Walker Art Gallery

You'll climb those grand stone steps feeling slightly underdressed, but the Walker doesn't care about your trainers. Inside, the light-flooded galleries stretch out like a greatest hits of Western art – Pre-Raphaelite beauties gaze from gilded frames while Degas dancers pirouette nearby. The Victorian architecture does half the work, all soaring ceilings and marble columns, but it's the curation that keeps you wandering. The contemporary stuff sits comfortably next to centuries-old oil paintings, and you'll find yourself genuinely surprised by pieces you've never heard of alongside the famous names. Best of all, it's completely free, which means you can pop in for twenty minutes or lose an entire afternoon without feeling like you need to get your money's worth.