This is a small museum in a residential area because Charles Dickens was once an up and comer…read moreliving in a residential area. I believe this is the only (or one of the only) houses restored for Dickens, so it's almost a little hidden gem in his neighborhood. They don't have their own audio device but do have a QR code to scan, so hope you have your phone full charged, have headphones, and have good signal strength! I did not have all of these elements but it wasn't crowded so I played the recording on super low volume. Still would have been nice to have an in house audio player. The audio does do a good job pointing out authentic items in the rooms and give some background on Charles Dicken's life in the house, his deep love with his wife, his eventual falling out of love with his wife, and the books he wrote in the house. It also talked about how he was able to tap into the lives of London's lower classes and how much he meant to audiences in his own time. I learned some things about Dickens's life and how he lived at this point in his life. It doesn't take that long to go through the floors of the house, but it's a unique spot that is well kept and worth seeing.

This museum on a quiet street in Bloomsbury is worth a stop, even if you're like me and only have a…read morepassing interest in Charles Dickens and his novels! While the ticket is pricey, it's worth it if you take your time to explore each room. The museum contains five floors of rooms designed to look as they would have looked during the few years that Dickens and his family lived there. The highlight of the tour was Dickens' writing desk! In addition to the 19th century rooms, there are additional rooms on a couple of the floors with rotating exhibits. When I visited, the exhibits were designed around Dickens' ghost stories and were interactive and informative. The gift shop is small and doesn't have a lot of variety, but there is a lovely café in the back garden.

Now in the care of the National Trust, 24 Cheyne Row in Chelsea is the beautifully preserved house…read morelived in by the writer, historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane. Opened to the public in 1896, it was London's first literary 'shrine'. History The house itself was built in 1708 in the reign of Queen Anne, in the then largely rural suburb of Chelsea. It was rented to a series of tenants, but was became famous as the home of Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane when they moved from Scotland to London in 1834 to further Carlyle's career. Thanks to the efforts of his wife Jane, who worked tirelessly to promote her husband's career, the house became the centre of a glittering literary circle, which included Dickens, Tennyson and Ruskin. Despite this, the marriage was not a happy one, (and rumoured to have been unconsummated) with both suffering ill health. After Carlyle died in 1881, the house was largely stripped of its furnishings, rented to another tenant (the Carlyles never purchased it) and fell into neglect. However, admirers of the writer established the Carlyle's House Memorial Trust to purchase and maintain it through public subscription. It was transferred to the National Trust in 1934. Since then, the Trust has continued the work of restoring the house to its appearance during the Carlyles' extensive tenure. The House The location is lovely: a quiet, leafy little street just off the Embankment and only minutes from the King's Road, but feels a world away from either. The house itself is surprisingly atmospheric, with much of the original early 18th century wooden panelling in place (which Jane hated), narrow corridors and staircases, and the garden is a small but tranquil haven. The rooms include the original kitchen, dining room, drawing room, bedroom and Carlyle's intriguing soundproofed garret study: he hated noise, and his wife's correspondence testifies to constant disturbance by noisy neighbours. The garden - where Carlyle spent many evenings smoking his pipe - has also been restored to it mid-19th century appearance. Many of the original furnishings have been returned to the house, alongside extensive memorabilia. The rooms are presented largely as they were during the Carlyles' tenure: both the interiors and the garden were exceptionally well documented through paintings, photographs and their correspondence. Practicalities The house is a five minute walk from the King's Road with its extensive bus services: the nearest tubes are South Kensington and Sloane Square, both about a mile away. Car parking is limited to a small number metered bays (often full). The house is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. It has 4 steps to the main entrance, and even then is fairly cramped. There are more narrow stairs to the basement kitchen and shop and to the three upper floors. There is a single toilet (located in the garden) and a small shop selling postcards and books. The staff are very helpful, but be warned that you will asked to leave bags etc in their office during your tour. being a relatively small venue, it is best appreciated at quiet periods (eg during week days).

