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# London museums and galleries: collections and exhibitions

A smaller museum can fit a London stay as easily as a famous national collection. Manchester Square’s Wallace Collection and Handel and Hendrix on Brook Street are close to many central apartments.

Our proximity comparison places the Wallace Collection and Handel and Hendrix within about a kilometre of more central apartments than other museums, followed by the Royal Institution’s Faraday Museum and the Science Museum. These are approximate distances for orientation.

## South Kensington, with or without children

The Natural History Museum lists daily hours of 10am–5.50pm and free timed tickets at busy periods. Next door, the Science Museum opens 10am–6pm and requires free advance booking. Wonderlab has more than fifty hands-on exhibits. Weekends and holidays need more planning than a short weekday visit.

The free V&A collection covers fashion, jewellery, furniture, ceramics and sculpture. Further west, the Design Museum at 224–238 Kensington High Street has the free Designer Maker User display and ticketed temporary exhibitions.

## Houses, palaces and Old Masters

At the Wallace Collection, Fragonard’s The Swing and Hals’s The Laughing Cavalier sit among armour, porcelain and furniture. Apsley House at Hyde Park Corner displays Wellington’s collection, including Velázquez and a monumental Napoleon statue; its listed hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery by Trafalgar Square are free, with the latter open until 9pm on Fridays.

Handel and Hendrix at 25 Brook Street brings together the composer’s house and the guitarist’s neighbouring flat. It opens Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm, with last entry at 4pm and online booking. The Faraday Museum on Albemarle Street explores electricity and magnetism at the Royal Institution.

The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace lists Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style until 18 April 2027. The adult ticket is £22 with an option to convert it to a year’s return pass. Opening days are Thursday to Monday.

## Contemporary art

Moco at 1–4 Marble Arch has more than one hundred works, including Banksy, Warhol, Basquiat, Haring and Kusama, with timed paid admission. Kensington Gardens’ two Serpentine galleries are free. Lisson Gallery’s Bell Street and Lisson Street spaces also have free entry, Tuesday–Saturday, 11am–6pm. Saatchi Gallery on the King’s Road and Tate Modern on Bankside extend the contemporary-art options.

House museums often close on Mondays and Tuesdays. Put their opening days into the itinerary before filling the gaps with national collections.

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