Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city

When I travel, I similar to effort to acquisition a metropolis successful a section way.

So erstwhile I stayed successful Downtown Vegas — much accepted and little flashy than "The Strip" — I went to yoga classes and java shops successful residential areas. And erstwhile I went to Kerala, India, I chose a homestay successful Kochin, the authorities capital, implicit a name-brand hotel.

The joyousness of surviving similar a section comes from a slower gait of vacation, wherever I don't consciousness similar a tourer checking disconnected a list. It gives maine a truer consciousness of a place.

Having been calved and raised successful London, I cognize galore places — from parks and restaurants to cafes and architectural sites — that a visitant mightiness not question retired consecutive away. Some treasures are virtually underground.

And I person my favourite ways of seeing immoderate of the city's main attractions too.

London is divided into aggregate locally governed areas. Central London's City of Westminster is its governmental heart, portion the City of London is wherever the capital's fiscal decisions happen.

The City of Westminster is home to:

• the Palace of Westminster, besides known arsenic the "Houses of Parliament"
• the bulk of London's theaters, astir Soho and Covent Garden, an country known arsenic the "West End"
• Mayfair, wherever you could easy walk the outgo of your airfare connected a nighttime out
• some of London's champion greenish spaces, similar Regent's Park and Hyde Park

One of my favourite things to bash present is cycle. Bikes for prosecute are disposable from Santander Cycles, adjacent Lancaster Gate Underground presumption conscionable northbound of Hyde Park (download the program's app for pick-up and drop-off locations). There are respective rhythm paths astir Hyde Park that instrumentality successful sights similar Kensington Palace, the authoritative residence of The Prince and Princess of Wales, and "The Serpentine" — a water toward the southbound of the park.

But beryllium warned: Several paths crossed Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and constabulary often good radical who rhythm connected them.

Hyde Park connects to Green Park via a engaged intersection that has postulation signals for cyclists. After crossing the thoroughfare and cycling on Constitution Hill, you'll scope Buckingham Palace. On a lukewarm day, I mightiness transportation connected cycling into St James's Park, conscionable other the palace, and person luncheon astatine its roof-terrace café.

The City of London (often referred to arsenic "the City"), juxtaposes shiny solid and alloy towers and residential blocks built successful the 1960s with accepted pubs and the ruins of the past Roman metropolis of Londinium. The Bank of England is simply a abbreviated locomotion from St Paul's Cathedral, the huge, domed religion designed by Sir Christopher Wren successful the precocious 17th century.

I similar to locomotion astir this area. A weekday sojourn astatine lunchtime shows the hustle of the spot arsenic workers heap retired of their offices for a speedy meal.

Postman's Park, though tiny, is simply a fashionable spot for a sandwich, with its Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, a bid of tablets dedicated to mean radical who died redeeming others. Close by, Christchurch Greyfriars Church Garden is acceptable successful the ruins of an 18th-century religion and is worthy seeing for the flowerbeds contrasting with the remains of the religion walls. For a accepted pub, effort The Cockpit, a quirky barroom connected St. Andrew's Hill, a backstreet adjacent St Paul's Cathedral.

I was raised adjacent to 1 of London's largest parks, Hampstead Heath. "The Heath" — arsenic locals telephone it — is hilly and wild, and it's casual (and fun) to get a spot mislaid successful it. The views from the apical of Parliament Hill are a large mode to orient yourself successful the city, and the park's humanities Kenwood House has an creation assemblage that's escaped to enter.

Hampstead Heath station, connected the London Overground bid line, is astatine the Heath's southwest tip, and connected a sunny play successful immoderate play you'll find the adjacent thoroughfare packed with Londoners getting java earlier hiking the Heath. A apical spot is the independently owned Karma Bread. My favourite dainty determination is the cardamom bun, oregon shakshuka for breakfast.

At the southeast extremity of Hampstead Heath is the 1930s-built Parliament Hill Lido, an unheated outdoor swimming excavation that is simply a classical section delight connected a blistery day. It's unfastened each twelvemonth circular and facilities are basic: expect to drape your towel connected the factual pavement astir the pool. Its website has schedules, pricing and preservation information.

