The V&A
five thousand years of beautiful things
The world's greatest museum of art and design, free in South Kensington, with one of the prettiest courtyards in London.
Free to visit · South Kensington · South Kensington · SW7 2RL
Opening: Daily 10am–5:45pm · Fri to 10pm
The V&A is the world's leading museum of art and design, which is a grand way of saying it is full of the most beautiful things people have ever made. Five thousand years of it, free to wander, from Raphael cartoons to ballgowns to a plaster cast of an entire cathedral doorway.
It is enormous and gloriously easy to get lost in, which is rather the point. Drift through the fashion gallery, the sculpture courts and the jewellery rooms, and wash up in the John Madejski Garden, a quiet courtyard with a shallow pool that is one of the loveliest free spots in the city.
The café deserves a mention because it is the oldest museum café in the world, three opulent Victorian rooms dripping with tiles and gold. The food is not free but sitting in there is, and on a wet afternoon it is very hard to beat.
Getting there: A few minutes from South Kensington, on Exhibition Road next to the Natural History and Science museums.
Best time to go: The Friday late opening is the secret. Galleries quiet, the courtyard lit up, a drink in the café under the dome.
Insider tip: Come on a Friday evening for the late opening. The galleries empty out, the courtyard is floodlit, and that incredible Victorian café becomes the best place in South Kensington for a quiet drink.
Official site: https://www.vam.ac.uk
More free day trips from London · Free things to do in London