Museum lates and gallery lates in London

Try one of these museum or gallery lates for a cultural night out

After-hours museum visits are the perfect cultural night out, and Londoners have embraced the concept with enthusiasm. What's not to like about checking out a new exhibition, drink in hand, often with music, talks and tours to add to the buzzy atmosphere? Here's our guide to which museums are open late on which nights of the week

Museums and galleries open late on Tuesday

Sir John Soane's Museum

First Tue of each month 6-9pm, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3BP

Designed by architect Sir John Soane to house his own collection of paintings and architectural salvage, the museum is a tranquil place full of unexpected treasures. On the first Tuesday of each month, the museum stays opens late (6-9pm, last entry 8pm), and the atmospheric rooms are lit by candles. Visitor numbers are generally high on these evenings and there is frequently a queue, so early arrival is advised. Note that there will be no candlelit opening in June 2012 because of the extra bank holiday for the Queen's Jubillee. See what's on at Sir John Soane's Museum
British Library

Weekly on Tue until 8pm, 96 Euston Rd, London, NW1 2DB

The British Library's exhibition spaces are open late weekly on Tuesdays, from 9.30am-8pm. On show are temporary displays as well as permanent exhibits in the John Ritblat Gallery, which houses some of the most famous written and printed items in the world: the Lindisfarne Gospels, Shakespeare's first Folio, Handel's Messiah, the Gutenberg Bible, drafts of the Magna Carta and The Beatles' lyrics. See what's on at the British Library

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