Things to do in London

Go inside the King's official London home during the summer opening: the State Rooms with their paintings and gilded furniture, with a guided royal walk or a Changing the Guard tou…

Walk into famous paintings at Frameless near Marble Arch – Van Gogh, Monet, Dalí and more projected all around you with music, across four galleries.

200 years of London on the move at the Covent Garden museum: horse buses, the first Underground trains, red Routemasters and hands-on displays.

The award-winning stage story set 19 years after the books, at London's Palace Theatre – with stage magic you have to see to believe.

An evening show inside Westminster Cathedral: 360° projections on its walls, live choir and orchestra, telling the building's story.

Nearly 1,000 years of royal history: see the Crown Jewels – including the Koh-i-Noor in the Queen Mother's crown – the White Tower, the ravens and a Yeoman Warder tour.

Three of England's icons in one day: the King's home at Windsor Castle, the prehistoric stone circle of Stonehenge and the Georgian city of Bath with its Roman Baths.

The coronation church of England since 1066 – royal tombs, Poets' Corner and the Lady Chapel – with a multimedia guide.

Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece: the nave and mosaics, the crypt, and 528 steps up through the Whispering Gallery to views across London from the dome.

The birthplace of Queen Victoria and former home of Princess Diana: the King's and Queen's State Apartments, royal exhibitions and the Sunken Garden.

The world's oldest and largest occupied castle: the State Apartments, St George's Chapel – where Queen Elizabeth II is buried – and Queen Mary's Dolls' House.

Henry VIII's riverside palace: the Great Hall, the vast Tudor kitchens, the baroque apartments, 60 acres of gardens and the world's oldest hedge maze.

The secret bunker under Whitehall where Winston Churchill and his cabinet ran the Second World War, left as it was in 1945.

Stand with a foot in each hemisphere on the Prime Meridian at the home of Greenwich Mean Time – and add the Cutty Sark, the last tea clipper.

Visit Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old stone circle on Salisbury Plain – with an entry ticket, a half-day trip from London, or a full day adding the Georgian city of Bath.

A self-guided audio tour of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium: the dressing room, the players' tunnel, the dugouts, the directors' box and the club museum.

A guided tour of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home since 1905 – the dressing rooms, tunnel, dugouts and press room – plus entry to the Chelsea FC Museum.

London's highest public garden, 155 metres up at the top of the 'Walkie-Talkie' – with early access and a pastry and hot drink, or entry with a two-course meal.

Ride the UK's only urban cable car 90 metres above the Thames, between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, with views of the O2 and Canary Wharf.

A 30-minute ride in a glass capsule 135 metres above the Thames, with views of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul's and Buckingham Palace.

London's highest viewing platform, 244 m up on the 72nd floor of Western Europe's tallest building – stunning at sunset.

Go inside London's most famous bridge: walk the glass floor 42 metres above the Thames and see the Victorian steam engines that once raised it.

Behind the scenes at the Home of Cricket: the Long Room, the dressing rooms and honours boards, the Media Centre and the Ashes urn in the MCC Museum.

Walk out of the players' tunnel at England's national stadium: the dressing rooms, the press room, pitchside and the Royal Box.

See London's landmarks from an open-top double-decker: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London and St Paul's, hopping on and off all day.

A full day by coach: a walking tour of Oxford's colleges, then the honey-stone villages of the Cotswolds – Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and more.

A full day at LEGOLAND Windsor, the theme park for families with children aged 2 to 12: more than 55 rides, shows and models built from millions of LEGO bricks – with a fast-track…

A day of roller coasters at Thorpe Park, home of the UK's tallest coaster Hyperia, Stealth and The Swarm – including Fright Nights in autumn.

Board Donkey's flying bus to Far Far Away: live shows, characters and fairy-tale fun next to the London Eye – great for families.

Walk onto the real sets of the Harry Potter films – the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, Platform 9¾ and the Hogwarts Express – with return coach from London.

Get up close to wax figures of royals, film stars and Bollywood icons – Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and more – plus the Marvel and Star Wars zones.

Beside the London Eye: walk a glass tunnel under sharks and turtles, meet gentoo penguins and cross the Shark Walk above the tank.

A 90-minute walk through London's dark history with live actors, special effects and two rides – Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, the Plague and Guy Fawkes.

The world's most famous botanic garden: the Victorian Palm House, the giant Temperate House, a treetop walkway and 50,000 living plants.

The world's oldest scientific zoo, in Regent's Park: lions, tigers, gorillas, giraffes, Penguin Beach and a walk-through monkey valley.

Afternoon tea on a vintage double-decker – sandwiches, scones and cakes with a glass of Prosecco – as you pass Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and other London sights.

See London from the river – a 24-hour hop-on hop-off pass between Westminster, the Tower and Greenwich, or a three-course dinner cruise with live music.

Climb over the roof of The O2 on a guided walk to a viewing platform 52 metres up, with 360° views of Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the Thames.

Climb over the roof of The O2 for views down the Thames, and ride the London Eye for the classic view of Westminster.

Walk the glass floor of Tower Bridge's high walkways and see the Victorian engine rooms, then ride the London Eye.

Climb into St Paul's great dome and its Whispering Gallery, then skip the main queue at the London Eye.

Pose with wax stars at Madame Tussauds and visit Westminster Abbey, where Britain's monarchs are crowned.

See the Crown Jewels and the Beefeaters at the Tower of London, then meet the stars at Madame Tussauds.

Two of London's greatest historic sites: the Tower with the Crown Jewels, and St Paul's Cathedral and its dome.

Two royal fortresses: the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels, and Windsor Castle, the King's weekend home outside London.