Top 10 Most Visited Tourist Attractions In London

★1 British Museum

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 5 PM (Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun); 10 AM to 8.30 PM (Fri); Last entry 1 hour before closing

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 2½-3 hours

You might be surprised to learn that the most visited attraction in London is not the London Eye, or Madame Tussauds, but the British Museum.

It’s particularly good when it comes to the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia. It also covers China, Japan, Africa and the Aztec empire. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone, Elgin marbles, and treasures from the Sutton Hoo burial ship.

If you only have time to squeeze in one museum then make it this one (unless you’ve got some kids with you, in which case you’ll probably prefer the Natural History Museum or Science Museum).

★2 Tate Modern

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 6 PM (Mon-Sun); Last entry 45 mins before closing

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 2-2½ hours

Don’t ask us why the Tate Modern is so popular because we haven’t got a clue! In our opinion the best art gallery in London is definitely the National Gallery, but that one doesn’t make the top ten.

You have to be a fan of modern and contemporary art to love this place because it’s art of the most curious kind: little blobs and spots that have been drizzled onto a piece of paper. Fortunately they do have a lot of famous names to pad it out: artworks by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol.

★3 Natural History Museum

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 5.50 PM (Mon-Sun); Last entry 20 mins before closing

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 3 hours

The next two museums on the Top 10 list are great for kids. The Natural History Museum is a good choice if your child is into dinosaurs because they have a darkened hall full of dinosaur bones and re-assembled skeletons, plus a huge animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex stomping around a misty swamp.

They’ve also got a dead zoo of every animal you can think of, all stuffed and fluffed and posed on pedestals. You can see life-size elephants, lions, tigers, rhinos, monkeys, gorillas, fish, birds, creepy crawlies… it’s just like going to the zoo, except everything is dead.

★4 Science Museum

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 6 PM (Wed-Sun until 3 Jul, then Mon-Sun from 4 Jul); Last entry 45 mins before closing

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 2½ hours, plus another hour if you watch an IMAX movie

If your kid is interested in space then take them to the Science Museum. They’ll be able to look at replicas of famous space probes like the Mars Beagle, the Eagle lander that took Buzz Aldrin to the moon (let’s give Buzz some love for a change – Armstrong always gets the glory!), and the Huygens probe that descended through Titan’s thick primordial atmosphere.

They’ve also got a great collection of historical vehicles like Stephenson’s Rocket, a Model T Ford and a Spitfire plane. There’s an interesting display of early home computers as well, which makes for a nice walk down memory lane if you grew up in the 1980s. (It might also make you feel extremely old when you see all your childhood toys on display in a museum!)

★5 Victoria & Albert Museum

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 5.45 PM (Mon-Thu, Sat-Sun); 10 AM to 10 PM (Fri); Last entry 1 hour before closing

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 2-3 hours

The Victoria & Albert Museum is another surprising entry in the Top 10 list, but maybe everyone visits it after they go to the previous two – all three museums are within two minutes walk of each other.

The V&A is aimed at adults rather than kids, and contains a huge collection of historical furniture, fashions, ceramics and art. You can see clothes that go back centuries, art that dates back 1,000 years, and religious treasures from Biblical times.

★6 Tower of London

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

9 AM to 5.30 PM (Mon-Sun, Jun-mid Sep); 10 AM to 5.30 PM (Mon & Sun, mid Sep-Oct); 9 AM to 5.30 PM (Tue-Sat, mid Sep-Oct); Last entry 1 hour before closing

Price?

Adults £32.90; Children £16.40 (5-15); Infants free (under-5); Family ticket £90.40

Time required?

A typical visit takes 3-4 hours

Most people would assume that the Tower of London comes higher in the list but it only comes in at number six… but when you look at the gargantuan crowd outside then it might seem like all 2.7 million visitors have come on the same day!

This World Heritage Site dates back 1,000 years to the reign of William the Conqueror and contains some of London’s most historic sites: places like the White Tower, Bloody Tower, Traitor’s Gate and Tower Green. It’s also where you’ll find the Queen’s Crown Jewels.

