Museums in London
Entry is free; what you pay in is the queue and the wrong day
- Late Friday
- British Museum until 8.30pm
- Closed
- 24–26 December: the National Gallery
Entry to the great London museums is free, and what you pay in is the queue, the exhibitions and the wrong day. On 29 September 2026 the government ruled out charging overseas visitors, so the permanent collections stay open to everyone. That leaves the real decision: six museums, one day, and the question of which two belong together.
The permanent collections of the national museums stay free for overseas visitors too, but museums can still charge for temporary exhibitions, and the hours and entry terms of each of the six are in the table. Holidays count separately: from 24 to 26 December the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are closed, and the National Gallery is also closed on 1 January.
Exhibitions in the same buildings are ticketed separately.
What is free and what is ticketed
Free means the permanent collection, and the cashier is waiting at the temporary exhibition in the same building. Tate Modern keeps its collection free and charges for the large shows, and it recommends booking an exhibition ahead. The National Gallery does the same, with its entrance in the Sainsbury Wing facing Trafalgar Square. Count an exhibition as a separate outing with its own ticket, and the day stays honest.
The decision changes nothing at the door, because overseas visitors walk in on the same terms as everyone else and the permanent collections stay free. Budget only for what is marked as ticketed, and the rest of the day costs the Tube fare and a sandwich.
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Friday evening
Friday is the evening that opens up the other days. The British Museum stays open longer: daily 10am–5pm, Fridays until 8.30pm. The National Gallery follows: daily 10am–6pm, Fridays until 9pm. The V&A is the latest of the three: daily 10am–5.45pm, Fridays until 10pm. Tate Modern stays open late from Friday through Saturday: Sun–Thu 10am–6pm, Fri–Sat 10am–9pm. That is the evening to give to the museum you would otherwise squeeze into a lunch hour. The V&A East Storehouse, at 2 Parkes Street in Hackney Wick, is a second option for the V&A fan: it is open daily from 10 to 18 and until 22 on Thursday and Saturday evenings.
How to pick two museums for one day
Two big museums back to back is the mistake. A visit to the British Museum that takes in the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures already runs to two or three hours according to one guide, and a second giant straight afterwards turns the afternoon into a corridor. Put one large museum in the morning, and give the other the Friday evening.
The choice between the British Museum and the National Gallery is a matter of taste, so the verdict follows your interest: antiquities and sculpture on Great Russell Street, paintings on Trafalgar Square. The V&A and the Natural History Museum share South Kensington, on Exhibition Road and Cromwell Road, which makes them a walk apart rather than a trip apart. Tate Modern pairs better with the evening, since it stays open late on Friday and Saturday.
When you need to book
Most of the six accept you without a reservation, and four details ask for a plan. Read them before the Tube ride, since the Science Museum wants a ticket even though entry costs nothing.
- The Science Museum is free, yet the free ticket must be booked in advance.
- The British Museum recommends a timed ticket.
- The National Gallery gives a faster entrance to anyone who books a free ticket, though you can also walk in without one.
- Tate Modern recommends booking for exhibitions, and the Natural History Museum needs no timed entry, though a queue forms when it is busy.
Greenwich
Greenwich is where the free rule ends. The Royal Observatory costs €28 and the Cutty Sark €26, and a day pass for both is €44. The National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House are free, so you can fill a day there without paying for either ticketed sight. The decision is simple: pay for the ship and the meridian, or walk the park and the free museums.
Where to next
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like London
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Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Will London museums start charging overseas visitors?
No. The government ruled out entry charges for overseas visitors to the national museums on 29 September 2026, so the permanent collections stay free. Temporary exhibitions can still carry a ticket.
Do you need to book a free ticket?
Only for the Science Museum, where a free ticket must be booked in advance. At the National Gallery a booked free ticket gives a faster entrance, but you can enter without one. The Natural History Museum needs no timed entry.
Which museum if you only have one day?
Pick by interest. The British Museum if you want antiquities, with the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures, the National Gallery for paintings, and Tate Modern for modern art. Give yourself two to three hours for the first of them.
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