Victoria & Albert Museum

Lonely Planet review

When you come to see the V&A, give yourself plenty of time, because we can guarantee that you'll spend much longer than planned in this brilliant museum. The Museum of Manufactures, as the V&A was originally known when it started in 1852, specialises in decorative art and design, with four million objects collected over the years from Britain and around the globe.

It was part of Prince Albert's legacy to the nation in the aftermath of the successful Great Exhibition of 1851, and its original aims - which still hold today - were the 'improvement of public taste in Design' and 'applications of fine art to objects of utility'. It's done a fine job so far.

With so many things on display, it's wise to choose what you want to see and stick to it, otherwise it's easy to get overwhelmed. As you enter under the stunning Dale Chihuly Chandelier you can pick up a map of the museum at the information and ticket desk. (If the main entrance on Cromwell Rd is too busy, there's another around the corner on Exhibition Rd.) Consider one of the free introductory guided tours that leave the main reception area every hour from 10:30 to 16:30 . There is also family activities information; ask at one of the desks.

Spread over nearly 150 galleries, the museum houses the world's greatest collection of decorative arts, including ancient Chinese ceramics, modernist architectural drawings, Korean bronze and Japanese swords, cartoons by Raphael, spellbinding Asian and Islamic art, Rodin sculptures, gowns from the Elizabethan era, dresses straight from this year's Paris fashion shows, ancient jewellery, a 1930s wireless set - and a lot more stuff hidden in storage.