Location: London
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What to do and see in London, England: The Best Museums
The crown jewels, Buckingham Palace, Camden Market…in London, history collides with art, fashion, food, and good British ale. A perfect day is different for everyone: culture aficionados shouldn't miss the Tate Modern and the Royal Opera House. If you love fashion, Oxford Street has shopping galore. For foodies, cream tea at Harrod’s or crispy fish from a proper chippy offers classic London flavor. Music and book buffs will love seeing Abbey Road and the Sherlock Holmes Museum (at 221B Baker Street, of course).
Restaurants in London
1. HMS Belfast
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,807 reviews
London’s warship experience. Climb on board and explore all 9 decks. Permanently moored on the Thames.
Reviewed By jobyjugs
Well worth a visit if your in the area, fascinating to actually step onboard a war ship you can practically walk round the whole ship, very interesting facts to be learned.
2. The British Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 72,631 reviews
A museum of the world, for the world. Discover over two million years of human history and culture. Some of the world-famous objects include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies.
Reviewed By kb147 - Lafayette, United States
Nearly everyone has heard of the British Museum and with good reason. The collections are absolutely amazing. This is the home of the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and one of the best collections of Egyptian artifacts outside Egypt. (Controvery over whether Britain should be the custodian of these things aside.) But that is only the beginning. There are artifacts from all over the world: an amazing collection of Greek and Etruscan terracotta objects, Roman glass, the Sutton Hoo treasure, some of the most famous Maya stellae, beautiful torquoise mosaic objects of the Aztec culture; sections devoted to China, Japan, and the South Pacific. A serindipity of German "notgeld". And much more! One of the most wonderful areas is King George Library, the "Enlightenment Room": one could spend an entire day just there! That being said, one has to be prepared for crowds, particularly at popular exhibits like the Egyptian artifacts and King George Library. During the week there are numerous school groups clogging these areas and multiple tours in a variety of languages. One has to be patient: go see something 'unpopular' at peak times and try the popular things later. We actually saw the Rosetta Stone at one point with not another soul around. It helps to have several hours to devote here.
3. V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31,918 reviews
The world's greatest museum of art and design.The V&A's collections are unrivalled in their diversity. Explore historical and contemporary art and design, including works of art from many of the world's richest cultures. Admission free.
Reviewed By TalDarkLeanMean - Staines, United Kingdom
The holy trinity of all museums. The V&A, Natural History and the Science Museum. Not in particular order but in one place. Named after the Royal love birds and power couple of arts & culture, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In fact the whole area is littered with their legacy. There's Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Imperial College and God knows what else. It's really a bad idea to to give yourself overdose and kill three birds with one stone (see all three in one visit) unless you're in London for a day or so otherwise you'll neither be doing justice to these wonderful places nor to yourself. Just to give you an idea in a nutshell that what this beautiful building holds inside, There are sculptures, textiles, photography, paintings, jewelry, fashion, music instruments, poetry, metalwork, woodwork, furniture, books, architecture and my personal favorite, ceramic and glass section. One lifetime is not enough to see all that.
4. Wallace Collection
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,471 reviews
A free to visit, national museum in the heart of central London. Originally a private collection, the artwork was bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace in 1897. This attraction features one of the world's best collections of French 18th-century pictures, porcelain and furniture, plus a fantastic array of 17th-century paintings.
Reviewed By RoySensei - Mount Claremont, Australia
This is a MUST SEE - conveniently located off Oxford Street, in the Wallace Collection you'll have the most delightful collection of art works, suits of armour, elegant writing desks, exquisite porcelain, and other magnificent heritage items. Arrive mid morning and you can spend a whole day there - time very well spent and you won;t be disappointed. It's a one-stop-shop of culture and heritage.
5. Sir John Soane's Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,821 reviews
The unusual and unique home of Sir John Soane, eccentric architect of the Bank of England, presents a chimera of colors, unusual perspectives and decorative ornaments drawn from many centuries. Entry is free but timed tickets must be booked online.
Reviewed By MartinDee - London, United Kingdom
This is an individual museum as distinct as the individual who lived there. As you wander the house you go from the kitchen to a crypt as one might go to a bathroom. There you will find the most intricately carved Egyptian sarcophagus amidst ancient friezes and more marble statues than a Roman auction. It is a heady and cramped collection as you might have come across in the basement of the British Museum a hundred years ago. It is certainly more a place of storage than of show. There are no labels excepting those that came with some of the items originally. So you feel like you are finding the treasures yourself at an antiques fair. Should you wish to ask, there are knowledgable staff on hand to tell you the history of the house and details of the items. There is no photography allowed and watchful eyes keep the house a place of peace and enjoyable reverence. Entrance is free but a five pound donation is suggested for those that can afford it.
