Note – this is the 2017 article, for Museums open over Christmas in 2022, click here.

With many people taking an extended break over Christmas, it helps to know which museums are going to be open so that you can have some ideas of where to visit.

Below is a list of the museums that I thought of, and their opening hours, where known. Maybe it’ll inspire you to visit some of the smaller museums over Christmas.

Opening hours also may vary, so if going early/late, check their website first as well.

 

Fri 22nd Sat 23rd Sun 24th Xmas Day Boxing Day Wed 27th Thur 28th Fri 29th Sat 30th Sun 31st Mon 1st
Bank of England Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌
Barbican Centre ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Bentley Priory Museum ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Bethlem Museum of the Mind ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
British Library ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
British Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Brooklands Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Canal Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ✓
Cartoon Museum ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Charles Dickens Museum ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Courtauld Institute of Art ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Dennis Severs’ House ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Design Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Dr Johnson’s House ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Dr Who Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Dulwich Picture Gallery ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Eltham Palace ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Fan Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Faraday Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Fashion and Textile Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Florence Nightingale Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Foundling Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Freud Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Fulham Palace ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Geffrye Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Grant Museum of Zoology ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Guildhall Art Gallery ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Handel House Museum ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Heath Robinson Museum ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Horniman Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
House of Illustration ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Imperial War Museums ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Jewel Tower ❌ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ❌ ❌
Jewish Museum ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Keats House ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Kensington Palace ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Kenwood House ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌
Kew Gardens ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
London Mithraeum ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
London Museum of Water and Steam ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
London Transport Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Museum of Childhood ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Museum of London ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Museum of London Docklands ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Museum of the Order of St John ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Musical Museum ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
National Army Museum ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
National Gallery ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
National Maritime Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
National Portrait Gallery ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Natural History Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Osterley Park and House ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Petrie Museum of Egyptology ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Queen’s Gallery ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
RAF Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
RIBA ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Royal College of Nursing ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Royal College of Physicians ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Saatchi Gallery ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Science Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Sir John Soane’s Museum ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Somerset House ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Southbank Centre ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Tate Britain ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Tate Modern ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
The Building Centre ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
Tower Bridge Exhibition ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
V&A ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Wallace Collection ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Wellcome Collection ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Whitechapel Gallery ✓ ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ❌
Wiener Library ✓ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌
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7 comments
  1. Emma Davis says:
    20 December 2017 at 7:33 am

    Thanks for all the great info. Merry Xmas and Happy Neew Year!

  2. Yac Bar says:
    23 December 2017 at 7:00 pm

    The national gallery is closed at the 24.12.

  3. Costa says:
    26 December 2017 at 11:24 am

    So basically nothing to do on boxing day, all the museuns are closed. I was thinking to visit the kew gardens, takes 1.5 hours at least to get there and closes at 3. Great city

  4. T says:
    24 December 2018 at 8:43 am

    This is really helpful thank you

  5. caroline says:
    19 December 2019 at 9:19 pm

    Charles Dickens Museum website says it is CLOSED on Boxing day not open as it says here. Sadly.

  6. Caroline says:
    19 December 2019 at 9:21 pm

    But amazingly – the Saatchi gallery is open for the Tutankhamun exhibition with loads of ticket times.

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