#7
The V&A is the world's great museum of art and design-a treasure-house of how people make things. Wander from the shimmering Jewellery Gallery to India's satirical automaton Tipu's Tiger, then step into the Cast Courts where Trajan's Column rises in plastered grandeur. Raphael's vast Cartoons unfold like theatre sets; British galleries reveal craft from the Great Bed of Ware to fashion's sharp silhouettes. It's free to enter, with paid blockbusters and a glorious café opening onto a fountain court. Choose two themes-say, sculpture and textiles-and ignore the rest until next time. Use the balcony views in the Cast Courts, and visit on a Friday late opening if you like quieter galleries and a slower, more reflective pace.
