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Arts and Artefacts
 
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London is not the cheapest city in the world. But it is possible to have lots of fun without spending heaps of cash. All major museums and galleries charge no admission fee and there's a pletheora of free festivals, open air concerts and displays of pageantry. You just need to know where to look. Use our special feature to show you how.
 Trafalgar Square
 Right in the centre of London is the newly pedestrianised Trafalgar Square, one of the best places to begin a tour of the sights. Here, you are looking at over 150 years of history, with Nelson's famous column behind you, and the fountains by Lutyens and Landseer's lions in front of you. Beyond them lies the National Gallery, which holds one of the world's finest collections of Western European paintings. The Leonardo Cartoon by da Vinci and the Hay Wain by Constable are just two of its highlights - and admission is free. National Portrait Gallery
Right next door, one of the most inspiring collections of portraits can be found. The National Portrait Gallery holds likenesses of both the famous and infamous - poets and princesses, statesmen and sportsmen are all on display. Royal portraits abound, from Holbein's Henry VIII to Annigoni's portrait of the Queen, but stars from today's world of rock, pop and showbizz are there too. Catch a glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor, supermodel Elle MacPherson and The Spice Girls, or enjoy panoramic rooftop views over London from the Portrait Café. Tate
There are two other major art galleries in London - neither of which levy an admission charge for their permanent collections. Tate Britain holds British paintings from 1500 to the present day, while Tate Modern is one of the foremost galleries of modern and contemporary art. British Museum
London boasts the oldest public museum in the world. The British Museum in Bloomsbury is one huge treasure store. Items from all over the globe have found their way there - everything from mummies to Ming; exhibits include priceless antiquities like the Elgin Marbles from The Parthenon and the Rosetta Stone that provided the key to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Over 200 years, the museum has built up a collection of 6 million objects that now fill its 94 galleries. British Library
Once part of the British Museum, the British Library is now found in St Pancras. Its new building was designed by Sir Colin Wilson to house the UK's National Library, the riches of the written word. It has an amazing 150 million separate items in storage and state-of-the-art technology lets you journey through some of the priceless exhibits via a 'virtual manuscript'. Guided tours of the building will lead you to the exhibition galleries and the Lindisfarne Gospels (dating from 700AD), Shakespeare's First Folio of 1623, Handel's Messiah and Beatles' manuscripts.
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•All museums and attractions mentioned above offer free admission; there may however be ch...
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