Popular Attractions in London
Free national museums, royal history, river views
London's attractions cluster in a few walkable quarters: Albertopolis in South Kensington, Bloomsbury around the British Museum, the river run from Bankside through the South Bank to Westminster, the City around St Paul's, and Maritime Greenwich. Permanent collections at the national museums cost nothing. The palaces, the view decks and the stadium tours are the paid half.
Where it clusters
Three South Kensington museums sit minutes apart, and Bloomsbury adds a fourth heavyweight by Russell Square. The river is the other spine, walkable from Bankside to Westminster in under an hour. Greenwich and Kew each deserve their own half day.
What costs nothing
Free admission to permanent collections holds across the big national museums and galleries, which few capitals match. The highest free view in the City needs a timed ticket booked well ahead. Save the budget for the royal palaces and the observation decks.
When to go
Summer and the school holidays fill the largest museums by mid morning. Arrive at opening or after three. Winter is calmer, and evening lates turn a few galleries into an after work option.
Popular Attractions in London
Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Sporting venue open to visitors
The home of England Rugby, around 82,000 capacity, the largest dedicated rugby union stadium in the world. Renamed from Twickenham Stadium under a 2024 sponsorship deal. Tours and the World Rugby Museum on site.
200 Whitton Road, Twickenham, London, TW2 7BA
British Museum
Free museum
Second most visited UK attraction in 2025 with 6,440,120 visits. Free entry. Great Court is Europe's largest covered public square.
Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 3DG
Buckingham Palace State Rooms
Historic royal palace
The 19 State Rooms open to visitors for a limited summer season and on selected dates. The King's Gallery and Royal Mews open more widely.
Buckingham Palace, London, SW1A 1AA
Churchill War Rooms
Museum and historic site
The preserved underground Cabinet War Rooms plus the Churchill Museum. Part of Imperial War Museums, paid entry.
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, Westminster, London, SW1A 2AQ
Cutty Sark
Historic ship
The last surviving tea clipper, restored and reopened in 2012 after the 2007 fire. Visitors can walk beneath the hull.
King William Walk, Greenwich, London, SE10 9HT
Design Museum
Museum
Moved to the former Commonwealth Institute building in 2016. The permanent Designer Maker User display is free to visit.
224-238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Art gallery
England's first purpose-built public art gallery, opened 1817, designed by Sir John Soane. Strong Old Masters collection.
Gallery Road, Dulwich, London, SE21 7AD
Emirates Stadium
Sporting venue open to visitors
Home of Arsenal FC since 2006, around 60,700 capacity. Self-guided and legends stadium tours available.
75 Drayton Park, Islington, London, N5 1BU
Hampton Court Palace
Historic royal palace
Tudor palace of Henry VIII plus a Baroque palace built for William III and Mary II, about twelve miles south west of central London on the Thames. Famous hedge maze.
Hampton Court Way, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9AU
HMS Belfast
Historic ship
Second World War light cruiser moored between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, part of Imperial War Museums. Nine decks open.
The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2JH
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Free museum
Free entry to the main galleries, with 16 acres of gardens, an aquarium and butterfly house charged separately. Founded by tea trader Frederick Horniman.
100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ
Imperial War Museum London
Free museum
Free entry, founded 1917. Holocaust Galleries and Second World War Galleries opened in 2021.
Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ
Kensington Palace
Historic royal palace
Birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria, with the King's and Queen's State Apartments and a Royal Style gallery.
Kensington Gardens, London, W8 4PX
London Eye
Observation wheel
135 metres high with 32 capsules, one for each London borough, each holding up to 25 people. The UK's most popular paid-for attraction.
Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB
Lord's Cricket Ground
Sporting venue open to visitors
Owned by Marylebone Cricket Club. Tours include the Long Room, the MCC Museum and the original Ashes urn.
St John's Wood Road, St John's Wood, London, NW8 8QN
Madame Tussauds London
Family attraction
Waxwork attraction open on this site since 1884, including the Spirit of London ride and a planetarium-turned-Marvel space.
Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LR
Museum of London Docklands
Free museum
Free entry, in a Grade I listed Georgian sugar warehouse. Remains open while the main London Museum site is being built at Smithfield.
