Best Museums in The Carnaby

"This contemporary art museum is very welcoming to kids, from the family visitor hosts during holidays and at weekends, as well as family maps, regular activities and events (although some are more suitable for older kids) and the Start Display focused on some of the most famous works, helping to get younger visitors thinking about art. There are also suggested games, along with activity packs, and you’re reminded it’s OK to make some noise!. Entry is free – adults have to pay for special exhibitions, but under-12s can enter free for those as well."

"As entwined with the art world as paint, no list of London galleries would be complete without one incarnation of the Tate. Without a doubt the art giant of London, the Tate Modern is home to all things contemporary and unique and always worth a visit. “When my daughter Coco was born, we visited Tate Modern 11 times in her first 6 months!"

"Part of the Tate group with three other museums, including Tate Britain, Tate Modern's collection showcases the national British art collection from 1900 through today. It also displays international art from the same time period. Tate Modern is among the biggest contemporary art museums in the world."

"Overlooking the hubbub of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery houses an impressive art collection spanning from the mid-13th century to the 20th, with more than 2,300 works range from the early Renaissance through to Old Masters and important examples of Impressionism. Highlights include Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Diego Veláquez’s The Rokeby Venus, and JMW Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire. There are more than 2,300 works of art in The National Gallery|Courtesy of the National Gallery, London"

"With more than 2300 European masterpieces in its collection, this is one of the world's great galleries, with seminal works from the 13th to the mid-20th century, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Vincent van Gogh and Auguste Renoir. Many visitors flock to the eastern rooms on the main floor (1700–1930), where works by British artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable and JMW Turner, and Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by Van Gogh, Renoir and Claude Monet await."

"It includes all the major attractions (e.g., Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the National Gallery), but also includes several lesser known sites and encourages you to explore several of London’s diverse neighborhoods including Westminster, Greenwich, Kensington, and Camden. We suggest using this itinerary as a starting point for planning your 6 days in London, not as a definitive itinerary, and you can edit it to put together your own personal itinerary that reflects your own needs and interests."

"Tate Britain is part of the Tate organization that includes three other museums: Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St. Ives. Tate Britain, once known as the National Gallery of British Art and the Tate Gallery, contains a huge collection of British art dating back to Tudor times. Tate Britain is one of the biggest museums in the United Kingdom, attracting more than one million guests through its doors annually."

"Located in Millbank, The Tate Britain is another of the best free museums in London. The Tate Modern might be the cool new kid on the block, but personally I prefer its more austere sister museum further downriver, the Tate Britain. The museum opened in 1897 and has been welcoming visitors to admire a huge collection of British art from the Tudor times onwards since."

"While the Tate Modern focuses on more recent art, Tate Britain is all about the past with a big collection of historical British art."

"London's National Portrait Gallery is a premiere art museum in the heart of the city. The National Portrait Gallery was the world's very first portrait gallery upon its 1856 opening. The gallery's collection focuses heavily on portraits of people who were important to Britain over the years; the gallery is less concerned with who produced the painting, but rather places its value on who the portrait is of."

"Located in an adjoining building to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of historic portraits of important and famous British people. Nearest tube station: Charing Cross."

"While taking the kids to a museum housing toys they can’t touch may seem like a disaster, the V&A Museum of Childhood makes an extra effort to include interactive exhibits that will keep little hands busy. Adults can enjoy nostalgic displays of dolls’ houses and rag dolls dating back to the 1600s, while kids can try rocking horses and play with Lego. The museum also has free daily activities such as treasure hunts."

"Technically a part of the V&A, the Museum of Childhood has gained an excellent reputation as one of the best free things to do in London. With a collection of toys spanning centuries, the museum is the perfect day out for kids, while adults will also surely find something to wake their nostalgia. Museum of Childhood © Flickr Andrea Vail"

"Spanning the 1600s to the present day—toys, clothes and interactive displays are set within a 1872 hangar with marble floor and visible cast iron frame."

"The Bankside Gallery in London was opened in 1980 by Her Majesty, the Queen. The public gallery, located near the Thames, houses the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. The gallery displays rotating exhibits focused on modern watercolours and prints."

