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The National Gallery houses the British nation's national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Established in 1824, the Nastional Gallery is regularly in the top 10 most visited attractions in Britain and includes works by Vermeer, Titian, Cezanne, Monet, van Dyck, Gainsborough, Rubens, Rembrandt, van Gogh, Holbein, Turner, Constable, Raphael, Cannaletto, Caravaggio, da Vinci, Botticelli.

Entry is free.

Interesting factoid - the columns of the portico were taken from Carlton House when it was demolished. Carlton House was once home to the Prince Regent, later George IV.

The Natural History Museum houses an enormous collection of items and specimens relating to the life and earth sciences: botany (plants); entomology (insects); mineralogy (the properties of minerals); paleontology (ancient life forms and fossils) and zoology (animals).  It is renowned for its dinosaur skeletons, which kids adore - and its architecture.  It is a national museum and entry is free.

OPENING 28 JULY 2017
A new museum telling the story of what is billed as the first social network. Remember, philately will get you everywhere. It's a bit more than stamps though - it includes a section of subterranean railway, part of a network that Royal Mail used to use to help deliver London's post.

You’ll find the Ragged School Museum in a group of three canalside former warehouse buildings which were once the largest “ragged” or free school in London. Copperfield Road Free School was established by the London missionary and philanthropist Dr Bernado in 1877. It provided a basic education to tens of thousands of children until it closed in 1908. The museum includes several galleries, an authentic Victorian classroom where you can sit at a desk and experience a lesson, and an East End Kitchen from the 1900s, demonstrating what life would have been like in a simple, one-room home with no electricity or running water.

Somehow, Copperfield Road seems an appropriate address; Twist Lane might have been better.

Photo credit Gordon Joly via flickr

The Royal Observatory was established by Charles II in 1675 for the purpose of observing the motion of the heavens and to help perfect navigation. It is the location of the Prime Meridian (dividing the world into east and west) and the source of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - a time ball still drops at precisely 1pm each day to help sailors and others set their time pieces correctly. The Royal Observatory moved to Herstmonceaux Castle in Sussex in 1957 - what remains is essentially a fascinating museum. Also on site is the Peter Harrison Planetarium.

Part of Royal Museums Greenwich, which includes the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and Queen's House. It's about a 20 minute walk from the nearest railway station (Cutty Sark DLR or Blackheath main line) and the museum is located in the middle of Greenwich Park on a steep hill with no parking; check the website for more details.