prettycitylondon: Discovering London’s Beautiful Places (The Pretty Cities, 1)

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This pretty and petite London garden is one of my favourite places to escape the city crowds. My parents always used to take me here as a child and I’m glad to say that it’s just as beautiful decades later. I love the traffic and hustle and bustle of downtown London, but it’s not exactly a zen kind of place to do some reflection. If you’re smart enough to find it you’ll be able to feast your eyes on a staggering amount of silver (literally you almost need sunglasses to look directly at some of these rooms)

One of London's best walks, the Parkland Walk will weave you through north London neighbourhoods you might otherwise miss – Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill – whether you're a visitor or a local. There are plenty of relaxing country walks , picturesque seaside towns and secluded areas of outstanding natural beauty within easy reach of the city. But there are also loads of gorgeous, sleepy villages – many of which wouldn’t look out of place on a Christmas card. On the cusp of Farringdon and Holborn, the pub just so happens to be one of London’s historic drinking holes– there’s been a pub on these grounds since 1546 at least.As the name suggests, the walk takes you along the River Thames’ south bank, thrusting you into the hub of cultural London. Nearest stations are London Bridge and Shoreditch. 17. Circolo Popolare, Fitzrovia Credit: Circolo Popolare Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road. 18. The Petersham, Covent Garden and Richmond Photo: Petersham Nurseries The farther ahead you call and book your table, the less trouble you’ll have securing a table of your choice without contending with a long wait period. Little Venice is ridiculously picturesque and one of those lesser known places in London that always takes first timers by surprise. Lined with canal boats, handsome homes and hanging trees, it’s gorgeous spot for photos. 7. Camden Passage

Here, you’ll find over 60 acres of perfectly manicured garden. It’s all very aristocratic, with perfectly polished hedgerows and imposing statues. It might seem weird for us to say that the city’s oldest restaurant is one of the secret spots in London, but bear with me… because I’m not talking about the restaurant itself, we’re talking about its absolutely jaw-dropping upstairs bar. London’s first contemporary art walk flew under the radar for a long time, but Londoners are slowly waking up to its peculiar charms.While it’s not enormous, there’s plenty to see and it’s best explored slowly – so I recommend leaving an afternoon to see it.

The name of the gardens comes from the fact that tulips were donated to the garden by the City of Amsterdam in the 1970s. As well as enjoying the relaxing vibes and beautiful plants, this garden also gets a lovely view out over London. Rembrandt Gardens in Little Venice Starting at my long-time favourite Crystal Palace Park (the dinosaurs in the world’s first dinosaur park may be anatomically incorrect but it’s a quaint spot in a pretty green space), dip into Sydenham Hill Park, One Tree Hill and the gardens of the Horniman Museum before moving onto Nunhead Cemetery. Ye Olde Mitre bills itself as one of the most difficult to find pubs in London and, you know, they might just be right. Greece is a gorgeous place, especially if you’re wandering through the whitewashed buildings and winding streets of a Cycladic village. At Ampéli, you sadly won’t be doing that, but your tastebuds sure will as they meander from whipped feta, to smoky lamb chops, to pitch-perfect loukoumades with a poppy seed custard. Your eyes, meanwhile, can focus on swish gold fixtures, interesting art, and a massive Greek wine list, which is compensation enough in our eyes. Read our review here.I’ve always loved walking in London: exploring the city’s verdant nooks is one of my favourite pastimes. The rooms are also full of great books on pretty much every subject you can think of. Best of all though, that card also gives you access to the library’s archives and you can request to see anything they’ve got in their cavernous storage chambers – chambers that have a copy of every book published in The UK for the past 250 years. Read Next: Brixton Area Guide: Discovering One of My Favourite Parts of London Hampstead Hill Garden + Pergola

Just remember that if it ever comes down to us being contenders for the last table. St James’s Palace Cutting a swathe through the surrounding urban area, it’s a slice of countryside in the city – one brimming with a variety of habitats and wildlife you wouldn’t think to find in London. Keep your eyes open and you’ll spot birds, bats, even the odd Muntjac deer. London being all very green when you get that far away from the city centre, the London Loop is a lovely way to get a good dose of nature, we have to warn you though, it’s long.Home to more than 200 species of trees and plants, it’s also blessed with a variety of animals, fungi and birds and is a great place for a walk. Take a turn along the remains of London’s old city wall. Started by the Romans, the wall was maintained right up to the 18th century. Now that we’ve extolled the virtues of St Dunstan in the East as some of the best hidden architecture in London, we guess we’d better tell you what it is. Nestled at the top of a (rather steep) woodland-covered hill, once you puff your way up to the top of One Tree Hill, you are treated to some rather striking views of the city skyline framed by the treeline. It’s too perfect and we love it. You’ll find Santo Remedio at 152 Tooley Street, London Bridge, SE1 2TU and at 55 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3HP.