Only in London: Our Recommendations

1. See where the Gunpowder Plot was first contrived at Eastbury Manor House in Barking

2. Walk around the area where one of the most important battles in the Wars of the Roses took place – the Battle of Barnet

3. Have afternoon tea in William Morris's historic Red House in Bexleyheath, an internationally significant home of the Arts & Crafts movement

4. Visit Neasden Temple (BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir) North West London, the first and largest traditional Hindu Mandir outside India

5. Cheer on the teams at the only NFL League Game outside of the USA at Wembley Stadium on 25 October

6. Stroll the gardens of Down House in Bromley, home to Charles Darwin and where he wrote "On the Origin of Species"

7. Visit the resting place of Karl Marx at Highgate Cemetery

8. Explore ZSL London Zoo, Regent's Park, the World's oldest scientific Zoo

9. Sleep alongside the Egyptian mummies at the British Museum

10. Recreate the famous Beatles album cover on Abbey Road

11. Marvel at Shakespeare's First Folio, the Magna Carta and Handel's Messiah at the British Library

12. Drink at Europe's longest champagne bar at St Pancras International

13. See where The Royal Ballet rehearse at a backstage tour of the Royal Opera House

14. Visit St Paul's, once the largest cathedral in England, with the largest crypt in Europe

15. Take a tour of Wembley Stadium, England's national football stadium

16. Watch the Ceremony of the Keys, the world's longest running ceremony of its kind, at the Tower of London

17. See Tower Bridge open one of 1,000 times per year

18. Be wowed by the largest cut and polished white diamond in the world – Cullinan I (First Star of Africa) at the Tower of London

19. Speak at the same place as George Orwell on "Speakers Corner" in Hyde Park

20. Watch a performance at the famous Brit School in Croydon – whose alumni include Amy Winehouse, Adele and Kate Nash

21. Take in an exhibition at The Barbican, Europe's largest arts and conference venue

22. Visit Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall, the largest Sikh temple outside of India

23. Join the company at Chickenshed in Southgate, the largest youth theatre in Europe

24. Experience a show at The O2, the world's most successful entertainment venue

25. Stand where time begins, on the Greenwich Meridian Line

26. See the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum

27. Kayak down the Thames

28. See a show at Hackney Empire, where Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel and WC Fields trod the boards

29. Play a game on Hackney Marsh, the largest concentration of football pitches in Europe

30. Visit the Kurdish Museum and Library in Ravenscourt Park, the first museum for Kurdish Heritage in the World

31. Watch a film at Himalaya Palace in Southall, a "Chinese" art deco cinema under a red pagoda roof

32. Browse though Westfield London – Europe's biggest inner-city shopping complex

33. Visit Alexandra Palace, where the world's first public broadcasts of high-definition television were made by the BBC

34. Visit the Fan Museum – the first and only museum in the world devoted entirely to all aspects of the ancient art of the fan

35. Take a tour of Harrow School, famous for educating seven prime ministers, including Winston Churchill

36. Drink at Dickens' and Thackery's pub, the historical Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich

37. See the world's oldest insect at the Natural History Museum

38. Look out for "The Diver" in Rainham – the only sculpture to stand in the river Thames

39. Connect to the world at Heathrow, the world's busiest international passenger airport

40. Marvel at the world's largest collection of steam pumping engines at the Kew Bridge Steam Museum

41. Enjoy an organic pint at the World's first organic pub, The Duke of Cambridge in Islington

42. Gaze upon the largest collection of dresses once belonging to Princess Diana at her former home, Kensington Palace

43. Join the party at Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street carnival

44. Peruse one of the largest weekly antique markets in the world on Portobello Road

45. See Pete Townsend's smashed guitar at the V&A's new Theatre and Performance Galleries

46. Find out where Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in the movie Notting Hill

47. Watch Peter Pan come alive in his spiritual home, Kensington Gardens

48. Explore the UK's largest geographical collections at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington

49. Stay in the room at the Cadogan Hotel on Sloane Street where Oscar Wilde was arrested

50. See the largest outdoor fruiting olive tree in Britain at the Chelsea Physic Garden

51. Embark from the same point in Royal Kingston that Victorian novelist Jerome K. Jerome started his novel "Three Men in a Boat"

52. Ride the world's highest cantilevered observation wheel, the London Eye

53. Shop in the original, world-famous Harrods

54. See some of the world's oldest musical instruments at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill

55. Enjoy strawberries and cream at Wimbledon Centre Court

56. Attend the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2

57. Visit Buddhapadipa in Wimbledon – the first Thai Buddhist temple in the UK

58. Choose from more national museums in one city than any other capital in the world

59. See the Thames barrier at Woolwich Reach – the world's second largest movable flood barrier

60. Pay tribute at suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst's commemorative site, Pankhurst Green in Woodford

