Museum of Asian Art

Home to stunning artefacts ranging from prehistoric bronzes to works in onyx and ivory, this excellent museum occupies the central portions of the Palace of St Michael and St George. One gallery provides a chronological overview of Chinese ceramics, and showcases remarkable jade carvings and snuff bottles. The India section opens with Alexander the Great, ‘When Greece Met India’, and displays fascinating Graeco-Buddhist figures, including a blue-grey schist Buddha. A Japanese section incorporates magnificent samurai armour and Noh masks.

The areas where the palace’s original sumptuous decor remains most visible, such as the Throne Room with its elaborate trompe l’oeil murals, host temporary exhibitions.