Somerset house is a magnificent sight all year round, but never more enchanting than between the months of November and January when Christmas comes to town, bringing a giant outdoor ice rink with it. The best way to enjoy Somerset House’s majestic 18th-century courtyard is on a pair of ice skates, gliding past the neoclassical architecture and caught up in holiday cheer. It’s one of London’s most beguiling experiences and highly recommended to those of romantic persuasion.

If you’re passing by in the summer months, fear not, the fun continues even after the ice has melted. Each summer the courtyard is converted to an open-air cinema with a state of the art big screen and a live music venue where you can catch outdoor gigs by popular chart acts.

But Somerset House is more than just a splendid courtyard. This stately palace is home to the renowned permanent collections and special exhibitions of The Courtauld Gallery. Here you’ll find world-famous old masters, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, as well as sculpture and applied arts. All the traditional favourites are here: Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cézanne and Turner. It’s also home to paintings by the local folks of the Bloomsbury Group, Vanessa Bell (sister of Virginia Woolf), Duncan Grant and Roger Fry.