2 Best Sights in Holborn, London

Although the least architecturally interesting of the four Inns of Court and the one most heavily damaged by German bombs in the 1940s, Gray's still has romantic associations. In 1594 Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors was performed for the first time in the hall, which was restored after World War II and has a fine Elizabethan screen of carved oak. You must make advance arrangements to view the hall, but the secluded and spacious gardens, first planted by Francis Bacon in 1597, are open to the public every weekday afternoon.

There's plenty to see at one of the oldest, best preserved, and most attractive of the Inns of Court—from the Chancery Lane Tudor brick gatehouse to the wide-open, tree-lined, atmospheric Lincoln's Inn Fields and the 15th-century chapel remodeled by Inigo Jones in 1620. The gardens are open to the general public but to see inside the Inn itself, you can reserve a place on one of the official tours that run on Tuesdays at 11 am (reservations must be made online). Alternatively, you can buy tickets for a self-guided tour from the inquiry desk in the Library on the day of your visit.