# British Museum 8 
Founded in 1753 this world-class museum, dedicated to human history and culture, is one of London's best free attractions with an impressive collection of more than seven million objects from all over the globe.
Highlights include the fabulous Elgin Marbles (originally part of the Parthenon in Athens), the colossal horse from Halikarnassos, the world-famous Rosetta Stone, the Sutton Hoo mask, the Lewis Chessmen, and an Easter Island statue.
This is our selection of the fifteen best treasures of the British Museum:
1) Parthenon Marbles (Elgin Marbles) (c. 447–438 BCE), Room 18, Ground Floor Andrew Dunn / CC BY-SA 2.0 2) Rosetta Stone (196 BCE), Room 4, Ground Floor by Wikimedia / Public Domain 3) Sutton Hoo mask and ship burial collection (c. 625 CE), Room 41, Upper Floor by Wikimedia, Geni / Public Domain 4) Colossal horse from Halikarnassos (c. 350 BCE), Room 21, Ground floor by Wikimedia / Public Domain 5) Hoa Hakananai'a Easter Island Statue (estimated 1,200 CE), Room 24, Ground Floor by Szilas / Public Domain 6) Lewis Chessmen (12th century CE), Room 40, Upper Floor by by British Museum / CC BY-SA 3.0 7) Egyptian mummies (2686 BCE – 395 CE), Rooms 62-63, Upper Floor by Wikimedia / Public Domain 8) Standard of Ur and artefacts from Mesopotamia (c. 2,600 BCE), Rooms 55-56, Upper Floor by Wikimedia / Public Domain 9) The Portland Vase (c. 5-25 BCE), Room 70, Upper Floor British Museum / CC BY-SA 2.5 10) The Great Hall (built 2000), covers central Reading Room and the building’s quadrangle by Diliff / CC BY-SA 3.0 11) The Colossal Granite Head of Amenhotep III (c. 1370 BCE), Room 4, Ground Floor by Britchi Mirela / CC BY-SA 3.0 12) Aztec Double-Headed Serpent (c. 15th or 16th century CE), Room 27, Ground Floor by Denis Bourez / CC BY-SA 2.0 13) Vindolanda Tablets (1st–2nd century CE), Room 49, Upper Floor by British Museum / CC BY-SA 3.0 14) Babylonian 'Queen of the Night relief' of the goddess Ishtar (c. 1790 BCE), Room 56, Upper floor by davideferro / CC BY-SA 2.0 15) Human Headed Winged Lions (c. 860 BCE), Room 6, Ground floor by Wikimedia / Public Domain
Archaeological Museum Free Gallery Space: 25,000 m2 / 277,000 ft2 | Galleries: 94 | Artworks on Display: ca. 80,000 | Established: 1753 | Visitors [2018]: 5.8 million
# National Gallery 8
Situated at Trafalgar Square the National Gallery features one of the world’s greatest collections of 13th to 19th-century Western European paintings.
Among the highlights of this free museum are masterpieces by Van Eyck, Velázquez, Rubens, Caravaggio, Bronzino, Van Gogh, da Vinci, Seurat, and Holbein the Younger.
This is our selection of the twenty best paintings of the National Gallery:
1) Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife, Jan van Eyck (1434)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
2) An Allegory with Venus and Cupid (Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time), Agnolo Bronzino (1540–1545)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
3) Man in Red Turban, Jan van Eyck (1433)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
4) Sunflowers,Vincent van Gogh (1889)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
5) Virgin of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1503-1506)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
6) Bathers of Asnieres, Georges Seurat (1884)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
7) The Ambassadors, Hans Holbein the Younger (1533)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
8) Samson and Delilah, Peter Paul Rubens (1609)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
9) St. George and the Dragon, Paolo Uccello (1470)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
10) The Hay Wain, John Constable (1821)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
11) The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up, J. M. W. Turner (1839)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
12) Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, Thomas Gainsborough (c. 1750)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
13) Rokeby Venus, Diego Velázquez (1647)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
14) Venus and Mars, Sandro Botticelli (1485)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
15) The Annunciation, with St, Emidius, Carlo Crivelli (1486)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
16) Bacchus and Ariadne, Titian (1522–1523)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
17) Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio (1601)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
18) The Doge Leonardo Loredan, Giovanni Bellini (1501)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
19) St George and the Dragon, Tintoretto (1558)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
20) The Tailor, Giovanni Battista Moroni (1570-1575)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
Art Museum Free Gallery Space: 13,000 m2 / 140,000 ft2 | Galleries: 72 | Artworks on Display: ca. 2,300 | Established: 1824 | Visitors [2017]: 5,229,192
(click on images to open in lightbox)
# Victoria and Albert Museum 7 
Affectionately known as the V&A this huge museum of decorative art objects represents more than 3,000 years of human creativity.
