GB 5 cities · 16 museums

Best Museums in United Kingdom

United Kingdom is home to 16 world-class museums across 5 cities, from ancient art and archaeology to modern and contemporary collections.

All Museums in United Kingdom

Interior of the British Museum Great Court Free Entry

London

The British Museum

Dedicated to human history, art and culture, located in the Bloomsbury area of London.

Founded 1753

Exterior of the National Gallery in London Free Entry

London

The National Gallery

An art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London.

Founded 1824

Exterior of Tate Modern in London, the converted Bankside Power Station along the Thames Free Entry

London

Tate Modern

Britain's national gallery of international modern and contemporary art, housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the South Bank of the Thames.

Founded 2000

Tate Britain in London Free Entry

London

Tate Britain

The national gallery of British art from 1500 to today, on the banks of the Thames at Millbank.

Founded 1897

Victoria and Albert Museum in London Free Entry

London

Victoria and Albert Museum

The world's largest museum of applied and decorative arts and design, with 2.27 million objects.

Founded 1852

Natural History Museum in London Free Entry

London

Natural History Museum

A cathedral of nature in South Kensington, holding 80 million specimens from across the natural world.

Founded 1881

Science Museum in London Free Entry

London

Science Museum

South Kensington's free museum of science, technology, medicine, and industry.

Founded 1857

National Portrait Gallery in London Free Entry

London

National Portrait Gallery

The world's first portrait gallery, holding the most extensive collection of British portraits ever assembled.

Founded 1856

The Wallace Collection in London Free Entry

London

The Wallace Collection

An aristocratic collection of European fine and decorative arts in Hertford House, given to the nation in 1897.

Founded 1900

The Courtauld Gallery in London

London

The Courtauld Gallery

An intimate gallery in Somerset House holding one of Britain's greatest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting.

Founded 1932

Imperial War Museum in London Free Entry

London

Imperial War Museum

Britain's national museum of conflict from the First World War to the present, in a former asylum in Lambeth.

Founded 1917

National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh Free Entry

Edinburgh

National Galleries of Scotland

Three connected galleries holding Scotland's national collection of art from the Renaissance to today.

Founded 1859

National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh Free Entry

Edinburgh

National Museum of Scotland

Scotland's flagship national museum in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town — free entry, covering Scottish history, science, technology, world cultures, and design.

Founded 1998

Tate Liverpool in Liverpool Free Entry

Liverpool

Tate Liverpool

Modern and contemporary art on the Albert Dock waterfront, in a converted Victorian warehouse.

Founded 1988

Manchester Art Gallery in Manchester Free Entry

Manchester

Manchester Art Gallery

Manchester's principal public art collection, particularly strong in Pre-Raphaelite painting.

Founded 1823

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham Free Entry

Birmingham

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

A Victorian civic museum holding the world's largest public collection of Pre-Raphaelite art.

Founded 1885