"Children can handle real torture devices at the world’s most notorious medieval prison at this museum in Southwark, on the original site of The Clink Prison, which dates back to 1144. You’ll find out about a day in the life of a medieval prisoner and hear tales of some of the gruesome prisoners. If you’re feeling brave, it’s a great place to spot ghosts: the prison is reputed to be one of the UK’s most haunted locations and is renowned for its ghostly sightings…"

"A rather arresting spot amongst London museums, The Clink spent some 600 years as one of the city’s most feared prisons. Far from the charming spot it is today, Southwark used to be a lawless place; prostitutes, heretics, and drunkards all graced the cells of The Clink at one point or another."

"The Clink Prison Museum was a prison in England that started in the 12th century and operated through 1780. Today, it is the oldest surviving prison in the country. Notable prisoners of The Clink include Father John Gerard, Father John Jones, Farther George Blackwell, and Edward Knott."

"Reopened after extensive (and expensive) renovation in 2019, the Mandarin Oriental is nothing less than stunning. The hotel’s Edwardian footprint interplays with tranquil, quirkily contemporary interiors and bright colors; the suites and rooms finished in sparkling Art Deco style are by innovative designer Joyce Wang; and there’s an exceptional basement spa with an added Philip Kingsley hair and scalp bar, and a mani-pedi studio by celebrity French podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez. The exterior is all iconic red brick and cream and the building feels quintessentially English, while the interior is restrained yet innovative, color-popping yet elegant, with added floral displays, bronze and silver embossed leaf-themed wallpaper, and fun 1920s-style pendant lights created from equine hair culled from the Horse Guards’ stable."

"The vast spa and wellness offering at the Mandarin Oriental ranks as one of the capital’s best both in size and quality. Offering a massive 14 treatment rooms, including the couple’s Oriental Suite, there is also a high-tech gym, vitality pool, steam room, sanarium, colour therapy relaxation area and 17-metre twin lane swimming pool. And, while the spa decor may take its cues from the hotel’s Eastern roots, the treatment menu wanders around the globe, bringing together holistic therapies and practices from a wide variety of wellness traditions."

"The Queen learnt to dance in the ballroom of this splendidly florid pile. A great deal has changed since then. There's now an award-winning, state-of-the-art spa, zeitgeisty restaurants by Daniel Boulud and Heston Blumenthal, and perpetually packed bars (not one, not two, but three, and all terrific in their very different ways)."

"We know what you are thinking but don’t worry, Kanye hasn’t got his little paws into the hotel and spa industry just yet. This Shepherds Bush-based hotel recently underwent a makeover of its own; now a glossy, glass-clad hipster-ish paradise with staff donning the latest in toned-down designer apparel, a restaurant that offers a ‘glam rock’ afternoon tea. Oh and did we mention an in-house DJ that rocks out the beats in the hotel lobby until 2AM on Friday and Saturday?"

"Book in for some freeze-thaw action at the K Spa at K West Hotel, an oasis of calm in a stylishly modernised former BBC office block in Shepherd's Bush. The basement spa is the first in London to feature a 'Snow Paradise' - the place to come when you want to cool off in minus 15 degrees powder snow."

"A luxury London retreat where friends and couples delight in the stylish, contemporary bliss of the spa before flirting with inventive cocktails and creative afternoon teas."

"As their slogan, “Eat Dirty, Vegan Style” would suggest, Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Diner serves up American-style comfort food, such as burgers, hotdogs, buffalo wings, sandwiches, mac n cheese, fries and more!. The Reuben sandwich and the mozzarella sticks are firm fan favorites. Not only this but they’re also known for their incredible vegan milkshakes; think chocolate peanut butter, banana biscoff and chocolate peppermint cream."

"If you’re looking for over-the-top vegan junk food that will convince even the most ardent of meat-eaters, then look no further than Rudy’s Vegan Diner. The Camden Market-based diner offers all the staple US diner classics from The Dirty Burger to The Dirty Dog. Rudy’s even offer a Reuben sandwich with all the trimmings, including sauerkraut and Russian dressing."

"In a nutshell: Restautant for the vegan butcher Where is it?. 206A Upper St Islington, London N1 1RQ Why should you care?. After the launch of their vegan 'butcher' (which has proven to be very popular indeed), Rudy's have brought their vegan diner to Islington right next door."

"The Breakfast Club have put together some of London's wildest pancake options this year as they stack with everything from Cornflake ice-cream to ham, egg and chips. From Angel, London Bridge and Battersea to "top secret pancake mix" delivery to your door, they've got you covered."