London Exploring

Best Gallery Experience: Why settle for just one free world-class Thames-side art gallery when you can enjoy two? Begin with a tour around Tate Britain's (Millbank; tel. 020/7887-8888) displays of domestic art before hopping aboard the Tate Boat (£5, but you do get views of the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye) for a trip to its sister establishment, Tate Modern (Bankside; tel. 020/7887-8000), and its world-class collection of international modernism.

Best Museum: One of the world's biggest and best, the British Museum (Great Russell Street; tel. 020/7323-8000) is filled with antiquities and treasures to last even the most dedicated museum browser a lifetime -- and it's all free (temporary exhibitions notwithstanding). Its central court, topped by a giant glass roof, provides a pleasant public space to sit and plan your route.

Best Open Space: There's a fair bit of competition, but the great 300-acre botanical collection at Kew Gardens (Kew Green, Richmond; tel. 020/8940-1171) -- home to more than 30,000 plants -- just about takes the crown, particularly since the recent introduction of a tree-top walkway. The gardens are also home to one of London's great indoor spaces, the tropically heated Palm House, perhaps the best place to escape the ravages of a London winter.

Best Window-Shopping: With more than 150 years of trading experience, 330 departments and some extraordinary levels of luxury, Harrods (87-135 Brompton Road; tel. 020/8479-5100) is still the top choice -- so long as you keep your wallet firmly in your pocket. Highlights include its lavish food court, toy department (for the child who has everything except a working miniature Ferrari) and the Egyptian-style clothing department (complete with replica sphinxes).

Most Evocative Museum Experience: On the first Tuesday of every month, Sir John Soane's Museum (13 Lincoln's Inn Fields; tel. 020/7440-4263), the former home of the eponymous architect and one of London's most charming and evocative collections, ups the ante by giving visitors to the chance to explore its assortment of paintings, sculptures, books and architectural curios by candlelight.