What to do in London when it rains

When it rains, London has plenty to keep you dry, from the British Museum and the Natural History Museum to Tate Modern, covered markets and cosy pubs, with opening hours and prices.

Last updated: 22 October 2026

Museums

Careful on Mondays: 1 of these museums are closed. Which museums are open today? →

Westminster & St James's

Photo: Kaihsu Tai derivative work: SilkTork (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Churchill War Rooms

Daily 09:30–18:00 (last entry 17:00) · £34

Winston Churchill's underground WWII bunker, kept as it was, with an excellent museum and audio guide.

Westminster & St James's

Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

The National Gallery

Daily 10:00–18:00, Fri until 21:00 · Free

Western European painting from Van Eyck to Van Gogh, with Turner, Constable and Monet; free entry.

Bloomsbury & Camden

Photo: Ham · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

The British Museum

Daily 10:00–17:00, Fri until 20:30 · Free

A vast museum of world history with the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies and the Parthenon sculptures; free entry.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Khamtran · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

London Eye

Daily, usually 11:00–18:00 (varies by date; closed for maintenance in January) · from £29

A 30-minute ride in a glass pod on the giant observation wheel, with views over the Thames and Parliament.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Tate Modern

Sun–Thu 10:00–18:00, Fri–Sat 10:00–21:00 · Free

Modern and contemporary art in a former power station on the Thames, with a viewing terrace on the Blavatnik Building.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Julian Herzog (Website) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Natural History Museum

Daily 10:00–17:50 (last entry 17:30) · Free

Dinosaurs, a blue whale skeleton and gems in a Romanesque palace; a favourite with children and free to enter.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Ewan-M · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Victoria and Albert Museum

Daily 10:00–17:45, Fri until 22:00 · Free

The world's largest museum of decorative arts and design: fashion, ceramics, jewellery and sculpture.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Shadowssettle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Science Museum

Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:15; free ticket needed) · Free

Hands-on galleries from steam engines and Apollo 10 to space and medicine; great for families and free.

Greenwich

Photo: Ethan Doyle White · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Cutty Sark

Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:15) · £22

The world's last surviving tea clipper from 1869, raised on dry dock so you can walk beneath its hull.

Greenwich

Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Royal Observatory Greenwich

Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00) · £24

Stand on the Prime Meridian line and see the Harrison clocks and Flamsteed House, with views over London.

South Bank & Bankside

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SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00; varies by date) · from £28

Aquarium in County Hall by the London Eye, with sharks, rays, penguins and a glass tunnel.

West End

Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

London Transport Museum

Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) · £27 (annual pass; under 18 free)

Hands-on museum of London's buses, trams, tube trains and posters, popular with children.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Alvesgaspar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

HMS Belfast

Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) · from £26.80

Second World War Royal Navy cruiser moored on the Thames, with nine decks to explore.

West End

Photo: self-made · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Madame Tussauds London

Daily, about 10:00–18:00 (last entry 16:00; varies by date) · from £27

Waxwork museum of film stars, royals and sports heroes, with a Marvel and a Spirit of London ride.

Greenwich

Photo: Katie Chan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

National Maritime Museum

Daily 10:00–17:00 · Free

Britain's seafaring story, from Nelson to the modern navy, with big family galleries and a view of Greenwich Park.

West End

Photo: Anthony O'Neil · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

The Wallace Collection

Daily 10:00–17:00 · Free

Townhouse museum of French 18th-century art, armour and masterpieces, including Fragonard's The Swing.

Westminster & St James's

Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Tate Britain

Daily 10:00–18:00 · Free

British art from 1500 to today, from Turner and Constable to Hockney and contemporary work.

Westminster & St James's

Photo: DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

National Portrait Gallery

Mon–Thu, Sat, Sun 10:30–18:00, Fri 10:30–21:00 · Free

Portraits of the people who shaped Britain, from the Tudors to today, in a refurbished gallery next to the National Gallery.

Bloomsbury & Camden

Photo: Sarah Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Sir John Soane's Museum

Wed–Sun 10:00–17:00 · Free

The eccentric home of an architect, packed with antiquities, paintings and clever light.

Bloomsbury & Camden

Photo: David Samuel, User:Hellodavey1902 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Wellcome Collection

Daily 10:00–18:00 · Free

Free museum and library about health, medicine and what it means to be human, with quirky objects.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Ben Sutherland · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Design Museum

Mon–Thu 10:00–17:00, Fri–Sun 10:00–18:00 · Free (permanent collection); exhibitions ticketed

Museum of product, fashion and graphic design in a former modernist building; the permanent collection is free.

Churches

Westminster & St James's

Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Westminster Abbey

Mon–Fri 09:30–16:30, Sat 09:00–16:00 (last entry 1 h before closing); Sun services only; hours change for services · £32

The coronation church of English monarchs, with royal tombs, Poets' Corner and a multimedia guide.

