Turn your visit into a unique London experience with a guided tour. Get closer to the Museum Collection and satisfy your curiosity.
Guided tour
Complement your visit with a tour of the Museum. Our guides will take you on a journey through the history of the Foundling Hospital, from its origins in the eighteenth century, to life at this important London institution throughout its existence. Learn about the Museum’s many treasured objects and discover the stories behind our displays. Whether it’s just for you, or a group, a tour gives an excellent introduction to our fascinating story.
We all had a wonderful day and our tour guide was excellent. She was full of interesting stories - some very sad, and some made us laugh - and we learnt a lot
Tour attendee
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Number of people: 1-25
Cost: 1-14 visitors £7.50pp* + £60.00 for the guide (includes VAT)
15-25 visitors £11.50pp* (includes Museum admission + guide)
*Please note the temporary exhibition is included in the cost of admission
For larger groups, tours can be staggered.
Out-of-hours tours can also be arranged on Mondays when the Museum is closed to the public, subject to availability. The cost is £25 per person + £60 for the guide. A minimum charge of £325 applies.
We regret that we are unable to offer tours of exhibitions. Discount schemes such as National Art Pass and National Rail 2-for-1 vouchers cannot be applied to tour bookings.
Special tours
Guided tours can be arranged with members of Museum staff, subject to availability. Please see below for costs.
Director: £200+VAT plus Museum admission
Curator: £150+VAT plus Museum admission
Collections Manager: £100+VAT plus Museum admission
Gerald Coke Handel Collection Librarians: £150+VAT plus Museum admission
Lars Tharp talks & tours
Talks and tours can be booked with our Hogarth Curator Lars Tharp. Choose from an insightful introduction to the Museum and its Collections, or a talk focusing on William Hogarth and the Foundling Hospital. An art historian, lecturer and broadcaster, Lars is particularly well known for his work on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, as well as Hidden Treasures and Art of the Baroque. A former Director of the Foundling Museum, Lars is a ceramics specialist as well as the author of several books including Hogarth's China and the Little Brown Encyclopaedia of Antiques (with Paul Atterbury). Additional charges apply.
A minimum charge of £1,000 for up to 40 people applies. Please contact us for further information and availability.
Group visits
Groups of eight people or more must book their visit in advance. Groups without an advance booking may be denied immediate entry.
Please note groups of eight people or more qualify for the concessionary admission rate of £7.50pp. Standard charges apply for groups of less than eight people.
External speakers
If you are looking for an inspiring speaker for your next group meeting or event, a number of our guides are available to give talks about the history of the Foundling Hospital. All fees go towards Collection purchases. Please contact us for more details.