Colourful alleys, forgotten parks, delicious drinks and offbeat stores...all of this and much more can be found in London city and at its nearby towns.

There are more of these off-beat treasures in and around London. London’s tranquil cemeteries, including the rarely-open pet cemetery in Hyde Park are worth walks; Wilton’s Music Hall is the world’s oldest surviving grand music hall and open to evening entertainment. For those who’d live to step away from the city’s traffic and bike, the 40-mile-long Thames Path has many quieter spots to be unearthed with its public beaches, one of Charles Dickens’ favourite pubs (The Prospect of Whitby) and the village of Rotherhithe. Booklovers should make their way to the Marylebone branch of Daunt Books; its wooden interiors and floors of books take you back in time.