For museum lovers, few cities can top London. It has a huge range of world-class institutions that display major pieces spanning the entirety of recorded history. Certain other metropolises can make a similar claim, but in none of them are the most important museums free to the public. The British Museum, the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and both Tates ask only for a modest, voluntary donation (certain special exhibitions aside).

So in London there is no pressure to power through an entire museum in one visit. It feels rather luxurious to pop into an iconic institution like the British Museum just to see the masterpieces of African art in the Sainsbury Galleries, for example, and pop right out again, knowing that you can return to see the Greek sculptures or Assyrian treasures another day.

Several of London’s most significant museums have recently completed renovations and additions, making them worth revisiting if you haven’t seen them in a few years.