Heathrow Airport 1 hr
Buckingham Palace (23 min)
Visitors can tour the palace's opulent private and state rooms or watch the changing of the guard. The Regent's Park (30 min)
Modern, glass-clad cafe and sports administrative centre, with pitches and changing rooms. Tower of London (8 min)
Centuries of bloody history around a medieval castle, home to Crown Jewels and iconic Beefeaters. Borough Market (19 min)
Huge market under the railway lines, for British-reared meat and artisanal baked and dairy goods. St. Paul's Cathedral (18 min)
Churchyard and gardens outside Saint Paul's cathedral, with a floor-plan of the original building. The British Museum (22 min)
Huge showcase for global antiquities, including Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek sculptures. The Shard (17 min)
87-floor glass skyscraper with a jagged peak, with restaurants, offices, hotel and viewing platform. Trafalgar Square (20 min)
Nelson's Column rises above this iconic square's LED-lit fountains, artworks and lion statues. Big Ben (20 min)
16-storey Gothic clocktower and national symbol at the Eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Hyde Park (29 min)
Huge green space, home to Diana Memorial Fountain, with boating and swimming in the Serpentine lake. London Bridge (18 min)
Concrete pedestrian and traffic bridge that gave a major railway station its name. Palace of Westminster (21 min)
Neo-Gothic masterpiece and seat of the UK government. Guided tours on Saturdays and in summer. Westminster Abbey (21 min)
Protestant abbey hosting daily services and every English and British coronation since 1066. Tate Modern (15 min)
Modern-art gallery with international works on display, plus a cafe with panoramic river views. Millennium Bridge (15 min)
Elegant steel suspension footbridge crossing the Thames from the Tate Modern to St Paul's Cathedral. | 
