The Science Museum is free, and the two things most families actually come for are not.
Entry costs nothing but you still have to pre-book a free ticket with a timed arrival slot. Wonderlab and Power Up, the two interactive galleries, are ticketed separately, and both are cheaper if you book ahead rather than at the door.
There is also a 5 pound ticket that is barely advertised, covered below.
The free bit, and the booking it still needs
Open daily, 10am to 6pm, with last entry at 5.15pm. Closed 24 to 26 December.
Galleries start closing 30 minutes before the museum does, so a 5.15pm arrival buys you a shorter visit than it looks. The museum’s own estimate for an average visit is about two hours.
The entrance is the Main Entrance on Exhibition Road, SW7 2DD. Your arrival time slot is printed on the ticket and you are asked to arrive within it.
Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
One thing to expect rather than be annoyed by: new galleries are under construction, and the museum warns of extra noise during a visit.
Wonderlab, which is the one that costs
The interactive gallery with the hands-on experiments and live demonstrations, and the reason a lot of families come at all.
A day pass starts at 13.50 pounds, and prices are cheaper the further ahead you book. Children aged 3 and under go free.
A family day pass, for 3 to 5 visitors with no more than 2 adults, takes 3 pounds off each pass.
Now the number that changes the decision. An annual pass is 29 pounds for ages 4 and over, including the donation. Against a 13.50 pound day pass, that is paid back on the third visit, and the family version takes 4 pounds off each annual pass.
If you live within reach of South Kensington and have a child who likes this sort of thing, the annual pass is the only sensible purchase.
The 5 pound ticket
Discounted Wonderlab day tickets are available to anyone receiving Universal Credit or certain other benefits, at 5 pounds per adult, for up to five people in a household.
The condition that catches people: these tickets must be booked at least one day before the visit. You cannot claim them at the door, so this is a plan-ahead discount rather than a turn-up one.
It is the second major London attraction we have found doing this quietly. Hampton Court runs a 1 pound ticket on the same sort of terms.
A closing time the museum gives two ways
Worth checking on the day rather than trusting either page. The museum’s Visit page lists Wonderlab as open daily 10am to 5.40pm. The Wonderlab page itself says it is open until 5.30pm.
Ten minutes is not a disaster, but if you are timing a last run at it, assume 5.30pm and you will not be turned away.
Power Up, the gaming gallery with 50 years of consoles, is listed as open daily 10am to 5.30pm and is also cheaper booked ahead.
Tickets on the door
The museum is honest about this. It cannot guarantee that Wonderlab tickets will be available on the day, particularly at busy times. School holidays and weekends are exactly when you would want one.
Free museum entry is a different matter, but that too wants pre-booking.
How to plan it
Just the museum: book the free timed ticket and arrive before 4pm, so the galleries are not closing around you.
With children who want Wonderlab: book the day pass well ahead, because the price rises as the date approaches and the door is not guaranteed.
Going more than twice a year: the 29 pound annual pass.
On Universal Credit: the 5 pound ticket, booked at least a day ahead, for up to five people.
It sits in the South Kensington museum cluster, so the Natural History Museum is next door and the free museums page covers how the national collections work.
Science Museum
- Address
- Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD
- Nearest
- South Kensington
- Hours
- Daily 10am to 6pm, last entry 5.15pm. Closed 24 to 26 December. Galleries begin closing 30 minutes before the museum
- Booking
- A free timed ticket must be booked in advance. Wonderlab and Power Up are booked separately and are cheaper the further ahead you book
- Price
- Free, with a pre-booked timed ticket. Wonderlab day passes from 13.50 pounds, annual pass 29 pounds for ages 4 and over. Under 4s free
- Standing
- One of the free national museums, in the South Kensington cluster next to the Natural History Museum
How to get in
Discounted Wonderlab tickets at 5 pounds per adult are available to anyone on Universal Credit or certain other benefits, for up to five people per household, but must be booked at least a day before the visit. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over.
Where to go next
The Natural History Museum is next door and the free museums page covers how the rest of the national collections work.
Hampton Court Palace runs the other big benefits discount in London, at 1 pound, and things to do in the rain cover the rest of an indoor day.
Questions we get asked
Is the Science Museum free?
Yes, general entry is free, but you still need to pre-book a free ticket with a timed arrival slot. The Wonderlab and Power Up interactive galleries are ticketed separately and are not covered by free entry.
How much is Wonderlab at the Science Museum?
Day passes start at 13.50 pounds and get cheaper the further ahead you book. Children aged 3 and under go free, and a family day pass for 3 to 5 visitors with no more than 2 adults takes 3 pounds off each pass. An annual pass is 29 pounds for ages 4 and over.
Is there a discount for Wonderlab on Universal Credit?
Yes. Discounted day tickets are 5 pounds per adult for anyone receiving Universal Credit or certain other benefits, for up to five people in a household. They must be booked at least one day before the visit and cannot be claimed on the door.
What time does the Science Museum close?
6pm daily, with last entry at 5.15pm, and it is closed from 24 to 26 December. Galleries start closing 30 minutes before the museum does, so arriving at last entry gives you a short visit.
Do you need to book the Science Museum in advance?
Yes, even for free entry. A free ticket with a timed arrival slot must be pre-booked, and you are asked to arrive within that slot. Wonderlab tickets cannot be guaranteed on the door, particularly at busy times.
How long do you need at the Science Museum?
The museum's own estimate is that an average visit lasts about two hours, though you are welcome to stay as long as you like until the galleries begin closing half an hour before the museum.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 226 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
