The Natural History Museum became the UK's most popular tourist spot in 2025. It set a new record for visitors to any museum or gallery in one year.
More than 7.1 million people visited the museum in South Kensington, London. This was a 13% jump from 2024. This helped the museum reach the top spot for the first time.
Top Attractions and Overall Trends
The British Museum, Windsor Great Park, Tate Modern, and the National Gallery also made the top five. The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva) reported that visits to its 409 sites grew in 2025. However, numbers are still lower than before the Covid pandemic.
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Start Your News DetoxBernard Donoghue, Alva director, noted that people value visitor attractions highly. He said people are careful with their money and time, especially during tough economic times.
The Natural History Museum took the lead from the British Museum. The British Museum had been number one for the past two years. However, the British Museum expects a strong year ahead. The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display there starting in September.
Dr. Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said the team was "thrilled." He highlighted their focus on giving visitors a great day out. He also praised the staff's hard work. Gurr believes these numbers show a strong public interest in the natural world and UK culture.
Alva stated that 165 million visits were made to its sites last year. This is a 2% increase from the year before. But it is still less than the 170 million visits in 2019.
Other Popular Venues and Regional Growth
Other popular places on Alva's list included Royal Museums Greenwich and the National Museum of Scotland. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Shakespeare Company London, Edinburgh Castle, and National Galleries Scotland each had over 2 million visitors.
The Royal Albert Hall, Westminster Abbey, Barbican Centre, and National Portrait Gallery also made the top 20. Each welcomed over 1.5 million people.
Specific events boosted visitor numbers at some attractions. The re-opening of the Sainsbury Wing helped the National Gallery. Halloween and Christmas events increased visits to places like Chatsworth and Blenheim Palace.
The Houses of Parliament saw a 47% increase, with 823,000 visitors. The Royal Academy of the Arts had its best Summer Exhibition since Covid. This led to a 20% increase, reaching 740,000 visitors.
The V&A East Storehouse was a new entry, attracting 416,000 visitors in under seven months. This exceeded their first-year goals.
Outside London, Scotland saw a 2.6% increase in visitors. Wales had a 0.9% increase. The North West of England had the biggest growth outside London, up 11.3%. The East Midlands followed with a 7.5% increase.
