National Gallery

There are over 2,300 paintings in the National Gallery’s collection, with the masterpieces on display covering every major tradition in Western European painting from 1200 through to 1930. Organised chronologically, these free displays span 66 different rooms, with the entire floor area of the gallery equalling approximately six football pitches.

Highlights include some of the best-known works by artists from Velázquez to Vermeer, Turner to Titian – but it’s the breadth of the displays that makes visiting so special. They begin with late-mediaeval paintings from 1200–1500, usually religious and featuring exquisite gold decoration. Some of the most famous artists in history emerged in the 16th century, while Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer and more represent the shift to individualised styles over the next 100 years. Finally, the 18th- and 19th-century rooms chart the rise of new artistic movements, including works by Degas, Cézanne and Van Gogh.

When visiting, don’t miss the famous faces including film star Greta Garbo and writer Virginia Woolf in Boris Anrep’s floor mosaics, the specially-selected products in both shops and light refreshments from the Espresso Bar by Muriel’s.