I absolutely love this place…read more The gallery is decked out in Monet, Van Gogh and Holbein. The best piece in this gallery is the execution of Jane grey(in my opinion). Additionally, the gift shop had the cutest totes and post cards. You can honestly spend the whole day here if you wanted to. The only downside was the fact that the place was busy beyond imagination.

I visited the National Gallery with my husband when we were exploring London for a few days earlier…read morethis month. The truth is we meant to visit the National Portrait Gallery (which is right around the corner), but I didn't realize my mistake until we were already trying to figure our way around the National Gallery and we decided to stay for a while. I found the museum difficult to navigate even with a map, so we just sort of wandered. We saw incredible paintings. The highlights for me were works by Henri Rousseau, Max Pechstein, Jan van Goyen Ferdinand Hodler... We saw an incredible Manet (The Execution of Maximilian) and a painting by Paul Gauguin that was unlike any other Gauguin I've ever seen. These were just some of my favorites, but the galleries are chronological and have works by every painter you could think of: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Turner, Monet, Seurat, van Gogh... It's not your museum for modern and contemporary art, but if you're in the mood for European art from 1200-1900, the National Gallery will blow you away. They also host temporary exhibits and have several great options for a drink or a bite to eat. We stopped by Ochre, where we really enjoyed their happy hour. It's free to visit (although they appreciate donations), so you can pop in for however much time you have, whether that's a half our or three! The National Gallery might not have been our intended museum and we couldn't stay too long or miss out on the museum next door, but it really wowed me. Next time, I'll visit on purpose and save more time to explore and enjoy.

This charming country house is a must for anyone interested in the Bloomsbury group. Vanessa…read moreBell--Virginia Woolf's sister--and Duncan Grant lived and painted here for many years. The understanding landlord let them decorate the walls, fireplaces, armoires, you name it. The volunteer docents are a wealth of knowledge--including tidbits about the sex lives of these bohemian intellectuals. There's also a wonderful English garden in the back. We even found the onsite café delightful. You won't be disappointed if you visit.

This is a fantastic place to head for anyone interested in art and literature. The country home of…read morethe Bloomsbury Group; Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell's unconventional household of artists and writers is open to the public and contains an array of paintings, murals and painted furniture that has taken 60 years to come to fruition. As Bell herself said: "It will be an odd life, but...it ought to be a good one for painting." It takes a good half a day to enjoy everything there is to see at Charleston and in the busy weekend days, it can be a bit tricky getting people inside the rooms but there's plenty more to see around the estate if certain rooms are full. I can't recommend this place enough to form part of your day out in Lewes. A very special place indeed.

Marvelous place, the Tate Modern, though unfortunately my children did not see the appeal…read more I had fond memories of our first visit, back in 2010, and wanted to peek into the Tate during a family outing along South Bank last month. I love London's free museums, which make this sort of perfunctory drop-in both easy and practical. Our kids didn't like the Musée d'Orsay, so we didn't have high hopes for the Tate, especially after a long walk from the London Eye. We'd barely gotten them up the escalators and into one of the exhibit halls when they started saying they wanted to leave. We admired what we could of the heavy-hitting collection. We also talked to our children about some of the art, and maybe a trickle of it got through. There was a still life I loved, that turned out to be a Picasso, and a Mondrian painting I'm pretty sure I learned about in first or second grade. Our six-year-old volunteered that he liked a still life of a beer mug by Fernand Léger, and both kids were drawn, just a little, to Warhol's Marilyn Diptych. I hope the boys remember this quick visit, but if not, I certainly will. Maybe I'll bring them back when they're older, and we can give the Tate the time it deserves.

I visited the Tate Modern for the first time earlier this month when I visited London for a few…read moredays with my husband. The Tate opened in 2000, but a new building opened in 2016. The museum is located in the former Bankside Power Station, and the museum's Turbine Hall is an incredibly large and open space (but I did wonder why they don't utilize the space to display any large sculptures since it's such an enormous and unused space). It's a striking space, it's one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. It's free to visit, but exhibits may have a cost unless you're a member of the museum. When we visited earlier this month, they had three exhibits: Frida: the Making of an Icon (though January 3, 2027); Ana Mendieta (through January 17, 2027); and Julio Le Parc: Light. Color. Action (through May 3, 2027). The Frida exhibit costs 25 pounds, the Mendieta 18 pounds, and the Le Parc 15 pounds. That means that if you wanted to visit all three exhibits, it would cost 58 pounds a person which is, I think, outrageous. I couldn't justify spending that much, so I picked one exhibit - the Frida exhibit - and then just explored the free galleries after our visit to the exhibit. The Frida exhibit (which was organized in collaboration was the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) was interesting. I've been lucky enough to see much of Frida Kahlo's works before in Mexico and Texas. But the exhibit included many works I had never seen before, and it also included works by artists that were friends or contemporaries of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and works by artists that were inspired by her. The inclusion of "Fridamania," the transformation of Kahlo into an icon, image, brand, made the exhibit different from other Frida exhibits I've seen. The exhibit was extremely crowded - but you have to expect that with an exhibit like this! I found the museum a little confusing to navigate, but we just wandered for the time that we had. Some of the works that really struck me were pieces by Gerhard Richter (the Cage paintings), Belkis Ayón, Sam Nhlengethwa, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Alberto Giacometti, David Hockney, Salman Toor, Mark Rothko, and more. The museum is definitely worth visiting, but I just didn't love it as much as I expected. Since it's free, I'm sure I'll be back to explore more of the permanent collection another time, but I did find it a little difficult to navigate and thought the exhibition admission prices were prohibitively expensive.

