National Maritime Museum
Britain's seafaring story told for free in Greenwich, from Nelson's actual Trafalgar coat to hands-on galleries, a short walk from the park and the meridian.
The lowdown
The National Maritime Museum is the biggest of its kind in the world and, like the rest of maritime Greenwich, the main galleries are free. It is the nation's memory of the sea, told through ships, maps, figureheads and the lives of the people who sailed.
The object everyone comes for is small and quiet. Nelson's coat, the actual uniform he was wearing when he was shot at Trafalgar, bullet hole and all, sits in a case upstairs. Around it are galleries on exploration, empire, trade and the often hard truths behind Britain's relationship with the ocean.
It is a brilliant one with kids, with hands-on bits and big open halls, and it sits in a row of free Greenwich sights. Combine it with a climb up Greenwich Park to the Observatory hill and you have a whole free day out by the river.
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