Just a few minutes from the busy King's Road No 24 Cheyne Row was the home of the influential 19th…read morecentury writer Thomas Carlyle and Jane his clever and ambitious wife Jane.It was first preserved as a literary shrine in 1895. It used to be the gathering place of many from the literary world including Dickens,Tennayson and Browning.

So much history here! Fascinating self guided tour of the Palace. The history here dates way back,…read morebut the signage was clear in explaining it. Gardens are amazing. Worth a look just for that. Not crowded at all. Very peaceful way to spent a couple of hours

So heres the thing. We went on a crappy weather day to kill time before a game (ffc stadium is…read morevisible from the property). The gardens are extensive and may be lovely on a nice day. The palace itself is ok. Well maintained. It's basically a slavery museum because a former bishop was involved in the abolition movement. It was an odd find in england. As an American i was hoping for british history, but if you are interested, theres a lot of good info. The docent was very kind and knowledgeable. The chapel was beautiful but for looking old... the art was from the 1950s. It honestly kinda felt like a scam. All in all it's free (they suggest a £5 donation) and was warm on an English winter day. Just be prepared to be disappointed if youre looking for a British Palace. It didn't seem to fit that particular bill.

I waited for a while to write this review as I wanted to parse this experience a little more in my…read moremind. In general, this place was reasonably well designed to tell the Jack the Ripper saga at a level for the casual observer. In other words, for those who want to learn the historical significance of the events on a basic level, it was perfect. I was afraid that it might be overly gimmicky and touristy. And there was some dramatic effect pervasive in the audio guide (extra cost), but it was not overdone. While the museum is housed in the Whitechapel neighborhood where the murders occurred, the structure itself has no documented connection to any of the homicides or murder suspects. The museum is well chosen, however, as it features five floors where they stage scenes relevant to the telling of the Ripper saga. The ground floor was informational, while the next level was set up as one of the first murder scenes where a victim was found. The second floor (third level) was staged as the apartment of one of the prime suspects Walter Sickert. There were actually a period overcoat and derby in that room to try on for a photo op. The third floor was set up to be a likeness of the police station with actual police artifacts from the investigator who was working the case. The top floor was constructed as a shanty apartment from one of the last victims. The basement (last in the tour on the recommended sequence) was a scene from the Ten Bells Tavern which seemed to be a seminal hunting location for the Ripper. The museum was well presented and the audio guide and displays presented the right amount of drama to tell the story without crossing the "hype" border. If you want to leave out most of the drama, you could forgo the audio guide. I thought it was a nice added dimension. But the artifacts and the signage by themselves give a very good basic history of the events associated with the Ripper. The backgrounds of the victims were quite interesting. Likewise fascinating were the identities and backgrounds of the lineup of suspects that had been pegged as possible culprits by various contemporaries as well as scholars and JtR buffs since that time. What particularly interested me was the status of Whitechapel within London's social environment at that time. It was clearly very different from the current standing of the community, which has really only changed in the past 20 or 30 years from what I could glean. This area was clearly rife to present opportunities for a psychopath like the Ripper to find his victims. These unfortunate women were victimized first by society and by their own poor choices before becoming ultimate victims for the Ripper. It was an intriguing dive into London's social history. Because of the iconic and enduring nature of the mystery behind these killings and its inextricable tie to the City of London, this museum is probably worth seeing if you have the time (and I emphasize the word "IF"). Given the number of worthwhile sights in London, I'd be hard pressed to urge most people to prioritize it. This was my fifth or sixth trip to London, and the third in which I've had my wife with me, so we were in a situation where we were on second tier sights, making this one easier to prioritize. We were also staying in Shoreditch. Hence, the proximity was working in our favor as the museum was walkable. On the other hand, if you are a crime buff or a mystery buff in addition to being interested in social and cultural history, you might elevate this sight to a must-see. It is done well enough to be both entertaining and informative.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of this great little museum because that would ruin it for those…read morewho like these types of places. Nice little souvenirs to take home. Museum takes you through the whole Jack the Ripper murders. Mind you it is a three story museum and more information in the basement. Lots to look at, and it brings you closer to what happened.

