| check-in time: 1:30 pmcheck-out time: 10:30 am. the snug, understated rooms sleep up to 4 guests, and offer free wi-fi and flat-screen tvs, plus tea and coffeemaking facilities, and rainfall showers. set in a 19th-century victorian townhouse, this low-key budget hotel is an 8-minute walk from victoria coach, tube and train stations, and a mile from buckingham palace. continental breakfast is complimentary
Heathrow Airport 40 min
Palace of Westminster (12 min)
Neo-Gothic masterpiece and seat of the UK government. Guided tours on Saturdays and in summer. Buckingham Palace (15 min)
Visitors can tour the palace's opulent private and state rooms or watch the changing of the guard. St. Paul's Cathedral (17 min)
Churchyard and gardens outside Saint Paul's cathedral, with a floor-plan of the original building. lastminute.com London Eye (10 min)
Huge observation wheel giving passengers a privileged bird's-eye view of the city's landmarks. Victoria and Albert Museum (9 min)
Blockbuster exhibitions and permanent decorative arts collection, with design shop and ornate cafe. Tower Bridge (21 min)
Panoramic views from high level walkways and behind-the-scenes access to original lifting machinery. The British Museum (16 min)
Huge showcase for global antiquities, including Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek sculptures. The National Gallery (11 min)
Trafalgar Square art museum whose masterworks trace the development of Western European painting. Big Ben (8 min)
16-storey Gothic clocktower and national symbol at the Eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Natural History Museum (10 min)
Landmark museum of animals and natural phenomena, with hands-on exhibits and animatronic dinosaurs. Trafalgar Square (9 min)
Nelson's Column rises above this iconic square's LED-lit fountains, artworks and lion statues. Tower of London (18 min)
Centuries of bloody history around a medieval castle, home to Crown Jewels and iconic Beefeaters. The Shard (19 min)
87-floor glass skyscraper with a jagged peak, with restaurants, offices, hotel and viewing platform. Hyde Park (9 min)
Huge green space, home to Diana Memorial Fountain, with boating and swimming in the Serpentine lake. Westminster Abbey (13 min)
Protestant abbey hosting daily services and every English and British coronation since 1066. | 
