The Museum and Gardens are open, and free to visit.
There is a charge for the Aquarium, Butterfly House and some events. We recommend booking your tickets for these attractions in advance to avoid disappointment.
Please note: the Natural History Gallery is closed until 2026 for refurbishment.
We encourage using public transport or active travel (walking or cycling) to come to the Horniman, to reduce emissions and benefit the environment. We are a five- to 10-minute walk from Forest Hill station and very well served by local buses. See the bottom of the page for full travel information.
Download the information on this page:
Visitors must book a ticket for admission to the Aquarium and the Butterfly House.
Members and Benefactors go free by showing their card but are asked to book a ticket in advance for the Butterfly House. To guarantee a time slot of your choice, Members can book tickets online in advance by logging into their account.
Children under three may visit free of charge, and access companions accompanying visitors with disability access requirements get free admission, but you must book into a timeslot. There are discounts when visiting as a family which will be automatically applied to your basket.
Download our Museum floorplan and the Gardens map to help you plan your visit (PDFs)
The Museum and Gardens are both wheelchair friendly with accessible toilets. Buggy parking is available in Gallery Square. Please note that all items are left at their owner’s risk.
Different galleries have different accessible elements – tactile maps, torches and large print guides, to name a few. You can check what is available in each gallery on each gallery page on the right hand side.
The Gardens have tarmac or concrete paths throughout. Some of the paths are very steep and on wet or frosty days may not be suitable for wheelchair users or anyone who is unstable on their feet.
The ground on the Nature Trail is uneven and can be muddy in rainy weather, so is not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone unstable on their feet.
Find out more about access at the Horniman.
You can find ticket prices on each individual event or exhibition page, or see ticket ranges below.
- Butterfly House: £9–£23.50
- Aquarium: £6–£14.50
- Membership: £40–£89
You can find the full menu on our website or see ticket ranges below.
- Hot drinks: £2.90–£4.95
- Breakfast: £5.90–£11.90
- Mains: £11.40–£14.40
- Kids meals: £5.50–£7.50
Explore the Horniman Museum and Gardens on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Go behind the scenes, get exclusive content from our curators and explore our Gardens with tours and trails. Remember to bring headphones!
To help people who might find cost or other challenges a barrier to visiting the Horniman, our Universal Credit tickets provide entry at a reduced price. A limited number of these tickets are available every day to purchase in person at the Horniman.
Visitors can purchase up to four £1 tickets per attraction. These tickets are available to those currently receiving one of the following:
- Universal Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
You will need to bring proof of eligibility with you, either printed or on an electronic device. This can either be done by logging into your Universal Credit portal or by bringing your proof of benefit letter. To be eligible you must have received a Universal Credit payment within the last month and you may also be asked to show photographic ID.
After your visit, all ticket bookers will be emailed a survey to provide feedback on their experience at the Horniman.
All personal data will be held securely and managed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. It will not be passed on to any third parties unless explicitly stated. Full details are available in our privacy policy.
The Horniman is a charity.
We have put in place cost-saving measures, but are still expecting a deficit of over £500k this year, and a shortfall for years to come.
We are asking for your help and there has never been a more important time to support the Horniman.
Please make a donation when you visit, on one of our contactless donation points, or donate online.
- Toilets are located off Gallery Square downstairs, which are also wheelchair accessible.
- Baby changing facilities are available in these toilets.
- There are also toilet facilities in the Gardens, near the Bandstand.
- The toilets by the Cafe are open to Cafe visitors and are not accessible from the Museum entrance area.
- The Museum does not provide hoists or adult changing facilities.
Baby changing facilities are available in both of the toilets in Gallery Square.
Breastfeeding is welcome everywhere at the Horniman, but if you would prefer a private space, feel free to use the Breastfeeding Room located off Gallery Square.
Please speak to one of the Visitor Hosts who can help direct you to a quiet space if this is busy.
Dogs are allowed in our Gardens, but must be kept on leads.
Dogs can be released from their leads in the Meadow Field. Please be mindful of other visitors.
Dogs must be kept on leads during events in the Gardens (concerts, performances, etc.) including the Horniman Market on Sundays.
Assistance dogs are welcome in the Museum.
Read about dogs in our Gardens in our By-Laws.
During high winds, it may be necessary to close the Gardens and Nature Trail at short notice, for the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers. During very windy days it is advisable to check that the Gardens are open before your visit.
If the Avenue in the Gardens is closed due to high winds, the Museum will also close. In these circumstances, ticket holders will be refunded.
Self-service lockers are available via the Cafe. Please note, you will need a £1 coin (which is refundable). There are limited cloakroom and locker facilities, please only bring coats and bags that you can carry comfortably throughout your visit.
Buggy parking is available in Gallery Square and next to the Butterfly House. Please note that all items are left at their owner’s risk.
