Museums & Attractions

Alongside the V&A, Science, Natural History and British Museums, the capital has a host of smaller, lesser-known...

A handy round-up of the big-hitting exhibitions currently on in London museums

After-hours museum visits cater perfectly for people who want to combine a bit of culture with a sociable night out....

The sheer volume of historical facts to be gleaned from the current crop of exhibitions on the reign of Henry VIII...

The final exhibition in the BM's series repositioning four great historical leaders in the context of their times looks at Moctezuma II (aka Montezuma), the last elected ruler of the Aztecs, who put up surprisingly little resistance when the...

Nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs from the British Library collection, examining the history of photography and its influence with regard to industrialisation and developments in science.

Photographs by Gideon Mendel and pupils from Kingsmead School in Hackney, who worked together to capture the cultural diversity of the area and everyday life at the school.

As well as stalls selling Christmas gifts such as clothes, jewellery, glassware and foodstuffs, there are free tours of the garden and workshops at which children can make seasonal decorations. The Tangerine Dream café offers game stew and...

In addition to the hundreds of varieties of fish and sea life from all over the world, including stingrays, sharks, piranhas and sea scorpions, the recently reopened and renamed aquarium, has a new attraction, the Shark Walk, which allows...

You don't have to leave town to discover National Trust treasures, as the organisation has a diverse list of historic...

The beauty, drama and infinite variety of the natural world is celebrated in this annual photography competition and exhibition, a joint enterprise between the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine. This year the exhibition is housed...

Stunning images of the cosmos. The overall winner is Martin Pugh with his image of the Horsehead Nebula, a body of swirling dust and gas at the base of which young stars are visible. The image took 14 nights to capture with a total exposure time...

Part of the 'Photomonth' festival, this selection of images is from photographer Paul Trevor's 'Eastender Archive' and surveys the area as from a child's point of view from the 1970s to the 1990s.

‘That’s the easiest question anybody’s ever asked me!’ roars Edward Mayer, vice president of...

This new, permanent attraction on the top floor of The O2 includes a music memorabilia exhibition featuring David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust costume and Noel Gallagher's Union Jack guitar. The main focus, however, is on interactive exhibits such as...

A palladian civic palace between the Strand and the Thames by Waterloo Bridge, built as government offices in the last quarter of the 18th century by George III's architect William Chambers, Somerset House is home to the Courtauld Gallery (see...

A magnificent World Heritage Site covering 300 acres with over 30,000 species of plants; plus the tropical Palm...

The romper suit stands in a glass display case, lit moodily from above. It’s a deep wine red, it’s made...

Peter Watts ventures into Scotland Yard’s very own chamber of horrors

On a clear day the world's largest observation wheel offers views as far as Windsor Castle, 25 miles away. There are a number of flight options, for instance you could combine your flight with a river cruise, take a champagne flight (£29.50) or...

Photographer Katherine Green spent the last three months of the existence of Walthamstow Stadium as a dog racing track documenting the people and history of the London icon. More than a year since the dog track closed, the stadium is still...

Focusing on key events during the lead-up to and start of WWII, the exhibition is linked to an ITV1 documentary of the same name. It includes the personal accounts of journalists and soldiers on the front line, toys and possessions of young...

Until recently if you wanted to explore London by boat, you could expect a pretty sedate experience. Charlie Matheson's slick RIB (rigid inflatable boat) operation has changed all that. You can book by phone or online or turn up at Waterloo...

An anthropological museum set in 16 acres of landscaped gardens, the Horniman has a traditional natural history gallery - dominated by a bizarre, overstuffed walrus - where the exhibits are displayed in traditional cases with no computer...

Held on the last Friday of each month (except December), Friday Lates comprise mostly free, mostly drop-in events, workshops and entertainment, with a different theme each month.

Thrones, gem-encrusted weapons, a Rolls RoyceÂ… there's nothing particularly subtle about the world of the maharajas as explored in this major exhibition, which covers the period from the collapse of the Mughal empire in the early eighteenth...

Based on 'The Trenches Handbook', one of the books in Terry Deary's popular 'Horrible Histories' series, this family exhibition employs the same irreverent tone to explain how soldiers dealt with fierce flies, foul food, gruesome gas, sickness...

It took Charles Darwin 30 years to write ‘The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals’ and it...

Although the Monument, which commemorates the Great Fire of 1666, is often attributed to Christopher Wren - who did choose its location 202 feet from the baker's shop in Pudding Lane where the fire originated - it was almost certainly designed by...

A 105-acre city wildlife area of lakes, reedbeds and marshes created by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. A three-storey tower gives excellent views of the wild areas while six other hides offer more cover for watching the wetland wildlife,...

London Duck Tours (previously Frog Tours) start in a conventional fashion from the rear of County Hall, crossing the river via Westminster Bridge to travel round Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Buckingham Palace and Westminster...

Kew Gardens is a living, breathing attraction full of hidden nooks that even regulars may not have explored