London may be one of the most expensive cities in the world to visit, but there are plenty of free museums (they charge only for certain). You can see ten of London’s greatest museums without paying one pence: the Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, the Tate (Britain and Modern), Imperial War Museum, British Museum, National Gallery, Museum of London, and the National Portrait Gallery. Each of these museums offer something different and give visitors a glimpse of London’s culture, heritage, and history. Additionally, many of these museums are located in beautiful, historic buildings that are worth exploring.

The Natural History Museum

London’s Natural History Museum in South Kensington is impressive, offering both traditional and interactive displays that please adults and children alike. The museum has two galleries: the Life Gallery, which covers plant and animal life on Earth, as well as evolution, and the Earth Galleries, which covers things such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and geology. The most popular exhibit is the dinosaurs, which includes fossilized skeletons and eggs in addition to animatronic models of such dinosaurs as the Tyrannosaurus Rex. There is also a bird exhibit, which features the Dodo, a mammal exhibit, Creepy Crawlies (avoid if you’re arachnophobic), and an exhibit that mimics a small-scale earthquake, among other exhibits too numerous to mention. The museum is very large, and you can easily spend several hours exploring it. There are several cafes scattered throughout, in case you need a refreshment break.

The V&A

The Victoria and Albert (also known as the V&A) Museum, also in South Kensington, has one of the world’s most extensive collections of art and design, which ranges across centuries. Its art collections cover British, European, Asian and Islamic styles. In the sculpture rooms, you will find copies of very famous statues, such as Michaelangelo’s David. The Medieval Treasury contains reliquaries and other masterpieces of the Middle Ages. In addition, there is also an interesting exhibit featuring textiles and dress, which covers 400 years of haute couture and in particular, courtly attire. Jewelry, metalwork, ceramics and glass also have their place in this expansive museum. Photography and twentieth century art and design find an audience here as well. It’s likely that you can’t get through the museum all in one day, so the best way to tackle it is to find the areas of most interest to you.

The Science Museum

Within close proximity to the Natural History Museum and the V&A, the Science Museum offers a huge collection illustrating the history of scientific and technological development. Exhibits include such relics as steam engines, the very first mechanical computers and spacecraft. Highlights include: Science and the Art of Medicine, Science in the 18th Century, Flight, Marine Engineering, and exhibits that feature computing, energy, power, materials, space, weather, agriculture and more. The Wellcome Ring includes an IMAX movie theater and a SIMEX simulator (note: the IMAX and SIMEX both require an admission fee)

The Tate Museums

Tate Britain, formerly known as the Tate Gallery, contains the largest collection of British art from the 16th through the 21st century. There are mostly paintings on display here, but there is also a sculpture gallery. Tate Britain boasts a fantastic Pre-Raphaelite art collection, and its star attractions include paintings by J.M.W. Turner, Francis Bacon, John Constable, J.A.M. Whistler, John William Waterhouse, and more. The museum also has an excellent café and restaurant that is only open for lunch.

If you prefer modern art, the relatively new Tate Modern in Southwark and Bankside houses some of the works that were formally on display at the Tate Gallery (now known as Tate Britain). In addition to 20th century paintings and sculptures, visitors can enjoy two reading rooms and a balcony that offers fantastic views of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is directly across the river.

The Imperial War Museum

For anyone interested in military culture and history, a visit to the Imperial War Museum on the South Bank will not disappoint. Tanks, bombs, artillery and aircraft are on display, but the museum offers more than that. There are displays that focus on the impact on civilians’ lives during wartime as well, from food rationing, air raid fears, morale-boosting campaigns and censorship. Photographs, war-time literature, war-themed movies, radio shows, paintings and sculpture all find a place here too. There is also a moving Holocaust exhibit, a recent addition to the museum.

The British Museum

The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia area, is interesting, if only for the fact that it’s the world’s oldest public museum, established in 1753. The items housed in the museum cover prehistoric periods to the present-day. The most famous attractions are Egyptian mummies, the Sutton Hoo Treasure (a preserved 7th century ship burial), Parthenon sculptures, and the Lindow Man (a 2,000 year old corpse preserved in a peat bog in Cheshire). The displays represent not just British history, but European, Eastern, Egyptian, ancient Greek and Roman, Asian, and African. The museum’s Reading Room is world-renowned. There are also bookstores, cafes, and restaurants. If you go, plan on a full day. There are 94 galleries and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) worth of artifacts.

The National Gallery

The National Gallery, located in tourist-clogged Trafalgar Square, offers works by Raphael, Rembrandt, van Eyck, da Vinci, and Seurat, in addition to excellent paintings by some lesser-known artists. The works span in years from 1250 to 1900, located in four different wings on one floor. Lesser-known works are located on a lower floor.

The National Portrait Gallery

Next to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery houses portraits of some of Britain’s most famous sons and daughters. Kings, queens, poets, artists, musicians, and other notables grace the walls of the museum, which covers every period since the late 14th century. Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I have pride of place in the Ondaatje Wing, which features other famous people (if not famous faces) from the Tudor Period. Portraits of King Henry VIII and his wives are also displayed here. In addition to the portrait displays, there is a bookshop, which focuses on art books and literature, and prints, posters and cards featuring portraits from their collections.

The Museum of London

Anglophiles with a particular interest in London history must come to the Museum of London in the Smithfield and Spitalfields area to get a glimpse into London’s past from the prehistoric times to pre-WWI. The museum offers re-created interiors and streets in addition to domestic and archaeological artifacts. Various displays include clothing, the Lord Mayor’s coach, motor goggles, the Great Fire of London Experience, Victorian Walk, and more.

These ten museums cater to a wide variety of interests and can cover several days’ worth of sightseeing in London, all for free. In addition to the exhibits, you can also take advantage of museum lectures, presentations and events that most of the museums offer. Other, smaller museums also offer free admission and might be worth checking into. A good London guidebook will provide information on other places worth seeing for free. Whether your interest is art, history, archaeology, war history, science, or natural history, there is a museum in London for everyone.