Free Museums in London

Published 18 September 2026 · By the Guide to London editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

Most of London's great museums are free to enter: the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the V&A, the National Gallery, both Tates and many more. You pay only for special exhibitions and a few extras, and a donation is welcome but never required.

Free entry to the permanent collections of Britain's national museums is one of the best deals in world travel. You can walk into the British Museum and see the Rosetta Stone, or stand under the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum, without buying a ticket. For a visitor on a budget, this changes how you plan a trip: you can pop in for an hour, leave for lunch and come back, or visit the same museum twice.

There are a few things to know, though. Some museums ask you to book a free timed ticket, most charge for their temporary exhibitions, and the boxes by the door invite a donation. This guide lists the free museums worth your time, explains when booking matters, and gives straightforward advice on donations and paid shows. Opening hours and closures below were checked in September 2026.

London's big free museums at a glance

Why London's national museums cost nothing

The national museums are funded largely by the UK government, and free admission to their permanent collections has been national policy since 2001. The aim is that anyone, resident or visitor, can see the nation's collections. The museums still need extra income, which is why they charge for special exhibitions, run shops and cafés, and ask for donations.

"Free" applies to the permanent collection, which in the big museums is enormous. You could spend days in the British Museum or the V&A without paying a penny. What you pay for is optional: headline exhibitions, some interactive galleries for children, cinema shows, audio guides in some places, and the cloakroom in a few.

South Kensington: three giants on one street

Exhibition Road in South Kensington has the greatest concentration of free museums in London, all a five-minute walk from South Kensington station (Piccadilly, District and Circle lines).

• Natural History Museum. Dinosaurs, minerals, human evolution and Hope the blue whale in Hintze Hall. Galleries are free, and a free ticket is optional but guarantees entry; weekends and school holidays bring queues.
• Science Museum. Free, but the museum asks all visitors to pre-book a free ticket. It says an average visit lasts about two hours. The Wonderlab interactive gallery is paid, from £13.50 for a day pass (one price for all ages, under-3s free).
• V&A South Kensington. Art, design and fashion from across the world. General admission is free and you do not need to book. Some galleries are closed for long projects: the Fashion Gallery until autumn 2028, the South Asia Gallery until spring 2028 and the Korea Gallery until December 2026.

Trying to do all three in one day is exhausting. Pick one for the morning and one for the afternoon, and save the third for another day.

Bloomsbury and Trafalgar Square

The British Museum

The British Museum in Bloomsbury holds the Rosetta Stone (Room 4), the Parthenon sculptures (Room 18), Egyptian mummies and the Sutton Hoo treasure, among millions of objects. Entry to the permanent collection is free. The museum recommends booking a free timed ticket, which gives priority entry at busy times, but walk-up visitors are admitted every day and may simply wait longer. It opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00, and on Fridays until 20:30.

The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery

On the north side of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery shows Western European painting from the 13th to the early 20th century. General admission is free, with an optional free ticket for fast-track entry. The Sainsbury Wing, which reopened in May 2025, is now the main free entrance. Building works mean that some rooms are closed and some paintings have moved.

Round the corner, the National Portrait Gallery shows famous Britons from the Tudors to today. It is free, opens daily from 10:30, and stays open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with free advance booking recommended. Note that its cloakroom charges £2.50 or £5 per item.

Along the Thames: the two Tates and IWM London

Tate Modern, in a former power station at Bankside, shows modern and contemporary art from 1900 onwards. The collection displays are free; the big exhibitions are paid. Its Turbine Hall is a good free sight in itself, and the gallery stays open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The nearest stations are Southwark and Blackfriars.

Tate Britain, on Millbank near Pimlico station, covers British art from 1500 to the present, including a large collection of Turner. It is free with no need to book, and usually much quieter than Tate Modern.

IWM London, in Lambeth near Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle stations, tells the story of conflict from the First World War to the present. Entry is free with no booking. Do not confuse it with the Churchill War Rooms, run by the same organisation, which charge £34 for an adult.

East London and Greenwich

The newest free museums are in east London. At Stratford, on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the V&A East Museum opened on 18 April 2026, and the V&A East Storehouse, where you can walk among the V&A's stored collections, opened in May 2025. Both are free and open until 22:00 on Thursdays and Saturdays. The museum warns that there may be a queue to get in.

The London Museum is in a period of change. Its old London Wall building closed in December 2022, and its new home in the former Smithfield General Market opens on 28 November 2026 with free galleries. Until then, the free London Museum Docklands, a three-minute walk from West India Quay DLR station, is its only site open.

In Greenwich, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House are free and open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. The neighbouring Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark charge for entry; see our guide to Greenwich's museums for prices and the Observatory's closure from November 2026.