The outstanding free permanent collection contains over 4.5 million objects, predominantly furniture, ceramics, photography, sculpture, silver, ironwork, jewelry, and paintings.
This is our selection of the five best treasures of the Victoria and Albert Museum:
1) Tippoo’s Tiger (Mysore, India, c. 1795)
by Victoria and Albert Museum / CC BY-SA 3.0
2) The Cast Courts
by Ethan Doyle White / CC BY-SA 3.0
3) The Raphael Cartoons (1515)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
4) Glass Chandelier by Dale Chihuly
by Patche99z / Public Domain
5) The Great Bed of Ware (c. 1590)
by VAwebteam / CC BY-SA 3.0
Art and Archaeological Museum Free Gallery Space: 30,658 m2 / 330,000 ft2 | Galleries: 145 | Artworks on Display: ca. 56,800 | Established: 1852 | Visitors [2018]: 3,967,566
(click on images to open in lightbox)
# WESTMINSTER ABBEY 7
Constructed in the 11th century this remarkable mainly Gothic church, located just next to the Houses of Parliament, is where the most important British church ceremonies take place.
It is also a burial site of important people such as Charles Darwin or Sir Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Princess Diana, or Winston Churchill.
Church World Heritage Site: since 1987
by Amandajm / CC BY-SA 3.0
# St Paul's Cathedral 7
Completed in 1711 featuring one of the largest domes in the world the exterior of this extraordinary cathedral shares many similarities with St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Visitors are advised to climb the 560 steps to the top of the dome for breathtaking views. With a height of 111 meters (365 feet), St Paul's Cathedral was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967.
Cathedral Completed: 1711 | Style: Baroque
by David Diliff / CC BY-SA 3.0
# PALACE OF WESTMINSTER with "BIG BEN" tower 7
Widely referred to as the Houses of Parliament and located on the banks of the River Thames, this famous building is one of the largest in the world (containing around 1,200 rooms).
It comprises the House of Lords and House of Commons as well as The Elizabeth Tower, which is often referred to by the name of its main bell, Big Ben. While the iconic clock tower is not publicly accessible, you can take a tour of the House of Commons, House of Lords, and Westminster Hall.
Historic Building and Tower World Heritage Site: since 1987 Pre-booking advised
# TOWER OF LONDON 7
Constructed at the beginning of the eleventh century, this huge, fortified complex, situated on the north bank of the River Thames, served as a prison, a treasury, and a royal palace.
Marvel at the world-famous Crown Jewels exhibition, on display in the Jewel House.
Palace and Fortress World Heritage Site: since 1988
# Buckingham Palace 7
This lavishly decorated palace is the official residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom since 1837. It is open to the public each year only in August and September when the Royal Family is away.
Of the 775 rooms of the palace, only nineteen rooms can be visited. Highlights of the tour include the impressive Throne Room, the Green Drawing Room, the Silk Tapestry Rooms, the Picture Gallery, the State Dining Room as well as the Blue and the White Drawing Room.
Palace Open to the public: Aug. and Sept. | Rooms: 775 in total / 19 accessible Pre-booking advised
by Diliff / CC BY-SA 3.0
# The Shard 6 
This stylish glass-clad pyramidal tower was designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano and completed in 2013.
Skyscraper Total Height: 309 m / 1,016 ft | Observation Deck Height: 244 m / 801 ft| View Type: Glass Windows (also Outdoor) | Completed: 2013 | Architect: Renzo Piano
Original photograph by Oliver25, Derivative by Keraunoscopia / CC BY-SA 3.0