The neighbourhoods of London

The ceremonial heart of London: Parliament, the Abbey, the palace and the royal parks, with wide pavements and plenty of space to wander. It is busiest around Big Ben and Whitehall in the middle of the day, and calmer in St James's Park. Everything is walkable from Trafalgar Square, and Westminster has its own Tube station.

Sights: Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, Buckingham Palace, St James's Park, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery

🍽️ Restaurants: 18 · ☕ Breakfast: 3 · 🌙 Evening out: 5

London's theatre, shopping and nightlife district, a tangle of busy streets between Piccadilly Circus, Soho and Covent Garden. It is lively from late morning until well after dark, with Soho and Chinatown best for an evening bite. Walk between the areas, since the Tube often takes longer than it saves.

Sights: Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Soho & Chinatown, Charbonnel et Walker (Royal Arcade), Liberty London, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, Hamleys, Carnaby Street, London Transport Museum, Madame Tussauds London, The Wallace Collection

🍽️ Restaurants: 14 · ☕ Breakfast: 4 · 🌙 Evening out: 13

A quieter, leafier part of town: Georgian squares, the British Museum and its neighbours, then a short Tube ride north to Camden's market stalls and the canal. Bloomsbury suits a slow museum morning, while Camden is liveliest at weekends. Regent's Park and Primrose Hill make a good green break between the two.

Sights: The British Museum, Camden Market, Camden Town Brewery, ZSL London Zoo, The British Library, Sir John Soane's Museum, Wellcome Collection, Primrose Hill, Regent's Park

🍽️ Restaurants: 6 · ☕ Breakfast: 1 · 🌙 Evening out: 1

The riverside strip across the Thames from the City, lined with galleries, theatres, street food and views. It is good for walking along the water, especially in the evening when the London Eye and the bridges are lit. Borough Market is best earlier in the day, and you can walk the whole stretch from Westminster Bridge.

Sights: London Eye, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market, The View from The Shard, Bermondsey Beer Mile (taprooms), Maltby Street Market, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, HMS Belfast, Southwark Cathedral

🍽️ Restaurants: 12 · ☕ Breakfast: 3 · 🌙 Evening out: 7

The old financial district, where medieval churches and the Tower of London sit among glass towers, and beyond it the more bohemian East End. The City is quiet at weekends and packed at lunchtime on weekdays. Spitalfields and Brick Lane are lively on market days and a short walk from Liverpool Street station.

Sights: St Paul's Cathedral, Sky Garden, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Leadenhall Market, Old Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane

🍽️ Restaurants: 9 · ☕ Breakfast: 3 · 🌙 Evening out: 4

A well-heeled west London district of grand museums, white terraces and big parks. South Kensington's museums are free to enter and busy at weekends and in school holidays, while Hyde Park is next door for a break. Use the Tube to reach Knightsbridge for Harrods or Notting Hill for its Saturday market.

Sights: Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Portobello Road Market (Notting Hill), Fuller's Griffin Brewery, Melt Chocolates (Notting Hill), Harrods, Diana Memorial Playground, Design Museum

🍽️ Restaurants: 13 · ☕ Breakfast: 2 · 🌙 Evening out: 3

A calm riverside village in south-east London with maritime history, a covered market and a hilltop park overlooking the Thames. It feels like a separate day out rather than part of central London. The boat from the centre is the scenic way to arrive, and the Docklands Light Railway is the quick one.

Sights: Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Meantime Brewery Tap Room, Greenwich Market, National Maritime Museum, The Painted Hall (Old Royal Naval College), Greenwich Park

🍽️ Restaurants: 5 · ☕ Breakfast: 1 · 🌙 Evening out: 1