British Museum, Great Russell St., WC1 (tel. 020/7323-8299; www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk): When Sir Hans Sloane died in 1753, he bequeathed to England his vast collection of art and antiquities. This formed the nucleus of a huge collection that grew with the acquisitions of the Empire, and has come to include such remarkable objects as the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Marbles (which Greece still wants back).
National Gallery, Trafalgar Sq., WC2 (tel. 020/7747-2885; www.nationalgallery.org.uk): A "who's who" of Western painting -- from da Vinci to Velázquez to Rembrandt to Cézanne -- dazzles the eye at this astounding art museum. The Sainsbury Wing has one of the world's great Renaissance collections.
Museum of London, London Wall, EC2 (tel. 020/7001-9844; www.museumoflondon.org.uk): The 2010 opening of the Galleries of Modern London propelled this already fascinating museum into the very top rank of the city's cultural spaces. Follow the history of London from Roman times past the Great Fire to the Blitz, the Swinging Sixties, and beyond.
Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1 (tel. 020/7887-8008; www.tate.org.uk): Sir Henry Tate, a sugar producer, started it all with 70 or so paintings, and the original Tate site now concentrates on British art dating back to 1500. The collection grew considerably when artist J. M. W. Turner bequeathed some 300 paintings and 19,000 watercolors upon his death. It's the best place in the country to view Pre-Raphaelite works, too.
Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd., SW7 (tel. 020/7942-2000; www.vam.ac.uk): This is the greatest decorative arts museum in the world, boasting the largest collection of Renaissance sculpture outside Italy. It is also strong on medieval English treasures and has the greatest collection of Indian art outside India.
Sir John Soane's Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2 (tel. 020/7405-2107; www.soane.org): The former home of the architect that built the Bank of England is stuffed with curios, sculpture, and serious art -- just as he left it on his death in 1837. It's London's best small museum.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
