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Open-top sightseeing buses provide one of the best ways of getting to know London. There are several operators and a number of tours with pick-up points around the city, so you can get on and off all day, wherever you want. Some companies include a river trip from Westminster to Tower Pier.

There is a choice of boat services on the Thames but they are run by different operators and tickets are not interchangeable. It is best to buy tickets at the piers so that you can find out exactly what is on offer. Westminster and Charing Cross are the principal central London piers. Boats from here go up river to Hampton Court and downriver to Tower Bridge and Greenwich.

This is a lovely backwater for idle cruising, between Camden Lock and Little Venice. You can catch the boat at either end, with a stop-off for London Zoo.

Jack the Ripper Haunts, Ghosts of the Old City, Shakespeare’s London, Hidden Pubs – there are dozens of such walks on offer from both individuals and companies. The longest established operator, The Original London Walks, offers a wide choice of two-hour walks.

The Great London Treasure Hunt is really a series of walking tour itineraries that can be done by anyone at any time. A series of clues and questions lead you around historic sites. The ‘treasure’ is the knowledge.

Most of London’s historic theatres offer daytime backstage tours. The National Theatre’s tour of all three theatres (the Olivier, the Cottesloe and the Lyttleton), as well as of dressing rooms and workshops, lasts about 75 minutes. Call to reserve.

On one weekend at the end of September, around 550 buildings in London, from city blocks to private homes, open their doors to the public, revealing some hidden architectural gems. The event is run by the charity London Open House – check out their website.

Several companies offer sightseeing tours by helicopter. Cabair offers a half-hour tour of London that follows the route of the Thames. The flight leaves from Elstree Aerodrome in north London.

The magnificent Thames barges that used to fill the Pool of London can now be seen in St Katherine’s Dock. Topsail Charters rents barges for the day or an overnight stay. Tower Bridge is opened to let them through.

Several operators run bus trips to well-known sights within an hour or two’s drive of London or further afield, including Paris. Some tours are themed, focusing on such topics as gardens, steam trains and Ancient Britain.