The London bucket list

Watch the Changing of the Guard

Arrive by 10:30am on ceremony days and stand by the Victoria Memorial for the clearest view.

See the Crown Jewels at the Tower

Go straight to the Jewel House at opening before the queues build, then join a Yeoman Warder tour.

Cross Tower Bridge on foot

Check the bridge-lift timetable online and time your walk to see the bascules rise.

Hear Evensong at Westminster Abbey

The daily choral service is free to attend and far calmer than a ticketed visit.

Ride the front seat of a top deck

Route 11 from Liverpool Street to Chelsea passes St Paul's, Trafalgar Square and Westminster for a bus fare.

Graze your way round Borough Market

Come hungry on a weekday morning; Saturdays are shoulder to shoulder.

Eat a salt beef bagel on Brick Lane

Beigel Bake is open 24 hours. Ask for extra mustard.

Have a proper afternoon tea

Book ahead for the classic hotels or try a café in Marylebone for a lower-key version.

Browse Columbia Road Flower Market

Sunday only. Arrive near closing at 3pm when traders sell bunches off cheaply.

Order dim sum in Chinatown

Gerrard Street is busiest at weekend lunchtime, so go early or late.

See the skyline from Sky Garden

Free tickets release three weeks ahead and go fast. Sunset slots are the hardest to get.

Watch sunset from Primrose Hill

A short climb from Chalk Farm with a protected view of the whole central skyline.

Stand on the Prime Meridian

The hill outside the Royal Observatory gives one of the best views towards Canary Wharf.

Take the Uber Boat down the Thames

Ride from Westminster to Greenwich on a standard ticket for a cheaper alternative to a river cruise.

Go round on the London Eye

Book the first or last rotation of the day for the quietest pods.

Find the Rosetta Stone

Free entry. Head for Room 4 first thing, then explore the rest of the museum.

See a West End show

TodayTix lotteries and the TKTS booth in Leicester Square have same-day deals.

Climb to the Tate Modern viewing level

The free 10th-floor terrace looks straight across to St Paul's.

Stand in the yard at the Globe

Groundling tickets are about £10 for a play in a reconstruction of Shakespeare's open-air theatre.

Walk under the whale at the Natural History Museum

Free. Use the Exhibition Road entrance to skip the main queue.

Swim in the Hampstead Heath ponds

The mixed, men's and ladies' ponds are open all year. Book a slot online in summer.

Spot the deer in Richmond Park

Go at dawn or dusk and keep at least 50 metres away, especially in rutting season.

Walk Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden

An easy hour on the towpath past narrowboats and London Zoo.

Explore the glasshouses at Kew

The Palm House and Temperate House are the highlights. Try the treetop walkway too.

Drink in a centuries-old pub

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street was rebuilt in 1667, after the Great Fire.

Catch late-night jazz at Ronnie Scott's

The Late Late Show starts around 1am and costs less than the main set.

Walk the South Bank after dark

Head from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge to see the river lit up.

Have a drink on a rooftop bar

Peckham and Shoreditch have cheaper rooftops than the hotel bars in Central London.