Best Arts and Culture Places in The Boot

"As its name suggests, The National Gallery is a government-sponsored museum that ranks, after The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum, as the 4th most visited museum in the world. The National Gallery is particularly known for its encyclopedic art collection, with works from artists including da Vinci, van Gogh, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, Goya, Delacroix, Cézanne, Monet, and Renoir."

"One of the world’s oldest museums of history and culture, grown from the collection of one man who was interested in everything. Exhibitions include abstractions like life and death and showcases of Ancient Iran, the prehistory of Europe, the Middle East, the Rosetta Stone, Lindow Man, the Lewis Chessmen and the Sutton Hoo ship burial."

"Most of the museums in London are free to visit including the British Museum seen below. This hall is huge, so to really capture it you would need a wide-angle lens. I actually used a GoPro for this particular shot."

"This former oil-fired power station sits smugly in the center of the South Bank, knowing that you’re interested in what’s going on inside. It’s filled to the rafters with paintings and sculptures by the likes of Picasso, Dali, Warhol, and Rothko, all set off perfectly by that gritty industrial interior. Of the current ticketed shows, The Making of Rodin (until November 21, tickets around $22) is a must examining the master sculptor’s more experimental side and his use of plaster, featuring over 200 works on loan from the Musée Rodin that haven’t been seen outside of France until now."

"Housed in the former Bankside Power Station, the vast collection includes works by Picasso, Warhol, Dalí, and Matisse. For a decidedly British take on modern art (1500 AD to the present day, that is), Tate Britain will be your cup of tea. Located up the Thames from Tate Modern (there’s a boat that ferries passengers between the two galleries every 40 minutes), Tate Britain is where you’ll find pieces by Turner, Hirst, and Bacon."

"Along the south bank (always worth a wander), you can stop in at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern Art Gallery, and even quickly cross the Millennium bridge for a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Globe and St. Paul’s Cathedral are both included on the London Pass, whilst the Tate Modern is free to enter."

"Day 1: Arrive in London, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, the London EyeDay 2: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Whitehall, Covent GardenDay 3: Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sky GardenDay 4: National Gallery, Greenwich, Prime Meridian, Up at the O2Day 5: British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrod’s"

"The National Gallery is an art museum with a worldwide known collection of classical paintings. One of the most famous works is certainly the -Sunflowers- by Vincent van Gogh. Read which is the most well-liked British painting, where it is located and which other art works are definitely worth seeing ...Images, Info & Tips"

"One of the best free things to do in London at night is exploring the city’s many world-class museums after dark at the special Museum Lates. Take a step back in time and walk with dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum(last Friday of every month), attend fascinating themed evenings at the Science Museum (last Wednesday of the month), stroll around the impressive covered square at the British Museum(every Friday) or see one of London’s largest art collections after hours at the Tate Modern(last Friday of the month), at their free evening events. Many of the Museum Lates also have pop-up bars where you can grab a drink to take around with you and other free events such as special lectures and workshops, live music and of course the Science Museum’s famous silent disco."

"The greatest city in the world deserves its own museum, and that’s exactly what the Museum of London provides!. Set somewhat incongruously in the middle of a brutalist roundabout, exhibits here cover everything from the city’s ancient past as a Roman settlement right up to the present day, featuring both the 2012 Olympic cauldron…  to a congealed lump of sewer blockage from our city’s great nemesis, the Fatberg. A planned move to the site of the old Smithfield meat market is expected to occur in the coming years, but they’re still at London Wall for now."

"The Museum of London has free interactive galleries exploring the history of London from when the Romans lived there. Toddlers can navigate their way around the museum using the Under 5s Explorer Backpacks filled with games, toys and puzzles to use in the galleries. The museum also has free monthly Baby and Toddler sessions with fun, stimulating activities for them to play and learn."

"Tucked behind the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery is the biggest collection of portraits in the world. It’s not quite as vast as the National Gallery but it’s very much worth taking your time to see the collection. One interesting thing about this free London art museum is that the paintings are chosen for the significance of the subject, not the artist."

"Where else but the National Portrait Gallery can you find oils of the Brontë sisters and William Shakespeare alongside black and white photographs of the Spice Girls and a mixed media portrait of J.K."

"Calling itself ‘the artists’ gallery for everybody’, it was established in 1901 to give the people in the East End of London the chance to enjoy art. Over the years it has had exhibitions by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo, as well as contemporaries such as Sophie Calle, Paul Noble, Thomas Struth, Sarah Lucas and Mark Wallinger. 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX Free entrywhitechapelgallery.org"

"For many years the East End has been a hub for artists and Whitechapel Gallery has been there for over a hundred of them. Its focus, however, is largely on what’s happening now and next. Although it’s not averse to a 20th century artists’ retrospective, its links with London’s working artist community is strong and ongoing, so it’s a great place to find work by new artists on their way to becoming household names."

