London Chelsea Tourist Map

Chelsea is the stretch of west London between Sloane Square and the Thames, and it splits neatly in two. The King's Road runs east to west as the shopping spine, birthplace of the Swinging Sixties and of punk. South of it, quiet streets of brick terraces lead down to Cheyne Walk and the river, where writers and painters have lived for three centuries. Everything here is walkable in an afternoon.

Start at Duke of York Square, just off Sloane Square, where the Saatchi Gallery fills a former army headquarters with contemporary art; most shows are free. Walk south to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Christopher Wren's home for army veterans, the Chelsea Pensioners in their scarlet coats. Next door, the National Army Museum tells the story of the British soldier, also free.

Along Royal Hospital Road, the walled Chelsea Physic Garden has grown medicinal plants since 1673 and is one of London's oldest botanic gardens. Further west on the Embankment, the gilded Statue of Sir Thomas More sits outside Chelsea Old Church, where he worshipped. Round the corner is The Carlyles' House, the Victorian home of Thomas and Jane Carlyle, and The Cross Keys, a pub dating from 1708.

When to go: a dry weekday from spring to autumn. The Physic Garden is closed on Saturdays, and the Carlyles' House opens only on Wednesdays in season, with timed tickets booked ahead. In late May the Chelsea Flower Show takes over the Royal Hospital grounds and the area fills up. Stations: Sloane Square (District and Circle lines) for the King's Road and the Royal Hospital; the riverside end is a 15-minute walk.