British Museum comes 15th in Lonely Planet list of world's must-see sites

London’s British Museum has been named as a global must-see spot, alongside some of the world’s most prestigious heritage sites.

In an “ultimate travel list” drawn up by travel website Lonely Planet, and dominated by members of Unesco’s world heritage sites, the museum came in 15th place, behind Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Taj Mahal in India.

The British Museum, founded in 1753, includes artefacts that date back millions of years and was visited by over 6 million people last year. It houses around 8m items and was described by those compiling the list as being “the greatest treasure house of Europe”.

Of the world’s 500 “most amazing sights” as rated by travel experts and authors, 34 are in the UK and Northern Ireland, including the Lake District, Snowdonia and Edinburgh Castle.

First place in the list was taken by Cambodia’s Temples of Angkor, which is regarded as one of the world’s most important archaeological sites.

To promote the release of Lonely Planet’s list, three of the world’s finest sand sculptors will recreate five sights from around the world on Peter’s Hill in central London over the course of this week.