British Museum – The biggest and, well, biggest

No trip to London can be complete without a visit to the British Museum (which, unlike Paris’ top destinations, has all its staff working hard each day!). It’s so famous it barely needs a mention, but there’s been some bad press recently, so it’s worth giving the old girl some much needed niceties.

Step through the lavish reception area and you’ll immediately see what all the fuss is about. Aside from the giant Great Hall area, with its honeycomb ceiling and vast pillars of marble and whitewash, there’s the famous Knidos Lion to your left, sitting alongside the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery. This should be your first port-of-call.

Colossal heads of pharaohs, the Rosetta Stone, Assyrian Lion Hunt and controversial Elgin (Parthenon) Marbles are some of the museum’s showcase attraction. But there’s much more to see, including the modern Chinese porcelain room, the Mesopotamian Room (check out the marvellous 3,000-year-old Standard of Ur) and a host of British and European treasures.

Right now the recently-discovered Staffrodshire Hoard, a £3million Saxon gold stash, is on show before being wheeled round the nation. Alas, it’ll only be in London for a short while longer – but it’s more than ample use of your (free) time. Also worth checking out are the Lewis Chessmen, a 12th century Viking chess set, and the Bronzes of Benin – stunning sculptures the museum is under intense scrutiny to give up thanks to their dubious provenance. If all this is too much you could do worse than unwind with a (slightly overpriced) coffee and cake at the museum’s decent restaurant.

The shop’s not bad either, and there are fantastic events running throughout the year. And when entry’s free, why not spend a few well-earned pennies buying one of the excellent guide books? A truly essential stop on your trip round London.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
British Museum | Art & culture | Free
Great Russell Street | Central | +442073238195
10:00 – 17.30 daily, late opening Thurs & Fri (see website)