Nerd activities in London: Culture and Travel Context

London has many sites that are well known and appeal to most tourists. There are also many less famous sites which may only appeal to those with a scientific or technical background. We present a selection of these sites here.

1 Sherlock Holmes Museum (Also known as 221B Baker St), 239 Baker St, NW1 6XE (Tube: Baker Street ), ☏ +44 20 7935-8866. 9:30AM-6PM daily. Discover mementos of the famous fictional detective. This was a lodging house used in the late 1800s and has three floors. The first floor contains Sherlock Holmes' study with Watson's desk and has bullet holes spelling the initials VR (for Victoria Regina, Latin for Queen Victoria), much to the chagrin of the landlady Mrs. Hudson. Next to that is Holmes' bedroom with a rogues' gallery containing photographs of several notable Victorian-era murderers, including Lizzy Bourdain. The remaining rooms upstairs have waxwork figures and artfacts referencing the novels, as well as their adaptations to stage and screen. Photography allowed, though filming requires permission. Prebooking is recommended to circumvent long queues. £15 adult, £10 child. (updated Apr 2022)

2 King's Cross Railway Station, Euston Rd, Camden, London, N1 9AL (London), ☏ +44 20 7431-4001, [email protected]. The station where Harry and his friends boarded the train to Hogwarts. The magical entrance to platform 9 ¾ has been recreated at the station entrance for fans to have their photos taken, but figure on spending at least 2 hours in the queue with throngs of other fans. Reaching the actual platform 9 ¾ may require some magic; the filming was done between platforms 4 and 5, as the platforms 9 and 10 are separated by tracks. A Harry Potter souvenir shop is also in the station for fans to purchase memorabilia. Free.

3 The Royal Observatory, Flamsteed House (in the middle of Greenwich Park), ☏ +44 20 8858-4422. Daily 10AM-5PM, closed 24-26 Dec. The home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line, this is one of the most important historic scientific sites in the world. It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium (at the stroke of midnight GMT as measured from the Prime Meridian). Now a detached part of the National Maritime Museum, it houses an impressive display and a planetarium built in 2007. There are several different star shows per day that are well worth the money, especially as it's now the only celestial performance of its kind around, after the London Planetarium completely converted to Madame Tussauds. Free for entry to the observatory, £15 entrance for the Meridian Line and Flamsteed House, planetarium shows separate £8 (combined tickets available). (updated Jul 2018)

4 Natural History Museum (London/South Kensington-Chelsea, United Kingdom). Palaeontology is one of five major sections of this famous museum and is home to thousands of extinct specimens, large and small. Unlike most other museums of its size and genre, this one is completely free to enter. Home to Sophie, the most complete Stegosaurus skeleton found to date. (updated Dec 2016)

5 London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza (Tube: Covent Garden ), ☏ +44 20 7565-7299. In many cities, a local transport museum would be of very narrow interest - not London, however! London's public transport is iconic, and the story of how it developed from horse and cart through early buses, Tube trains and trolleybuses to the present day is well worth coming to find out about. There is plenty of opportunity to clamber aboard the historic buses and Tube trains on display. Also, because London's transport is so well known, the museum shop contains plenty of items that make interesting and original gifts and souvenirs. £18, concessions £17, accompanied children under 16 free.

6 British Museum, Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG (tube: Tottenham Court Road ), ☏ +44 20 7323-8000, fax: +44 20 7323-8616, [email protected]. Sat-Wed 10AM-5:30PM, Thu Fri 10AM-8:30PM; Central Great Court remains open Sat-Wed until 6PM, Thu Fri until 11PM. A vast repository of the world's cultures, controversially including hundreds of items from all over the world. Entire sections are devoted to Egyptian, Greek, and Middle Eastern artifacts, as well as the piece which united them all, the Rosetta Stone. Other items on everyone's list are the largest collection of mummies outside Egypt and the Elgin Marbles. The collection also includes some of the world's finest collections of Chinese and Sub-Saharan African art; perhaps the most famous of the latter are the Benin bronzes. A definite highlight of a trip to London. Temporary exhibitions are invariably excellent and meticulously researched, but can be expensive. It has a fine store, mainly selling replicas of items in the collection. Free. (updated Feb 2024)

7 Cartoon Museum, 65 Wells St, W1A 3AE (tube: Oxford Circus ), ☏ +44 20 7580-8155, [email protected]. Tue Wed Fri-Sun 10:30AM-5:30PM, Thu 10:30AM-8PM. A vast collection of cartoons and comics on display with special, often topical, exhibitions. £8.50, concession (60+) £5, students £3, under-18s free. (updated Oct 2022)

8 Brunel Museum, Railway Ave, Rotherhithe, SE16 4LF (DLR station: Canada Water ), ☏ +44 20 7231-3840, [email protected]. Daily 10AM-5PM. A museum dedicated to the works of the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel including a major exhibition about the founding of the London tube system. Also a fine collection of Victorian industrial paintings on show. £3.00 concs £1.50.

9 Imperial War Museum. It's in the former Bethlehem Mental Hospital (and the origin of the word Bedlam) in Southwark. Founded to commemorate the efforts of soldiers from Britain and the Empire in World War I, it has expanded over the decades with exhibits on World War II, more recent conflicts, and rotating exhibitions. The museum contains a vast array of military exhibitions including an eagle statue from Hitler's desk, and replica-shell of Fat Boy, dropped on Nagasaki to end World War II. Free.

This cultural overview is an excerpt of a community travel guide. Confirm current access, schedules and prices with the venue before planning a visit.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Nerd activities in London by Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.