This is a bit of a strange little museum located down a popular alley between Shakespeare's Globe…read moreand the London Bridge. It's located at the former sight of The Clink, one of London's oldest prisons that operated for about 100 years. We did some research online ahead of time, and actually decided to skip it, but once we stumbled upon it we changed our minds. Admission is only £8 for adults, which felt pretty reasonable for what they have going here. They don't have many actual artifacts, but do teach a lot about torture tactics used during the medieval times. Overall, I probably wouldn't come here again, but it was worth the low cost of admission. I believe it took us about 45 minutes to get through.

The museum is interesting and good to kill a half hour to 45 minutes if you're into getting a…read moreglimpse of medieval torture and crime. The museum is very small, yet it's only about £8, so not a big expense. I bought my tickets in advance on their website for Dec. 26th. I went on Boxing Day, and their website says they open at 10am every other day except Christmas. So I arrived at 10:05am and the doors were closed. There were a few others waiting at their locked front doors as well who bought their tickets online. There were no signs outside nor on their website about differing operating hours for Dec. 26th. I emailed the museum while I was waiting outside and haven't heard anything yet. The others outside called them and it just rang and rang with no message. I'm writing this on Dec. 27th. I waited for about 30 minutes and left to sit at a cafe to do some online investigating. I found on their FACEBOOK page that they were going to open at 11am on Boxing Day. I was happy about this news and went back and was able to enjoy the museum. While it is small, it does have authentic artifacts from the medieval prison days as well as a handful of interactive exhibits. There's some creepy music as well as audio reenactment recordings of prisoners. I'd say it's not a must-do, but if you're in the area near Borough Market and have about an hour or less to spare, then check it out. I just wish they had more accurate hours on their website.

Big! Giant! Huge Collection! I think that describes this museum. Be prepared to spend at least half…read moreday here. For fast pace like me, it takes us 3 hours. This museum need reservations ahead of time. It is free to public. The museum is popular, if you try to get in at the day arrive, you have to hope not many reserve the ticket. The museum has a lot room with different regions in the world. Many of the collection even the host country doesn't have it. The Egypt collection includes the many types of mummies. This collection not even the Egypt has it. The entrance basically enter to the round section that connected to the different room. You may need a good leg to walk entire museum. They also have folding chairs that you can use and portable to open at the display.

It's not every museum that has a line wrapped around the building when it opens on a Monday…read moremorning. But the British Museum is the world's oldest public national museum, has the largest collection of artifacts of any museum in the world, and is the second most visited attraction in all of the United Kingdom. The museum is free to visit, but we reserved a timed entry ticket for when they opened on Monday morning. I suggest you do this, because people who had tickets were walking right through into the museum after a bag check, while people who had not bought tickets ahead of time were having to wait in another line to get in. The museum is so large and has so many artifacts, that it can be a little overwhelming. For that reason, we relied on the list of highlights of the museum to point us to certain artifacts we didn't want to miss: the Rosetta Stone; the colossal bust of Ramesses II (c. 1250 BC); Hoa Hakananai'a (basalt statue from Easter Island); the Ife head (Nigeria, ca. 1300-1400s); the Sutton Hoo ship burial (dating back to 7th century Britain); the Lewish Chessmen (Scottish, ca. 1150-1175); and more. Prepare for crowds and to be a little overwhelmed by people and artifacts and the size of the museum. If you want to see everything, be prepared to spend an entire in the museum. Since it's free, you can do as we did and just spend a couple of hours - that's all we had - and see what you can see (the highlights list helped)! But it's a great museum and easily one of the most important museums in the country.

