| check-in time: 12:00 pmcheck-out time: 11:00 am. full english breakfast and parking are complimentary. the laid-back rooms and suites offer free wi-fi and flat-screen tvs, as well as tea and coffeemaking facilities. there's a relaxed lounge bar with a pool table. across the road from valentines park, this low-key hotel is a 14-minute walk from gants hill tube station, and 15 minutes on foot from shopping at the exchange ilford in the town centre
Heathrow Airport 1 hr 7
Buckingham Palace (39 min)
Visitors can tour the palace's opulent private and state rooms or watch the changing of the guard. lastminute.com London Eye (36 min)
Huge observation wheel giving passengers a privileged bird's-eye view of the city's landmarks. Palace of Westminster (36 min)
Neo-Gothic masterpiece and seat of the UK government. Guided tours on Saturdays and in summer. The National Gallery (38 min)
Trafalgar Square art museum whose masterworks trace the development of Western European painting. Big Ben (35 min)
16-storey Gothic clocktower and national symbol at the Eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Trafalgar Square (36 min)
Nelson's Column rises above this iconic square's LED-lit fountains, artworks and lion statues. Westminster Abbey (37 min)
Protestant abbey hosting daily services and every English and British coronation since 1066. The Shard (33 min)
87-floor glass skyscraper with a jagged peak, with restaurants, offices, hotel and viewing platform. Hyde Park (45 min)
Huge green space, home to Diana Memorial Fountain, with boating and swimming in the Serpentine lake. Tower Bridge (26 min)
Panoramic views from high level walkways and behind-the-scenes access to original lifting machinery. The British Museum (38 min)
Huge showcase for global antiquities, including Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek sculptures. St. Paul's Cathedral (33 min)
Churchyard and gardens outside Saint Paul's cathedral, with a floor-plan of the original building. Borough Market (34 min)
Huge market under the railway lines, for British-reared meat and artisanal baked and dairy goods. Tower of London (25 min)
Centuries of bloody history around a medieval castle, home to Crown Jewels and iconic Beefeaters. London Bridge (34 min)
Concrete pedestrian and traffic bridge that gave a major railway station its name. | 
