National Maritime Museum

The exposition of the museum is dedicated to the history of the British Navy, especially the period of sailing ships and great geographical discoveries. A visit to the museum is a fascinating and informative walk for children and adults, through the times of glorious navigators and brave pirates. There are interactive zones and recreation areas.

  • How to get there: Walk from Cutty Sark DLR subway station. Do not get on the first car of the train, as the first few doors there do not open due to the short platform.
  • If taking the train, get off at Greenwich or Maze Hill station.
  • You can take a boat to Greenwich Pier station in central London.
  • Opening hours: daily 10:00—17:00. Last appointment 16:00.
  • Attendance is free, booking a time is required. A voluntary donation of £10 may be requested but is not compulsory.
  • Inspection time: from 1 hour.
  • National Maritime Museum website.
National Maritime Museum, main entrance
National Maritime Museum, main entrance
World map
World map
Maritime Museum exposition
Maritime Museum exposition
Ship models
Ship models

The Wallace Collection.

The Wallace Collection is a unique collection of works of art, which were acquired in the XVIII–XIX centuries by representatives of four generations of the Marquesses of Hertford. The purchase of masterpieces was completed by Sir Wallace, son of the last of the Marquesses. Sir Wallace’s widow bequeathed the collection to Great Britain on the condition that its integrity would never be compromised. The museum opened in 1900.

Each of Wallis’s collections could form the basis of a separate museum: paintings by great artists, several armories, furniture, porcelain and ceramics, miniatures, jeweled boxes and snuff boxes, and much more.

  • How to get there: on foot from Bond Street, Marble Arch or Baker Street tube stations.
  • Hours of operation: daily 10:00—17:00.
  • Attendance is free and no time reservation is required.
  • Inspection time: from 2 hours.
  • Wallace Collection Museum website.
The Wallace Collection, main entrance
The Wallace Collection, main entrance
Wallace Collection Museum, interior
Wallace Collection Museum, interior
Exposition
Exposition
Collection of miniatures
Collection of miniatures
One of the halls with weapons and armor
One of the halls with weapons and armor
A collection of paintings by Canaletto
A collection of paintings by Canaletto
Exposition
Exposition

Sir. John Soane’s Museum (Sir. John Soane’s Museum)

In the mid-19th century, the famous British architect and collector Sir John Soane bequeathed his house (several rebuilt buildings) and collections (architectural models, drawings, paintings, ancient sculptures, artifacts of Ancient Egypt, etc.) to London for the creation of a museum. All of these are displayed in Victorian-era living quarters that have been preserved in their historic form.

The museum is very compact, you will not need much time to visit it — it is convenient to combine it with a walk through the city center.

The museum has many cramped rooms and corridors, so visitors with large bags are not allowed in. Small bags, even women’s clutches, are asked to be packed in a bag and carried in their hands.

The lighting is subdued. Photographs can only be taken with an amateur camera, without flash.

  • How to get there: on foot from Holborn metro station.
  • Opening hours: Wed-Fri 10:00—17:00.
  • Attendance is free of charge. No time reservation is required.
  • The museum insistently offers to buy a tour or other services, to make a charitable donation. Do not confuse this additional offer with the price of an admission ticket, which you should be given for free.
  • Inspection time: from 30 minutes.
  • Sir John Soane’s Museum website

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology)

The Museum of Artifacts in the Department of Egyptology at University College is small, but it is one of the world’s major collections of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. It is of particular interest to those with a passion for Egyptology who will miss the similar collections in the British Museum.

  • How to get there: on foot from Euston Square, Warren Street or Euston tube station.
  • Hours of operation: Tues-Fri 13:00—17:00, Sat 11:00—17:00.
  • Attendance is free and no time reservation is required.
  • Inspection time: from 30 minutes.
  • Pitri Museum of Egyptian Archaeology website.

London’s museums are not boring dusty exhibitions, but modern child-friendly places, especially for children, where everyone is interested and comfortable, where you will want to return.

My top 10 is designed for a multi-day stay in London. If you have to choose just one museum, I recommend choosing either the British Museum — as the most grand, famous and impressive; or the Wallace Collection Museum — it concentrates a lot of art in a relatively small area.

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