The London subway may seem daunting at first but it's actually easy to use. Stay within zones one and two since this is where most of the city's major points of interest are located. Right in the centre of town is Trafalgar Square, named after the October 1805 battle between the British Royal Navy and the combined strength of the French/Spanish navies. Once here walk north, and venture inside one of Europe's most fantastic museums, the National Gallery. This and the other museums listed here are publicly financed and will not cost anything to enter.
The National Gallery
There are more than 2,000 paintings within the gallery, many of them dating back to the 13th century. Some of the additions to the permanent collection include such works as The Entombment by Michelangelo, The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci and Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh. The address is Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN.
Visitors wishing to see a specific painting should call the gallery ahead of time since paintings are regularly moved from one position to another, in some cases to care for them and in others to loan them to other institutions. The phone number is 020-7747-2885.
The National Portrait Gallery
Established in 1856, this is not to be confused with the National Gallery, which is about art. The National Portrait Gallery is about history. The first portrait ever acquired by the gallery was one of William Shakespeare, which is believed to have been painted in 1610.
Fifty portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are included in the gallery's collection. Visitors should take a look at the Regency Galleries which cover British history from 1789 to 1832. The larger than life characters of this period, including the Duke of Wellington, Lord Horatio Nelson and Napoleon Bonaparte are represented here. The address is St. Martin's Place, WC2H 0HE adjacent to the National Gallery. The phone number is 020-7312-2463.
The Tate Modern
Expect to find loads of international and contemporary art here, emphasizing several schools of artistic thought including abstraction, expressionism and cubism. Art lovers can appreciate works by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and some prominent U.S. artists like Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock. The address of the Tate Modern is Bankside, London SE1 9TG next to Blackfriars Bridge and opposite St. Paul's Cathedral. The phone number is 020-7887-8888.
The Imperial War Museum
Military history enthusiasts would enjoy a day at this museum, which covers every 20th century conflict that Britain was involved in. It's not only a museum; it's also an art gallery and a national records archive. The permanent exhibits are impressive; there are uniforms, weapons, currency notes, letters and documents, tanks and artillery equipment, recruitment posters and more.
There's a section dedicated to the Holocaust which is more haunting. The museum's address is Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ and the phone number is 020-7416-5000. The nearest Tube station is Elephant and Castle.
There's plenty to keep visitors occupied. If all of these aren't enough, there's still the British Museum, the Bank of England Museum and the National Maritime Museum.
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