This modest sized garden is nestled between Soho and Covent Garden. It gives the area a much-needed injection of green space, and community spirit. It’s a combination of beautiful, flower-filled “pleasure gardens” as well as “kitchen gardens” where herbs and spices would have been grown. The menu takes its inspiration from French and Russian dishes, something that the chefs here do beautifully. Another excellent museum spot for photos is the Natural History Museum, and specifically the glorious entrance hall and it’s imposing blue whale skeleton. 17. Covent Garden Mayfair might feel like an unlikely place to discover London’s secrets. After all, anyone who has ever heard of The Ritz and Green Park knows that Mayfair’s all about the old-school spenny glamour.

Don’t miss Home to a thriving flamenco scene, Cordoba is also the place where you can visit Centro Flamenco Fosforito, a museum charting the history of the dance with free performancesModelled on the hole-in-the-wall eateries of Tehran, Berenjak has a ravishing range of kababs, khoresht, and more Persian dishes available. If you can snag a seat in the Hayat, you’ll find a cosy, comfy space hidden behind a curtain, which really is the perfect hideaway to try everything on the menu. They’ve also got a late-night bottomless kebab menu – need I say more? Learn more here.

To have a peek at how the other half lived, you can pay a visit to Ham House with its gorgeous garden. You may have been to Hatton Gardens – London’s diamond district – but have you ever heard of The Silver Vaults? The trail leads you past Living Walls – a collection of urban street art murals including pieces by well-known artist David Shillinglaw – beyond steel structures submerged into the river, past poems and other large-scale artworks… including the (in)famous ArcelorMittal Orbit. In fact, there are more than 85 different types of roses in the garden. You’re sure to leave with more rose knowledge than you ever thought possible.

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You see, the whole of the South Bank area used to be a breeding ground of rather scandalous occupations – whoring, gambling, fighting – it all used to happen on the South Bank. There were brothels aplenty, as well as some of the city’s poorest slums. Not only is the palace impressive, but it’s surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens in London. The summer garden is especially impressive and colourful. You’ll be rewarded with pretty views as you pass Westminster Abbey and wander through St James’ Park – the perfect spot for a mid-walk picnic. There’s also an interesting exhibition on the history of London from its Roman times as Londinium onwards to mooch about in so allow plenty of time to go and discover. Streatham Rookery

The original church had the misfortune to burn down in the Great Fire of London. It was rebuilt by Christopher Wren, only to be bombed to a shell during The Blitz. The City’s Sky Garden gets no shortage of attention from locals and visitors alike, but just down the road, The Garden at 120 is one of London’s hidden gems. There’s even an unusual turn from an 18th-century manor turned luxury hotel in the shape of Cannizaro House – historically frequented by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Oscar Wilde and the Last Maharajah of the Punjab. Following the course of an old railway line between Finsbury Park and Alexandra Palace, this four and a half mile trail is one of the nicest walks in North London.

You’re probably aware of the British Library. It’s a bit of a Meca for people trying to find a quiet spot to get productive in the city centre, and an iconic place in its own right. Do you know about its reading rooms though?