We have three wheelchairs that can be borrowed, free of charge, if you require one during your visit.
The wheelchairs will be sanitised after use.
Please ask at the Ticket Desk.
We aim to provide free WiFi throughout the Museum and parts of the Gardens, but access and signal strength can be intermittent in some areas.
Please download online tickets to your mobile device in advance. When available, please choose ‘Horniman Public Wi-Fi’.
Read the Horniman WiFi Terms of Use.
- Horniman Cafe – 9am – 5pm, daily
- Bandstand kiosk – 9am – 5pm, daily (weather dependent)
The Cafe is open with a fresh and delicious range of snacks, treats and food and drink to enjoy in the Cafe or to take away.
The Cafe is only accessible from the terrace outside the Museum.
Seating around the Cafe Terrace, Conservatory or Conservatory Terrace is for Cafe customers only.
You are welcome to consume takeaways from our Cafe, kiosks, as well as packed lunches and picnics, in the Gardens. The Dutch Barn is open daily for picnicking in rainy weather – it is located opposite the Bandstand in the Gardens.
The toilets available for visitors to the Cafe and Cafe kiosk are those to the right of the counter or the Gardens toilets.
Please use contactless payment if you can.
Find out more about food and drink at the Horniman.
Please note, food cannot be consumed anywhere inside the Museum because it attracts pests, which can damage our exhibits.
Please note: The cafe will be closed for refurbishment works until July. Food and drinks will still be available from kiosks across the Gardens.
National Art Pass holders (Art Fund members) and museum colleagues entitled to reciprocal free admission can visit the temporary exhibition and Aquarium for free.
Book your free ticket online, and show your Art Pass or work ID at the Ticket Desk on arrival to receive your free ticket.
Please note, access to the Butterfly House is not included and availability for the Aquarium is limited.
If you think you have lost property at the Horniman, either call us on 020 8699 1872 option 3 or e-mail enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
We welcome your photography and filming at the Horniman for personal, non-commercial use. Please refrain from using a tripod, monopod or supplementary lighting. Flash photography is not permitted. These can damage the objects and the cases that they are housed in.
Monopods and selfie sticks are permitted in the Gardens for personal photography.
If you would like to conduct commercial photography or filming at the Museum or Gardens, or feature any of our collections commercially or for any other purpose please contact our Venue Hire team – venuehire@horniman.ac.uk. All commercial filming and photography enquiries must go through them.
If you are a journalist or have an editorial photography question, please contact the Press Team – press@horniman.ac.uk
If you would like to obtain digital images of the collections for use in your research or publications, we may be able to help. Visit our Images and Media page to find out more and apply for Reproduction Rights.
The Horniman is a charity so income gained through commercial activity goes back into running the Horniman.
We love to see people sketching and drawing in the Horniman. If possible, please avoid sitting to sketch in one place for long periods if sketching in the Museum, as this makes the area inaccessible to others.
We would prefer if you used pencils in the Museum, as these are less likely to cause damage to the displays and collections.
We love to see the results of photography and sketching in our galleries, as well as artwork inspired by Horniman visits. You can view a selection of our favourite pieces shared by visitors on Pinterest.
If you’re choosing to share your Horniman visit or any sketches, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, be sure to use the #horniman hashtag.
Horniman Museum & Gardens
Forest Hill
London SE23 3PQ
By train / London Overground
Forest Hill is on the London Overground line between Highbury and Islington and West Croydon / Crystal Palace line which offers a high frequency service from North, East and South London.
The station is also well served by trains from Central London, Croydon and Surrey. Direct train services run from London Bridge (approx every ten minutes, journey time 20 minutes) linking with the Northern and Jubilee Underground lines, and London Victoria linking with the Victoria, Circle and District Underground lines, East Croydon, West Croydon, Sutton, Purley and Caterham. Please use the Journey Planner to the right or visit TFL Journey Planner or National Rail Enquiries.
By Bus
Closest bus stops
176, 185, 197, 356, P4 - stop outside the Museum and Gardens on London Road.
122 - stops on Dartmouth Road.
P13 - stops on Underhill Road.
363 - stops on Sydenham Hill Road.
See the route from Forest Hill Station by bus.
By Bicycle
If you are traveling through the Gardens with your bike or eScooter, please dismount and walk your bike or scooter through, for the safety of our visitors.
By Car
A pay-and-display car park is available locally behind Sainsbury’s, and there are two pay-and-display car parks at Forest Hill station (one at the front, one at the back). Please avoid parking on private roads. For coaches, there is a drop off point outside the Museum near to the Clocktower.
If you are looking for the closest electric charging points to the Horniman, there are charging bays on Wood Vale and behind Forest Hill Station on Perry Vale. You can find details about more charging point on maps like London.gov.uk, Autotrader and Zap Map.
Accessible Parking
Call 020 8699 1872 for more details and have a look at the information on our access page.
