Florence Nightingale Museum
Florence Nightingale Museum
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Florence Nightingale Museum celebrates the life and work of one of the best known figures in nursing history and one of Britain's great Victorians who truly changed the world. Located within St Thomas’ Hospital, the museum was opened in 1989 and now forms a key part of London’s heritage-offer, with visitors arriving from across the world. The collection consists of personal material associated with Florence Nightingale, items relating to the Crimean War and nursing artefacts. The museum offers a free introductory highlights tour daily at 3.30pm with additional tours available on Saturdays and Sundays at 11.30am. Guided talks by museum staff and Florence Nightingale herself are available if booked in advance, including tours in German and Italian. The museum also offers regular appearances from costumed performers, bringing history to life. The museum gift shop and webshop offers many unique items inspired by the museums collections and Florence's fascinating life story.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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How to get there
- Waterloo • 6 min walk
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10,000 within 3 miles
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2,828 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Adventurers049Brisbane, Australia3,509 contributionsFantastic museumWhat a great museum of an outstanding woman. There are plenty of excellent displays that are well labelled. During our visit, there was a school group there that was being guided by a lady dressed like Florence. She was excellent and it was wonderful to hear and see the kids filled with enthusiasm.Visited October 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 18, 2023
- 1MagnusAnstruther, United Kingdom94 contributionsmemorable guided tourI visited some four months ago, but am struck by how much I remember from the museum. Guide Rhiannon was kind enough to put on a guided tour just for me, and we ended up talking about a very diverse range of nineteenth-century topics. Thank you also for the recommendations of other places to visit.Visited June 2023Traveled soloWritten October 19, 2023
- bunnySouthportSouthport, United Kingdom1,698 contributionsNice place to spend an hour or soYes really pleased to have come here. It wasn’t expensive £10 each for concessions. I actually leant a lot about Florence Nightingale and the Crimean war. Spent about 1.5 hours here. I would certainly recommendVisited November 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten November 2, 2023
- BlackcabMark13 contributionsWell worth itExcellent Visited today, knew of it for years but never visited. Very interesting, packed with loads of information, whether it’s interactive, visual or listening. Lots and lots of display cabinets with really interesting items. A special mention to the lady on the reception who despite having problems with the technology on the till was really friendly, informative and welcoming (sorry we didn’t your name) Don’t walk by pop in, you won’t be sorryVisited January 2024Traveled with friendsWritten January 14, 2024
- Ingrid DGalway, Ireland19 contributionsInformative but lacking a guideA lot to read and listen to. Very informative about women of her time and the challenges women from wealthy families faced. It would have been great if there was a guide as appeared in the promotional video. Hard to hear some of the information as a group of young people noisy.Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten January 31, 2024
- ClaudeLondonLondon, United Kingdom54 contributionsUnexpectedly interesting and wide ranging museum of her life and legacy.Very interesting museum dedicated to her extraordinary life of travel , nursing and organising. Its all in a relatively small space but you can easily spend more than an hour checking everything out. The layout is somewhat confusing due to the space restriction but a free map helps to explain to guide you around.Visited March 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten March 9, 2024
- Jessica M4 contributionsSmall but goodGood little museum, interesting and learnt a bit about Florence Nightingale. Very passionate staff member at the desk. Free lockers and coat rack which is very helpful. The only issue we really had was the layout, it wasn’t clear to us. But I think there might have been a map at reception.Visited March 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten March 9, 2024
- Robert D4,725 contributionsSmall but fascinating museumI spent two hours at the excellent Florence Nightingale Museum, located on the site of the original Nightingale Training School. On the day I visited, they had a special programme in honour of International Women's Day (which was 8 March). Meet Miss Nightingale was a 20-minute performance in which Florence spoke of her life. The actress portraying her was excellent. You can learn about her life and career here. There are many interesting exhibits such as the medicine chest that Florence took with her to the Crimean War. She was known as "The Lady With the Lamp". You can see the lamp she carried, a Turkish lantern. The museum also featured a recreation of Florence's final bedroom. The victrola plays her actual voice. In the last room were 200 artifacts to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2020. (I am writing this review on her birthday, 12 May.)Visited March 2024Traveled soloWritten May 12, 2024
- Tassy84London, United Kingdom35 contributionsFabulous museum, a great visitAn excellent museum. My daughter is going to be studying Florence next term in school so we thought this would be a great head start for her and she really enjoyed the visit. We visited on a 'Florence Friday' where we had the opportunity to watch a short performance by an actress as Florence. This really bought her fascinating story to life. The family trail booklet for the museum was excellent and gave my daughter a focus for the visit. Highly recommended, we will be back.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 9, 2024
- michelle_herbert_697 contributionsA Gem of a MuseumA gem of a museum hidden away opposite the A & E department of St Thomas hospital. Having been to London many times I had never heard of this museum. Lots of information about the whole of Florence’s life with good insight to her experiences and thoughts on nursing. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the South Bank.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
635 reviews
Excellent
253
Very good
244
Average
110
Poor
23
Terrible
5
xag
Ealing, UK13 contributions
Jun 2022 • Family
Brilliantly little museum .I was there with my 6 yo daughter who enjoyed it as much as I did . Make sure you see the live show ( running 3 times a day - please call museum to find out times ) . On Saturday we were there it was 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30 .
