Museums & monuments — London
- British MuseumFree entryDaily 10am–5pm · Fri to 8:30pm
Free but book a slot at weekends; the Rosetta Stone is right of the entrance.
- Tower of Londonfrom £33.60 online9am–5:30pm · Sun–Mon from 10am
Head to the Crown Jewels at opening: after 11am it's a 30-minute queue.
- Westminster Abbey£29 online · free for services9:30am–3:30pm · closed Sunday to visitors
Afternoon Evensong is free and gets you into the quire.
- London Eyefrom £29 onlineDaily 11am–6pm
Last rotation at sunset: same price, far better view.
- Buckingham PalaceOutside free · State Rooms from £32 (summer)Changing the Guard 11am (alternate days)
Watch the Guard change from the Victoria Memorial — above the crowd.
- St Paul's Cathedral£26 online (dome included)8:30am–4:30pm · closed Sunday to visitors
528 steps to the Golden Gallery: the view beats the Shard.
- National GalleryFree entryDaily 10am–6pm · Fri to 9pm
Van Gogh, Turner and Caravaggio for free, on Trafalgar Square.
- Tower BridgeWalk across free · Exhibition £13.40Exhibition 9:30am–6pm
Bridge lift times are published online — a free show.
- Tate ModernFree entryDaily 10am–6pm
Free level 10 terrace: views of St Paul's and the Millennium Bridge.
- Tate BritainFree entryDaily 10am–6pm
The Turner rooms hold hundreds of works donated by the artist himself.
- Natural History MuseumFree entryDaily 10am–5:50pm
Book the free slot online — weekend walk-in queues can top an hour.
- Science MuseumFree entryDaily 10am–6pm
Special exhibitions and the IMAX are paid extras — check the calendar first.
- Victoria and Albert MuseumFree entryDaily 10am–5:45pm · Fri to 10pm
Friday late opening is far quieter than daytime visits.
- National Portrait GalleryFree entryDaily 10am–6pm · Fri–Sat to 9pm
Reopened after its 2023 renovation, with a new entrance on Ross Place.
- Imperial War MuseumFree entryDaily 10am–6pm
The Holocaust Galleries need a free timed ticket to manage visitor flow.
- Museum of London DocklandsFree entryDaily 10am–5pm
Housed in an 1802 sugar warehouse — the London, Sugar & Slavery gallery is the highlight.
- Churchill War Roomsfrom £32 onlineDaily 9:30am–6pm
The included audio guide is excellent — allow at least 90 minutes.
- Houses of Parliament & Big Benfrom £30 guided tourTours Saturdays only and during parliamentary recess
Book well ahead — Elizabeth Tower tours sell out months in advance.
- Kensington Palacefrom £22.50 onlineDaily 10am–4pm · closed Monday in low season
The Sunken Gardens around the palace are free and lovely in spring.
- Hampton Court Palacefrom £28.80 onlineDaily 10am–5pm · earlier close in winter
Save time for the famous hedge maze — getting lost is the whole point.
- Tower Bridge Exhibition£13.40 onlineDaily 9:30am–6pm
The high-level glass floor is the highlight — go on a clear day for the view below.
- The View from The Shardfrom £28 onlineDaily 10am–10pm
Sunset slots are cheapest when booked well in advance.
- Sky GardenFree entryMon–Fri 10am–6pm · weekends 9:30am–7pm (booking required)
Free but booking-only — weekend slots vanish days in advance.
- Somerset HouseFree entryDaily 10am–6pm (courtyard hours vary by event)
In winter the courtyard ice rink is one of London's most scenic.
- Courtauld Galleryfrom £13 onlineDaily 10am–6pm · closed 24–26 Dec
Small but dense — Manet's Bar at the Folies-Bergère alone is worth the visit.
- Wallace CollectionFree entryDaily 10am–5pm
Fragonard's The Swing and a huge armoury collection — free and rarely crowded.
- Sir John Soane's MuseumFree entryTue–Sun 10am–5pm · closed Monday
The architect's maze-like house-museum has limited entries — arrive early.
- Royal Observatory Greenwichfrom £18 onlineDaily 10am–5pm
The ticket includes the selfie on the Meridian Line — avoid midday for shorter queues.
- Cutty Sarkfrom £18 onlineDaily 10am–5pm
Walk beneath the copper-clad hull — a unique view under a historic clipper.
- Old Royal Naval CollegeGrounds free · Painted Hall £16Daily 10am–5pm
The Painted Hall is called 'Britain's Sistine Chapel' — well worth the ticket.
- Kew Gardensfrom £17 onlineDaily 10am–6pm (varies by season)
Don't miss the Treetop Walkway, 18 metres up among the tree canopies.
- Royal Albert Hallfrom £20 guided tourDaily tours, times vary around events
Tours cover the famous summer Proms — book online, evening events often cancel slots.
- Shakespeare's Globefrom £17 tour · shows from £25Daily tours 9:30am–5pm (suspended on matinee days)
The £5 standing 'groundling' tickets for shows are the most authentic experience.
- The Monument£6 onlineDaily 9:30am–6pm
311 narrow spiral steps — not ideal if you're claustrophobic.
- Wellington Arch£6.80 onlineSat–Sun 10am–4pm (seasonal)
Combine the ticket with Apsley House right across the road — a joint discount applies.
- Apsley House£13.90 onlineSat–Sun 10am–4pm (seasonal)
The Duke of Wellington's former home, with Spanish masterpieces seized from Napoleon after Waterloo.
- Leighton House£11 onlineWed–Mon 10am–5:30pm · closed Tuesday
The Arab Hall, lined with original Ottoman tiles, is unlike anywhere else in London.
- Design MuseumPermanent collection free · exhibitions from £16Daily 10am–6pm
The shop is one of London's best for contemporary design pieces.
- Horniman MuseumMuseum free · Aquarium £8Daily 10am–5:30pm
The overstuffed Victorian walrus is a local icon — the view from the gardens is free.
- The Postal Museumfrom £19.50 online (with Mail Rail)Wed–Sun 10am–5pm · closed Mon–Tue
The mini-train ride through the old underground mail railway is the highlight.
- Charles Dickens Museum£12.50 onlineWed–Sun 10am–5pm · closed Mon–Tue
The only surviving Dickens home in London — he wrote Oliver Twist here.
- Handel & Hendrix in London£14 onlineTue–Sun 11am–6pm · closed Monday
Handel and Jimi Hendrix lived next door to each other, two centuries apart — a quirky must.