How to spend 72 hours in London

When you’ve got more time to explore, make the most of it and venture further afield. Hampton Court Palace is about 35 minutes’ train ride direct from Waterloo and it’s worth the trip. A royal residence from Tudor to Georgian times, the palace has been beautifully maintained and you can wander in the very rooms where incredible moments in British history were lived out. In summer, make a full day out of it and head back into central London by river cruise.

Alternatively, head east to Greenwich. A short ride by Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Bank station takes you to this villagey quarter in south east London. Located on the Thames, Greenwich is rich in naval history. Climb onboard the Victorian tea clipper the Cutty Sark then wander up to the National Maritime Museum, where you can see exhibits including the uniform Nelson was wearing when he was fatally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar.

A stroll up the hill through Greenwich Park brings you to the Royal Observatory. This is where centuries of scientific study helped establish a world class understanding of time, navigation and astronomy. A line in the courtyard shows you where Greenwich Mean Time is measured from – stand over it and take a selfie with one foot in the ‘east’ and one in the ‘west’.

If you’ve opted for a trip to Greenwich, stop off for a browse in the charming covered market – one of the best places to get one-off and vintage fashions, art and crafts, often sold directly from their designer-makers. There are food stalls here too, cooking up global cuisine in front of you. Perfect for lunch.

Get back on the DLR train at Cutty Sark station and head up to Stratford. Much of your journey is above ground, with great views of east London old and new. At Stratford, it’s a short walk to the vast Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where most of the London 2012 Games happened. Here you’ll find Anish Kapoor’s strangely twisting ArcelorMittal Orbit tower. Take the lift to the top then walk or take the thrilling slide back down again.

The Orbit tower is right by the main Olympic Stadium and situated in what has been transformed into a beautiful leisure park. Book ahead and get sporty just like an Olympian: take a swim in Zaha Hadid’s stunningly designed Aquatics Centre or hire a bike and try the Lee Valley Velodrome for yourself.

If you’ve had an active day, relax in the evening by doing two things at once – having dinner and listening to great jazz. The branch of Pizza Express in Soho has been one of the most respected jazz venues in central London for decades and is popular for soulful and Latin styles, as well as being a great place to hear solo singers. (Lunchtime shows bookable, too).

You can see a movie anytime, but how about going to the first cinema in the country to ever show moving pictures? Recently revived and beautifully refurbished, the Regent Street Cinema is a late Victorian classic. This lovely little cinema offers a great programme of films and talks, and has a charming bar.

Got the energy for something late night? London’s nightclubbing is among the best in the world, but the good spots change with the in-crowd and many of the favourites are farther out. One fairly central gem is XOYO, a minute’s walk from Old Street station and with efficient street-level management when you want to get in.

Sleepless in Southwark? In the old days, pubs around the markets opened early in the morning to serve workers on duty through the night to get produce ready for early morning buyers. A few such pubs still open early, including the Market Porter in Borough Market. It has a breakfast session from 6am!

In the last decade Borough Market has become the epicentre of London’s foodie passions. The stalls nestled within the beautiful old ironwork market building will sell you fruits, veg, exotic ingredients and prime cuts of meat to take home, but if you can’t wait, sample artisan street food right here for brunch. It gets busy so a morning visit is advised.

It’s your last day so bid your farewells to the whole of London in one go, with a bird’s eye view, from the top of the tallest tower in Western Europe. The Shard is a hotel and office block with several excellent restaurants, but you can take the super-speedy lift all the way to the summit for The View from the Shard, two levels offering panoramic views from every side of the building.

From the Shard, head down to the riverside and take a stroll alongside the Thames. Your walk takes you past Shakespeare’s Globe, with views across to St Paul’s Cathedral and to right outside Tate Modern. If you’re an art lover, stop off here for a look at the latest exhibitions, then jump on the Tate to Tate riverboat service run by Thames Clippers. It’s not expensive and it’s a brilliant way to see London’s sights as you travel upstream to Tate Britain in Pimlico.

Alternatively, make another day out of it and head just north of London to Leavesden, where a large part of the studios used to film the Harry Potter epics has been turned into a genuinely exciting exhibition dedicated to the movies’ making. You can walk onto various sets, including the Great Hall and Platform 9¾ and see how the special effects turned JK Rowling’s adventures into cinema magic.

Sign off with a taste of London’s first rate dining culture. Barrafina is a mid-price gem that makes the top spot in Time Out's 100 best restaurants for its Barcelona-style tapas. Even if you have to queue, enjoy drinks and snacks while you wait for a table. However the top 100 also features many cheaper options that reflect the best global dishes on offer in the capital – across town and particularly in nearby Soho.

London’s music scene has spawned generations of great bands but deciding where to go really depends on what you want to hear. From soul and folk to indie rock and improve jazz, find good places for great music across London, in our guide to London’s best music venues.

This blues bar a couple of minutes from Oxford Circus is a popular spot for late night live music. Open until 1am and free to get in Monday to Thursday, while on Friday and Saturday it's open until 2am (free entry until 8.30pm). It’s a reliable choice if you’re a night owl.