No1 Warehouse, West India Quay, Hertsmere Road, London, E14 4AL
National Gallery
Free gallery
Fifth most visited UK attraction in 2025 with 4,147,544 visits. Free entry. Around 2,300 Western European paintings from the 13th to early 20th century.
Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN
National Maritime Museum
Free museum
Free entry, part of Royal Museums Greenwich and the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Holds the world's largest maritime archive in the Caird Library.
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF
National Portrait Gallery
Free gallery
Reopened in June 2023 after a three year redevelopment with a new north entrance on Ross Place. Free entry to the collection.
St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Natural History Museum
Free museum
The UK's most visited attraction in 2025 with a record 7,116,929 visits, up 13 percent. Free entry to permanent galleries.
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 5BD
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Botanic garden
UNESCO World Heritage Site over 300 acres, with the Palm House, Temperate House, Treetop Walkway and Kew Palace.
Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Historic site and planetarium
Home of the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time. Next door is the Peter Harrison Planetarium, London's only planetarium.
Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich Park, London, SE10 8XJ
Science Museum
Free museum
Free entry, with over a thousand interactive exhibits plus an IMAX cinema and simulator experiences charged separately.
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD
SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Aquarium
In the basement of County Hall next to the London Eye, with a walk-over glass shark floor.
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB
Sky Garden
Free observation deck
London's highest public garden, at the top of 20 Fenchurch Street. Free to enter but timed tickets must be booked in advance and often sell out.
1 Sky Garden Walk, London, EC3M 8AF
Southwark Cathedral
Cathedral
Oldest Gothic church building in London, next to Borough Market. Free entry, donations invited.
London Bridge, London, SE1 9DA
St Paul's Cathedral
Cathedral
Wren's domed cathedral completed 1710, with the Whispering, Stone and Golden Galleries climbing to an external view over the City.
St Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD
Tate Britain
Free gallery
National collection of British art from 1500 to today, including the Turner Bequest. Free entry to the collection.
Millbank, Westminster, London, SW1P 4RG
Tate Modern
Free gallery
Fourth most visited UK attraction in 2025 with 4,514,266 visits. Converted Bankside Power Station designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. Free entry to the collection.
Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
The View from The Shard
Observation deck
Viewing floors on levels 68 to 72 of the 309.6 metre Renzo Piano tower, the tallest building in the UK.
32 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9SG
The Wallace Collection
Free museum
Free entry, open daily. National museum in the former townhouse of the Marquesses of Hertford, kept as bequeathed, with French 18th century art and a major arms and armour collection.
Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, W1U 3BN
Tower of London
Historic site
UNESCO World Heritage Site cared for by Historic Royal Palaces. 2,817,852 visits in 2025. Home of the Crown Jewels and the Yeoman Warders.
St Katharine's and Wapping, London, EC3N 4AB
Victoria and Albert Museum
Free museum
The world's leading museum of art, design and performance, with a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects. Free entry.
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2RL
Wembley Stadium
Sporting venue open to visitors
90,000 capacity, the largest stadium in the UK. Stadium tours run on most non-event days.
South Way, Wembley, London, HA9 0WS
Westminster Abbey
Church and historic site
UNESCO World Heritage Site and coronation church since 1066. Includes Poets' Corner and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries in the medieval triforium.
20 Dean's Yard, Westminster, London, SW1P 3PA
Opened 1828 as the world's first scientific zoo. Run by the Zoological Society of London, a conservation charity.
Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY
London, asked.
Are London's museums really free?
Yes. Permanent collections at the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the National Gallery and Imperial War Museum London are free to enter. Temporary exhibitions are usually ticketed and donations are invited. Sky Garden is free too, but needs a timed ticket booked in advance.
What should I see if I only have one day?
Pick one cluster and walk it. The river gives you Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and the London Eye, with Westminster Abbey over the bridge. Or start at the Tower of London, cross to St Paul's Cathedral, and finish high up at Sky Garden if you booked ahead.
How do people promote a show in London?
Word of mouth and listings do much of it, but print still reaches people mid trip. What's on guides, leaflet racks in venue foyers and box offices, and posters around stations and theatre streets catch visitors who are deciding on the day rather than weeks out.