Please list your best museums to visit in 2024

Sometimes the enjoyment of museums is the crowds, your own state of mind, your expectations and if you are on your own or the enjoyment of your travel partner.
In London my most enjoyable memories are the Victoria and Albert museum, the Wallace Collection at the Hertford House and although not a museum per say but the Kenwood House (it is home to a fragile Vermeer).

What type of museums--art? history? science/technology?

I think the V&A would be on nearly everyone's list. The British Museum is equally fabulous but is extremely crowded most of the time, at least on the ground floor. I wouldn't recommend it for a quick in-and-out visit.

In the art category I like the National Gallery, the Courtauld Gallery, the Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Britain and the Design Museum. I especially like the Dulwich Picture Gallery, but it's outside London--though accessible by public transportation with a bit of a walk.

Among historical museums I'm very fond of the Imperial War Museum, which is much larger than the Churchill War Rooms and free. The Churchill Museum within the Churchill War Rooms is good.

I believe the regular exhibitions at all places I've listed are free/donation requested except for the Courtauld, Dulwich and Churchill War Rooms. Special exhibitions often come with substantial fees.

V&A and National Portrait Gallery. The National Gallery is good but nothing beats the Metropolitan Museum in NYC!

Dulwich Picture Gallery

and for the most incredible Victorian technical machinery with fabulous paint jobs, London Museum of Water and Steam, previously known as Kew Bridge Steam Museum.

2024 was Italy visit. 2025 is England and Ireland visit. Trip is in the beginning planning stage but so far London list includes Wallace Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, British Museum and maybe V&A and Buckingham Palace/Royal Mews.

Imperial War Museum in London.

If you like military history and have never been there, you could spend a day at the museum.

Actually, I think I spent close to the equivalent of two days--spread over 4 or 5 visits--at the Imperial War Museum. I was shocked at how much it interested me, given that I have zero interest in looking at weapons. In addition to the main exhibition area, there's an exhibit on the Holocaust, and I have seen several small special exhibitions on somewhat unusual but related subjects; one discussed which items from the collection were removed for protection during WWII and how those decisions would be different today.

I would also vote for the IWM. The first time I went I spent the entire day there, open to close.

I will be in London next month and was interested in seeing Sir John Soane's museum. Wondering if anyone has any feedback on it?

British Museum
National Gallery
Imperial War Museum
Courtauld Institute
RAF Museum, Colindale

Agree with most of the above. I didn't see the British Library included, which should not be missed. I also really like the Tate, which can have some wonderful exhibits. The London Transport Museum is very interesting as well.

One museum I have not been to but it piques my interest, and I'm hoping to visit there next year, is the Bow Street Police museum. Having read many British historical fiction books over the years, I loved reading about Bow Street, and think it sounds very interesting.

Sir John Soane's Museum is worthwhile. It is free/donation requested. The donation box is near the door. I made my donation and moved forward, only to discover there are essentially no labels on the objects, and some of the display areas are very crowded (not recommended for folks seriously worried about COVID). You have to buy a guidebook to know what you are seeing. If I had realized that, I would have adjusted the amount of my donation. I'm sure Rick mentions the lack of labels in his guidebook; my fault for not having read it recently.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery is very much inside London. Not admittedly very central but around 30 minutes from both Victoria and London Bridge for example.

Churchill War Museum
Dennis Severs House
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Crossness Pumping Station
Leighton House Museum
Fan Museum
London Mithraeum

I’m adding Bletchley Park home to where the WW2 codebreakers worked. Didn’t expect how well done or interesting it would be.

Spent 4 hours there including a nice lunch in the cafe.

Agree with acraven on Sir John Soane museum. It was a fail for us. Too claustrophobic and crowded.
My favorite was the British museum, which we did not allocate enough time for. Never made it to most of the ones on our list because the weather was so nice we wanted to be outside. Also loved the Churchill war museum.

thanks for the feedback on Sir John Soane. acraven, I read on their website they now have a free audioguide on the Bloomberg Connects app.

Tate Britain

Leighton House

Sambourne House

In Greenwich: National Maritime Museum & The Painted Hall

The best museums in London depend on your interests. Also some are free so quick visits are worth it and some cost (assume 20 pounds in most cases). The V&A and British Museum are too big and too many people, but are free. There are some interesting free hour long tours which help break down the enormous things that can be seen. Assume multiple visits over multiple tours.

Some of my favourites:
Courtauld Museum (fee)
Bletchley Park (fee) - direct train from London
Battle of Britain Bunker (fee) - end of the Metropolitan tube line
Churchill War Rooms (fee)
National Gallery and Portrait Gallery (free and next to each other)
National Nature and Science Museums (free and next to each other)

There's no better museum city in the world IMO than London. Too many excellent ones to count, really. You'll find great visits no matter what your primary interests are.

