London Open House is a free festival of London’s architecture, engineering and urban landscape. Open House describe it as the world’s biggest architecture festival.
Most buildings are not usually open to the public, so it’s a rare chance to visit anything from a medieval hall to a modern skyscraper.
London Open House 2025 Dates
The Open House festival is on 13–21 September 2025
Visits and guided tours
Visit and/or take a behind the scenes guided tour of a wide range of buildings including:
- Historic houses, livery halls and monuments
- Government buildings, workspaces, schools & town halls
- Private clubs, houses and institutions
- Places of worship, cemeteries
- Theatres, cinemas and arts centres
- Windmills, pumping stations
- Train stations, tunnels, cabbie’s shelters and much more
Attractions open by ballot
Some popular attractions can only be visited if you enter a ballot. You need to register for a festival visitor account to enter. The ballot is now open.
10 Downing St
BT Tower
BBC Broadcasting House
Canada House
London Museum
Walking tours
There are many free guided walking tours and trails showing architectural highlights and historical areas. Some require pre-booking.
How to find out what’s open
Most places are open on a first come basis. Some have limited numbers and need advance booking. Bookings are now open.
You now need to register for a visitor account to book attractions and events.
To find what’s open:
- Search the online listings
- View locations on a map
During Open House, the @openhouselondon X account usually posts updates on queue length for popular venues.
Free admission to attractions that normally charge an entrance fee
For fans of historic buildings and quirky museums, the Open House festival is a chance to save money on places that normally charge and entrance fee.
The places listed below are open to the public and normally charge an entrance or tour fee. They are free to visit on certain days during the Open House festival.
Click on the titles for more information.
Central London
Benjamin Franklin House
Grade I listed Georgian house of Benjamin Franklin.
Address: 36 Craven St, WC2 5NF
Open: 13 & 14 September 2025 11am–5pm
Tube: Charing Cross (zone 1)
Museum of the Order of St John
Address: 26 St John’s Ln, London EC1M 4DA
Open: Saturday 20 September 2025 1pm-6pm
Tube: Farringdon/Barbican
North London
Heath Robinson Museum
Gallery showing life history and original artworks of former Pinner resident
Address: Pinner Memorial Park, West End Lane, Pinner HA5 1AE
Open: Saturday 20 September 2025 11am-4pm
Tube: Pinner
South East London
Old Royal Naval College
Christoper Wren’s famous building in Greenwich
Address: Greenwich, SE10 9NN
Open: Saturday 13 September 10am-5pm, Sunday 14 September 10.30am-5pm
Tube: Cutty Sark
Fan Museum
Address: 12 Crooms Hill, London, SE10 8ER
Open: Saturday 13 September 11am-5pm
Tube: Cutty Sark, Greenwich
Last updated: 19 August 2025