Sir John Soane, London

With more than 350 Roman funerary urns and architectural items on display, the catacombs at Sir John Soane’s Museum (13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, England, WC2A 3BP, UK; phone + 44 [0] 20 7405 2107, www.soane.org) finally opened to the public, 180 years after the death of Sir John Soane. 

Sir John, a 19th-century London architect, built his palatial mansion to house his collection of artifacts and willed that it be made into a museum. However, after he died, parts of the building were dismantled and the catacombs were closed to visitors. In the 7-year project, concluded in September, restorationists also returned the museum to its original state. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Admission is free.