"Great museums in London" a London Travel Page by jacob_m

Since I moved to London I have visited a number of museums around London.
That is one thing I really appreciate about this city - the museums.
There are some really great ones and since 2002 all state-owned museums have free entrance - although there may be exceptions for particular exhibitions.

Here are some of my favourites.

The Science museum of London shows everything connected to technology and innovations.
Haven't you ever wanted to find out about the history of the computer, how it all started? Or how a motor works, or how an airplane flies?
You can find it all here.
Five floors with technology and some really impressive collections of cars, miniature boats and "try it yourself"-machines.
They also have temporary exhibitions.
In 2003 there was an exhibition about James Bond showing many of the real gadgets used in the movies, how the films were recorded, villains and other fun facts.
Later the same year there was an exhibition about Titanic, with some real objects from the ship on display.

Transportation: Take the underground to South Kensington, then it's a short walk.
Entrance: Free of charge except for special exhibitions (James Bond, Titanic etc).
For these exhibition advance booking is recommended.
Food: There is a cafe

This ship was used during the second world war and actually fought against a German ship in the North sea, the Brits won that battle.
In the 70's the ship was brought to London after many years of service and is now a museum open to the public.
The inside has been restored to original so you get a good view of what is was to be a seaman onboard during the war.
The ship is amazinly large.
For example there is a small hospital inside, and a dentist.
There is also a post office, a shop, a bakery and of course cabins, canteens and weapon and amunition rooms.
It's very interesting to walk around, most parts are open to the public.

Transportation: Take the underground to London bridge, walk along the Thames (the south side) to the east. You won't miss it!
Entrance: There is an entrance fee.
Food: There is a cafe on the ship.

This museum is especially interesting for me as I have been in the military.
There are some very nice exhibitions about different wars and the development of the military.
For example the second world war exhibition is impressive.
It explains different battles, strategies, the blitz (the battle of London), how it all started and ended, and how life was in London and the United Kingdom during that time.
Many objects from that time is on display, voice recordings of Churchill are played, and there are many videos to watch.
There is also a very interesting exhibition about the cold war and another about the intelligence service (MI5 and MI6).
I read with great interest about those successful British spies.

In the main hall there are models of weapons, tankers, military airplanes and much more.

Transportation: Take the underground to Elephant and Castle, then it's a short walk (follow the signs).
Entrance: Free of charge
Food: There is a cafe.

This is probably the most famous museum in London and one of the largest in the world.
This is a great museum for people interested in especially history, architecture and art.
The question is not what is in here, the question is what is not in here.
There are huge collections of sculptures, paintings, glass items, items from the stone age, bronze age, ancient Greece and Egypt, India and China, and much more.
If you want to see all exhibitions in detail, not even a whole day is enough...

Transportation: Take the underground to Holborn, Russell square or Tottenham court road.
Entrance: Free of charge
Food: As far as I remember there are several cafes inside. But high prices to expect.

Tate modern is a museum of modern art.
Even though I personally don't really understand this type of art it's still a really cool museum.
At least I made an effort to try to understand the symbolism of the sculptures and paintings.
This is a great museum for people who want to see something different (and for modern art lovers).
Check out the sculpture you see in the main hall once you've entered, at first you won't even realise it's a sculpture because it is so large.

Transportation: Take the underground to either St Paul's or Blackfriars. Cross the Thames (easiest by using the Millennium bridge), you then have the museum right in front of you.
Entrance: Free of charge
Food: There is a rooftop cafe which a great view of the Thames and central London. Long queues and high prices to expect.

This is the place where the British prime minister Winston Churchill, the other ministers, and the military commandors lived and worked during the second world war.
All those important decisions that would forever change the history were taken here.
The museum (and hence the actual place) is located right under the parliament building in Westminster.
A few centuries after the end of the war the place was restored and transformed into a museum.
At that time the place still looked much like it did the day the war ended as its "inhabitants" just left the place that day and abandonned it.
Today it looks just like it did in those days. You can see Churchills' bedroom, the strategy planning room, the switchboard, and Churchills' secret telephone used to call the American president.

Transportation: Take the underground to Westminster, from the station it's a short walk.
Might be a little tricky to find (and that was the original purpose, although at that time it was meant for the Germans) but there are signs showing the way.
Entrance: There is an entrance fee. Also a student discount as far as I remember.