The Tate, Victoria & Albert, The British Museum and The National Gallery all have newsletters they send out via e-mail that will keep you informed with what is going on such as temporary exhibits.

These days you never know how popular an exhibit is going to be. For example, the popular El Greco exhibit a few years back. So if I am planning on seeing an exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts or the National Gallery, I  like to purchase my ticket in advance online because I want to make sure I see the exhibit and also to make sure it is not sold out on the day I want to go. The tickets to exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts have a time entry on them to limit how many visitors are seeing the exhibit at any given time.

After exploring The V&A I sometimes have a sandwich in the Gamble Room. One of the three refreshment rooms designed and decorated by the leading artists of the Arts and Craft Movement including William Morris, Edward Burnes-Jones & Sir Edward Poynter. Of course depending on the time of the day is can be crowded so I try to avoid the noon time rush.

The Victoria and Albert and The National Gallery go without saying. The Tate Britain for its collection of Turners. The Tate Modern, even if modern art is not your cup of tea, just to see the building itself. A most ingenious idea to take a disused power station and convert it into a museum because the space is ideal for displaying art especially some large scale modern art. The following are a few other museums that are my personal favorites.

The Courtauld Institute is part of  Somerset House. The collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings is one of the best. The collection occupies the beautiful space The Royal Academy of Arts used before their move to Burlington House. On occasion temporary exhibitions are held here, so be sure to check out their website for more information. If the weather permits head to the rear of Somerset House for lunch on the terrace overlooking the Thames. The Hermitage Rooms are also located in Somerset House. You will find a rotating exhibition of works of art from the permanent collection of the The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery is a quaint art gallery originally established in the early 1800’s. The building was designed by noted architect Sir Joan Sloane. The collection includes works by Gainsborough, Reynold & Rembrandts.

Leighton House Museum was the home and studio of the renowned Victorian painter and later the President of the Royal Academy, Lord Fredrick Leighton. This museum provides an opportunity to see how a Victorian artist lived, worked and entertained. Of course the real gem (at least for me) is the magnificent Arab Hall which is decorated with antique tiles from the Middle East Leighton collected on his travels along with tiles designed by one the leading artists of the Victorian area, William de Morgan. The room is right out of 1001 Arabian Nights and is one of the loveliest rooms in London and was used in one of the Hercule Poirot television movie, Cards on the Table a few years back.

The National Portrait Gallery has recently undergone a major renovation and now boasts a restaurant on the top floor with a fabulous  view of London.

The Wallace Collection (Hertford House) has a first-rate collection of paintings (the Canalettos and Francesco Guardi are my personal favorites), decorative items and 18th century French furniture. There is also a fine collection of armor and ancient weapons.  Usually I like to spend the morning exploring the museum and afterwards lunch at the cafe Bagatelle in the Sculpture Garden of the museum.

The Sir John Soane Museum is a one of kind museum.  It was the home and office of the remarkable Neoclassical architect Sir John Soane who in the 1830’s obtained an Act of Parliament to ensure his museum survived after his death for future generations of art enthusiasts and professional architects alike to use and enjoy. One of his stipulations was that nothing should be altered after his death. What you see today - the collection of antiquities (including an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus), paintings and decorative objects along with the furniture, is the result of a lifetime of collecting. The collection provides a glimpse into the mind of 19th century architect and collector. Soane designed the house himself incorporating  clever ideas into the design including the use of mirrors and skylights to make the rooms appear larger and brighter. Soane spent 20 years building and rebuilding parts of the three houses that make up the museum.

The William Morris Gallery explores the prolific career of William Morris, the champion of the Arts and Craft Movement. A true Victorian renaissance man. The Morris family lived in the house at one time and today the collection pays homage a talented artist from the Victorian era.

Web www.goingeuro.com