Wellcome Collection
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
London
What it’s like
Free galleries exploring health and the human body, with a library and daily tours thrown in.
You wander round exhibitions about health, medicine and what it's like to be a human body, with real objects and artworks rather than just panels of text to read. There are daily guided tours and discussions if you want someone to talk you through it, or you can just browse at your own pace. The library upstairs has thousands of items on health and medicine, which is more a teenager-or-adult draw than something a six-year-old will care about.
It's free to get in and you don't need to book, you just turn up. That's the best bit about a rainy Tuesday here, you can drop by for forty minutes or stay for the afternoon and it costs nothing either way. Galleries are shut on Mondays though, so don't turn up then expecting to get past the café.
Pushchairs go everywhere without a fuss and there's a free cloakroom if you want to dump coats and bags before you look round. Wheelchair hire is free too, and step-free access runs right through the building. The café and shop are open daily even when the galleries aren't, so it's a fallback if your visit lands on a Monday.
This isn't a hands-on museum with buttons to press and things to climb, it's closer to a proper gallery. Sensory-friendly sessions and a hearing loop are on offer if that matters for your family, and staff are trained to help with access needs generally.
Facilities
Need to know
- Pushchairs
- Pushchair accessible throughout
- Wheelchairs
- Free wheelchair hire available
- Dogs
- Assistance dogs welcome if kept on lead and controlled
- Galleries and the Reading Room close all day Monday, but the café and shop stay open
- Mobility devices 75cm or wider might struggle in some spots, so it's worth calling ahead if that applies to you
- Sensory-friendly sessions and a hearing loop are available for those who need them
- Staff can help you skip queues if you need assistance getting round
Plan your visit
Is it free to visit?
Yes, exhibitions and events are free to drop into. Some specific events and relaxed openings need free advance booking.
Do we need to book ahead?
You can just turn up for the galleries. Booking is only needed for relaxed sessions and certain events.
What are the opening hours?
Galleries and the Reading Room run 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays. The café and shop open daily 10am to 6pm.
Is it suitable for a toddler?
It's pushchair accessible throughout with a free cloakroom for coats and bags. There's not much hands-on for little ones though, it's mostly objects to look at rather than things to touch.
Is there anywhere to eat?
The café is open daily 10am to 6pm, even on Mondays when the galleries are shut.
Can we borrow a wheelchair?
Free wheelchair hire is available from the Information Point on level 0. Call ahead if you want to reserve one.
Are baby-changing facilities available?
There's baby changing on every floor, plus an accessible toilet with baby-changing and a Changing Places toilet on level 0.
Can assistance dogs come in?
Assistance dogs are welcome on a lead. If your assistance animal isn't a dog, you'll need to call or email ahead to check.
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