An 18th-century townhouse turned jewel box, the Wallace Collection delivers old-master intensity at domestic scale. Free to enter, it condenses France and the Low Countries into silk-lined rooms where Fragonard's The Swing flirts across from Hals's sparkling 'Laughing Cavalier', Titian's myth glows nearby, and Sèvres porcelain and gilded furniture stage courtly life. Downstairs, world-class armouries reveal steel worked like fabric, etched, gilded and built for both parade and battle. Begin upstairs with paintings, then descend to the armour and decorative arts; the rhythm from canvas to craft makes the collection sing. It's uncrowded, human-sized and gorgeously lit. Plan 60-90 minutes, add time for the glass-roofed café, and bring sharp eyes-the pleasure is in the detail.
