Kenwood House

MAP | NORTH LONDON, HAMPSTEAD | EXHIBITION VIDEO

On the edge of Hampstead Heath and surrounded by tranquil landscaped gardens, Kenwood is one of London’s hidden gems. The breathtaking interiors and stunning world-class art collection, which includes Rembrandt’s ‘Self-Portrait with Two Circles’, are free for everyone to enjoy.

What did Kenwood House have to do with Jane Austen and slavery? If you have nothing better to do, read my thoughts on the matter… LEARN MORE

Open: Grounds: 8am – 8pm, House: 10am – 5pm, ADMISSION FEE

Leighton House Museum

MAP | WEST LONDON, HOLLAND PARK

One of my absolute favorites! The Leighton House Museum is an art museum and historic house in the Holland Park area in west London.

The building was the London home of painter Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (1830–1896), who commissioned the architect and designer George Aitchison to build him a combined home and studio noted for its incorporation of tiles and other elements purchased in the Near East to build a magnificent Qa’a (room).

Open Wed-Mon, 10am–5:30pm (last entry 4:30pm), ADMISSION FEE

the Design Museum, 2016

MAP | WEST LONDON, HOLLAND PARK
Architect: John Pawson

The Design Museum exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all funds generated by ticket sales aid the museum in curating new exhibitions. Founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, the museum is the place in the UK where the design industry, education and the public come together to change the way people think about themselves and the future through the lens of design.

Open: 10am-5pm M-Thurs, 10am-6pm Fri-Sun, FREE

The King’s Gallery

MAP | WEST LONDON, ST. JAMES PARK | EXHIBITION

The King’s Gallery is a public art gallery at Buckingham Palace exhibiting exquisite works of art from the Royal Collection on a rotating basis. The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world.

The museum Typically displays about 450 works, mainly paintings and drawings but also tapestries, furniture, ceramics, textiles, carriages, jewellery, books and sculptures.

Open Daily, 10 July – 31 August 2025, 10am–5:30pm (last entry 4:15pm), ADMISSION FEE

The Royal Academy of Arts

MAP | WEST LONDON, PICCADILLY

For 250 years, the Royal Academy of Arts has been run by leading artists and architects, and nurturing the next generation in the RA Schools. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the fine arts through exhibitions, education and debate. The Academy hosts the Summer Exhibition an annual open art exhibition, which means anyone can enter their work to be considered for exhibition. Established in 1769, it is the oldest and largest open submission exhibition in the world and is included in London’s Social Season.

Open: Tues–Sun: 10am–6pm, Fri: 10am–9pm, ADMISSION FEE

The Courtauld Gallery

MAP | WEST LONDON, THE STRAND

Home to one of the greatest art collections in the UK, The Courtauld Gallery is located in the magnificent historical setting of Somerset House.

The Gallery is particularly known for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and temporary exhibitions.

Open Daily, 10am-6pm, ADMISSION FEE

Foundling Museum

MAP | CENTRAL LONDON, BLOOMSBURY

The Foundling Museum in Brunswick Square, London, tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, Britain’s first home for children at risk of abandonment. Artists such as William Hogarth and the composer George Frederic Handel are central to the Hospital story. Besides some wonderful 18thc works of art, the museum houses the histories of thousands of children.

Some of the most moving objects are the Foundling Hospital tokens – including coins, buttons, jewellery and poems – left by mothers with their babies on admission, enabling the Foundling Hospital to match a mother with her child should she ever return to claim it.

Open Tues-Sat, 10am–5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, ADMISSION FEE

Sir John Soane’s Museum

MAP | CENTRAL LONDON, HOLBORN

Sir John Soane’s Museum was formerly the home of neo-classical architect John Soane. A true gem in the center of London, it is a remarkable spot that houses a vast body of art, sculptures, ancient artifacts, and historical documents – all in a setting of unparalleled, captivating beauty.

The eclectic collection of artifacts is inspiringly curated and displayed, with a wide range of works by Turner and Canaletto to Egyptian antiquities. One of the highlights of the museum is the collection of Hogarth paintings.

Open Wed-Sun, 10am–5pm (last entry 4:30pm), FREE

The Guildhall

MAP | CENTRAL LONDON, CITY OF LONDON

London’s Guildhall is located in the heart of the City of London and is home to the City of London’s marvelous art collection with a Roman Amphitheater in the lower level.

Steeped in tradition, the Guildhall invites you on a journey spanning more than 800 years – from the Gothic grandeur of the Great Hall to the largest surviving medieval crypts in London.

Open Daily, 10:30am–4pm, FREE

V&A Museum of Childhood

MAP | EAST LONDON, BETHNAL GREEN

Primarily aimed at children, the V&A Museum of Childhood in London’s Bethnal Green houses the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection of childhood-related objects and artifacts.

If you are a dollhouse freak like me, then you’ll love their collection. Imaginatively displayed in street form, you can walk between the houses, set at varying heights, some with interactive elements too.

Open Daily, 10am–5:45pm, FREE

V&A East Storehouse

MAP | EAST LONDON, HACKNEY WICK

As well as providing a purpose-built home for over 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books and 1,000 archives from the V&A’s collections, Storehouse is a new kind of museum experience. It gives you a chance to see behind the scenes of a working museum, explore why and how objects get collected by museums, find out how they are cared for, and uncover the stories they tell about us and our world.

Open Daily, 10am–6pm, Thurs & Sat 10am-8pm, FREE

Queen’s House

MAP | SOUTHEAST LONDON, GREENWICH

The exquisite Queen’s House is a former royal residence which now serves as a public art gallery. Designed by no other than Inigo Jones, the house was commissioned by both Anne and Henrietta as a retreat and place to display and enjoy the artworks they had accumulated and commissioned.

It was Jones’s first major commission after returning from his 1613–1615 grand tour and although it diverges from the mathematical constraints of Palladio, Jones is often credited with the introduction of Palladianism with the construction of the Queen’s House.

Open Daily, 10am–5pm, FREE

Dulwich Picture Gallery

MAP | SOUTHEAST LONDON, DULWICH

The oldest public art gallery in England, Dulwich Picture Gallery is housed in a beautiful Grade-II listed building designed by Sir John Soane.

With one of the country’s finest collections of Old Masters, especially rich in French, Italian and Spanish Baroque paintings, and in British portraits from the Tudor era to the 19th century, this museum is worth the trek out to Dulwich..

Open Tues-Sun, 10am–5pm, FREE