British Museum - London, UK

Where should I begin describing the British Museum? It is a must for anyone interested in art, with over six million artifacts and eighty galleries, ranging from archaeological fragments to massive statues from all over the world. There is no right or wrong way to visit the British Museum. Every time you visit, you will discover something new. My suggestions is to focus on the highlights during your first visit, and then explore section by section on your future trips.

Outside: The origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician and collector, Sir Hans Sloane, who wanted his collection of more than 71,000 objects to be preserved intact after his death. He bequeathed it to King George II, but the King had no interest. The Parliament was persuaded to accept the gift and established the British Museum in 1753. In 1754 the British Museum acquired Montagu House in Bloomsbury, and it remains on this site today. Around the original house, many extensions were built in the years. The last renovation transformed the Great Court, the Museum's inner courtyard, with the famous Reading Room at its centre, now covered by a spectacular glass roof , into the largest covered public square in Europe. Designed by Norman Foster and Partners, the glass dome is fantastic, built like a giant jigsaw puzzle! Visitors have now direct access west into the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery, east into the King's Library and north into the Wellcome Trust Gallery. Inside the courtyard, two monumental staircases encircle the outside of the Reading Room and lead to the Great Court Gallery, and the Court Restaurant. From the restaurant level a bridge link takes visitors into the upper galleries of the Museum.

Before beginning to visit the collection, you should go inside the Reading Room, at the center of the Great Court. Using cast iron, concrete, glass and the latest heating and ventilation systems, it was a masterpiece of mid-nineteenth century technology. The bookshelves surrounding it were also made of iron to take the great weight of the books and protect them against fire. In all, the library containes three miles (4.8 kilometres) of bookcases and twenty-five miles (forty kilometres) of shelves. It opened on 2 May 1857 and for more than 100 years the Reading Room was a centre of learning. Among those who spent time in the room were Karl Marx, Lenin, Bram Stoker, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Inside: Start with the King’s Library, at the right of the Great Court. This is not necessarily the most interesting part of the museum, but you can see how the British Museum looked in the 1800s. Built between 1823 and 1827, restoration work between 2000 and 2003 revived the room to its original glory. You can admire the oak and mahogany floor and classical architectural features, with the yellow and gold ornamentation and the re-gilded balcony. Thousands of objects from the Museum collection are crammed in huge wood cabinets, as it was in use in the Age of Enlightenment.
Then go for the highlights: the Rosetta Stone at the entrance of the Egyptian Hall (room 4), the Parthenon sculptures (room 18, awesome!), the sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (room 21), the Oxus Treasure from ancient Iran (room 52) and the beautiful Assyrian carvings and statues (room 6-10). The Asia rooms hold the richest collections of Chinese art in Europe (room 33). Room 34 has some of the finest Islamic pottery, while the Korean Gallery features a full scale scholar's house, which you can only see in Korean museums (room 67). The Aztec selection is phenomenal, with the famous turquoise mosaic mask of the god Tezcatlipoca (room 27).

I find the Africa section one of the best in the world (room 25). Look for the brass plaques from Benin. When they came to Europe at the end of the 1800s, people believed the plaques to be fake because they thought impossible for Africa to produce such beautiful artifacts (!). The Medieval Britain section features the famous 2000-year-old bog body known as the Lindow man (room 50), while in room 41 you can see the Medieval Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. And of course don't miss the vast collection of Egyptian and Sudanese objects (a lot of mummies in room 62 and 63!), and the Greek and Roman art in rooms 11-23. (Last visit 07/2008)