Smaller free museums worth the detour

Beyond the national museums, London has many smaller free collections, often in historic houses. These were all free in September 2026:

• Sir John Soane's Museum, Lincoln's Inn Fields: an architect's extraordinary house; Wednesday to Sunday.
• Hunterian Museum, across the same square: anatomy and surgery; Tuesday to Saturday.
• Museum of the Home, Hoxton: 400 years of London living rooms; Tuesday to Sunday.
• The Wallace Collection, Manchester Square: paintings, furniture and armour; daily.
• Wellcome Collection, Euston Road: health, medicine and art; Tuesday to Sunday.
• Horniman Museum and Gardens, Forest Hill: world cultures and gardens (the aquarium is paid).
• Bank of England Museum, City of London: money and banking; Monday to Friday.
• Guildhall Art Gallery and London's Roman Amphitheatre, City of London.
• Kenwood, on the edge of Hampstead Heath: a country house with an art collection, open daily 10:00-17:00.

Our guide to London's best small museums covers these, and some excellent paid ones, in more detail.

Donations: how much, and do you have to?

No, you do not have to donate. Entry to the free collections is genuinely free, and nobody will ask you for money at the door. You will, however, see donation boxes near the entrances, and sometimes card readers, often with a suggested amount printed on them. When booking a free ticket online you may also be offered the chance to add a donation.

How much to give is up to you. A common approach is to give something close to what you would happily pay for an hour or two of entertainment, or to give once at the museum you enjoy most rather than a little at every door. Some museums also ask whether you are a UK taxpayer so that they can claim Gift Aid, a government top-up on donations; this only applies if you pay UK income or capital gains tax, so overseas visitors should say no.

Paid exhibitions and extras inside free museums

Almost every big free museum runs temporary exhibitions that you pay for separately. They are optional: the permanent collection stays free while they run. In September 2026, for example:

• The British Museum was selling tickets for Korea (1 October 2026 to 31 January 2027).
• Tate Modern had paid exhibitions including Frida: The Making of an Icon (until 3 January 2027) and Ana Mendieta (until 17 January 2027).
• The Natural History Museum was showing Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep.
• The National Maritime Museum charged £12 for adults to see the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition.

Paid exhibition tickets are sold for a time slot and the popular ones sell out, so book ahead if there is a show you really want to see. At the British Museum, an exhibition ticket also gives you access to the permanent collection. Members of each museum usually get free exhibition entry, which can pay for itself if you live in London or visit often.

Practical tips for free museum days

• Book the free ticket where it is asked for. The Science Museum asks everyone to pre-book. Elsewhere a free ticket is optional but can save queueing at weekends and in school holidays.
• Expect bag searches. Most big museums check bags at the entrance. Travel light, and do not bring suitcases.
• Go early or late. The first hour after opening and the last two hours before closing are usually the calmest. Evening openings are quieter still; see our guide to museum late openings.
• Check gallery closures. Individual rooms close for works or at short notice. At the British Museum, for example, some rooms open only from 11:00 to 15:00.
• Mix museums with other free sights. Our list of free things to do in London and our guide to London on a budget show how to build whole days around them.

Frequently asked questions

Are London museums really free?

Yes. The permanent collections of the national museums, including the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and IWM London, are free to enter. Special exhibitions and some extras are paid.

Do I need to book free museum tickets in London?

Only at some museums. The Science Museum asks all visitors to pre-book a free ticket. At the British Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery a free ticket is optional or recommended, while the V&A, Tate Britain and IWM London say you do not need to book.

How much should I donate at a free museum?

There is no required amount, and you do not have to donate at all. Donation boxes often show a suggested figure. Give what feels fair for your visit, or support the museum by buying something in its shop or café instead.

Which free museums in London are open late?

The British Museum is open until 20:30 on Fridays, the National Gallery until 21:00 on Fridays, the V&A South Kensington until 22:00 on Fridays, Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and V&A East until 22:00 on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Is the British Museum free?

Yes. Entry to the British Museum's permanent collection is free, and it opens daily from 10:00 to 17:00, until 20:30 on Fridays. Booking a free timed ticket is recommended, and only special exhibitions are paid.

Sources

• British Museum - Visit (Internet Archive copy, 6 September 2026) (checked September 2026)
• Natural History Museum - Visit (checked September 2026)
• Science Museum - Visit (checked September 2026)
• V&A - Visit V&A South Kensington (checked September 2026)
• National Gallery - Plan your visit (checked September 2026)
• Tate - Visit Tate Modern (checked September 2026)
• Imperial War Museums - IWM London (checked September 2026)
• London Museum - Our locations (checked September 2026)