Written June 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting our Museum. We're really pleased to hear that you and your daughter enjoyed your visit so much and took the opportunity to meet Florence Nightingale! We hope you got a photo. Do feel free to share it with us on social media if you did. It's always nice to see visitors enjoying themselves.
Written June 20, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert D
Brooklyn, New York4,725 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
I spent two hours at the excellent Florence Nightingale Museum, located on the site of the original Nightingale Training School. On the day I visited, they had a special programme in honour of International Women's Day (which was 8 March). Meet Miss Nightingale was a 20-minute performance in which Florence spoke of her life. The actress portraying her was excellent.
You can learn about her life and career here. There are many interesting exhibits such as the medicine chest that Florence took with her to the Crimean War.
She was known as "The Lady With the Lamp". You can see the lamp she carried, a Turkish lantern. The museum also featured a recreation of Florence's final bedroom. The victrola plays her actual voice. In the last room were 200 artifacts to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2020. (I am writing this review on her birthday, 12 May.)
You can learn about her life and career here. There are many interesting exhibits such as the medicine chest that Florence took with her to the Crimean War.
She was known as "The Lady With the Lamp". You can see the lamp she carried, a Turkish lantern. The museum also featured a recreation of Florence's final bedroom. The victrola plays her actual voice. In the last room were 200 artifacts to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2020. (I am writing this review on her birthday, 12 May.)
Written May 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1Magnus
Anstruther, UK94 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
I visited some four months ago, but am struck by how much I remember from the museum. Guide Rhiannon was kind enough to put on a guided tour just for me, and we ended up talking about a very diverse range of nineteenth-century topics. Thank you also for the recommendations of other places to visit.
Written October 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marten B
Gillingham, UK315 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
We were staying close by and decided to pop in. So glad we did. A small but really informative museum describing and celebrating one the worlds most influential women. Packed with genuine artefacts from the great lady, the museum not only perfectly portrays her life but her impact on everyone of us. The staff we think many volunteers are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable they clearly love their subject and their work.
There are so many great museums in London and this is one of the very best.
There are so many great museums in London and this is one of the very best.
Written August 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
catkid3
Victoria, Australia156 contributions
Nov 2022
As a nursing student I was very eager to visit this museum and was not disappointed. The exhibits were very interactive, mostly with headphones to listen to audio tracks that provided more details and re-enactments of Florence's life. The museum covers the entirety of Florence's lifetime, including early life, career and later years; I was very impressed by the level of detail.
Written November 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicola D
Hessle, UK3,079 contributions
Sep 2022
This is a small but extremely interesting and informative museum dedicated to the life and times of Florence Nightingale. I would have liked a recommended route in order to view things consecutively. I was going backwards and forwards in time! I also found looking through some tiny round windows surrounded by plastic hedging difficult to view especially as they were all at different levels. My back and knees are not up to bobbing up and down!
I found it very interesting however and so did my husband.
I found it very interesting however and so did my husband.
Written September 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Crazy_Jim_83
London, UK1,582 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
There’s a lady working very hard at playing Florence Nightingale and she does a good job walking around talking to visitors. The layout is all over the place so it’s not the easiest museum to follow. It’s fairly small scale but with plenty of displays. Some of the narrative is very low down, in small print and in a dark environment so I couldn’t quite read everything. Gives some useful background on the lady and her standing within Victorian society.
