London. There is nowhere else on Earth quite like it. All at once big and brash and bustling, cutting-edge yet traditional, historical yet modern, it is the quintessential international metropolis - a world city by all accounts.

London's oldest Royal Park was once the hunting ground for King Henry VIII, who was born in Greenwich in 1491. It was landscaped by André le Notre, who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. The Old Royal Observatory is in the park. The original Prime Meridian Line is here in the Observatory grounds; it is (or strictly it was) the basis for world longditude measurement and is the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). There is a fine 24 hour clock showing GMT. Just behind the Observatory to the west is a hidden garden where sometimes Shakespeare plays are performed on summer afternoons.

Stunning views can be had from the lookout platform by the statue of General Wolfe. In front of you at the northern edge of the park are the Queen's House and to its left the National Maritime Museum. Beyond them, across Trafalgar Road, is the Univerity of Greenwich, housed in buildings which were until 1998 the Royal Naval College (and before 1873 they were Greenwich Hospital).

Looking across the River Thames you can see Canary Wharf roughly straight ahead and the City of London to the north-west (your left). To the east on the North Greenwhich peninsula is the Millenium Dome. Further east on the river is the Thames Barrier, which can close the river to prevent flooding from the sea. Perhaps the best view of these splendid buildings and Greenwich Park is from the other side of the river (there is a foot tunnel near the Cutty Sark). The famous 18th century painter Canaletto must have sat there to produce his paintings of Greenwich. At the south-western end of the park is the Ranger's House, built in 1699, which now houses an art collection.

Hyde Park, together with Kensington Gardens to the west, is the largest of the three royal parks. On the northeast side is Speakers' Corner, where people are free to speak their mind as long as they don't debase the Queen. Hyde Park is home to a lake called the Serpentine. You can hire boats or even take a dip in the water. The lake has two cafe/restaurants, the Lido cafe (Next to the Diana Memorial fountain) serves fantastic homemade style hamburgers. If you fancy a walk, it takes approx 1.5 hours walk around the Serpentine.

St james's Park covers 58 acres & is the oldest Royal Park in London, over the past five centuries Henry VIII, King Charles II & Jonh Nash all made significant changes in helping to make the park what it is today. This beautiful park is a popular picnic hot spot with views of Buckingham Palace & the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, there is also a small lake with two islands that is home for ducks, geese & pelicans. During the summer there are quite a few parades & bands performing making for a great atmosphere.