Museum of London

Although the location is rather grim, in the center of a particularly unappealing roundabout in London's Barbican district, this museum is a joy. It traces the history of the capital from prehistoric times to the 20th century. Exhibits are arranged so that you can begin and end your chronological stroll through 250,000 years at the main entrance to the museum. Upstairs you'll find sections devoted to "London before London" (with flint arrow heads and bronze-age weapons); Roman London (mosaics, statues, coins, and more); Medieval London (Viking battleaxes and knights' armor); and War, Plague, and Fire (a model of Shakespeare's Rose Theatre, Cromwell's death mask, and paintings of the Great Fire). The recently revamped downstairs galleries bring the story up to date with displays on the "Expanding City: 1666-1850" (including a re-created 18th-century prison and a 240-year-old printing press); "People's City: 1850s-1940s" (walk a replica Victorian street); and "World City: 1950s-Today" (explore an interactive model of the Thames), as well as perhaps the museum's most eye-catching exhibit, the Lord Mayor's Coach, a gilt-and-scarlet fairytale carriage built in 1757, weighing in at 3 tons (6,720lbs), which is pulled through the streets each November as part of the Lord Mayor's Show.

Unlike most museums, many of the objects on display here have been recovered nearby, and by the museum's own staff. These days every new development in the City has to submit to an archeological excavation of their site, overseen by the museum. This has resulted in the uncovering of a great wealth of treasures over the years, including Saxon weapons, medieval jewelry, and even the remains of a Roman water wheel.

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.

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