Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean on Beaumont Street is the oldest public museum in Britain, opened in 1683 to house the collection of Elias Ashmole, and it holds some of the finest art and archaeology outside London. The present neoclassical building dates from the 1840s, and a modern redevelopment opened up the galleries so that visitors can move through time from the ancient world to the twentieth century. Highlights include the Alfred Jewel, a ninth-century Anglo-Saxon treasure, Egyptian mummies, Greek and Roman sculpture, a major group of Pissarro paintings, Italian Renaissance masters and the Messiah violin by Stradivari. The museum is free to enter, which makes it a good choice for a rainy day or for a short visit between college tours.

The best approach is to choose a few galleries rather than try to see everything. If you like early history, start with the ancient Egypt and Nubia displays and the Cast Gallery, where plaster copies of classical sculpture give a sense of scale. For painting, go to the Western Art galleries, with Uccello's Hunt in the Forest, Pre-Raphaelite works by Holman Hunt and Rossetti, and impressionist and post-impressionist pieces. The Asian collections add fine Chinese ceramics and Japanese screens.

Practical points help. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and on bank holiday Mondays, and it closes on other Mondays, so plan accordingly. Entry is free, though special exhibitions are ticketed. The rooftop restaurant offers views over the city skyline and is a pleasant place for lunch or afternoon tea. Lockers and a cloakroom are available, and the galleries are largely step-free with lifts between floors, which makes the building easy for families and for visitors with mobility needs.

The Ashmolean sits across the road from the Randolph Hotel and a few minutes from the Pitt Rivers and Natural History museums, so it works well in a day of museums. If you want a guided introduction, local operators run tours that focus on the museum's highlights. For a free alternative, pick up a floor plan at the entrance and follow the highlights trail. Come late in the day for emptier galleries.

To make the most of a free museum, treat it like a book with chapters. A good first visit might cover the Egypt and Nubia rooms, the Greek and Roman galleries, the Italian paintings and the Pre-Raphaelites, and then end on the roof for a coffee. The museum runs free talks and family activities at many times of the year, and its shop is well stocked with art books and gifts.

Photography without flash is usually permitted in the permanent galleries, but check signs in special exhibitions. If you are visiting with children, ask at the desk for activity trails, which turn the galleries into a hunt for animals, gods and heroes.

For visitors who prefer a guided introduction, local guides lead tours of the highlights, and the museum itself runs lunchtime talks on selected works. Because it sits opposite a grand hotel and beside St Giles, the building is easy to find and easy to combine with a walk north toward the parks. Evening openings and late talks are occasionally offered, so look at the events page if you want to see the galleries in a quieter, atmospheric setting after the day visitors have left.