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Now housed in a spectacular new building in St Pancras, the British Library holds copies of everything published in Britain, as well as many historical publications from around the world. Members have free access to these, while non-members can enjoy the magnificent space and the regular exhibitions put on here. A dazzling, permanent display in the John Ritblatt Gallery includes the earliest map of Britain (1250), a Gutenberg Bible (1455), Shakespeare’s first folio (1623), Handel’sMessiah (1741) and many breathtaking illuminated manuscripts. The glass walls in the core of the building reveal the huge leather volumes from the King’s Library, donated by George III. There are regular talks and events, a café, restaurant and, of course, a well-stocked bookshop.

A particular pleasure of this unique museum is watching visitors’ faces as they turn a corner and encounter yet another unexpected gem. Sir John Soane, one of Britain’s leading 19th-century architects, crammed three adjoining houses with antiques and treasures, displayed in the most ingenious ways. The basement crypt, designed to resemble a Roman catacomb, is particularly original.The Rake’s Progress (1753), a series of eight paintings by Hogarth, is another highlight. The houses are on the northern side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the heart of legal London, where gowned and bewigged lawyers roam. Lincoln’s Inn, on the east side of the square, is one of the best preserved Inns of Court in London, part of it dating from the 15th century.

Sir John Soane’s Museum

Home to Charles Dickens from 1837–39, during which time he completed some of his best work (includingThe Pickwick Papers ,Oliver Twist andNicholas Nickleby), this four-storey terraced house offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and times of the great Victorian author and social reformer. Some rooms have been laid out exactly as they were in Dickens’ time. Nearby Doughty Mews provides another step back to Victorian times.

Founded in 1836, UCL is the oldest college of London University and owns several fine academic collections. In the Petrie Museum is one of the largest collections of Egyptian archaeology in the world. Etchings, engravings and early English Mezzotints from the college’s art collection are exhibited in the Strang Print Room.Check out performances at the college’s Bloomsbury Theatre in Gordon Street.

Comprising around 1,700 pieces from the 10th–18th centuries, this is regarded as the finest collection of Chinese porcelain outside China. The collection was given to the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies in 1950 by the scholar Sir Percival David.

At 190 m (620 ft), this was the tallest building in London when it opened in 1965. Sadly, the revolving restaurant on top has been closed for security reasons, but the Tower Tavern in Cleveland Street has a good large-scale diagram explaining the tower’s constituent parts (as well as hand-pulled beer).

This delightful child-sized museum is a treasure-trove of historic toys. The shop below is crammed with old-fashioned playthings including Victorian toy theatre sheets, originally published by Benjamin Pollock.

This church was described in a 19th-century guide book as “the most pretentious, ugliest edifice in the metropolis”. The steeple is topped with a statue of King George I posing as St George.

One of the glories of Victorian Gothic architecture, this railway terminus was designed in 1874 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, who also designed the Albert Memorial. Most of the frontage is in fact the Midland Grand Hotel. The Eurostar International Terminal moves here from Waterloo Station during 2007, when the channel Rail Tunnel Link is completed.

Carved figures, St Pancras Parish Church