London is home to five of the Britain’s best museums, with The National Gallery, V&A, and Natural History Museum being named as some of Britain’s most-loved cultural hotspots. Britain’s best museums are not restricted to the capital city, Titantic Belfast in Northern Ireland and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow are included in our list of Britain’s best museums. The bonus is that many of the museums offer free admission.
National Gallery, London
With more than 2,300 paintings in the collection, from Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh, you can witness life, death, beauty and passion as every painting tells a story. You can discover more about the paintings with talks, tours and online guides. There are also events where you can brush up on your own art skills and create your own masterpiece. There are family workshops too, plus regular concerts. Free admission.
British Museum, London
The British museum illustrates the story of human culture from beginning to present, with a collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. Considered one of the best collections in existence, it spans two million years of human history. Admission is free.
The Museum is grounded in the belief that human cultures can, despite their differences, understand one another through mutual engagement. The Museum is a place where this kind of humane cross-cultural investigation happens, with tours and talks and object handling sessions are open to all.
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London
The V&A is considered the world’s best museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of Britain’s national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance. Free admission.
Natural History Museum, London
The Museum is a one of the best museums in the world and a leading science research centre. With unique collections and unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. There are more than 80 million specimens spanning billions of years. The museum aims to challenge how people think about the natural world.
The Roman Baths, Bath
The Roman Baths, at the heart of the City of Bath World Heritage Site, consists of the remarkably preserved remains of one of the greatest religious spas of the ancient world. The city’s unique thermal springs rise in the site and the Baths still flow with natural hot water.
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
The diverse collections will take you on a journey of discovery through the history of Scotland and around the world, taking in the wonders of nature, art, design and fashion and science and technology, all under one roof.
Churchill War Rooms, London
The Cabinet War Rooms provided the secret underground headquarters for the core of the British government throughout the Second World War. Knowledge of the site and access to it remained highly restricted until the late 1970’s when the Imperial War Museum began the task of preserving the site and its contents. In 1984 the main war rooms opened to the public. In 2003 the ‘Courtyard Rooms’ used by staff, were opened and a museum dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill was opened in 2005.
National Railway Museum, York
Discover 300 years of history and one-million objects that changed the world in the Britain’s largest railway museum.
Titanic Belfast, Belfast
This is considered one of the best museums telling the stories of the ill-fated ship which sank during her maiden voyage in 1912. Titanic Belfast extends over nine galleries, drawing together special effects, dark rides, full-scale reconstructions and innovative interactive features. Explore the shipyard, travel to the depths of the ocean and uncover the true legend of Titanic, in the city where it all began.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
Scotland’s most popular of the country’s museums, and Britain’s most visited museum outside of London. It houses a wide range of Scottish art, as well examples of natural history and arms and armour. A collection highlight is Salvador Dalí’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross.
Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
Imperial War Museum North opened in 2002 as one of five branches of Britain’s Imperial War Museum. The permanent collection considers conflicts that Britain and the Commonwealth have been involved since the First World War.
Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford
The Ashmolean, part of Oxford University, has an extensive collection from all over the word which dates from antiquity to today. First opened in 1683, it is the oldest of all public museums in Britain. Highlights include the Pre-Raphaelite collection, the Alfred Jewel and drawings by Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael.