The Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington is the world’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts, design, and sculpture, holding more than 2.3 million objects across 145 galleries spread over 12.5 acres.
Highlights include the Cast Courts with their gigantic plaster casts of Michelangelo’s David and Trajan’s Column, the Raphael Cartoons on long-term loan from the Royal Collection, an extensive fashion collection tracing haute couture through the centuries, and one of the world’s most comprehensive jewellery collections.
The museum is open daily from 10am to 5:45pm, with extended hours until 10pm on Fridays. General admission is free, though some special exhibitions require paid, pre-booked tickets. Allow at least 3 to 4 hours to see a good selection of highlights.
