Attractions on the Outskirts

These sights are perfect for a morning or afternoon jaunt and are easily accessible by Tube, train, boat, or bus.

Hampstead

About 6.5km (4 miles) north of the center of London lies the lovely village of Hampstead (Tube: Northern Line to Hampstead) and scenic Hampstead Heath.

The 320-hectare (790-acre) expanse of high heath known as Hampstead Heath is a chain of formal parkland, woodland, heath, meadowland, and ponds. On a clear day, you can see St. Paul's Cathedral and even the hills of Kent. Londoners would certainly mount the barricades if Hampstead Heath were imperiled; for years, they've come here to sun-worship, fly kites, fish the ponds, swim, picnic, and jog. In good weather, it's also the site of big 1-day fairs. At the shore of Kenwood Lake, in the northern section, is a concert platform devoted to symphony performances on summer evenings. In the northeast corner, in Waterlow Park, ballets, operas, and comedies are staged at the Grass Theatre in June and July.

Once the Underground reached Hampstead Village in 1907, writers, artists, architects, musicians, and scientists were among those who decamped for the leafy village. Keats, D. H. Lawrence, Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Kingsley Amis all once lived here, and John Le Carré still does.

The Regency and Georgian houses of the village and the rolling greens of the heath are just 20 minutes by Tube from Piccadilly Circus. The village has a quirky mix of historic pubs, toy shops, and chic boutiques along Flask Walk, a pedestrian mall. The original village, on the side of a hill, still has old alleys, steps, courts, and groves ideal for strolling.

Greenwich

When London overwhelms you and you'd like to escape for a beautiful, sunny afternoon on the city's outskirts, make Greenwich your destination.

Greenwich Mean Time is the basis of standard time throughout most of the world, and Greenwich has been the zero point used in the reckoning of terrestrial longitudes since 1884. But this lovely village -- the center of British seafaring when Britain ruled the seas -- is also the home of the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum, and the Old Royal Observatory. Greenwich also has some wonderful shopping, including a famous weekend market.

Greenwich was the site of Britain's Millennium Dome, a multimedia extravaganza mixing education and entertainment. Most of the project's cost, estimated at more than £1.3 billion ($2.45 billion), came from a national lottery. Then the much-heralded Dome bombed with audiences and the project became a national joke. Prince Charles ridiculing it as a monstrous blanc mange, that unattractive milky gelatin dessert, didn't help matters, and it finally closed. But the much-maligned Millennium Dome reopened in the summer of July 2007 as "The 02," featuring an 11-screen cinema, a live music venue, exhibition spaces, theaters, bars, and restaurants. It will also host sports evenings during the 2012 Olympics.

Getting There -- The fastest way to get to Greenwich is to take the Tube in Central London to Waterloo Station, where you can take a fast train to Greenwich Station.

The Tube is for speed (it takes only 15 min.), but if you'd like to travel the 6.5km (4 miles) to Greenwich the way Henry VIII did, you still can. In fact, getting to Greenwich is half the fun. The most appealing way involves boarding any of the frequent ferryboats that cruise along the Thames at intervals that vary from every half-hour (in summer) to every 45 minutes (in winter). Boats that leave from Charing Cross Pier (Tube: Embankment) and Tower Pier (Tube: Tower Hill) are run by Catamaran Cruises, Ltd. (tel. 020/7987-1185). Depending on the tides and the carrier you select, travel time varies from 50 to 75 minutes each way. Passage is £5.60 to £6.80 ($11-$13) one-way.

Visitor Information -- The Greenwich Tourist Information Centre is at 2 Cutty Sark Gardens (tel. 020/8858-6376); open daily from 10am to 5pm. The Tourist Information Centre conducts walking tours of Greenwich's major sights. Tours cost £5 ($9.50) for adults and £4 ($7.60) for students, seniors, and children; depart daily at 12:15 and 2:15pm; and last 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Advance reservations aren't required, but you may want to phone in advance to find out any last-minute schedule changes.

Seeing the Sights -- The National Maritime Museum, Old Royal Observatory, and Queen's House stand together in a beautiful royal park, high on a hill overlooking the Thames. All three attractions are free and open daily from 10am to 5pm (until 6pm in summer). For more information, call tel. 020/8858-4422 or visit www.nmm.ac.uk.

From the days of early seafarers to 20th-century sea power, the National Maritime Museum illustrates the glory that was Britain at sea. The cannon, relics, ship models, and paintings tell the story of a thousand naval battles and a thousand victories, as well as the price of those battles. Look for some oddities here -- everything from the dreaded cat-o'-nine-tails used to flog sailors until 1879 to Nelson's Trafalgar coat, with the fatal bullet hole in the left shoulder clearly visible. In time for the millennium, the museum spent £20 million ($38 million) in a massive expansion that added 16 new galleries devoted to British maritime history and improved visitor facilities.

Old Royal Observatory is the original home of Greenwich Mean Time. It has the largest refracting telescope in the United Kingdom and a collection of historic timekeepers and astronomical instruments. You can stand astride the meridian and set your watch precisely by the falling time-ball. Sir Christopher Wren designed the Octagon Room. Here the first royal astronomer, Flamsteed, made the 30,000 observations that formed the basis of his Historia Coelestis Britannica. Edmond Halley, he of the eponymous Halley's Comet, succeeded him. In 1833, the ball on the tower was hung to enable shipmasters to set their chronometers accurately.

