London in 5 Days

Wander lakeside paths past pelicans and ducks, with Buckingham Palace rising at the far end of the water. Green calm and royal grandeur sit side by side in one easy stroll.

Stand at the railings as red-tunicked guards march in step, bearskin hats high, with a band playing and the stamp of boots carrying across the forecourt. It's full-dress pageantry you feel as much as you see.

Walk the same stone floors where 40 monarchs were crowned and trace royal tombs and poets' memorials under soaring Gothic vaults. Step inside for a slow hour of history that the rain can't spoil.

Tilt your head back beneath the clock tower at Westminster and wait for the Great Bell to strike. Its chimes roll out over the Palace of Westminster, and you'll feel each hour in your chest.

Rise slowly above the Thames in a glass capsule and watch London spread out in every direction. Pick the champagne option and toast the view as the light fades over the river.

Trace two rings of walls and a moat around a fortress begun in 1066, then stand beneath the White Tower that gives it its name. Then see the Crown Jewels glittering behind glass.

Stand on the bridge above the Thames and watch the river slide past the Tower of London's walls. Gothic towers and Victorian steel make every crossing feel like a small adventure.

Step inside a former power station on the Thames and wander through the UK's national collection of modern and contemporary art. Give yourself a long afternoon, because the rooms reward slow, curious looking.

Cross the steel span linking Bankside and the City, with the Thames wide and glinting beneath your feet. Pause mid-bridge and let the river light change around you.

Step into eight million artefacts that trace human history from its earliest beginnings to today. Lose track of the hours in galleries of art and culture in Bloomsbury.

The covered 1830s market hall holds shops, craft stalls and cafés, with the London Transport Museum next door to stretch the day out.

Step off Trafalgar Square into rooms of paintings spanning the mid-13th century to 1900, and let the canvases hold your attention for as long as you like. Guided tours bring the stories behind the works to life.

Stand at the foot of Nelson's Column and watch the fountains throw spray across the stone while pigeons wheel overhead. Then climb the National Gallery steps, where the whole square opens out below you.

Come face to face with a vast range of natural history specimens, from towering skeletons to tiny preserved creatures. Lose yourself for hours in the grand halls on Cromwell Road, where something new turns up around every corner.

Browse the food halls, pick up something you didn't plan to buy, then sit down for a cream tea. Whole floors of shopping make a rainy London afternoon disappear.

Wander the shores of the Serpentine in a 350-acre royal park where the trees soften the city's noise. Follow the green chain toward Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace at your own pace.

Step aboard a 19th-century tea clipper built for speed and wander her decks in Greenwich, beside the Thames. Stand beside one of the fastest ships of her kind and picture the race across the seas.

Painter James Thornhill worked on this ceiling for nearly 20 years. Painted columns and steps trick the eye into a far grander room. Most people heading to the Cutty Sark walk right past it.

Trace Britain's seafaring past through galleries full of ships, charts and sailors' stories in Greenwich. General entry is free, so you can wander as long as the sea's stories hold your attention.

Stroll 74 hectares of former hunting park, then climb to the hilltop Royal Observatory and straddle the Prime Meridian. Views sweep over the Thames, the Isle of Dogs and the City.