London cultural life

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London, with its sprawling metropolis of more than 7 million inhabitants, has often been described as the coolest city in the world by much of the international media and its visitors; it has great shopping, whether you are looking for street fashion or haute couture, exceptional nightlife varying from opera to the hippest clubs, beautiful parks and admirable buildings, museums and galleries, and of course it is a city which is steeped in history. All of these and many other factors make it a top and highly enjoyable tourist destination; some visitors just take a weekend city break, some stay for a week or two, while others reside for even more than a year on a working holiday, just to become well acquainted with this great city.

Museums

London has over 200 museums, which play an important role in the social, economic and cultural life of the capital and attract more than 30 million visitors a year from all over the United Kingdom and abroad. Below is a list of the larger, more popular museums.

British Museum and Library (http://www.british-museum.ac.uk)
Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG.
Tube: Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square, Goodge St. Tel: 020 7323 8299.
Opening times: Galleries, Saturday to Wednesday; 10.00am - 5.30pm, Thursday to Friday; 10.00am to 8.30pm.
Great Court, Sunday to Wednesday; 9.00am - 6.00pm, Thursday to Saturday; 9.00am - 11.00pm.
Round Reading Room, every day 10.00 - 5.30pm, first Thursday of the month; 10.00am - 8.30pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December, 1st January, Good Friday.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include the Elgin Marbles, Lindow Man, Egyptian mummies and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

Imperial War Museum (http://www.iwm.org.uk)
Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ.
Tube: Lambeth North, Waterloo, Elephant And Castle. Tel: 020 7416 5320.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 6.00pm.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include the Secret War Exhibition, the Art Galleries and WWI/WWII Exhibitions.

Museum of Childhood (http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/nmc/)
Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9PA.
Tube: Bethnal Green. Tel: 020 8980 2415.
Opening times: Mondays to Thursdays, Saturdays; 10.00am - 5.50pm.
Closed: Fridays, 24th to 26th December, 1st January.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include exhibitions on the lives of children throughout the centuries, art and craft, dance and puppetry sessions and a number of special events throughout the year.

London Transport Museum Covent Garden
Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2E 7BB.
Tube: Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Holborn, Charing Cross. Tel: 020 7565 7299/020 7379 6344.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday (except Fridays) 10.00am - 6.00pm, Fridays; 11.00am - 6.00pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Adult £5.95. Concessions £4.50 (OAPs and students). Reduced concessions £2.50. Last admission: 5.15pm.
Sights include the Birth Of Public Transport, Trams And Trolleybuses and the Growth Of London Exhibitions.

Museum of London (http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk)
London Wall, London, EC2Y 5HN.
Tube: Barbican, St Paul's, Moorgate, Bank. Tel: 020 7600 3699.
Opening times: Monday to Saturday; 10.00am - 5.50pm, Sundays; midday - 5.50pm.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include the Galleries of London before London, London in the 1920s (entrance fee) and Roman London.

National Maritime Museum (http://www.nmm.ac.uk)
Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF.
Tube: N/A. Docklands Light Railway (DLR): Cutty Shark. Train Station: Greenwich. Tel: 020 8858 4422.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 5.00pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions). Last admission: 4.30pm.
When visiting this museum, we highly recommend that you also visit the Cutty Shark (near station), Queen's House (adjacent to museum) and the Royal Observatory (top of Greenwich Park), which are both close by (http://www.greenwichwhs.org.uk/).

The Natural History Museum (http://www.nhm.ac.uk)
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD.
Tube: South Kensington. Tel: 020 7942 5011/020 7942 5839.
Opening times: Open all year, Monday to Saturday; 10.00am - 5.50pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Entry is free (last admission at 5.30pm).
Sights include the excellent exhibitions which are regularly put on here.

Science Museum (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk)
Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD.
Tube: South Kensington. Tel: 0870 870 4868.
Opening times: Open all year, Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 6.00pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include the Science Museum Library and the Science And Society Picture Library (http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/piclib/).

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL.
Tube: South Kensington. Tel: 020 7942 2000.
Opening times: Open all year, Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 5.45pm,
Wednesdays and last Friday of the month; 10.00am - 10.00pm.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Sights include Donatello's Winged Putto and the Adelphi ceiling designed by Robert Adam.

Galleries

Throughout London, visitors will see an abundance of galleries, some very small, showing and selling perhaps just a few pieces of work. Below, is a list of the larger and better know galleries, most of which have over the years acquired not only great works but also a well renowned reputation.

The National Gallery (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/)
Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN.
Tube: Charing Cross. Tel: 020 7747 2885.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 6.00pm, Wednesday; 10.00am - 9.00pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December, 1st January.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
One of the greatest collections of European paintings in the world with regular temporary exhibitions. See official website for more details.

The National Portrait Gallery (http://www.npg.org.uk/)
St Martin's Place, London, WC2H OHE.
Tube: Charing Cross. Tel: 020 7306 0055.
Opening times: Monday to Wednesday; 10.00am - 6.00pm, Thursday to Friday; 10.00am - 9.00pm, Saturday to Sunday; 10.00am - 6.00pm.
Closed: 24th to 26th December, 1st January, Good Friday.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
The National Portrait Gallery was founded in 1856 to collect the likeness of famous British men and women. Today the collection is the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.

Royal Academy of Arts (http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/)
Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J OBD.
Tube: Piccadilly/Green Park. Tel: 020 7300 8000.
Opening times: Saturday to Thursday; 10.00am - 6.00pm, Friday; 10.00am - 10.00pm.
Closed: 24th and 25th December.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
The Royal Academy of Arts' permanent collection comprises excellent examples of art from the 18th century to the present day, including paintings, sculpture, plaster casts, artists' memorabilia, prints and drawings, etc.

Tate Britain (http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/default.htm)
Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG.
Tube: Pimlico. 020 7887 8000/020 7887 8008.
Opening times: Gallery: Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 5.50pm.
Exhibitions: Monday to Sunday 10.00am - 5.40pm (last admission 5.00pm).
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Tate Britain is the national gallery of British Art from around 1500 to present day, from the Tudors to the Turner Prize.

Tate Modern (http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/default.htm)
The Queen's Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9TG.
Tube: Southwark. Tel: 020 7887 8000/020 7887 8008.
Opening times: Sunday to Thursday; 10.00am - 6.00pm, Friday to Saturday; 10.00am - 10.00pm. Last admission into exhibitions 5.15pm (Friday/Saturday 9.15pm).
Closed: 24th to 26th December.
Admission: Entry is free (a charge may be made for some temporary exhibitions).
Tate Modern is Britain's new national museum of modern art.

County Hall Gallery (http://www.countyhallgallery.com/)
County Hall, Riverside Building, London, SE1 7PB.
Tube: Waterloo, Westminster. Tel: 020 7620 2720.
Opening times: Monday to Sunday; 10.00am - 5.30pm (last entry).
Closed: 25th December.
Admission: Various tickets available (Dalí Universe: Adults £8.50, Concessions £7.00, etc.)
Currently showing several exhibitions, such as Dalí Universe, Picasso - Art of a Genius and soon a Saatchi Exhibition.

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