Written June 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mieldelune
france71 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
A little known museum, this is really worth visiting. I especially was interested in seeing Athena, the little pet owl that Florence Nightingale saved from tormenting children, and who went everywhere with her in special pockets made for Athena in Florence's clothes.
The layout of the museum, showing the background to Florence Nightingale and her era, is well-done and makes use of the space allotted. The exhibits are very personal to Florence with clothing, her little pet owl Athena, and other items - another wonderful exhibit is the gramaphone recording of her voice.
The sort-of-circular trail is covered by a wall of fake plants and gives a nice atmosphere and very attractive for children - there are peek holes to look through to see photographs or pictures of Florence's family, friends, acquaintances, homes, and of events during her era and many of these are at an appropriate height for children as well. As an adult with bad eyesight, it was a bit awkward viewing the children's viewpoint peek holes but I certainly think they are an excellent idea to be user-friendly for children visitors.
There is a good display of nursing over time and other exhibits relating to nursing.
Give yourself plenty of time to look around this little museum as I did not and so I will return another day to see the exhibits I didn't have time to see.
The museum is very generous as the ticket is valid for one entire year - so making returning free.
Directions: Walking over Westminster Bridge towards the hospital, keep to the right and you can find the museum if you keep walking around the hospital and see the sign to the museum, otherwise if you enter off the street through the hospital garden you will need to walk up and along a sort of bridge and then take the stairs down which probably is the long route, although nice to see part of the hospital garden.
I highly recommend this nicely laid-out museum.
The layout of the museum, showing the background to Florence Nightingale and her era, is well-done and makes use of the space allotted. The exhibits are very personal to Florence with clothing, her little pet owl Athena, and other items - another wonderful exhibit is the gramaphone recording of her voice.
The sort-of-circular trail is covered by a wall of fake plants and gives a nice atmosphere and very attractive for children - there are peek holes to look through to see photographs or pictures of Florence's family, friends, acquaintances, homes, and of events during her era and many of these are at an appropriate height for children as well. As an adult with bad eyesight, it was a bit awkward viewing the children's viewpoint peek holes but I certainly think they are an excellent idea to be user-friendly for children visitors.
There is a good display of nursing over time and other exhibits relating to nursing.
Give yourself plenty of time to look around this little museum as I did not and so I will return another day to see the exhibits I didn't have time to see.
The museum is very generous as the ticket is valid for one entire year - so making returning free.
Directions: Walking over Westminster Bridge towards the hospital, keep to the right and you can find the museum if you keep walking around the hospital and see the sign to the museum, otherwise if you enter off the street through the hospital garden you will need to walk up and along a sort of bridge and then take the stairs down which probably is the long route, although nice to see part of the hospital garden.
I highly recommend this nicely laid-out museum.
Written September 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobynMc15
Perth, Australia48 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
I was very impressed with all the detailed presentation in the life of Florence. What an amazing woman. I was fortunate enough to be there when there was a school education lesson for maybe 7 year old. The Educator was dressed as Florence and gave these kids an insight to her life. It was fantastic.
Well worth the visit😁
Well worth the visit😁
Written September 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tassy84
London, UK35 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
An excellent museum. My daughter is going to be studying Florence next term in school so we thought this would be a great head start for her and she really enjoyed the visit. We visited on a 'Florence Friday' where we had the opportunity to watch a short performance by an actress as Florence. This really bought her fascinating story to life. The family trail booklet for the museum was excellent and gave my daughter a focus for the visit. Highly recommended, we will be back.
Written August 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Se non sbaglio, £ 7,00 a testa. Per i possessori di Travelcard settimanale si può usufruire dello sconto 2x1
Written October 6, 2016
Just wondering how long it will take to visit the museum. We have a few hours in between trains at Waterloo.
Written October 1, 2016
I went by myself and spent just over 1.5 hours, itcdependsvon how much you read and what your interests are. The time you said is more than enough. Enjoy!
Written October 2, 2016
sugun19
Indianapolis, Indiana
How can I obtain tickets prior to our visit? I'm advised to do so but am unable to do so online!! TripAdvisor will only sell a tour ticket in which the museum is included!!
We need to visit Wednesday, Sept 28 as soon at you open (10 am) as our time is very limited!
Help!
Susan Rains
Written September 22, 2016
You should not have trouble with getting the ticket at the door. It's a small museum and advanced purchase is not necessary.
Please take the time you will enjoy learning all about Florence Nightingale!!
It's a small but plentiful museum !!
Written October 2, 2016
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