My favorite museums are the Victoria and Albert and the Imperial War Museum on Lambeth Rd. As mentioned previously, I too am surprised at how much I enjoy and how interesting I find the Imperial War Museum. My kids absolutely loved it. I was just in London in September and October and on the tube I saw several signs for the National Army Museum near Sloan Square. I was unaware this museum existed. I did not get to it on this visit but have it in mind for the future. London has excellent museums, just be prepared for crowds at many, especially the Natural Science Museum and the British Museum. The Museum of London is closed right now as they move to a new, bigger location and reopen as The London Museum in 2026. I enjoyed that museum too as its focus is London. In September one day while visiting the Covent Garden area I thought I would go to the London Transport Museum. But I found the entrance fee to be pricier than I wanted to pay for a one time visit - (to be fair it covers multiple entries per year but they offer no one time admission price geared to tourists) so I did not go in.

I love 'house' museums and seeing where folks I admire lived. An easy day trip from London via train and my all time favorite is Jane Austen's house in Chawton. I was early to arrive and 1st through that day. I really felt Jane and her sisters spirit there. I loved the little table where she wrote and the restored wallpaper from her time living there. And to sit in her garden and look back at the house was blissful.

I saw several signs for the National Army Museum near Sloane Square

I visited this museum when I happened to be in the area a few years ago. I was in the area to see the temporary Tutankhamen exhibition that was at the Saatchi for a while, and as I don’t know Chelsea very well I decided to explore. I went for a wander down to the Royal Hospital (home of the Chelsea Pensioners). I saw the army museum, and despite having zero interest in the army I cannot resist a free museum. I confess I mostly thought: well, I can get a cuppa and use the loo, and it doesn’t cost anything. But it was surprisingly interesting! Probably not worth a special trip to Chelsea but worth it as part of a day exploring that very interesting part of London.

The crowded part of the British Museum is the main floor area adjacent to the center Great Court. This is where the Ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and other famous treasures are displayed. Last time there we went downstairs to Room 25 to see the African Olowe Gion, and found not only some wonderful art but a haven of peace and quiet.

Then we wandered through The Americas in 26 and 27 and found them also (relatively) uncrowded.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/sites/default/files/2024-07/British_Museum_map.pdf

Consider getting a membership to a museum. My husband purchased a British Museum membership and was able to take me in as a guest. The special exhibits are free to members and we were able to use the member's lounge, loo, and cafe---I was happy to go upstairs to avoid the VERY long line at the regular loo. I purchased a Tate Britain membership---guested my husband, and was able to visit the two wonderful exhibitions. I was happy for the member's lounge, cafe, and exhibitions for "free".

The British Museum has a comparatively quiet restaurant on the upper floor. In addition to lunch, it offers afternoon tea. It makes a nice break from the mob scene below. I see the website now says "booking required", and I think that would normally be the case. On one occasion I was able to walk in; I believe I got a seat at the counter.

Great Court Restaurant

Somewhere in the museum there's also a pizzeria. I've seen a sign for it but not the place itself.

I really enjoyed the Photographers' Gallery when I visited with my son. I'm yet to visit the Design Museum, the Saatchi Gallery and the two Serpentine Galleries, but I'm hoping to get to them next time. The V&M and the Wallace are still some of my favorites in London.

RAF MUSEUM Hendon
Imperial War Museum
London Transport Museum
HMS BELFAST

An offbeat thread. I’ve been to all except the Transport Museum. The Belfast is one of two ships still in existence that participated in D-Day. The Imperial War Museum defines and explains war as it pertained to Britain. RAF Hendon was a base defending London during the Battle of Britain.

A whole vacation could be devoted to being a museum geek in London!

The RAF museum website says that Hendon briefly served as a fighter base in the Battle of Britain. The best Battle of Britain museum is at RAF Uxbridge where you can visit the underground command bunker for 11 Group where the plotting map is set up as it was at the very peak of the BoB.

You need to join an escorted tour and it’s not the easiest to get to by public transport, as I recall.

My husband and I both loved the Sir John Soane museum. We felt surrounded by interesting architectural features and sculptures. It was a bit crowded that day and we waited in line about 20 minutes before we got in. If you are worried about covid you can wear a mask while you are inside. We spent about an hour and a quarter there as it is small but it is a great house museum. It didn’t bother us that there were no labels or explanations as it was a rare opportunity to just look at “the thing itself” instead of looking back and forth from label to art object.

nothing back from the OP in 9 days?

That's unusual because Jazz+Travels is an old hand here, I hope they are OK.