London Museums

• The City Of London

MUSEUM OF LONDON. Located in the southwest corner of the Barbican complex, the Museum of London resembles an industrial fortress from the outside. Inside, the engrossing collection traces the history ...more

• Whitechapel And The East End

GEFFRYE MUSEUM. The Geffyre Museum is the place to unleash your inner Martha Stewart. This elaborately restored 17th-century almshouse holds a set of connecting rooms that have been painstakingly reconstructed ...more

• Greenwich

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM. With around two million items in its possession, the National Maritime Museum covers almost every aspect of seafaring history, from the evolving conditions of maritime travel ...more

• Holborn

Holborn’s museums may not be as famous as the Tate or the V&A, but they certainly deserve a visit. The post-Impressionist and modern art collections at the Somerset House museums are top-notch, and ...more

• The South Bank

If the City and Westminster are London’s historical centers, then the South Bank is the artistic center, with one of the highest concentrations of cutting-edge exhibits and museums in the world. Anchored ...more

• South London

HORNIMAN MUSEUM AND GARDENS. This museum is devoted to the small and fascinating collection of 19th-century tea merchant Frederick Horniman. The African Worlds gallery displays a rich selection of masks ...more

• Westminster

Westminster’s museums are really a digestif after the real meal, the sights.

• Mayfair And St. James’S

Auction houses and commercial galleries may outnumber museums in the West End, but Mayfair and St. James’s is home to some of London’s most recognizable art institutions: the National Gallery; its ...more

• Covent Garden And The Strand

LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM. From tram to Tube, the museum takes visitors chronologically through the development of London’s public transportation system over the last 200 years, tracing London’s growth ...more

• Bloomsbury

The funny thing about the British Museum is that there’s almost nothing British in it. Founded in 1753 as the personal collection of Sir Hans Sloane, the museum juxtaposes Victorian Anglocentrism with ...more

• North London

North London’s small collection of museums is diverse in their subject matter, and even though many tourists stay away, the savvy traveler will enjoy exploring the many hidden treasures, from RAF fighters ...more

• Camden Town, King’S Cross, And Islington

Royal Air Force Museum. Though a bit out of the way, the RAF Museum will delight plane fans and awe everyone else. This enormous museum contains three huge hangars, featuring planes from the first ...more

• Saint John’s Wood And Maida Vale

FREUD MUSEUM. The comfortable home in which Sigmund Freud spent the last year of his life after fleeing the Nazis packs a bit more of a punch than most celebrity houses. In his later years, Freud delved ...more

• Hampstead, Highgate, And Golders Green

THE IVEAGH BEQUEST. The impressive Iveagh collection in Kenwood House was bequeathed to the nation by the Earl of Iveagh, who purchased the estate in 1922. Everything on the estate is a work of art, ...more

• Marylebone And Regent’S Park

THE WALLACE COLLECTION. Housed in palatial Hertford House, this stunning array of paintings, porcelain, and armor was bequeathed to the nation by the widow of Sir Richard Wallace in 1897. Restored to ...more

• Kensington And Earl’S Court

South Kensington’s “Albertopolis” is home to a triumvirate of London’s biggest and best museums: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum. While it’s ...more

• Chelsea

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM. Starting with the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and ending with “The Modern Army,” the chronological displays feature life-size recreations, videos, and memorabilia of combat ...more

• Soho

 The Photographers’ Gallery. The largest public gallery in London devoted entirely to photography, the photographer’s gallery never fails to please and inspire. Displays usually feature a single ...more

• Notting Hill

Hanina Fine Arts Ltd, 180 Westbourne Grove (☎ 020 7243 8877; www.haninafinearts.com), Ladbroke Grove. A well-established gallery with another location in New York City. Showcases work by modern and contemporary ...more