The top 10 most-visited attractions in the UK are all based in London with the British Museum topping the chart as the most popular visitor attraction in Britain for the ninth consecutive year.
According to new figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), welcoming 6,820,686 visitors last year, the British Museum remains the most popular attraction in the UK, while the National Gallery retained second place spot, drawing 5,908,254 people. The Natural History Museum jumped up two places from 5th in 2014, welcoming 5,284,023 as the UK’s third-most-visited attraction.
Outside the capital, Birmingham’s redeveloped library was the most visited in the UK, with 1,828,999 passing through its doors. Following its £40m Islands expansion and favourable coverage on a BBC drama series in late 2014, Chester Zoo was number 12 on the list, with an 18 per cent increase in visitor numbers year-on-year.
| Rank | Site | Total visits | Charge/free | % +/- |
| 1 | British Museum | 6,820,686 | F/C | 2.0% |
| 2 | The National Gallery | 5,908,254 | F/C | -8.0% |
| 3 | Natural History Museum (South Kensington) | 5,284,023 | F/C | -1.9% |
| 4 | Southbank Centre | 5,102,883 | F/C | -18.0% |
| 5 | Tate Modern | 4,712,581 | F/C | -19.0% |
| 6 | Victoria and Albert Museum (South Kensington) | 3,432,325 | F/C | 8.0% |
| 7 | Science Museum | 3,356,212 | F/C | -0.1% |
| 8 | Somerset House | 3,235,104 | F/C | 31.0% |
| 9 | Tower of London | 2,785,249 | C | -9.6% |
| 10 | National Portrait Gallery | 2,145,486 | F | 4.0% |
| 11 | Library of Birmingham | 1,828,999 | F | -0.1% |
| 12 | Chester Zoo | 1,694,185 | C | 18.0% |
| 13 | Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich | 1,676,055 | F | -4.2% |
| 14 | Westminster Abbey | 1,664,850 | C | -2.6% |
| 15 | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | 1,622,821 | C | 3.5% |
| 16 | St Paul's Cathedral | 1,609,325 | F/C | -9.7% |
| 17 | British Library | 1,579,270 | F | -3.0% |
| 18 | Edinburgh Castle | 1,568,508 | C | 5.9% |
| 19 | National Museum of Scotland | 1,567,310 | F | -4.0% |
| 20 | Scottish National Gallery | 1,377,710 | F | 6.0% |
To see the full list of figures, click here.