The Royal Pavilion is a MUST SEE in Brighton. This eccentric and extraordinarily unique former…read moreroyal residence stands out for its captivating and unexpected architectural style, which blends Victorian grandeur with the exotic influences of Indian and Chinese design...for some odd reason King George IV, Prince of Wales, was fascinating by all things Chinese and Asian cultures...the interior is full of Asian design influences with art, decor, architecture, statues, fabrics, and just about everything. So colorful, so unbelievable, so lavish, and so sad for the average British citizen having to pay for all this outlandish extravagance for the rich and wealthy Royalty...at least us modern folks get to enjoy it at the expense of their suffering for a rather pricy £20 entry fee.

This is a historical landmark and "must-see" sight in Brighton for visitors. It was the vision of…read moreKing George IV (when he was prince-regent) to create a Western interpretation of themes from India and China. Be sure to give yourself 1-2 hours to tour the rooms. I would strongly recommend the audio guide handset (it's worth the extra pound). If you're in Brighton for a conference, they'll give you a 10%-20% discount if you show your lanyard. Otherwise, the adult price of admission gives you free access up to a year (so you can visit a second day if you run out time). Lots of pluses - the opulent decorations are visually stunning and a bit fun and whimsical. The painful relationship between George IV and Caroline was quite sad to read. It was also interesting to learn that Victoria was a niece of George IV and his brother William did not have any legitimate heirs. The audio tour provides a lot of background context - and in my opinion, helps to fill in many details of the Royal Pavilion Tour. The music room is stunning - but also tragic given the arsonist and the damage from a minaret which collapsed and fell through the roof. At the end, there's a gift shop where you can pick up a tea towel and a coffee shop which also has iced tea and gelato. The town of Brighton now operates the Royal Pavilion - so your funds help to support the town. Enjoy!

Great museum. It really shows you…read more some of the tough history of this pretty town. The lives of the folk when hit by severe storms & their oyster trade is under threat

A great place to learn not only about the history of Whitstable but also about the life of a sea…read moreside town. The museum has free entry and has a permenant display of fishing and diving related matter. Visitors are also able to wtach old footage of whitstable. The museum also hosts various artists based upon a chosen topic. Each topic has family events and free workshops. A gret place for kids.

I LOVED the Brighton Museum. I was beyond pleasantly surprised…read more The museum is in a lovely building right beside the Royal Pavilion, so there is no reason why you cannot pay it a visit. The collections were rather hodgepodge, and sometimes it was difficult to figure out the connecting theme of what I was looking at, but everything was interesting - from the little alcove about Ancient Egypt to the Main Hall to the exhibits on Clothing as well as Modern Art (and I don't even care for modern art.) This museum also had a quality that escapes most others - it was great for both adults and children. I can easily say that, of all the sights I saw during my day in Brighton, this was definitely my favourite.

I always enjoy a visit to a museum, what's not to love about learning for free?…read moreSet in the heart of Brighton's Royal Pavillion gardens, you can really feel the culture when you visit the area. If you're stuck for ideas on what to do in Brighton when the weather is less than ideal, you could do much worse than making the trip here. Although small, the museum houses some interesting collections. My personal highlights are the Egyptology section and the history of Brighton room. Seeing the old photos of the west pier in all its glory and how the Pavillion looked over the years is fascinating.

Big! Giant! Huge Collection! I think that describes this museum. Be prepared to spend at least half…read moreday here. For fast pace like me, it takes us 3 hours. This museum need reservations ahead of time. It is free to public. The museum is popular, if you try to get in at the day arrive, you have to hope not many reserve the ticket. The museum has a lot room with different regions in the world. Many of the collection even the host country doesn't have it. The Egypt collection includes the many types of mummies. This collection not even the Egypt has it. The entrance basically enter to the round section that connected to the different room. You may need a good leg to walk entire museum. They also have folding chairs that you can use and portable to open at the display.