Designed by Inigo Jones, Queen's House (1616) is a fine example of this architect's innovative style. It's most famous for the cantilevered tulip staircase, the first of its kind. Carefully restored, the house contains a collection of royal and marine paintings and other objets d'art.

The Wernher Collection at Ranger's House, Chesterfield Walk (tel. 020/8853-0035; www.English-heritage.org.uk), is a real find and one of the finest and most unusual 19th-century mixed-art collections in the world. Acquired by a German diamond dealer, Sir Julius Wernher, the collection contains some 650 exhibits, some dating as far back as 3 B.C. It's an eclectic mix of everything, including jewelry, bronzes, ivory, antiques, tapestries, porcelain pieces, and classic paintings. Hanging on the walls of the gallery are rare works by such old masters as Hans Memling and Filippino Lippi, along with portraits by such English painters as Reynolds and Romney. One salon is devoted to the biggest collection of Renaissance jewelry in Britain. Look also for the carved medieval, Byzantine, and Renaissance ivories, along with Limoges enamels and Sèvres porcelain. The most unusual items are enameled skulls and a miniature coffin complete with 3-D skeleton. Don't expect everything to be beautiful -- Wernher's taste was often bizarre. Admission is £5.50 ($10) adults, £4.10 ($7.80) seniors and students, £2.80 ($5.30) children, free for children under 5. The attraction is open only for part of the year: April 1 to September 30 Sunday to Wednesday 10am to 5pm. It is closed otherwise.

Nearby is the Royal Naval College, King William Walk, off Romney Road (tel. 020/8269-4747; www.greenwichfoundation.org.uk). Designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1696, it occupies 4 blocks named after King Charles, Queen Anne, King William, and Queen Mary. Formerly, Greenwich Palace stood here from 1422 to 1640. It's worth stopping in to see the magnificent Painted Hall by Thornhill, where the body of Nelson lay in state in 1805, and the Georgian chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul. Open daily from 10am to 5pm; admission is free.

Kew

About 15km (9 1/2 miles) southwest of central London, Kew is home to one of the best-known botanical gardens in Europe. It's also the site of Kew Palace (tel. 0870/751-5179), former residence of George III and Queen Charlotte. A dark, red-brick structure, it is characterized by its Dutch gables. The house was constructed in 1631, and at its rear is the Queen's Garden in a very formal design and filled with plants thought to have grown here in the 17th century. The interior is very much an elegant country house of the time, fit for a king, but not as regal as Buckingham Palace. You get the feeling that someone could have actually lived here as you wander through the dining room and the breakfast room, and go upstairs to the queen's drawing room, where musical evenings were staged. The rooms are wallpapered with designs actually used at the time. Perhaps the most intriguing exhibits are little possessions once owned by royal occupants here -- everything from snuffboxes to Prince Frederick's gambling debts. Open May to September daily 9:30am to 4pm, costing £5 ($9.50) for admission. The most convenient way to get to Kew is to take the District Line Tube to the Kew Gardens stop, on the south bank of the Thames. Allow about 30 minutes.

Kew for Tea -- Visitors are flocking to the historic Orangery at Kew Gardens. The Orangery, built for Princess Augusta by Sir William Chambers in 1761, serves top-quality refreshments, morning coffees, lunches, and afternoon snacks. For us, the highlight is the very traditional English tea offered here on the new outdoor terrace constructed of York and Portland stone, opening onto panoramic views of some of the world's most beautiful gardens.

Across the street from the Royal Botanic Gardens is one of the finest tearooms in the area, the Original Maids of Honour Tearooms, 288 Kew Rd. (tel. 020/8940-2752; www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk). Oak paneling and old leaded-glass windows give the place a cozy warmth. The homemade cakes are delectable, as are the delightfully light scones. The Maids of Honour (flavored with jam, cottage cheese, golden raisins, almond extract, and almonds) is their pastry specialty, originally baked for Henry VIII, who liked it so much that its secret recipe has been passed along through the centuries. Afternoon tea is £6.55 ($12). The tearoom is open Monday from 9:30am to 1pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30am to 6pm, and tea is served from 2:30 to 5:30pm.

Hampton Court

Hampton Court, on the north side of the Thames, 21km (13 miles) west of London in East Molesey, Surrey, is easily accessible and is one of the great palaces of England. But if you have very limited time, we'd save it for a future visit. If you're going to be in London for perhaps a week, then we'd recommend a stop, but only after you've spent a day at Windsor. Frequent trains (tel. 08457/484950 in the U.K. or 01603/764776) run from Waterloo Station (Network Southeast) to Hampton Court Station. London Transport (tel. 020/7730-3466) bus nos. 111, 131, 216, 267, and 461 make the trip from Victoria Coach Station on Buckingham Palace Road (just southwest of Victoria Station). Boat service is offered to and from Kingston, Richmond, and Westminster. If you're driving from London, take A308 to the junction with A309 on the north side of Kingston Bridge over the Thames.