The Best MUSEUMS in London
With so many museums to choose from in our beautiful city let us help you with our pick of the 10 Best Museums to visit in London
📷 @oldoperatingtheatre
10. The Old Operating Theatre
Kicking things off with a delightfully gruesome entry, the Old Operating Theatre is home to the oldest surviving surgical theatre in Europe. This pre-dates anaesthetics and antibiotics back in the day when getting a splinter could get you a date with a hacksaw. How fun!
Jokes aside, it is actually fascinating to learn about how medicine and health standards were progressing in those days, and how far we’ve come since then.
📷 @vamuseum
9. The V&A
Probably the most underrated of the ‘big’ museums in London, this beautiful building in South Kensington has a fantastic classical collection primarily encompassing stunning statues throughout the ages from Greek & biblical mythology (Samson Slaying a Philistine) to Clemente Papi & Rodin (Cybele).
Additionally, the V&A is home to some of the most well-curated exhibitions, usually centering around high fashion such as Chanel or Alexander McQueen, but also delving into other areas like Alice in Wonderland and Beatrix Potter.
📷 @newportstreetgallery_london
8. Newport Street Gallery
One of the newer locations on this list (opened in 2015), Newport Street Gallery is the home of Damien Hirst’s personal art collection as well as a frankly jaw-dropping set of airy open spaces to wander through, all for free. We’re no art connoisseurs here at TL100 but the collection here si always beautiful and inspiring.
And for an extra little treat you can pop into Pharmacy2, a medicine-themed cafe/restaurant adjoining the gallery, designed by Damien Hirst himself. With food created by Mark Hix this is worth a trip on its own.
📷 @saatchi_gallery
7. Saatchi Gallery
For the past 40 years Charles Saatchi has painstakingly put together one of the most impressive modern art collections you’ll ever find. Situated in an idyllic square just off King’s Road you might walk past it without even realising it’s there.
But do make sure to visit as you will always find something to stretch your understanding of art, of beauty, of design. And their exhibitions are consistently fun, unusual and thought-provoking, from Bob Marley to street art, from Tiffany’s to rare book fairs. And their Museum Lates aren’t half bad either.
📷 @thephotographersgallery
6. The Photographers’ Gallery
You can find one of London’s best museums literally a stone’s throw from Oxford Street and most people wouldn’t even know it was there. The Photographers’ Gallery is an exceptional venue that should be lauded as one of London’s primary cultural phenomenons. With consistently unusual exhibitions every time you go you will find something completely different, inspirational, and thought-provoking each time you return.
Originally founded in 1971, it found a new home in Soho in 2012. This stunning building not only houses every aspect of photography but also is an architectural powerhouse, telling its own story as you walk down its floors.
📷 @britishmuseum
5. British Museum
This is THE iconic London museum and for good reason. Not only is the architecture of the building mind-bogglingly stunning but it is incredibly vast and filled with so many fascinating collections that it should take you at least 5 trips to get through it all.
Personal TL100 favourites include the Lewis Chessmen, the Parthenon Sculptures, the Rosetta Stone, the Sutton Hoo ship burial as well as aztec serpents, jade terrapins, ancient mummies, samurai armour, stunning sphinxes, and colossal statues. Aaaaand breath. That’s not even scratching the surface.
Oh, and always make time to go say hello to Hoa Hakananai'a, the Easter Island statue. Dum dum wants gum gum.
📷 @designmuseum
4. the Design Museum
the Design Museum is not only one of the most strikingly beautiful modern buildings in London but, unsurprisingly, is amazingly designed when you get inside. None of the dreariness of stuffy boring museums and exhibitions. The venue is incredibly spacious and exciting, and it is oddly satisfying just to sit on the main steps, taking in the venue itself. Almost meditative.
And what the Design Museum does exceptionally well is the high curation of its exhibitions. Always diverse and fascinating, they shine a designer’s eye on every aspect of humanity. From football and cinema to ASMR and Netflix. From social and environmental issues to surrealism and dreams. From the future of ageing to joy and playfulness. You will not be disappointed.
📷 @nhmlondon
3. Natural History Museum
If you ever want to get that hit of nostalgia and feel like a kid again this is the place to be. Dinosaurs? Check! Escalator taking you through the planet? Check! Hundreds of animals for you to gawk at? Check check check. This place is in fact as close as you’ll get being David Attenborough.
Also it has two of the best sneaky side activities as well. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year should be on your hitlist every year so you can see amazing shots of awe-inspiring nature. And the Spirit Collection Tour allows you to go down into NHM’s archives to see millions of animals preserved in spirits (including a giant squid in their tank room!).
📷 @soanemuseum
2. Sir John Soane’s Museum
This museum is definitely a bit of a hidden gem. And the reason it is so high on our list here is because of their Museum Lates where after dark they light candles throughout the building and allow you to roam the corridors taking in the beauty of their collections.
This institution hasn’t been changed since its namesake’s death in the 1800s and you can really feel the history seeping into you as you walk around, taking in paintings by Canaletto, Hogarth, Turner, as well as sarcophagi of Egyptian pharoahs and hauntingly beautiful sculptures.
📷 @tate
1. Tate Modern
Located in one of the most striking buildings in the UK is the country’s best museum. Not only does the Tate Modern have one of the finest permanent collections of art you can find but it also habitually puts on spectacular exhibitions that make it a must to get yourself an annual membership so you don’t miss a thing.
That’s before you even start talking about the Turbine Hall, an enormous open warehouse area where some of the most amazing artists embrace the space and create mind-blowing spectacles for us. Remember Ai Wei Wei’s sunflower seeds? That was there. It difficult to put into words here how important this museum is, but if you haven’t been send this right to the front of your to do list and head on over there now.