11 Of The Best Museums In London That Will Transport You To Another Era

Many of the world’s best museums – those containing some of the globe’s rarest treasures, cutting-edge spaces which reimagine the forms exhibitions can take, and immersive experiences which teleport you to another century – can be found in London. Best of all, in stark contrast to most other international capitals, those in this city are often also free (and if not, at least more reasonably priced). The difficulty, though, is deciding where to go once you’ve trawled through the list of the hundreds of cultural institutions vying for your attention. To that end, we recommend the behemoths, of course, with their expansive permanent collections and blockbuster, headline-grabbing showcases, but also a string of smaller museums which give you a more authentic flavour of London away from the bustling crowds.

Below, a shortlist of the best museums in London you need to visit now.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

One of the most magical places on earth, this densely-packed historic house museum in Holborn, once the home and office of the titular Neo-Classical architect, is a pocket-sized gem – a veritable treasure trove of oil paintings, precious antiquities and architectural renderings, where you’ll find yourself noticing brand new things with each visit (a bust of Shakespeare hidden halfway up a staircase, say, or demonic faces in the downstairs study). The temporary exhibitions – often more modern works which are in conversation with this extraordinary building – are always fantastic, but if you only see one thing, it should be the tiny picture room, where the walls click open to reveal layers of masterpieces by Hogarth, Canaletto and Turner, as well as a secret, light-filled recess which holds yet more eye-popping art. Visit during the day to see the sunlight dance through the intricate stained glass, or in the evening, when a series of monthly after-hours tours allow you to wander through the space by candlelight, leaving you feeling like an intrepid 18th-century explorer.

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The Horniman Museum

From its sprawling gardens – encompassing leafy, sun-dappled nature trails, a magnificent conservatory, a tropical plant-filled butterfly house, an animal walk featuring alpacas, goats and sheep, and meadows with expansive views of the city – to the jaw-dropping fossils, aquarium and Edwardian taxidermy (including that iconic walrus) that you’ll find inside, this 19th-century Forest Hill institution is a haven for budding naturalists. Founded by tea trader and avid collector of unusual artefacts Frederick Horniman, it hosts thoughtful, forward-thinking exhibitions (one currently on, for example, explores contemporary West African art and the legacy of colonialism, taking inspiration from the looted Benin Bronzes which were displayed in this museum for decades before their recent return to their homeland), but also often feels as if it’s been preserved in aspic for the last century, with its quintessentially British, delightfully eccentric Victorian charm entirely intact.

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The Wallace Collection

A gilded, sumptuous jewel box of a museum, always serene despite being just a stone’s throw from the chaos of Oxford Street, this stately townhouse containing over 5,000 masterpieces, as amassed by 19th-century aristocrat and art collector Sir Richard Wallace, still feels like a closely guarded secret. Decorative and fine art dating back to the 14th century is the focus here, with oil paintings by the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough, Titian, Van Dyck and Delacroix hanging in grand, lavishly-wallpapered rooms under glittering chandeliers and beside marble busts, precious porcelain, intricately painted cabinets, Renaissance armour, medieval relics, gold snuffboxes and several pieces of furniture which were once owned by Marie Antoinette. Every item deserves a closer look (fans of Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir shouldn’t miss Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s 18th-century miniature painting of the same name, which features in the film), but it’s the overall sense of splendour – the jewel-toned rooms, the sunlight streaming past heavy velvet curtains, the artful arrangement of objects that makes you feel like you’ve travelled back in time and snuck into a real Edwardian home – that makes this space so special.