Sir John Soane's Museum

This is a nice additional to any trip. Probably not the highlight but it is very interesting. The home (or museum) is fascinating.

I'll be honest - I love this museum and I visit it every time I'm in London. Sir John Soane was an architect, collector, writer and much more. He was enormously rich and spent most of his fortune on artifacts for this, his home. He fell out with his children and so had an act of Parliament passed to leave his beautiful home and contents to the nation with two provisos (1) it had to be unchanged internally (2) admission had to be free. And so it still is now, nearly 200 years later. This museum has it all - wonderful Hogarth paintings, original furniture, eccentric grottoes, nooks and crannies, friendly and helpful staff , a lovely location in Lincolns Inn Fields , small enough to wander around and even get lost in but easy on the feet and yes its always free. There are also some pretty good pubs roundabouts ( the Cittie of Yorke in nearby Holborn is a wonder ). Its a must see in London for an inspiring wander and you will come out wishing you could have met Sir John over a glass of port or two.

My favorite of the smaller museums in London! It is really just a house, but it has so many nooks and crannies, and so many things packed into it, that it seems much larger than it is. Although Sir Joan Soane was an architect, his museum houses much more than architectural curiosities. The museum has Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Medieval European, and Renaissance statutes, mosaics, pottery, furniture, timepieces, and even the The Sarcophagus of Seti from 1370 BC. There is a very nice collection of paintings as well. Get here early, because there may be lines, and the building is small so not many people can visit at the same time.