Long gone are the days when we were reluctantly dragged to museums by parents or teachers.

Now, many of us eagerly await new exhibitions, and the result of this year’s TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards show just how popular these institutions have become.

Chosen by members of the public, five spots in London have made it into the top 25 list of best-rated museums in Europe – more than any other European city – and most of them are free to enter.

If you’ve not been to them before, now might be the time to find out what you’re missing.

1. Victoria & Albert Museum

Being voted the UK’s No.1 in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards is no small achievement. The V&A has overtaken last year’s UK winner, the British Museum, and has pushed the likes of Paris’ Musee du Louvre and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum aside in the global list.

The V&A’s free to view collection is devoted to art and design, with objects ranging from Art Deco furniture to paintings by John Constable and JMW Turner.

It’s the museum’s temporary exhibitions (which do require an entry ticket) that you really need to keep an eye on. In recent years shows dedicated to the likes of fashion designer Alexander McQueen and music icon David Bowie have been hugely successful.

Nearest tube: South Kensington

2. National Gallery

Walking through the National Gallery is a veritable who’s who of art history, with everyone from Botticelli to Titian, Van Gogh and Monet making an appearance.

Ever heard of a little painting called Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh? It’s just one of the many masterpieces on display as part of the permanent exhibition - open free to the public.

Once you’ve done admiring the artwork, pop into the elegant National Dining Rooms for a bite to eat.

It was designed by world famous architect David Collins, who also designed the celeb-magnet bar at Mayfair hotel Claridge’s, and has window views spilling onto Trafalgar Square

Nearest tube: Charing Cross

3. British Museum

Speaking of impressive buildings, the British Museum can definitely be counted among some of the most incredible structures in London. The previous two museums on the list are largely dedicated to art, but in the British Museum it’s all about history.

Don’t be fooled by the name, because there are artefacts from all over the world. Set aside several hours to learn about the ancient Egyptians or the Bronze Age in Europe.

Remarkably, the museum is free - although tickets are required for temporary exhibitions.

Nearest tube: Holborn

4. Natural History Museum

If you haven’t visited the Natural History Museum since you were a child, now is the perfect time to go.

Dippy – the giant dinosaur who filled up the main room of the building for so long – has been replaced by Hope, a 25.2-metre-long blue whale skeleton who hangs from the ceiling.
Staff moving Hope the blue whale from its home in Mammal Hall at the Natural History Museum, where it had hung since 1938, to its new spot in the main hall made an unexpected discovery.

They found it was being held together with copies of the Kent Messenger from the 1930s - some were even copies from the 1932 Christmas Eve edition, packing out intervertebral discs.

It’s free to view the mind boggling collection of animals, fossils and skeletons – so expect long entry queues.

The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is held here, although ticket prices apply for this.

Nearest tube: South Kensington

5. The Churchill War Rooms

Located in a secret underground bunker from the Second World War, the Churchill War Rooms are the best place to learn about the former British Prime Minister’s leadership.
It was in this confined space beneath Westminster that Churchill the Allied victory was mapped out.

Many items of memorabilia have are just as they would have been all those years ago.

This is the only museum on this list which doesn’t have free admission – £19 for adults and £9.50 for children.

Nearest tube: Westminster

TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards: Top 10 museums in the world

1. Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York
2. The National WWII Museum – New Orleans
3. Musée d’Orsay – Paris
4. Art Institute of Chicago
5. State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace – St Petersburg
6. The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum – New York
7. National Museum of Anthropology – Mexico City
8. Acropolis Museum – Athens
9. Prado National Museum – Madrid
10. Victoria and Albert Museum – London