Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Head inside Kew Gardens and then spend as little or as much time as you like exploring London’s finest botanical gardens. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kew Gardens consists of acres of tranquil grounds with one of the world’s largest collections of plants. Either walk around at leisure or join one of the free guided walking tours that take place daily in the gardens. Stroll around admiring highlights like the Azalea Garden, Minka House and Bamboo Garden in the center of the park. Check out the 17th century-style Queen’s Garden near Kew Palace (also known as the Dutch House), and see several of Kew’s oldest sculptures that were donated by the British Royal Family. Perhaps take a walk along the Rhizotron and Xstrara Treetop Walkway, and stroll through the crowns of oak trees at a height of 59 feet (18m), seeing birdlife, fungi and lichen up close. Watch out for the 10-storey Pagoda in the southwest corner of the gardens, and wander along the Holly Walk, seeing trees that have grown there for over 130 years. Bask in balmy tropical temperatures inside Temperate House – the world’s largest surviving Victorian glasshouse – and see a spectacular array of African plants and sub-tropical trees and palms. In the center of the beautiful building is a Chilean Wine Palm, which is said to be one of the world’s tallest indoor plants. With plenty of leafy picnic areas, as well as four cafés on site, you can eat lunch inside the gardens (own expense), or simply sit down and relax in between seeing all the rich flora and fauna.