It's not every museum that has a line wrapped around the building when it opens on a Monday…read moremorning. But the British Museum is the world's oldest public national museum, has the largest collection of artifacts of any museum in the world, and is the second most visited attraction in all of the United Kingdom. The museum is free to visit, but we reserved a timed entry ticket for when they opened on Monday morning. I suggest you do this, because people who had tickets were walking right through into the museum after a bag check, while people who had not bought tickets ahead of time were having to wait in another line to get in. The museum is so large and has so many artifacts, that it can be a little overwhelming. For that reason, we relied on the list of highlights of the museum to point us to certain artifacts we didn't want to miss: the Rosetta Stone; the colossal bust of Ramesses II (c. 1250 BC); Hoa Hakananai'a (basalt statue from Easter Island); the Ife head (Nigeria, ca. 1300-1400s); the Sutton Hoo ship burial (dating back to 7th century Britain); the Lewish Chessmen (Scottish, ca. 1150-1175); and more. Prepare for crowds and to be a little overwhelmed by people and artifacts and the size of the museum. If you want to see everything, be prepared to spend an entire in the museum. Since it's free, you can do as we did and just spend a couple of hours - that's all we had - and see what you can see (the highlights list helped)! But it's a great museum and easily one of the most important museums in the country.

I visited this small countryside centre at the Bank Holiday not really knowing what was in there. I…read moremust say, it was amazing! It included a small 'DVD lounge' with a HD tv, which was nice to visit in the soaring temperatures. It includes a mini museum, which includes information of Beachy Head and which birds you can find there. The centre also contains a gift shop which has items like teddy bears and peanut brittle bars. If you need a drink after a long walk, this place is aptly located next to a pub. I would definitely rate this place 5 stars, as it has amazing views and it is based in an amazing place. I would recommend this to any tourists, hikers or just local people! When I was there, I saw that this place was quite popular with tourists, as I saw many coaches and buses in the car park. Overall, a wonderful place to visit in the East Sussex region in the South Downs.

This is a mini museum and gift shop with a beachy head theme and info on wildlife and the like. Not…read morevery big so doesnt take long to look around, but nice for the kids and adults too as it's free! The shop has some nice bits in it, including local art work.

I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum about two weeks ago. I think the V&A might be the first…read moremuseum I ever loved. I remember going as a little girl, seeing their fashion gallery, and falling in love. I hadn't been in years, and I was excited to see it through my adult eyes that have visited a lot more museum than 12-year-old me. The museum is incredible. It's enormous, labyrinthine. I got lost repeatedly. But it's the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design, so that's no surprise. I had a glass of wine in the Garden Cafe, while I studied the map. Then we went up the Ceramic Staircase (a incredible architectural feature that dates back to 1865-1871) and wandered through gallery after gallery (Tapestries, Theatre & Performance, Photography Centre). We probably saw 8% of the museum's galleries. Then it was time for us to make our way to the exhibition "Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art." This exhibit was incredible, showcasing designs by Elsa Schiaperelli back in the 1920s all the way to the present (designs by the fashion house's current creative director Daniel Roseberry). Since the fashion gallery is closed until 2028, it was great to see some fashion on my first visit to the V&A in at least a decade. The museum is free to visit (exhibits have an admission cost), and it's an incredible museum - well worth a visit for anyone visiting London for the first time or the 100th. Even if you just have a half hour, you can't go wrong with a stroll through this incredible, beautiful museum.

Date: August 29, 2026…read more Experience: I will say this about each museum we got to stop by at during our tour: "I wish I could've stayed there longer." Our restroom breaks on the tour were sometimes at museums since museum entry was free in the UK, which I am totally jealous of because I come from the US and we pay to enter museums. We had about 30 minutes to use the restroom and to look around at the displays on top of checking out the gift shop. If memory serves me right, this museum displayed the best of the best from the different countries. My mom and I explored as much as we could with the little time we had, with my interests being perked by the religious items on display to only discover sections for Asian countries and a whole two rooms housing gigantic statues and artwork. I took as many pictures as I could to view for later, but we only made a small dent on what we could see with the little time we had. I did end up getting postcards from the gift shop that also housed so many different items to pick from related to both the museum and just the UK in general. Hands down would go back in the future to check it out fully.

Now a museum, this excellent example of a 16th-century timber-framed house formed part of the…read moredivorce settlement to Anne of Cleves from Henry VIII in 1541. Although there is no evidence that she ever visited it, it is a fascinating example of a substantial Wealden Hall-house. Some of the rooms are furnished to reflect the period when it was built. The house also contains a museum with a varied collection of historic artifacts from Sussex's past, though I found these only mildly diverting.

There's tons of ancient history to be seen here. A beautiful old timber-framed house that formed…read morepart of Anne's divorce settlement from Henry VIII in 1541. If you are interested in your Sussex history, this place is steeped in it. Old pottery and iron work are dotted all around the place. Strangely enough, for a property that was involved in a very famous divorce, the house is licensed for weddings and is very popular indeed. Personally though I'd find that a bit odd but it is a very beautiful place indeed. Please note, due to the age of the house, its not the best place to bring anyone in a wheel chair, they have installed ramps where they can but you may find it a little difficult.