61. See the original Superman costume at The Movieum of London in County Hall

62. Stroll through the home of the world's largest living plant collection of 30,000 different species of plants, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

63. Picnic in the world's greenest city – almost a third of London is green space – more than any other city its size in the world

64. Visit the home of England Rugby at Twickenham

65. Go bird spotting at Europe's largest wetland creation project, the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes

66. Get measured up by Sinatra's tailors on the world-famous Saville Row

67. See the world's biggest collection of lawn tennis memorabilia, dating from 1555, at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

68. Get your sea legs on HMS Belfast – Europe's largest surviving armoured warship

69. See a Rembrandt at Dulwich Picture Gallery, the world's first purpose-built art gallery, built by Sir John Soane

70. Get stylish, London is the UK's home of fashion – more than 85% of UK fashion designers are based here

71. Visit Tate Modern, the most popular modern art gallery in the world

72. Take in a Shakespearean play at Shakespeare's Globe, in the area where he lived and worked

73. Drink at the George Inn on Borough High Street – London's only surviving galleried coaching inn, mentioned in Dickens' Little Dorrit

74. Get eco-friendly at BedZED in Wallington (Beddington Zero Energy Development) the UK's largest eco-village

75. Be part of the audience at the world's oldest surviving music hall, Wilton's Music Hall in Tower Hill

76. See the largest collection of childhood objects in the UK at the V&A Museum of Childhood

77. Be inspired by more theatrical performances than anywhere else in the world

78. Home to the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

79. Travel on the world's oldest subterranean travel system in the world – the London Underground

80. Shop in the UK's leading retail city – more than 40,000 shops and 80 individual markets

81. Take a browse through Walthamstow Market, Europe's longest daily street market

82. Swim in England's largest open air pool at Tooting Bec

83. Be part of the longest-surviving amateur event of national standard in the UK, the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

84. See the world's largest collection of portraits for free at the National Portrait Gallery, the oldest portrait gallery in the world

85. Shop at Fortnum & Mason, The Queen's grocer 

86. Conduct a meeting in the most popular European City for business

87. Hear the chimes of the world-famous Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament, the world's largest four-faced chiming clock 

88. Ride a horse around Rotten Row in Hyde Park, the first artificially lit street in Britain

89. Get back to nature at Mudchute Farm on the Isle of Dogs, the largest urban farm in the UK

90. Eat at the world's first Hard Rock Café near Hyde Park Corner

91. See the Grade II listed original wooden red telephone box, in the Royal Academy of Arts courtyard

92. Watch the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at The O2

93. Stare in wonder at Van Gogh's Sunflowers for free at the National Gallery

94. Go behind the scenes at Lord's, the home of cricket

95. Explore the largest collection of British art in the world at Tate Britain

96. Pay your respects to a host of literary greats in one place – from Dickens to Chaucer to Kipling to Tennyson – at Poets Corner, Westminster Abbey

97. Visit Europe's only dedicated Jewish Museum of UK and international art, Ben Uri Gallery

98. Select from more music performances each year than any other city in the world

99. Enter the Royal Academy of Art's Summer Exhibition, the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world

100. See the original Mamma Mia! in its 10th year in the West End

101. Visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and see Charles Dickens' pen case and original manuscript for Oliver Twist, on display in the British Galleries

102. Marvel at the world's largest collection of magical Cownose rays swimming in perfect synchrony at the new SEA LIFE London Aquarium

103. Celebrate with Selfridges Oxford Street in 2009 as they mark their 100th anniversary

104. Stay in The May Fair Hotel – The official hotel of London Fashion Week

105. See the only surviving group portrait of the three Brontë sisters – Anne, Emily and Charlotte – at the National Portrait Gallery

106. Visit the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace – England's last and greatest medieval hall and one of Britain's oldest theatres

107. Visit Tate Britain and see the world's biggest collection of British art from 1500 to the present day

108. Enjoy classical music at its best as the world famous BBC Proms take up residency at the Royal Albert Hall

109. Visit the British Museum, the oldest national public museum in the world, which opened its doors to the public 250 years ago

110. Visit the home of Madame Tussauds in London, as it celebrates 125 years in its current site in Marylebone

111. Visit The Monument, the tallest isolated stone column in the world

112. Shop in Hamleys – Europe's oldest and largest toy store

113. Stroll through Covent Garden, England's first public square, dating back to 1630

114. See the largest collection of works by Turner in the world at Tate Britain

115. Visit the Estorick Collection, Britain's only gallery devoted to modern Italian art

116. See the greatest collection of 18th-century French paintings, furniture and porcelain shown together anywhere in the world at the Wallace Collection

