Sea Life London Aquarium

The unusual "walkie scorchie" profile of this skyscraper by Rafael Vinoly has seen it grab the headlines, as did the "death rays" caused by the sun's heat reflecting off the building onto the street below when it was first completed; car tyres melted and burst, and at least one man fried an egg using only the heat from the walkie talkie. Visitors can access the sky garden to see a magnificent view over the City and beyond; it's the only place you can't see the tower from! Online booking to visit during the day is essential. Alternatively, you can eat at one of the restaurants in the evening.

Prestigious contemporary art gallery worth a visit.

One of the "Magnificent Seven" old cemeteries in London. Graves range from plain to ornate and the site can be a tranquil place to walk amid the bustle of the city. It was opened in 1840 and is still a working cemetery, although it was closed for some time in the late 20th century. Can be nice, if morbid, for an afternoon stroll, especially as a route (and cycle route) between Old Brompton Road and Fulham Road.

See also: Bank of England Museum.

Built of Portland stone and dedicated to the aircrews of Allied nations under Bomber Command during World War II.

An enormous, 135-metre-high observation wheel with 32 exterior glass-walled capsules. It offers incomparable views over central London and up to 40 km (25 mi) away on a good day. Tickets are sold for specific times, so if visitors wish to go on the London Eye at a specific time, they are strongly advised to book in advance, particularly in the summer. On a busy day, you can easily spend 1-3 hr queuing just to buy a ticket. However, you can also purchase tickets in advance online. Then you can collect your tickets at the London Eye in a separate queue, which takes a few minutes or less.

Probably the most popular of all the museums here and a must see for many visitors to London. Home to at least 70 million specimens from across all the life sciences. It's difficult to say what the most popular exhibit here is; the blue whale which towers over the entrance hall, the (now slightly tacky-looking) animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex in the dinosaur gallery, or the life-size model blue whale in the mammals gallery. Also well worth a check are the Darwin Centre (book on a free tour to see some of the most interesting, and sometimes gruesome, specimens not on public display); and the studio dedicated to BBC wildlife personality extraordinaire, David Attenborough. The NHM's "Earth Galleries" were once the adjacent Geological Museum, an independent institution until the 1980s, and still located in a separate building with a separate entrance.

Dedicated to scientific exhibitions and collections bar those related to the life sciences. A number of famous historical machines and inventions are housed here, from steam locomotives to the Apollo 10 command module. The space exhibits are especially popular. Exhibitions tend to concentrate on explaining scientific principles with working models and there is a strong emphasis on education and attracting children. The Science Museum opened a "Children's Gallery" in the 1930s and it continues to lead the way in this area; now, there are three separate galleries aimed at all ages of younger visitor, from 5 to 16. The museum also runs "Science Nights" whereby children spend an evening learning principles and participating in experiments before spending the night sleeping in the museum with the exhibits. Also houses a vast library of scientific and medical books and journals.

Discover mementoes of the famous fictional detective. In reality, this was a lodging house used in the late 1800s and has three floors. The first floor contains Sherlock Holmes' study with Watson's desk, and has bullet holes spelling the initials VR (for Victoria Regina, Latin for Queen Victoria) much to the chagrin of the landlady Mrs. Hudson. Next to that is Holmes' bedroom with a rogues' gallery containing photographs of several notable Victorian-era murderers including Lizzy Bourdain. The remaining rooms upstairs have waxwork figures and artefacts referencing the novels, as well as their adaptations to stage and screen. Photography allowed, though filming requires permission. Prebooking is recommended to circumvent long queues.

The main headquarters of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and a Grade II* listed building.

Art deco headquarters of University of London featured in the film Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The London Mithraeum is a 3rd century Roman mithraeum that was discovered in Walbrook during construction work in 1954. The entire site was relocated several times before being returned to its original site as part of the new Bloomberg building. This temple of the mystery god Mithras became perhaps the most famous 20th-century Roman discovery in London. In addition to the temple structure, there is a display of Roman artefacts found on the site and a contemporary art exhibit responding to the site. Visitor numbers are limited and timed slots are often fully booked up several weeks into the future so plan well ahead.

This steel pedestrian bridge connecting Bankside with the City of London has all the lovely views of the Thames that you'd expect, but most of those who cross Millennium Bridge never notice its most distinctive feature. The bridge is dotted with hundreds of tiny paintings, so small that you'll probably miss them under your feet if you're not looking for them.

Worth a quick visit if you are passing. The brick and stone neo-Byzantine Catholic Cathedral (not to be confused with the much more famous Westminster Abbey) is near Victoria Station, just off Victoria Street. Construction started in 1895, and some of the interior is still unfinished. The Treasures of Westminster Cathedral exhibition is inexpensive and worthwhile for learning the history of the cathedral, there are interesting exhibits including a 1:28 wooden scale model uses by the architects. Has a café and gift shop.

In contrast to the other Royal Parks in the area, Green Park can seem a little plain. It has no lakes or buildings and few monuments. It is still a pleasant green, lightly wooded, area in the centre of London, neighbouring two other parks and Buckingham Palace.