| this down-to-earth hotel in a leafy neighbourhood is a 12-minute walk from tooting broadway tube station and 3 miles from the wimbledon lawn tennis museum. there's a lounge in the lobby. casual, modern rooms offer free wi-fi, flat-screen tvs and laptop safes, as well as tea and coffeemaking facilities; some have sitting areas and/or sofabeds. suites (accessible via exterior corridors) add living rooms with kitchenettes. check-in time: 2:00 pmcheck-out time: 11:00 am
Heathrow Airport 51 min
Victoria and Albert Museum (29 min)
Blockbuster exhibitions and permanent decorative arts collection, with design shop and ornate cafe. The Shard (40 min)
87-floor glass skyscraper with a jagged peak, with restaurants, offices, hotel and viewing platform. The National Gallery (38 min)
Trafalgar Square art museum whose masterworks trace the development of Western European painting. Hyde Park (34 min)
Huge green space, home to Diana Memorial Fountain, with boating and swimming in the Serpentine lake. Trafalgar Square (36 min)
Nelson's Column rises above this iconic square's LED-lit fountains, artworks and lion statues. Palace of Westminster (33 min)
Neo-Gothic masterpiece and seat of the UK government. Guided tours on Saturdays and in summer. St. Paul's Cathedral (42 min)
Churchyard and gardens outside Saint Paul's cathedral, with a floor-plan of the original building. Tower of London (43 min)
Centuries of bloody history around a medieval castle, home to Crown Jewels and iconic Beefeaters. lastminute.com London Eye (34 min)
Huge observation wheel giving passengers a privileged bird's-eye view of the city's landmarks. The British Museum (40 min)
Huge showcase for global antiquities, including Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek sculptures. Westminster Abbey (34 min)
Protestant abbey hosting daily services and every English and British coronation since 1066. Big Ben (35 min)
16-storey Gothic clocktower and national symbol at the Eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Natural History Museum (29 min)
Landmark museum of animals and natural phenomena, with hands-on exhibits and animatronic dinosaurs. Buckingham Palace (32 min)
Visitors can tour the palace's opulent private and state rooms or watch the changing of the guard. Tower Bridge (41 min)
Panoramic views from high level walkways and behind-the-scenes access to original lifting machinery. | 