117. Take a dive and visit the world's first aquarium at ZSL London Zoo

118. See British law-making in action at the Houses of Parliament during the summer opening

119. Witness the resting places of 17 British monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey

120. Visit St-Martin-in-the-Fields, the birthplace of Amnesty International

121. Get some retail therapy on Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street.

122. Visit Burlington Arcade, Britain's first shopping arcade and longest covered street

123. See iconic architectural building, Battersea Power Station, the largest brick building in Europe

124. Get connected at Clapham Junction, the UK's busiest railway station.

125. Visit the London Sewing Machine Museum in Balham, the UK's only museum dedicated to sewing machines, with more than 600 sewing machines on display

126. Take part in or watch the world's largest annual fund-raising event, the London Marathon

127. Go shopping under the tallest building in the UK, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf Tower

128. Meet a Beefeater at the Tower of London

129. See the Great Court at the British Museum, the largest covered square in Europe

130. See the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London

131. Visit ZSL London Zoo, where Christopher Robin (AA Milne's son) first fell in love with a real bear named Winnie, which started the classic tale

132. See the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, where Big Ben was cast

133. Browse at London's oldest food market, Borough Market

134. Visit the original performance site of "Punch and Judy" on Covent Garden's Piazza – a pub with the same name still sits on the Piazza to this day

135. Visit the OXO Tower where architect Albert Moore incorporated an O-X-O into the window design, dodging the rules about commercial branding on the river Thames

136. Visit the earliest known purpose-built still house (the 17th-century equivalent of an in-house pharmacy) at Ham House

137. See the world's largest collection of objects owned by the French Queen Marie-Antoinette on display together at the Wallace Collection

138. Watch contemporary dance on the site of an ancient medicinal well at Sadler's Wells

139. Visit the burial site of the first plague victim in St Paul's Church in Covent Garden

140. Sail up the river Thames from the Tower of London to see the first major example of English domestic architecture at Hampton Court Palace

141. Explore ZSL London Zoo which bred the first female giraffe in captivity and was home to the first hippopotamus in Europe since Roman times

142. See the great vine at Hampton Court Palace, the oldest and largest known vine in the world at more than 230 years old and over 36.5 metres (120ft) long

143. Step back in time and visit Britain's oldest tidal mill at Three Mills

144. Paint a picture in East London, which has the highest concentration of artists per square metre than anywhere else in Europe

145. Ride around the city on an original London Routemaster bus

146. Take a tour in a black cab, guided by the world's most knowledgeable taxi drivers

147. See Royal Avenue, the literary home of James Bond

148. Visit the Royal College of Music's Museum of Instruments to see the oldest strung keyboard instrument in the world, the clavicytherium, dating from 1480

149. Enjoy the comfort of Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, the city's oldest functioning cinema

150. Visit the childhood home of the nation's longest reigning monarch – Queen Victoria – at Kensington Palace

151. Walk the streets in Islington, where sci-fi writer Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, set many of his novels

152. Visit the resting place of William Blake, Daniel Defoe, John Bunyan, and Isaac Watts at Bunhill Fields in Islington

153. Join the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the world's first look at the Moon through a telescope at Syon House

154. See Upminster Windmill, built in 1803 and one of the finest examples of a "smock" windmill remaining in England

155. Visit the last untouched Arts and Crafts interior at 7 Hammersmith Terrace, the former home of Emery Walker

156. Go behind the scenes at the BBC headquarters at the BBC Television Centre Tours

157. Visit The Geffrye Museum, the world's only museum dedicated to British middle-class homes and gardens from 1600 to present day

158. Visit the British Music Experience, the world's only fully interactive permanent exhibition devoted to popular music in Britain

159. Play at the Royal Blackheath Golf Club in Eltham, the world's oldest golf club, which celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008

160.See the world's most comprehensive collection of British 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts for the home at the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture at Middlesex University in Enfield

161. See the original William Caxton editions of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales at the British Library

162. Visit the Charles Dickens museum, his only surviving home in London, and where the world's most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist is housed

163. Handle a bar of gold at the Bank of England Museum and see the largest collection of Bank of England notes and associated material in the world

164. Let time pass by at the Clockmakers' Museum, the oldest collection specifically of watches and clocks in the world

165. Visit Bevis Marks, the nation's oldest synagogue

166. Explore the same streets as Sir Walter Raleigh, who lived on Upper Street, Islington

167. Visit the place where Winston Churchill had a direct line to President Roosevelt in the Second World War at the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms

168. See Picasso's only mural produced in England at the Wellcome Collection

169. Stay in The Dome Suite at Hilton London Hyde Park which was used in the 1972 Alfred Hitchcock movie, Frenzy, starring Marlene Dietrich.

170. See the Gold State Coach which has been used at every coronation since George IV in 1821, at the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace

171. Visit the first National Geographic Store in Europe in London's Regent Street