LONDON - Elite Traveler

What to do ➤ during the day
FaMiLy CuLturaL
KEW gARDENS
Phone: +44 (0)20 8332 5655
Email: info@kew.org
Address: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB
Website: www.kew.org
Located in the leafy London suburb of Richmond, the Royal Botanic Gardens at
Kew are a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Spanning 300
acres, these rambling gardens are home to the largest collection of living and
preserved plants and flowers in the world, and are a major player in the drive to
conserve and continue the planet’s natural heritage. Wander through the garden’s
elegant landscapes, get a bird’s eye view of the gardens from the awe-inspiring
Xstrata treetop walkway, or admire the exotic flora in the iconic Palm House, the
most important surviving Victorian iron and glass structure in the world.
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SIR JOHN SOANE MUSEUM
VIP contact: Mike Nicholson, Development Director
Email: mnicholson@soane.org.uk
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7405 2107
Address: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP
Website: www.soane.org
One of London’s best kept secrets, the Sir
John Soane Museum and library showcases
the collected possessions of Sir John Soane,
Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy
in the 1800s, and includes Hogarth’s Rake’s
Progress paintings and various wonderful
antiquarian pieces, not least the sarcophagus
of King Seti I. For a bespoke tour of this quirky,
labyrinthine house, contact the museum’s
Development Director, Mike Nicholson.
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© ROYAL BOTANIC gARDENS, KEW
SAATCHI gALLERY
VIP contact: Natasha Hoare
Phone: +44 (0)20 7811 3070
Address: Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4SQ
Website: www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Opened in well-heeled Chelsea in October
2008, the Saatchi Gallery takes an innovative
approach to contemporary art, presenting
work by largely unseen young artists or by
international artists whose work has rarely
or never been exhibited in the UK. Take in the
museum on a private tour with a curator, and
then chill out on the King’s Road with a visit
to Conran-designed café-restaurant Bluebird
or a wander around traditional English food
purveyors Partridges.
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NATIONAL PORTRAIT gALLERY © ANDREW PUTLER
NATIONAL PORTRAIT gALLERY
Phone: +44 (0)20 7306 0055/+44 (0)20 7312 2463
Address: St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE
Website: www.npg.org.uk
With over 1,000 portraits on display, from Elizabeth I to David Beckham,
the National Portrait Gallery houses the world’s largest collection of
personalities and faces. Artists featured range from Holbein to Hockney,
and the collection includes work across all media, from painting and
sculpture to photography and video. Elite travelers wishing for an extraspecial
experience can benefit from the gallery’s patronage scheme, which
offers patrons the opportunity to participate in private drinks receptions,
exhibition previews, private breakfasts, behind-the-scenes tours, and visits
to artists’ studios.
TATE MODERN
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7887 8888
Email: visiting.modern@tate.org.uk
Address: Bankside, E1 9TG
Website: www.tate.org.uk
Created from a disused power station in the heart
of London, the imposing Tate Modern houses the
national collection of international modern art.
The permanent collection, representing all the
major modern art movements from 1900 onwards,
includes important masterpieces by Picasso,
Matisse, Pollock, Rothko, and Giacometti, as well as
famous works by Pop art heavyweights Lichtenstein
and Warhol. As with the Tate Britain, guided tours
are available to ensure you get maximum enjoyment
out of your experience.