"Whitechapel Gallery is an art gallery in Whitechapel on the northside of Whitechapel High Street. Designed by Charles Harrison Townsend it opened its doors in 1901 as the first public gallery in London."

"It may look like a mild-mannered café from the outside, but the mask comes off when you step inside to discover a down-and-dirty hangout where you can groove and grind to anything from electro to disco and 90s R&B. Consistently packed with it-boys and -girls, the well-worn dance floor is a definite testament to their loyal following. Address: 117 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2PBContact: 020 7254 2273Website:dalstonsuperstore.com"

"The David GIll Gallery exhibits work by internationally renowned artists working in design and art, many of whom cross over between disciplines. Artist works include: Zaha Hadid, Fredrikson Stallard, Jorge Pardo, Michele Oka Doner, Barnaby Barford, Yves Klein, Mattia Bonetti, David Chipperfield, Campana Brothers, José Yaque, Garouste & Bonetti, Lena Peters & Sebastian ErraZuriz."

"Having risen to art-fame entirely through Instagram, Sophie Tea now has her very own Barbie-pink conceptual contemporary art gallery on London’s Carnaby Street. With her signature bold and colourful brush strokes and splatters, Sophie immortalises her female followers’ nude photos in protest of beauty standards to prove that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Head to the gallery to admire unapologetically painted boobs, bums, and tums – not only that but you can help yourself to a cup of tea, play a game of Pac-Man, and even take creative selfies in the mirrored ‘Nudie Booth’."

"If you are interested in visiting London and conscious of keeping costs down, why not look at a credit card that can save you money on your hotel booking?. With a Tesco Clubcard Credit Card, you can earn Clubcard vouchers that can be used at Hotels.com. Alternatively, consider a credit card that can earn you Avios points, like the British Airways American Express Credit Card."

"St Sepulchre is dominated by its grey 15th century Gothic tower. Captain John Smith, the famous Governor of Virginia, rescued by Pocahontas, was buried here in 1631. But St Sepulchre also has darker associations."

"Located on an island in the middle of the bustling Strand, St Clement Danes Church church offers an oasis of calm. Explore the famous London church, whose bells are mentioned in the traditional Oranges and Lemons nursery rhyme, and hear them ring out across the City of London several times a day. Reconsecrated as the Central Church of the Royal Air Force in 1958, the church is also home to books of remembrance and more than 1,000 RAF badges."

"St Clement Danes church is one of the best-known churches in Westminster, London. It’s a fine white Baroque building with a prominent spire on a traffic island in the Strand, close to the Royal Courts of Justice. It’s famous for the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and lemons ring the bells of St Clement’s’, and it’s not the only church in our list to get a mention in."

"Christopher Wren and James Gibbs rebuilt the original 9th-century church, but only its outer walls and steeple survived destruction in the Blitz"

"To escape the crowded streets and enjoy a picturesque, waterside side stretch of North London, take to the canals that once played such a vital role in the transport of goods across the capital. The towpath of the Regent's Canal also makes an excellent shortcut across North London, either on foot or by bike. In full, the ribbon of water runs 9 miles from Little Venice (where it connects with the Grand Union Canal) to the Thames at Limehouse."

"Known all over London for being the city’s loftiest restaurant and one of its very few 24-hour establishments, Duck and Waffle is a destination du jour for the most glamorous of hungry late-night partiers. Although it constantly buzzes throughout its regular hours of service, dishing out small plates of ox cheek doughnuts, foie gras crème brûlée and the like, its star dish – the eponymous duck and waffle – is what sets tongues wagging after 3am. A crispy, fatty confit duck leg, already decadent in and of itself, is served atop a freshly baked Belgian waffle, drenched in a mustard-maple syrup and then topped with a fried duck egg."

"A sour, hesitant welcome by a pompous ground-floor doorman made for a bad start to my visit to Duck & Waffle on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower. Once in situ service is still somewhat inconsistent - I found it slow at times, over-attentive at others - but overall the vibe here is relaxed and informal. The destination is more moderately priced than Sushisamba below, the clientele more diverse and the offering more accessible."

"Food isn't the only thing that's elevated at this slick City space. Nestled on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower, Duck and Waffle is known for its 24 hour menu, unrivalled views and signature dishes; from the eponymous plate to the ox cheek doughnut."