London Attractions

Venue: British Museum    When: Daily

The British Museum is one of London's top attractions, with a mission to "illuminate the histories of cultures for present and future generations". There are world-class collections from civilisations across the globe, with particularly popular galleries devoted to the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Ancient Greeks.

The museum's Great Court, designed by Norman Foster, is a glass-covered atrium which returns to public view the museum's long neglected central courtyard. Airy, spacious and an excellent place to rest your legs between trips to the different galleries, it has transformed the famous museum, with priceless sculptures decorating the light forecourt and two monumental staircases wrapping the drum.

The material culture of every continent is covered by the voluminous collections, which are exhibited by geographical area. Highlights include one of Europe's finest and most comprehensive collection of Japanese archaeology, sculpture and decorative arts, one of the finest collections of Chinese antiquities in the West, paintings and porcelain from the Neolithic period to the modern day and the largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian material outside Cairo, including the famous collection of mummies and coffins.

Further exhibits include Ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon (the Elgin Marbles), the Nereid Monument from Xanthos in Turkey, sculptures from the mausoleum at Halikarnassos and one of the most comprehensive collections of the ancient Near East. This is the period from prehistoric times to the coming of Islam in 7th-century Mesopotamia and features fabulous winged beasts and the sculpted bearded warriors who guarded the gates to Babylon.

With so much to see, it is worth taking a free guided gallery tour. We recommend taking regular breaks between galleries or cultural exhaustion will set in! The British Museum is truly overwhelming so don't expect to take it all in with one visit. Little and often is the key.