London Guidebook

Price

Free

Website

cromwellplace.com

Hours

Mon-Tue: Closed to public
Wed-Sat: 10:00 - 18:00
Sun: 10:00 - 16:00

Photo by me, this was London Craft Week.

Photo of some pottery displayed next to a window. — Photo by me, this was London Craft Week.

Cutty Sark

One of the last sail-powered tea clippers built, Cutty Sark is younger than you’d think - first setting sail in 1869.

It (she?) was nearly destroyed by a fire in 2007 but thankfully was saved and has been restored.

The square around the ship is a nice place for lunch and there’s a street food market there.

Area

Price

£20.00 - Children £10

Website

Hours

Mon-Sun: 11:00 - 17:00
Last entry: 16:15

Photo of the bow of the Cutty Sark — Photo by me.

Fan Museum

Situated in two Georgian Terraces, the Fan Museum is very small but was brought to life by the enthusiastic staff.

They were very happy to talk and listening to them for just a few minutes taught me more about fans than I ever thought I’d know.

Area

www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Price

£5.00 - Children £3, Families £10

Website

www.thefanmuseum.org.uk

Hours

Sun-Mon: Closed
Tue-Sat: 11:00 - 17:00
Last entry: 16:30

Photo by me, sorry about the reflections.

Photo of an antique fan — Photo by me, sorry about the reflections.

Fashion & Textile Museum

Alas, readers. I hadn’t booked, they didn’t let me in and I don’t know enough about fashion or textiles to make it sound like I’ve been.

Still, at least you now know you definitely should book. There’s no permanent collection so it is also worth checking what’s on before you visit.

Area

Bermondsey

Price

£12.65

Website

fashiontextilemuseum.org

Hours

Mon-Sun: 09:30 - 18:00

Photo by me, standing mournfully outside.

Photo of the exterior of the museum, a modern, orange building — Photo by me, standing mournfully outside.

Hunterian Museum

Located in the Royal College of Surgeons, The Hunterian Museum shows off an extrodinary collection of medical specimens accumulated by John Hunter in the 18th Century.

Expect excruciating looking medical instruments, jars of preserved body parts (!), animal skeletons and a look at how modern surgery has advanced.

Area

Holborn

Price

Free - pre-booking advised

Website

hunterianmuseum.org

Hours

Tues-Sat: 10:00 - 17:00

Photo by me, the exhibits aren't very photogenic 😱

Photo of the Royal College of Surgeons — Photo by me, the exhibits aren't very photogenic 😱

London Transport Museum

Engaging museum charting 200 years of London’s transport history.

Area

Covent Garden

Price

£24.50 - Annual pass. Entry timeslot must be pre-booked.

Website

ltmuseum.co.uk

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 18:00
Last entry: 17:00

Photo by me, there was a giant queue to get in. 😓

Exterior of The London Transport Museum — Photo by me, there was a giant queue to get in. 😓

Museum of Brands

A small but dense museum exhibiting a large range of everyday branded items, showing how they developed between the Victorian era and present day.

Area

Notting Hill

Price

£10.00 - u16s £5.50, families £26

Website

museumofbrands.com

Hours

Mon-Sat: 10:00 - 18:00
Sun: 11.00 - 17.00
Bank holidays: 11.00 - 17.00

National Gallery

Gallery housing a wide selection of paintings, including works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

Area

Westminster

Price

Free - some paid exhibitions

Website

Hours

Mon-Thu: 10:00 - 18:00
Fri: 10:00 - 21:00
Sat-Sun: 10:00 - 18:00

Photo of The National Gallery, a domed classical building. — Photo by Tânia Mousinho on Unsplash

Definitely the best value for money museum in Greenwich - the National Maritime Museum is enormous, with varied displays ranging from the exploration of the Pacific to the doomed Polar expeditions of the early 1900s.

There’s a well appointed café too. I went on Saturday and it still didn’t feel too busy - the building can absorb far more visitors than most.

Area

Price

Free

Website

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:00

Photo by me, the museum is very dark inside.

Photo of a sculpture of a boat in a bottle outside the museum. — Photo by me, the museum is very dark inside.

Natural History Museum

The most famous of Kensington’s museums and so also the busiest - I’d recommend trying to avoid the crowds by visiting later in the day.

I was surprised that I enjoyed their geological collections just as much as I did the famous dinosaurs. They have some very pretty rocks!

Area

Price

Free - Some paid exhibitions

Website

nhm.ac.uk

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:50
Last entry: 17:30

Photo of the Natural History Museum, a cathedral-like gothic structure. — Photo by Grant Ritchie on Unsplash

Old Royal Naval College

There’s a scale & grandeur to the Old Royal Naval College that is rare in the UK - it is truly vast.

Many of the buildings aren’t open to the public so the entry fee mostly covers the Painted Hall. It is magnificent but you really need to go on the tour, included in the price. There’s not much information available if you don’t.

Area

Price

£16.50 - Children free

Website

ornc.org

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:00
Last entry: 16:30

Photo of two impressive domed buildings in the college. — Photo by me.

Oxo Tower Wharf

I’m not sure that having a riverside tower dedicated to a brand of stock cubes helps London’s culinary image but it has been redeveloped into a restaurant and art gallery.

I always assumed it was part of some large business but the building is actually owned by the Coin Street social enterprise, formed by local residents in the 1970s.

Area: South Bank
Website: coinstreet.org

Photo by me, isn't the Thames a lovely colour. 🤢

The Oxo Tower with the muddy Thames in the foreground. — Photo by me, isn't the Thames a lovely colour. 🤢

Queens House

Queens House is packed with nautical artwork, from Tudor depictions of the Spanish Armada to World War 2 scenes and modern works.

Despite all this my abiding memory will be learning that King Charles II had a “writing closet” that is bigger than any room in my flat.

Area

Price

Free

Website

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:00

Photo by me. A gallery full of art and I chose the floor.

Photo of the black and white tiled floor in the centre of the house. — Photo by me. A gallery full of art and I chose the floor.

Royal College of Music Museum

The RCM Museum consists of two rooms of musical exhibits in the Royal College of Music, itself a grand building with a nice café.

A highlight is the Friday performances given by students of the college - I was unaware of these until I wandered into the middle of one. 😬

Area

Price

Free

Website

www.rcm.ac.uk

Hours

Mon: Closed
Tue-Fri: 10:15 - 17:45
Sat-Sun: 11:00 - 18:00
Last entry: 30m before closing

Photo of a keyed musical instrument, a piano or harpsichord maybe — Photo by me, after the concert.

Royal Observatory

The epicentre of Greenwich Mean Time, with some small but interesting galleries showing historic instruments used to track the stars.

I know I complain a lot about prices but £20 feels like an amount you can only get away with if everyone has climbed a steep hill to be there.

Area

Greenwich Park

Price

£20.00 - Children £10

Website

Hours

Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 17:00
Last entry: 16:15
Note: Closes later May-Sep

Photo of people taking photos on the Meridian Line — Photo by me, near the Meridian Line.

Science Museum

The Science Museum feels like several museums in one. I didn’t budget enough time for it, you definitely can spend over two hours there.

The most popular exhibits are the steam engines, rockets and aeroplanes on the ground floor but don’t forget to venture upstairs to the Wellcome Galleries and Clockmakers’ Museum. They’re also fantastic and slightly less hectic at peak times.

Area