6. Museum of London
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,737 reviews
Step inside the Museum of London for an unforgettable journey through the capital’s turbulent past. Discover prehistoric London, see how the city changed under Romans and Saxons, wonder at medieval London and examine the tumultuous years when London was ravaged by civil wars, plague and fire. Then venture into the Galleries of Modern London where you can walk the streets of Victorian London, take a stroll in recreated pleasure gardens and marvel at the magnificent Lord Mayor’s Coach. Free entry. Open Monday to Sunday, 10am - 6pm (galleries close at 5.40pm). Closed 24-26 December.
Reviewed By 989pezza - Oxford, United Kingdom
Fantastic museum; one of the best in London, and it's absolutely free. It traces the history of the capital from prehistoric times before it even existed as a city through the Stone Age, the Roman occupation, Medieval London, the Tudor, Georgian and Victorian periods, right through to the present day, plus everything in between. The earlier periods are housed on the upper floor then from Victorian London onwards, it's down to the lower floor. The whole pace is packed with interesting artefacts and well thought out displays. For me the star of the show is Victorian Walk: a superb recreation of a Victorian shopping street, featuring all the shops (and a pub) set up as you would expect to find them about 150 years ago. This is a 'must visit' museum, when in London.
7. Imperial War Museums
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10,428 reviews
Founded during the First World War, IWM London gives voice to the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people forced to live in a world torn apart by conflict. From the wonder of its world-famous atrium to the countless discoveries on each of its six floors, it is a place filled with the power to move, surprise and inspire.
Reviewed By MaleneSC - Copenhagen, Denmark
As a museology and English student (with a great interest in WW1) I love this museum! Their World War One gallery is incredible and so interesting! The museum is free and the guided tours (which I really recommend) are very fairly priced too, and very professional! I've seen their 'Making A New World' special commemorative exhibition and I was so moved and inspired. It was beautifully made. I really recommend this museum to anyone interested in military history (especially WW1) and to anyone in general, it really is worth a visit!
8. Natural History Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 36,863 reviews
A center of scientific excellence in the discovery of taxonomy and biodiversity, this world-famous museum promotes the discovery and enjoyment of the natural world through such exciting exhibits as the Life and Earth Galleries, wildlife garden and geological collections.
Reviewed By markn71 - Loughborough, United Kingdom
One of the best museums, in my opinion, in the world!!! Fun, entertaining and most importantly educational!! From the fantastic blue whale skeleton in the main entrance to the special human biology and moon sections difficult to take it all in and even harder to ensure you cover everything. All exhibits were well presented, well explained and at the correct level of complexity. Loads of interactive things for the kids and adults. I’m sure we missed loads so we will be visiting again.
9. British Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,916 reviews
Open to all visitors seven-days-a-week, this superb building by Sir Colin St John Wilson offers events, special exhibitions and a Treasures Gallery that displays over 200 items, including Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible and lyrics by the Beatles.
Reviewed By hilaryt364 - Arlington, United States
The Treasures room at the British Library houses an amazing collection of documents including a wonderful exhibit on the Magna Carta, da Vinci's notebooks, Beatles music, classical music, the history of printing and many manuscripts from British literature. The library was not crowded, was easy to access and was a very pleasant visit. The Magna Carta alone was worth the trip for a family with school age children but the quality of the exhibit and the overall facilities made the trip more enjoyable.
10. Lord's Cricket Ground
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,514 reviews
Lord's Cricket Ground is known as the Home of Cricket and is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club - better known, throughout the cricketing world, as MCC. Founded in 1787, MCC is the world's most famous cricket club.
Reviewed By RIchard035 - Northwood, United Kingdom
This is the best place in the world to watch cricket. It has an unparalleled atmosphere. The views from all round the ground are good. It is however perhaps a little disappointing being in a covered area on a hot sunny day. There are plenty of places to buy food and drink and there are shops selling cricket goods. There is also the Lord's museum which is free to enter on match days and which has lots of memorabilia on the history of the game. The two criticisms I have of the ground is that you can queue for as much as half an hour to get in on a busy match day and the toilet facilities are totally inadequate. Apart from that, this is a must see venue for a cricket fan.