The City & East

Photo: Mark Fosh · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

St Paul's Cathedral

Mon–Sat 08:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00); Sun services only · £27

Wren's baroque cathedral: climb the Dome's Whispering Gallery and see the crypt with Nelson's tomb.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Ethan Doyle White · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Southwark Cathedral

Daily 08:30–18:00 · Free (donations welcome)

Gothic cathedral beside Borough Market, with a Shakespeare memorial and free entry.

Shopping under cover

West End

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Charbonnel et Walker (Royal Arcade)

Mon–Sat 10:00–18:30, Sun 12:00–17:00 · Free entry

Royal-warrant chocolatier in the Victorian Royal Arcade off Old Bond Street, known for its truffles.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Melt Chocolates (Notting Hill)

Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 11:00–17:00 · Free entry

Small-batch chocolate shop and café on pretty Ledbury Road in Notting Hill.

Kensington & Chelsea

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Harrods

Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 11:30–18:00 · Free entry

The famous Knightsbridge department store with its Food Halls, Egyptian Escalator and luxury floors.

West End

Photo: Luis Villa del Campo · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Liberty London

Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 12:00–18:00 · Free entry

Tudor-revival department store known for its prints, fabrics and design-led gifts.

West End

Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Fortnum & Mason

Mon–Sat 10:00–20:00, Sun 11:30–18:00 · Free entry

Royal grocer on Piccadilly, famous for its tea, hampers, food hall and the chiming clock.

West End

Photo: Alan Hughes · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Selfridges

Mon–Fri 10:00–22:00, Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 11:30–18:00 · Free entry

Huge Oxford Street department store with a famous food hall and fashion floors.

West End

Photo: Matt Brown · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Hamleys

Mon–Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 12:00–18:00 · Free entry

One of the world's oldest and biggest toy shops, seven floors of play and demonstrations.

Food and drink

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Chiswick Chap · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Fuller's Griffin Brewery

Tue–Sat 11:00–21:00

London's oldest brewery site, with guided tours and tastings by the Thames in Chiswick.

Bloomsbury & Camden

Photo: Ewan Munro from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Camden Town Brewery

Mon–Thu 12:00–22:00, Fri–Sat 12:00–23:00, Sun 12:00–22:00

Craft brewery with a taproom under railway arches in Kentish Town and tours by booking.

Greenwich

Photo: N Chadwick · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Meantime Brewery Tap Room

Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00, Sun 11:00–22:00

Craft brewery taproom in the Old Brewery within the Old Royal Naval College grounds.

More to see indoors

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Shakespeare's Globe

Daily guided tours (times vary), 7 Oct 2026–31 Jan 2027 · £31 (guided tour)

A reconstruction of Shakespeare's open-air theatre, visited on a guided tour with the exhibition.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Øyvind Holmstad · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Borough Market

Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat 09:00–17:00, Sun 10:00–16:00; closed Mon · Free

London's best-known food market under the railway arches, with fresh produce, cheese and hot street food.

South Bank & Bankside

Photo: Colin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

The View from The Shard

Daily, about 12:00–20:00 (varies by date; last entry 1 h before closing) · from £28

Western Europe's tallest viewing platform, on floors 68 to 72 of the Shard with views up to 60 km.

The City & East

Photo: Colin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Sky Garden

Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00 (free ticket needed) · Free

A glass-domed garden at the top of the Walkie-Talkie, with free views over the City; timed tickets.

The City & East

Photo: [Duncan] from Nottingham, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Tower of London

Tue–Sat 09:00–17:30, Sun–Mon 10:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30) · £38

A 900-year-old fortress with the Crown Jewels, the White Tower and free Yeoman Warder tours.

Kensington & Chelsea

Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Kensington Palace

Wed–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00); closed Mon–Tue · £24.70 (£19 from 11 November 2026)

A royal residence in Kensington Gardens, with the King's State Apartments and the Sunken Garden.

The City & East

Photo: Diliff · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia

Leadenhall Market

Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00 · Free entry

Victorian covered market with a painted ironwork roof, now shops, cafés and pubs.

The City & East

Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Old Spitalfields Market

Mon–Wed and Fri 10:00–20:00, Thu 08:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–17:00 · Free entry

Historic covered market with independent stalls, street food and small designer shops.

Greenwich

Photo: Steve F-E-Cameron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Greenwich Market

Daily 10:00–17:30 · Free entry

Covered market with crafts, vintage and street food, a short walk from the Cutty Sark.

Greenwich

Photo: Dmitry Tonkonog · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

The Painted Hall (Old Royal Naval College)

Daily 10:00–17:00 · £19

Baroque 'Sistine Chapel of the UK', with Thornhill's painted ceiling, in the Old Royal Naval College.

Bloomsbury & Camden

Photo: fsse8info from UK · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

The British Library

Mon–Thu 09:30–20:00, Fri 09:30–18:00, Sat 09:30–17:00, Sun 11:00–17:00 · Free

National library with the free Treasures gallery: Magna Carta, Beatles lyrics and Shakespeare's First Folio.

Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.