Also successful northbound London is the Parkland Walk, different bully spot for a hike oregon a tally done the woods on an aged railway line. It's beauteous during the outpouring erstwhile gangly cattle parsley grows on the path. A 2.5-mile locomotion eastbound gets you to Finsbury Park, and adjacent to the Faltering Fullback pub, a rambling spot with unrecorded euphony doubly a week (check its website for details).

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, built to big the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, is successful the eastbound London country of Stratford (as good arsenic Section 14 of the Capital Ring route). The country is simply a bully illustration of London's blend of aged and new, municipality and natural, with a elephantine buying mall, called Westfield Stratford City, alongside the River Lea. Victorian terraced houses are but a abbreviated region from modern, high-rise apartments.

The main Olympics stadium, known arsenic London Stadium, is present location to shot squad West Ham United. It besides hosts concerts and different sporting events including Major League Baseball. You tin rhythm successful the erstwhile Olympic Velodrome oregon connected a BMX track, oregon caput to the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a curious-looking twisted reddish metallic sculpture that doubles arsenic a passageway slide.

One of my favourite things to bash successful eastbound London is eat. Shoreditch — a cardinal country conscionable northbound of the City – is packed with large restaurants, from fashionable Indian concatenation Dishoom (reserve a array for lunch, oregon get determination aboriginal for meal and hold successful line) to unfussy good eating places similar Lyle's, which uses British meat, food and vegetables.

Rochelle Canteen is an unpretentious spot successful a erstwhile motorcycle shed wherever bully nutrient is the star. It besides has a walled garden, making it a bully respite from the engaged metropolis streets.

Also successful the country is Columbia Road Flower Market, unfastened connected Sundays from 8 a.m. Londoners caput determination to banal up connected chopped flowers and location plants. You mightiness get a bargain during the last mates of hours (around 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.), and determination are plentifulness of autarkic jewelry, homeware and acquisition stores on the thoroughfare too.

There's a spot of affable contention betwixt northbound and southbound Londoners, who each assertion their country is champion and gag astir the hardship of having to question to the other broadside of the River Thames.

While northbound London has Hampstead Heath, southbound of the stream is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its bluish counterpart successful size. Plus, the parkland is successful the region of Surrey, truthful it isn't technically successful London.

Still, you could easy walk a time spotting cervid successful its fields and exploring the beauteous plot toward its confederate tip, the Isabella Plantation. For views crossed the Thames, caput toward Pembroke Lodge successful the westbound of the park, and connected a play you'll spot Lycra-clad cyclists whizzing done the parkland and astatine its cafes.

If you're looking for thing traditionally English, effort Petersham Nurseries Cafe, conscionable extracurricular Richmond Park. It has a Garden Afternoon Tea connected Fridays and weekends (reservations are essential) that includes dainty sandwiches and mini savory tarts followed by saccharine treats, specified arsenic buttermilk scones and plum cheesecake. It besides accepts walk-ins for brunch oregon luncheon each time but Monday, erstwhile it's closed.

There's besides a subdivision successful cardinal London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled edifice The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

In westbound London, I urge checking retired Notting Hill's thoroughfare marketplace and restaurants. Portobello Road Market is unfastened each time and sells food, vintage manner and antiques. A bully time to spell is Friday, erstwhile astir of the stalls and areas are unfastened and it's little engaged than Saturday, erstwhile locals caput there.

French bistro Buvette, connected Blenheim Crescent, is simply a bully all-day nutrient enactment — an outpost of the Manhattan archetypal by cook Jody Williams. For a luxe movie acquisition effort the Electric Cinema connected Portobello Road, a restored Edwardian representation location with a classical diner adjacent door.

Portobello Road meets Golborne Road astatine its bluish end, a quieter and little touristy thoroughfare wherever you'll find accepted Portuguese pastel de nata custard tarts astatine Lisboa Patisserie. If you look up you'll spot Trellick Tower, a residential artifact designed successful the Brutalist architectural benignant by Erno Goldfinger.

Close to the basal of the operation is Rellik, a hep vintage manner store selling apparel from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Issey Miyake.

Just beyond Rellik is simply a tiny grassy country that backs onto the Regent's Canal, a waterway you tin locomotion on to scope Little Venice. Further eastbound toward Paddington Basin, determination is simply a redeveloped country with waterside bars and restaurants, successful yet different illustration of London's eclectic blend of aged and new.