This very trendy bar is located on the seventh floor overlooking Leicester Square. Apart from it being a great bar, is has some of the best views across the square and across London for that matter.

www.thepenthouselondon.com/
1 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7FB
+44(0)871 971 4626
Google map: bit.ly/scU0od

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Christopher Wren’s The Monument has been impressively restored creating a new glittering landmark for the city sky line. Built between 1671 and 1676 it commemorates the great fire of London; the origins of the fire supposedly close to this spot. The viewing deck at the top provides excellent views over the surrounding areas and a great view over to the rapidly developing new London Bridge complex on the south side of the river. At the top visitors are protected by a wire mesh; the real fright is the very narrow and steep 311 stairs. This is a great experience for a mere £3 and children (and adults) will love the certificate you receive acknowledging your climbing achievement.

www.themonument.info/
Fish Street Hill
+44 (0) 207 626 2717
Closest tube: Monument and London Bridge Closest station: London Bridge

Open: 9.30am – 5.30pm every day (except Christmas and New Year)
Google map: bit.ly/oolpuf

* Sophie is our Been there local for London. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/london-local-sophie-mitchell-intro.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/SophieMItchell

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When I'm feeling flush, I like to treat myself to a dinner on the eighth floor of the OXO Tower and marvel at the views of the city from the huge summer terrace - summer weather permitting!
The British-Asian fusion cuisine is pretty tasty too.

www.harveynichols.com/oxo-tower-london
OXO Tower Wharf, Barge House Street, London SE1 9PH
+44 207 803 3888
Google map: bit.ly/pc6Yst
Nearest tube: Waterloo, buses 171, 176

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When I tell friends I know of a haven of peace and tranquility in Peckham I am often met with raised eyebrows, but it does exist! Peckham Rye Park is a beautiful oasis located to the south of the bustling, noisy streets.
Peckham was mentioned in 1087 in the Doomsday Book, when it was called Pecheha, an Anglo Saxon word meaning 'village among the hills'.
During the reign of Henry 1, Peckham was a farming village and the land was used for growing crops and fruit. By the 18th century it was famous for its melons, figs and grapes.
In 1767, William Blake visited Peckham Rye and had a vision of angels in an oak tree. The ''Angel Oak', as it was later called, has since disappeared
The park's original layout opened to the public in 1894. There is a large lake and several smaller ponds alive with noisy ducks and geese, a Japanese garden, arboretum, bowling green and woodland walks. My favourite spot is in the Sexby Gardens where plots of lavender give off a wonderfully soporific, mid-summer ambience.

During the Second World War, temporary huts were erected to detain Italian prisoners of war. One still remains, located next to the café.

Peckham Rye Park
Peckham, London SE22 0LR, +44(0)20 7525 1052
Open until 20.30 during the summer
Bus 12 to Peckham Rye
Google map: bit.ly/nBHHNT

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Crocodile Cafe in Muswell HIll. Mad service and strange food, but good coffee and a quirky terrace. Inside, the room is quiet, without baristas crashing their espresso filters on the bin. Stunning views across London.

122 Muswell hill
N10 3RU

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Lurking in the hinterland that is Hack-Hack-Hackney, this little bit of east has most definitely missed out on the regeneration, but it's also missed out on the outlaw years of estates, grime and crime. It's a beautiful spot offering tranquillity amongst the sprawl, where you can stroll along the river, watch the wildlife scuttle by, catch a real odd (but truly unique) pint at the Hope and Anchor, or pick up a fry-up at the cafe opposite Lea Valley Marina. Beautiful, chilled and totally hidden.

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A club in Shoreditch where you can enjoy very good food, a games lounge, ten pin bowling, spa treatments, a rooftop swim with magnificent city views.

Ebor Street, London E1
Closest tube Liverpool Street

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It's a delightful surprise behind the hustle and bustle of The Strand with a beautiful courtyard for fountains or movies, a museum of Russian artifacts from St Petersburg (The Hermitage Rooms) and a wonderful collection of paintings and other pieces of artwork at the Courtauld Gallery. There is a basement cafe at the Gallery, or a terrace restaurant overlooking the Thames, or The Admiralty for finer dining.

Somerset House
The Strand
London
W1

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I'm definitely more of an urban type and enjoy a regular matinee screening at the Barbican cinema followed by noodles in Smithfield.

Sometimes though, I enjoy a trip to Harrow-on-the-Hill, especially in the autumn.

My partner, who lives there, gave me a guided tour one weekend. We strolled upwards about 10 minutes from the tube (Metropolitan Line), past the famous Harrow school, to St Mary's Church on Church Hill. The atmospheric churchyard is where Lord Byron sought inspiration. We cut down a dark passage through the trees leading from the gravestones into an open area which had amazing views across London.

Another short walk back to the church and down the High Street and we were at The Castle Inn pub. We had lunch on the lovely garden terrace, where some windfall apples had fallen on the ground around our feet.

Castle Inn pub on 30 West Street (020 8422 3155)

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The hidden gem that is the Regent's Canal goes from Angel right out to Limehouse.

The western end of the canal gives you Camden and Little Venice... the eastern end gives you London's industrial heritage, the amazing Victoria Park, Bow, a quick detour for the Colombia Road flower market on a Sunday and Broadway Market on a Saturday.

But now I'm having second thoughts about posting this because it's a rare treat and we don't want too many people bounding down the tow path...

Angel Tube, then turn down the street next to The York pub. Walk as far as you want...

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If you need to travel between the West End and Canary Wharf then using the Thames Clipper boat is a great way to travel and do some sightseeing en route. Regular services run from Embankment and Waterloo among others to Docklands and Canary Wharf.

www.thamesclippers.com/

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For a great dining experience on the Thames in East London, not far from the City, try visiting the Shad Thames area and Pont de la Tour. Great seafood, wine and atmosphere overlooking Tower Bridge. They have both a relaxed bistro and a more formal dining room for business dinners.

