Fodor's Expert Review Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
Perched on East Cliff, this lavish late-Victorian villa overflows with sculpture, paintings, and artifacts, including cases of butterflies and an exquisite suit of Japanese armor—just a few of the treasures collected from around the world by the Russell-Cotes, a widely traveled Victorian couple. The house, a combination of Italian Renaissance and Scottish Baronial, with added Moorish-, Japanese-, and French-themed rooms, was designed to showcase the collection. There's also a small landscaped garden and café. The museum hosts temporary exhibitions as well, such as ones devoted to the legacy of the Pre-Raphaelites or to the role of fans in Victorian society.