Attention, history buffs! The Museum of London is a staple for anyone interested in knowing more about the long history of the English capital!
Follow the guide!
💡 The Captain’s tip 💡
Want to know more about the history of London? Captain Ulysses highly recommends this free guided tour of the capital. It’s up to you to choose how much you wish to tip the tour guide!
Looking for a hotel in London? Be sure to check out the Captain’s article: Where to stay in London? Advice & recommendations
The Museum of London in a nutshell
Founded in 1976, the Museum of London traces the long history of the English capital, from prehistoric to modern times.
Located in one of the oldest parts of the city — hard to believe as there are few traces left of this distant past in the now very modern City — the museum overlooks the remains of the Roman city wall built in 200 AD.
The Museum of London is also home to the largest collection of urban history in the world: in total, 6 million objects and historical relics of all kinds!
Visiting the Museum of London
The visit of the Museum of London follows a chronological route taking visitors through the city’s history from prehistorical times to present day London. The museum is divided into different galleries, each dedicated to a significant period in London’s history:
- London before London , tracing the history of what is now Greater London from 450,000 AD to 50 BC
- Roman London , dedicated to the the birth and rise of Londinium under the domination of the Romans, from 50 BC to 410 BC
- Medieval London, describing daily life in London in the Middle Ages (410 to 1558)
- War, Plague & Fire, dedicated to one of the most turbulent periods in the city’s history, from the 1550s to the 1660s
- Expanding City, depicting the reconstruction of the city following the Great Fire of 1666 and the rapid economic development of the English capital which ensued
- People’s City Gallery, portraying the inhabitants of the English capital between the 1850s and the 1940s
- World City , dedicated to the many cultural and technological revolutions that have marked the history of the city ever since the 1950s
Each of the galleries exhibits historical relics and artifacts illustrating the history of the city. The museum also relies on fun games and reconstructions to allow young and old visitors to soak up the atmosphere of each of the great periods of London’s history.
Want to know more about each of the different galleries? You’ll find a map of the museum here .
💡 Want more? 💡
If the visit of the Museum of London hasn’t satisfied your insatiable curiosity, the Captain recommends visiting the Museum of London Docklands — dedicated to the history of port trade in the capital — as well as at the Museum of London Archeology.
Access
Getting to the Museum of London
In the heart of the City, the Museum of London is located halfway between St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Barbican Centre.
The closest public transport stations and stops are:
- Subway: Barbican and St Paul’s stations, 5 minutes from the museum
- Bus: lines 4, 8, 25, 56, 100, 172, 242, 388 and 521
Hop-on hop-off bus tours also stop near the Museum of London.
💡FYI 💡
The Museum of London will be moving in 2024! The museum’s collections will be transferred to the General Market Building in Smithfield, once the development work has been completed. Stay tuned …
Opening hours of the Museum of London
The Museum of London is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (the galleries close at 5:40 p.m.).
Admission
Good news: access to the Museum of London is free for all visitors!
👉 Skip the lines: book your tickets and visits in advance!
👉 Find the perfect place to stay in London!
👉 Looking for tips and recommendations? Here are all the Captain’s suggestions in London!
🛏️ Accommodation: If you haven’t booked your accommodation in London yet, Captain Ulysses highly recommends Expedia. And for more tips and recommendations, check out the Captain’s detailed article: Where to stay in London?
🎟️ Activities: For your visits and activities in London, the Captain recomends checking out GetYourGuide, Civitatis and Tiqets. Skip-the-line tickets, cruises, guided tours, activities off the beaten tracks… You will undoubtedly find what everything you need… and more! Keep in mind that London is a very touristy city: if you want to avoid queuing for hours, skip-the-line tickets are great time savers!
🎫 Citypass : If you’re spending a few days in the capital, Captain Ulysse recommends investing in a city pass which will give you access to the most iconic monuments and attractions in London. There are 2 options: the London Explorer Pass and the London Pass (which also includes a 1-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour.). These passes have 2 major advantages: the discounts and the skip-the-line accesses.
🚐 Transfers: London is a huge city and the airports are quite distant from the city centre. If you want to avoid spending hours in public transports to get to your hotel, you can book a transfer from the airport. A car will be waiting for you at the airport and will take you wherever you want in the city centre. Find out more here.
🚌 Transports: The capital being quite spread out, there’s no avoiding taking public transports. The good news is that they are quite easy to navigate! You can also opt for a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour, which includes an audioguide and stops at the main attractions and monuments in the city.
✈️ Flights: To get to London, there are plenty of options: planes, buses, trains and even ferries. For your flights, the Captain highly recommends that checking out Skyscanner: you’ll be able to find the best deal for the dates on which you plan on traveling to London. If your dates are flexible, you will even be able to compare prices over several weeks in order to find THE best deal. London is also easily accessible by bus and train. To book your trips, the Captain warmly recommends Omio, which allows you to travel through 44 countries with 207 train and bus companies, including Eurostar.
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