I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum about two weeks ago. I think the V&A might be the first…read moremuseum I ever loved. I remember going as a little girl, seeing their fashion gallery, and falling in love. I hadn't been in years, and I was excited to see it through my adult eyes that have visited a lot more museum than 12-year-old me. The museum is incredible. It's enormous, labyrinthine. I got lost repeatedly. But it's the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, so that's no surprise. I had a glass of wine in the Garden Cafe, while I studied the map. Then we went up the Ceramic Staircase (a incredible architectural feature that dates back to 1865-1871) and wandered through gallery after gallery (Tapestries, Theatre & Performance, Photography Centre). We probably saw 8% of the museum's galleries. Then it was time for us to make our way to the exhibition "Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art." This exhibit was incredible, showcasing designs by Elsa Schiaperelli back in the 1920s all the way to the present (designs by the fashion house's current creative director Daniel Roseberry). Since the fashion gallery is closed until 2028, it was great to see some fashion on my first visit to the V&A in at least a decade. The museum is free to visit (exhibits have an admission cost), and it's an incredible museum - well worth a visit for anyone visiting London for the first time or the 100th. Even if you just have a half hour, you can't go wrong with a stroll through this incredible, beautiful museum.

Date: August 29, 2026…read more Experience: I will say this about each museum we got to stop by at during our tour: "I wish I could've stayed there longer." Our restroom breaks on the tour were sometimes at museums since museum entry was free in the UK, which I am totally jealous of because I come from the US and we pay to enter museums. We had about 30 minutes to use the restroom and to look around at the displays on top of checking out the gift shop. If memory serves me right, this museum displayed the best of the best from the different countries. My mom and I explored as much as we could with the little time we had, with my interests being perked by the religious items on display to only discover sections for Asian countries and a whole two rooms housing gigantic statues and artwork. I took as many pictures as I could to view for later, but we only made a small dent on what we could see with the little time we had. I did end up getting postcards from the gift shop that also housed so many different items to pick from related to both the museum and just the UK in general. Hands down would go back in the future to check it out fully.

Unlike many other art museums of similar caliber and vastness, the National Gallery has free…read moreadmission. I enjoyed walking through each of the main areas because I felt like I progressed through distinct eras of art history. If you want to rest your eyes from gazing at paintings, there is a nice balcony area that provides a view of Trafalgar Square and Big Ben in the distance. You can also grab a coffee and pastry as there's a small cafe near the main entrance. One special exhibit included the reunion of two famous impressionist paintings of La Grenouillère by Claude Monet and Pierre Auguste-Renoir. I feel fortunate to have viewed these two celebrated paintings side by side as I had learned that it's been nearly 20 years since the National Gallery reunited them in a public exhibit. Because of the significant amount of art you can view here with free admission, I'd definitely recommend visiting the National Gallery.

I visited the National Gallery with my husband when we were exploring London for a few days earlier…read morethis month. The truth is we meant to visit the National Portrait Gallery (which is right around the corner), but I didn't realize my mistake until we were already trying to figure our way around the National Gallery and we decided to stay for a while. I found the museum difficult to navigate even with a map, so we just sort of wandered. We saw incredible paintings. The highlights for me were works by Henri Rousseau, Max Pechstein, Jan van Goyen Ferdinand Hodler... We saw an incredible Manet (The Execution of Maximilian) and a painting by Paul Gauguin that was unlike any other Gauguin I've ever seen. These were just some of my favorites, but the galleries are chronological and have works by every painter you could think of: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Turner, Monet, Seurat, van Gogh... It's not your museum for modern and contemporary art, but if you're in the mood for European art from 1200-1900, the National Gallery will blow you away. They also host temporary exhibits and have several great options for a drink or a bite to eat. We stopped by Ochre, where we really enjoyed their happy hour. It's free to visit (although they appreciate donations), so you can pop in for however much time you have, whether that's a half our or three! The National Gallery might not have been our intended museum and we couldn't stay too long or miss out on the museum next door, but it really wowed me. Next time, I'll visit on purpose and save more time to explore and enjoy.