Here are ten magnificent museums based right in the heart of the city, most of them completely free, and all considered some of the best in the world.
Visiting London? Hungry to learn about the history and culture of this great capital? Then these London cultural institutions are a great place to start.
10 London Museums and Galleries
1. The British Museum
One of the oldest, largest, and most iconic museums in Europe, the British Museum hosts a vast collection of artifacts, which tell the story of human life from the depths of history to the present day.
Founded in 1753, the museum began its collection with the findings of physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane, becoming the first national museum open to all curious visitors.
From that point forward, it has become home to some of the best discoveries made by many British explorers, including the famous Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculpture, and Egyptian mummies.
The museum is quite popular, drawing millions of visitors every year, but offers free admittance and tours every Friday.
(The museum is also quite controversial: it houses many artefacts many countries allege were stolen or should be repatriated).
2. The Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum is often abbreviated as V&A and is one of the largest and best museums of decorative art and design in the world.
It is named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and the Queen herself laid the museum’s foundation stone in 1899. The museum houses various types of global art in its seven enormous levels, including art from more unexpected categories such as furniture, fashion, and architecture.
Although it was opened in 1852, museum admission did not become free until 2001.
3. The National Gallery
Founded in 1824, the National Gallery hosts more than 2,300 Western European paintings and is ranked as the fourth most popular art museum in the world. It exhibits paintings created in 1250 to 1900, including work by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and van Gogh.
In 1838, a new location was opened in Trafalgar Square in order to move the museum closer to the centre of the city and to make the gallery accessible to all. General admission is free, including daily talks on assorted topics and interactive classes for children on Sundays.
4. The Natural History Museum
Founded in 1881, the Natural History Museum is one of the most fascinating and prestigious science museums in the world. Exhibits can be seen that explore aspects of botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, and zoology.
The museum is famous for its dinosaur collection, especially the Diplodocus skeleton, and the animatronic T-rex is a favorite as well.
In addition to its large section devoted to mammals including a fantastic model blue whale, the museum boasts the enormous Darwin Centre, which hosts over 22 million species of insects and plants.
In addition, visitors can peek into laboratories and watch real scientists at work and engage in many interactive exhibits all without paying a single cent.