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Located adjacent to each other at the top of Trafalgar Square, these comprehensive galleries make up the core of Britain’s art collection.

Housed in a huge converted power station on the south bank of the Thames, this exciting new gallery covers modern art from 1900 to the present day.

The other Tate gallery in London, focusing on work from 1500 to the present, has the best collection of British art in the world.

From Fra Angelico to Van Gogh, this is a complete art course in one manageable gallery. The core of the collection is the country’s finest Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, amassed by a textile magnate, Samuel Courtauld (1876–1947). Many of them are instantly recognisable: Manet’sBar at the Folies-Bergère , Van Gogh’sSelf Portrait With Bandaged Ear , Gauguin’sTeRerioa and Manet’sDéjeuner sur L’Herbe .Visit Somerset House’s fountain courtyard and riverside terrace café for a drink afterwards.

This wonderful Victorian mansion belonged to Sir Richard Wallace (1818–90). In 1897, his widow bequeathed the house and their amazing art collection to the nation. Covering two floors, the 25 public rooms are beautifully furnished with one of the best private collections of French 18th-century pictures, porcelain and furniture in the world. The paintings are rich and voluptuous – notable works include Nicolas Poussin’sA Dance to the Music of Time and Frans Hals’The Laughing Cavalier . There are English portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds.

If you have time, this suburban gallery is well worth a short train journey. Britain’s oldest art gallery, which had a face-lift for the Millennium, was opened in 1817. The important collection includes Murillo’sFlower Girl , Poussin’sTriumph of David and Rembrandt’sGirl at the Window .

Major contemporary artists tend to be shown here. Cindy Sherman and Gilbert and George have had recent exhibitions. This is one of London’s most exciting galleries, often transforming its space to suit the work. Installations have been known to spill out into the park – even to become an outside tearoom. Busy on warm weekends.

The Royal Academy’s continual big-name temporary exhibitions draw the crowds, and it is often necessary to reserve a ticket in advance. The traditional Summer Exhibition, which anyone can apply to enter, is also extremely popular (see Royal Academy of Arts).

Established in 1962 to display works from the Royal Collection, this fascinating gallery shows paintings and other pieces from the royal collection.

This majestic mansion with interiors designed by Robert Adam has a small but important collection comprising 17th-century Dutch and Flemish works, 18th-century English portraits, and a small French Rococo section. There are statues by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth in the extensive grounds.