Museums in London

London is known for its museums, from world-famous institutions like the Natural History Museum to a range of smaller, local museums. They attract visitors, contribute to the economy, provide educational opportunities and drive cultural engagement across the city. While the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the sector, museums continued to adapt, driving cultural engagement across the city.

This report provides an overview of London’s museums, including their distribution, size, funding, visitor demographics, and the role of the Mayor’s cultural programmes. 

According to Arts Council England, as of May 2026 there were 143 museums in London that were accredited (134) or working towards accreditation (9). Arts Council England’s Accreditation Scheme is designed to set nationally agreed standards for museums to ensure they are sustainable, well-managed, and trusted by the public and funders.

The GLA's Cultural Infrastructure Map shows the location of London's museums and galleries.

Museums and galleries are mostly concentrated in central London, particularly around cultural hubs such as South Kensington (including the V&A and Science Museum) and the South Bank (home to the Tate Modern). In contrast, outer boroughs like Enfield, Havering and Hillingdon have fewer institutions.

The Annual Museum Survey categorises museums into ‘sizes’ based on annual visitor figures. These range from ‘micro’ museums that record fewer than 10,000 visitors annually, to the ‘largest’ museums that record more than 100,000 visitors a year.

Generally, London has more of the ‘largest’ museums and fewer ‘micro’ museums compared to the national average. However, in 2024-25, London still had more micro museums than any other type of museum (28 per cent of all museums in London).

Museums in London are less likely to charge admission than museums in the rest of England. 59 per cent of London’s accredited non-National museums do not charge for admission, compared to 47 per cent of accredited non-National museums in England.

However, average admission charges are higher in London than elsewhere. The median average admission charge in London for an adult is £12, compared to £8 in England, and for a child is £6 compared to £5 in England.