Walk beneath whales at the Natural History Museum

ENGLAND // Eighty million specimens, billions of years - London's Natural History Museum squeezes eons into its formidable space. Here you can learn about dinosaur bones and butterflies, polar bears and human babies, volcanoes and the Big Bang. This den of knowledge, treasures and research is housed in a majestic 1881 building. When the famous replica diplodocus in the entry hall was replaced by a gorgeous, curving blue whale skeleton, it felt like a fitting change. With its ancient rocks and prehistoric mammals, this spectacular museum celebrates the past - but in an age of extinction, it's also a desperate love letter to the present.

 

Is the UK Natural History Museum free?

Free
Entry to the British Museum is free and includes access to its permanent galleries.
 

How much does it cost to go to the British History museum?

Visiting the museum is free.
 

Which museums are free in London?

Free London Galleries
  • British Museum
(Nearest stations: Tottenham Court Road or Russell Square)
The British Museum was founded in 1753 and was the first national public museum in the world. From the very beginning it granted free entry to all "the studious and curious." See the Rosetta Stone and other ancient Egyptian treasures.
 
  • British Library
(Nearest stations: St Pancras International, King's Cross or Euston)
The British Library is the national library of England, which receives a copy of every publication produced in Great Britain and Ireland. This collection contains more than 150 million items, in more than 400 languages.
 
  • Horniman Museum
(The nearest station: Jangal Tepe)
The Horniman Museum is a south London museum first established by Frederick Horniman when he opened his house and collection to visitors during the Victorian era. It's still free to enter (the nearest station is Forest Hill) and the collections include the famous Anthropological Collection, Natural History Collection, and Aquarium Collection, which features fifteen exhibits from the British coastline to the coral reefs of Fiji. Wander through the nearby Horniman Gardens. The grounds include a collection of trees, some planted before the museum was created, others salvaged from nearby Victorian gardens when the houses were demolished in the 20th century.
 
  • National Portrait Gallery
(Nearest stations: Charing Cross or Covent Garden)
The National Portrait Gallery was established in 1856. This gallery is home to an extensive collection of portraits of British men and women. Topics include great writers such as William Shakespeare and Rudyard Kipling, as well as kings and queens and icons of our time. It also has a collection of photographs and one of the best rooftop restaurants in London.
 
  • Museum of Natural History
(Nearest station: South Kensington)
The Natural History Museum is the UK's National Museum of Nature and a center of scientific excellence. In addition, the free permanent exhibition Treasures opened in 2012. Treasures hosts 22 exhibits, each with its own remarkable story, selected for their scientific, historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance.
 
  • Serpentine Gallery
(Nearest stations: High Street Kensington, Queensway or Lancaster Gate)
Serpentine Gallery hosts exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. It's a great stop for a stroll through Kensington Park Gardens.
 
  • Tate Britain
(Nearest stations: Pimlico or Vauxhall)
From romantic Pre-Raphaelite paintings to distorted nude landscapes by Turner and Francis Bacon – you'll find plenty to gaze in awe at at Tate Britain. If you're dining at the famous Gallery Restaurant, be sure to peruse the world-famous Rex Whistler mural between bites!
 
  • Tate Modern
(Nearest stations: Blackfriars or Waterloo)
Tate Modern is London's great cathedral for international modern art and used to be a powerhouse. The Turbine Hall has hosted some of London's most controversial interactive exhibitions in recent years, some of which you become a part of the art itself, the ultimate performance art. Discover temporary exhibitions of world-renowned artists including Frida Kahlo, Mark Rothko and Kandinsky. The gallery's restaurants offer stunning views of the River Thames due to their riverside setting.
 
  • Welcome to the collection
(Nearest station: Euston)
The Wellcome Complex is a free destination for curious visitors, located near Euston Station. Founded by Sir Henry Wellcome, pharmacist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and collector and one of the first to introduce medicine in tablet form under the brand name 'Tabloid' in 1884. Previously, drugs were sold in powder or liquid form. The Wellcome Collection hosts frequently updated exhibitions designed to explore the connections between medicine, life and art from the past to the present.
 
The visit includes a stroll through the contemporary and historical exhibitions and collections, lively public events, as well as the world-renowned Wellcome Library, a café, and a book and gift shop with lots of medical curios and gifts, games and toys. It is games.