If you’re interested in the Tower then you might like to try the Ceremony of the Keys as well. We’ve actually ranked that as the best free event in London. The Twilight Tour and Sunday service at the Chapel Royal are worth a visit as well.

★7 National Portrait Gallery

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

The gallery is currently closed for renovations, and is not expected to re-open again until 22nd June 2023

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 1½ hours

How can the National Portrait Gallery make the top ten and not the National Gallery? Don’t ask us because we haven’t got a clue! But two million tourists like it.

The gallery is like a Who’s Who of British history, and has portraits of famous (and infamous) kings and queens, politicians, writers, scientists, right up to our modern-day celebrities. If you’re coming from overseas then the chances are that you won’t know who most of these people are, which is why we recommend going to the National Gallery instead.

★8 Kew Gardens

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

10 AM to 7 PM (Mon-Fri, May-Aug); 10 AM to 8 PM (Sat-Sun, May-Aug); 1 AM to 7 PM (Mon-Sun, Sep); 10 AM to 6 PM (Mon-Sun, Oct & Mar); 10 AM to 4 PM (Mon-Sun, first half Nov & last 3 weeks of Jan); 10 AM to 3 PM (Mon-Sun, second half Nov-first week of Jan); 10 AM to 5 PM (Mon-Sun, Feb); Last entry 1 hour before closing

Price?

Adults £21.45; Children £5.50 (4-15); Infants free (under-4); Family ticket £48.95

Time required?

A typical visit takes 4-5 hours (including travel time to/from London)

Kew Gardens might seem a bit dull for non-gardeners, but it actually has lots of interesting attractions inside. Do you remember that movie about mad King George III? Well Kew Palace is where he used to live, and you can walk around what’s left of the palace inside.

Our favourite building is the Palm House which is like a gigantic green house filled with tropical plants. They pump warm misty spray out of the pipes whilst you climb up spiral iron staircases to the roof. It seems like you’re walking through the treetops – even kids will enjoy it.

Kids will also love the Treetop Walkway, and there’s a land train, an art gallery, a Japanese garden, and another conservatory full of cacti and desert plants.

★9 St. Paul’s Cathedral

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

8.30 AM to 4.30 PM (Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat); 10 AM to 4.30 PM (Wed); Last entry 30 mins before closing; Note: On Sundays the cathedral is only open for worship

Price?

Adults £18.00; Children £7.70 (6-17); Infants free (under-6); Family ticket £43.70

Time required?

A typical visit takes 2-2½ hours

St. Paul’s Cathedral made it to No.3 in my list of the Top 10 landmarks, but only makes No.9 on the most-visited attractions. Maybe that’s because of the entry price, because most of the other attractions are free.

St. Paul’s was built by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London levelled half the city. It used to have the second largest dome in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and still boasts the biggest bell in London (even bigger than Big Ben). The crypt contains tombs of famous names like Nelson and Wellington.

But it’s the view from the top that most tourists want to see. The first level is rather easy to complete, but you might struggle with the second. Only the bravest will make it all the way to the Golden Gallery outside.

★10 British Library

Photo: Craig Cross

Opening times?

Building: 9.30 AM to 8 PM (Mon-Thu); 9.30 AM to 6 PM (Fri); 9.30 AM to 5 PM (Sat); 11 AM to 5 PM (Sun) · Gallery: 9.30 AM to 6 PM (Mon, Wed-Fri); 9.30 AM to 8 PM (Tue); 9.30 AM to 5 PM (Sat); 11 AM to 5 PM (Sun)

Price?

Free

Time required?

A typical visit takes 1 hour

The British Library is the most surprising entry on this list because there’s hardly anything for tourists to see. All they’ve got is a little exhibition of historical letters and books. Granted, most of the names on display are very impressive – people like Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry VIII, Beethoven and Churchill – but you’ll be in and out inside an hour.