One of London's more discreet national museums, the Wallace Collection never ceases to amaze with its exhibitions of beautiful artworks.

Titian, Rembrandt, Hals and Velazquez are but a few of the renowned artists with paintings on display. The collection of eighteenth-century French paintings, porcelain, furniture and gold boxes, is, according to the gallery, "the best to be found anywhere outside France."

Whether or not you agree, the London townhouse in which these treasures are hidden is worth a visit if only to marvel at the glorious decadence in which the nobility of the past lived; Hertford House was the primary London residence of the collection's benefactors and retains many of its owner's original touches.