The Butlers Wharf Building
36d Shad Thames
London SE1 2YE
Tel: 020 7403 8403

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This small pub was build in 1720. Right on the riverfront of the Thames. Excellent views of the river - good food and beer.

76 Narrow Street Limehouse E14 8BP
www.hotelara.com/england/2007/10/inns-and-pubs-of-river-thames.html

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When in London, a visit to Greenwich is a must. See the Observatory and take a walk at Greenwich Park, and visit the National Maritime Museum that has free admission daily 10.00 am to 17.00 pm.

www.hotelara.com/england/2007/10/westminster-to-greenwich-boat-trip.html

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This is a hidden gem, set in the greenfields of Fairlop Waters in Ilford. Phenomenal chilli chicken, and excellent veggie options.

The food is supposed to be authentic Mumbai cuisine, which is the one place in India where you can find the whole country's various delicacies united. It overlooks a lake, and you can smoke some great apple mint tobacco in their sheeshas. Great value for money.

It's in the Fairlop Waters complex on Forest Road, Barkingside, Essex, London, IG6 3HN. Fairlop tube (central line) is just a few minutes walk away. I found it here: www.london-eating.co.uk/6766.htm

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Greenwich Observatory was built to look at the stars. But it's a fantastic place to look at London, too.

You look past the green lawns and Palladian architecture below, across the Thames, past the Dome and Canary Wharf, to the whole of north London spread out on its hills above the metropolis. Nowhere else do you get this feeling of the sheer scale of the city, and binding it all together, the sluggish grey ribbon of the river.

From Cutty Sark DLR station - it's an uphill walk so come motivated!

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When I visited St. Paul's Cathedral in London I was bowled over by the beauty and size of the building. I thought it was impressive from the outside looking up at it, but when i entered the cathedral I was fascinated.

In the huge hall were paintings, statues and candles and I was amazed by the domed ceiling. It went up and up and up, and it had a huge painting of some baby angels and what could possibly be Cupid in a cloudy sky. I walked around the walls gazing in awe at the paintings. Lots of them were of Jesus, Jesus on the cross, Jesus with his Disciples, Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head. There were a few like the giant ceiling, with angels and clouds, and all of them were very beautiful. After the hall we climbed up a load of stairs into the Whispering Gallery.

The Whispering Gallery was a sort of balcony, going round the circular walls, and when you looked down from the railings you could see all the people walking down in the hall below. The interesting thing about the Whispering Gallery was that if you told a friend to go to the opposite side of the balcony, and hold their ear to the wall, and if you whispered something into your side of the wall, they could hear your voice coming out of the wall! This was great fun, and everyone (as I was on a school trip with my classmates) got the giggles.

After the Whispering Gallery everyone climbed up some more stairs, flight after flight after flight of stairs, until we reached the actual top of the dome. There was another balcony here, but this balcony was on the outside of the walls and if you looked down you could see the whole of London, Big Ben, Buckingham palace, and all the tiny ant people walking down below. The walk up all the stairs was tiring, but for this view, it was definitely worth it. There were no words to describe this, except for the biggest meaning of overwhelming ever.

This was probably one of my favourite school trips and I highly recommend it as as well as being an educational trip of London's history, it is fun and very interesting.

Lena Wigfall (age 9).

Tube: St. Pauls (central line)

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Great fun and so inexpensive, especially in awful weather. A rucksack with a flask, sausage rolls, ham sandwich, jaffa cakes, thornton's choccies, warm clothes and a travel card. In between peak times you can sit almost alone upstairs near the heater and you're warm and comfy while London rolls by. Enjoy festive decorations you can't see from street level. See lovely balconies and secret gardens. Meet gargoyles face to face. Marvel at the architecture. Read all the blue plaques and pub signs - hop off at a really interesting one, have a pint (and a pee) and get on a bus in another direction.

Watch London life unfold at the traffic lights. Read famous street addresses. Actually visit places you've only seen pictures of. Get lost somwhere amazing and ask the driver how to get back when you've had enough. Revisit. Take pictures, keep a journal. Do it again the next day.

Get your travel card at any news agents. The bus employees are great to deal with in most cases and ask other travellers at the bus shelters for directions. Read your A-Z and the fronts of the buses or contact the London bureau.

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Tucked away next to The Barbican, this museum 'does what it says on the tin'; it's about the history of London, from prehistory to modern times. I've been coming here, on and off, since I was 13; my son is now that age, and loves it as much as I do!

All Londoners should visit here at least once, to help your understanding of what makes London the unique world city we live in. With lots of interactivity for the children, and well laid out exhibits for the rest of us!

Just one tip; the Museum Cafe is good for a cup of coffee and a sticky bun, but I wouldn't recommend it for lunch.

www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/

Nearest Tube, Barbican or St Pauls

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Situated on a hill in one of the nicest parts of London is the Royal Observatory. I like it because of the view across the Thames (fantastic and free); it’s not jammed in like lots of things in London (the Aussie in me wants big spaces) and for something different, you can stand in both halves of the world at the same time . How so? By straddling the line at 0 degrees longitude at the Observatory ( which means, you stand in two hemispheres at once).

The National Maritime Museum is close by (at the bottom of the hill, on the edge of the park) and is also worth a look, as is the Queen’s House. The Observatory is part of the Greenwich World Heritage site.

Greenwich Park, London;
Access from Greenwich station is best (carparking is limited);
Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum: www.rog.nmm.ac.uk
Greenwich Park: www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/greenwich_park/

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