5 Lesser-known Museums to visit in London.
London is packed with world-famous museums, but once you’ve ticked off the British Museum and the Natural History Museum, it’s time to dig a little deeper. Hidden across the city are smaller, stranger and often wonderfully unexpected museums that reveal London’s more unusual stories.
If you like your culture with a twist, here are five lesser-known (and delightfully weird) museums to add to your London itinerary.
1. The Sir John Soane’s Museum – Holborn
This one feels less like a museum and more like stepping into someone’s beautifully cluttered mind.
Sir John Soane, an eccentric 19th-century architect, filled his townhouse with paintings, sculptures, architectural models and curiosities from across the world. Walls open, rooms are mirrored, corridors feel endless — and yes, there’s even an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in the basement.
It’s atmospheric, slightly chaotic and completely unforgettable. Find out more here.
2. The Hunterian Museum (Royal College of Surgeons) – Lincoln’s Inn Fields
If you’re not squeamish, this is one of the most fascinating museums in London.
The Hunterian explores the history of surgery, anatomy and medical science through preserved specimens, skeletal displays and historical instruments. It’s educational, unsettling and deeply compelling — offering a reminder of just how far medicine has come.
Definitely not your average museum visit but then again, who wants average. Have a peek here.
3. The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities – Hackney
Part cabinet of curiosities, part surreal art gallery, part gothic fever dream.
The Viktor Wynd Museum features shrunken heads, occult objects, strange taxidermy, fringe art and items that defy easy explanation. There’s also a cocktail bar downstairs, which somehow makes the whole experience even better.
This is London at its weirdest — and proud of it. We love it. Get more info here.
4. The Grant Museum of Zoology – Bloomsbury
Tucked away at UCL, the Grant Museum is small but packed with oddities.
Inside you’ll find thousands of zoological specimens, including preserved animals, skeletons, jars of mysterious creatures — and famously, a jar containing the remains of a dodo. It’s less polished than the big natural history institutions, which makes it feel more intimate and strangely charming.
Perfect for curious minds and lovers of the unusual. More details here.
5. The Postal Museum & Mail Rail – Clerkenwell
At first glance, a museum about post doesn’t sound thrilling — until you discover the underground railway.
The Postal Museum lets you explore London’s hidden mail system, including a ride on the Mail Rail, a miniature underground train that once transported letters beneath the city streets. Add in stories of coded messages, postal crime and wartime communication, and it’s far more exciting than you’d expect.
A brilliant surprise for first-time visitors.
See a Different Side of London
London’s lesser-known museums tell stories you won’t find in the guidebooks — strange, human, sometimes dark, and always fascinating. They’re perfect for travellers who want to go beyond the highlights and experience the city’s quirks up close.
We started to talk about these weird and wonderful museums when we were curating our new pub and history tour. Our News Booze and Bad Behaviour tour is just that. Weird and wonderful. Step back in time and explore Fleet Street, home of the tabloids and scene for some of London’s weirdest and intruiging stories.
Hungry and thirsty for something different? So are we. 🍴
