Florence Nightingale Museum

The Basics

Housed in London’s St Thomas’ Hospital—home to the Nightingale Training School of Nursing and Midwifery—the museum showcases almost 3,000 artefacts, including photographs, films, maps, and medical equipment. Highlights include Nightingale’s taxidermied pet owl Athena, her medicine chest used in the Crimean War, and a rare Crimean Register of Nurses. You can skip the ticket line by pre-purchasing your admission online. Entrance to the museum is also included with the London Pass.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Florence Nightingale Museum is a must-visit for history lovers.

• The museum runs a busy events program with regular talks.

• There is a gift shop selling books and other mementoes inspired by the museum’s collection.

• The museum is fully accessible for wheelchair users and has a wheelchair accessible restroom.

How to Get There

The museum is located in St. Thomas' Hospital, opposite the Palace of Westminster on London’s South Bank. It is a 10-minute walk from Waterloo tube station, which is served by the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, and Waterloo and City lines. You can also reach it by getting off a Westminster tube station (Circle, District, and Jubilee lines) and walking across the Westminster Bridge.

When to Get There

The Florence Nightingale Museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm—the last entrance is at 4.30pm. Free public tours take place every afternoon at 3.30pm. The museum can be busy with school groups on weekday mornings.

An Owl Named Athena

The museum is home to Nightingale’s most treasured possession; her taxidermied pet owl. While in Athens, she saved the owl from a group of children she believed were going to torture it. She named it Athena and took it home to London where she cared for and trained her. After five years, however, Nightingale was called to the Crimean War and the owl died at home in her absence. Heartbroken, she had Athena taxidermied so she’d be preserved forever.

Ways to explore

Housed in London’s St Thomas’ Hospital—where Florence created what is now the Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery, & Palliative Care—the museum showcases photographs, maps, medical equipment, and more. Highlights include Nightingale’s medicine chest, her taxidermied pet owl Athena, and the lantern that earned her the sobriquet “The Lady with the Lamp.”

Entrance to the museum is included with the London Pass and the Go City® London Pass. You can also visit as part of a private custom tour, perhaps opting to take in other medical highlights, such as the Hunterian Museum or the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, or join one of the museum’s craft workshops.

Accessibility

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible with an adapted restroom. It also has large print guides, audio description transcripts, sensory explorer bags, magnifying glasses, wobble cushions, ear defenders, and more for visitors to use.

Age limits

None

What to pack

Water bottle (the museum doesn’t have a café)

What to wear

Comfortable shoes for exploring the museum and the surrounding area.

Not allowed

Eating, drinking (except water), large bags or suitcases

Amenities

Shop, restrooms, cloakroom, lockers

Address

The museum is in St. Thomas’ Hospital, less than a 10-minute walk east of the London Eye on London’s South Bank.

Driving

London is not a car-friendly city, and driving to the Florence Nightingale Museum means paying both the congestion charge and parking fees at the hospital (as well as taking space that should be reserved for patients). Make like a local and walk, or book a rideshare, take a city bike, or ride public transportation.

Public transportation

The museum is roughly a 10-minute walk from two tube stations: Waterloo (Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, and Waterloo & City lines) and Westminster (Circle, District, and Jubilee lines). You can also catch a river boat to the London Eye Pier, which is about a 5-minute walk.

Best times to visit

The museum is open 10am to 5pm Tuesday through Sunday, with the last entry at 4:30pm. If visiting midweek during term time, arrive after 2pm to avoid school groups.

Best days to visit

The museum is closed on Mondays and is busiest from Tuesday through Friday during school term times, when it can be noisy. Plan your visit for weekends or after 2pm midweek.

Best months to visit

While there’s no bad month to visit the Florence Nightingale Museum, unlike most London museums, it’s peaceful during the school vacations in late July and August.

Special events

International Nurses Day on May 12 is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s Birthday, and the museum always hosts a range of special events around this time.