The Horniman’s gardens open at quarter past seven in the morning, nearly three hours before the museum, and they cost nothing.
That is the best free hour in south London and almost nobody uses it. Gardens and nature trail from 7.15am, or 8am on Sundays and bank holidays, until 6.30pm.
The second thing to know is the opposite problem: the Animal Walk does not open until 12.30pm. Arrive at ten with children expecting animals and you have two and a half hours to fill.
What is free and what is not
The Museum and the Gardens are free.
The Aquarium, the Butterfly House, Voyage to the Deep and some events are charged, and the museum recommends booking those in advance.
So a day here can cost nothing at all, or can cost a family quite a lot, depending entirely on which doors you go through. Decide before you arrive rather than at the counter.
The timetable, which the museum publishes in full
This is unusually good practice and worth repeating, because it is the whole plan in one list.
7.15am Gardens and nature trail open, 8am on Sundays and bank holidays
9am Both cafés open
10am Museum opens
10.30am Aquarium and Butterfly House open
12.30pm Animal Walk opens
3.30pm Last entry to the Butterfly House
4pm Animal Walk and Butterfly House close, and the nature trail closes, which moves to 3pm from 25 October
4.45pm Last entry to the Aquarium and Voyage to the Deep
5pm Café closes
5.30pm Museum closes
6.30pm Gardens close
The practical shape: the paid attractions all shut at four or shortly after, while the free museum and gardens run on for another hour and a half. An afternoon arrival gets you the free half and almost none of the paid half.
Two closures running now
The Nature Gallery and the Nature Discovery Den are closed until 5 February 2027 for the Nature + Love project. That is a long closure and it covers the whole of this winter.
The Dutch Barn is closed for maintenance until approximately 19 October.
Both are published on the museum’s own visit page, which is more than most venues manage.
A warning about their own web address
Worth knowing if you are following an old link. Checked on 5 October 2026: horniman.ac.uk/visit/ with a trailing slash redirects to a content management server and returns a 401 authorization error.
The same address without the trailing slash, horniman.ac.uk/visit, redirects correctly to the plan your visit page. One character, and the difference between the information and an error screen.
Getting there
Five to ten minutes’ walk from Forest Hill station, and well served by local buses. The museum actively encourages public transport or walking and cycling rather than driving.
Forest Hill is on the Overground, which makes this more reachable from central London than people assume.
How to plan it
Free and quiet: the gardens from 7.15am.
With children who want animals: arrive after 12.30pm, when the Animal Walk opens, and before 3.30pm for the Butterfly House.
Paying for the aquarium: book ahead, and note last entry is 4.45pm.
This winter: the Nature Gallery is shut until February, so do not come for it.
The free museums page covers the national collections, and the parks cover the rest of London’s green space.
Horniman Museum and Gardens
- Address
- 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ
- Nearest
- Forest Hill, five to ten minutes on foot
- Hours
- Museum daily 10am to 5.30pm. Gardens daily from 7.15am, or 8am Sundays and bank holidays, until 6.30pm. Butterfly House 10.30am to 4pm with last entry 3.30pm. Animal Walk 12.30pm to 4pm. Cafe 9am to 5pm
- Booking
- Not needed for the free parts. Booking recommended for the paid attractions
- Price
- Museum and Gardens free. The Aquarium, Butterfly House, Voyage to the Deep and some events are charged
- Standing
- A free museum and gardens in south London, with a separately ticketed aquarium and butterfly house
How to get in
The Animal Walk opens at 12.30pm, so a morning visit misses it. The Nature Gallery and Nature Discovery Den are closed until 5 February 2027, and the Dutch Barn until about 19 October. The nature trail closes at 3pm from 25 October.
Where to go next
The free museums cover the national collections, and the Museum of the Home is the other free museum with gardens attached.
The parks page covers the rest of London’s green space, and Peckham is the nearest good dinner.
Questions we get asked
Is the Horniman Museum free?
The Museum and the Gardens are free. The Aquarium, the Butterfly House, Voyage to the Deep and some events are charged separately, and the museum recommends booking those in advance.
What time does the Horniman open?
The gardens and nature trail open at 7.15am, or 8am on Sundays and bank holidays. The museum opens at 10am and closes at 5.30pm, and the gardens close at 6.30pm.
What time is the Animal Walk at the Horniman?
It opens at 12.30pm and closes at 4pm. A morning visit will miss it entirely, which catches out families who arrive when the museum opens at ten.
What is closed at the Horniman?
The Nature Gallery and Nature Discovery Den are closed until 5 February 2027 for the Nature + Love project, and the Dutch Barn is closed for maintenance until approximately 19 October. The nature trail closes at 3pm rather than 4pm from 25 October.
How do you get to the Horniman Museum?
It is a five to ten minute walk from Forest Hill station, which is on the Overground, and is well served by local buses. The museum encourages public transport, walking or cycling rather than driving.
What time is last entry to the Horniman Butterfly House?
3.30pm, with the Butterfly House itself closing at 4pm. Last entry to the Aquarium and Voyage to the Deep is later, at 4.45pm.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 252 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
