If there’s one place that epitomises everything I love about my city it’s the banks of the Thames, where historic architecture and modern day design sit cheek by jowl.

Start at the Houses of Parliament, salute Big Ben, cross Westminster Bridge and aim for the London Eye, our supersized Ferris wheel. Amble east along the Thames path and you find yourself caught between the South Bank’s 1960s Brutalism — as seen in the bold concrete of the National Theatre — and one the world’s most impressive riverscapes.

Savour food stalls and street performers under the OXO Tower; pause at Gabriel’s Wharf to look to the other side of the river to Temple Church, the 12th-century seat of the Knights Templar.

For twinkling evening river views head up to the Rumpus Room at the Mondrian hotel in Sea Containers House and toast a beautifully lit St Paul’s Cathedral. By day, climb to the top floors of the Tate Modern, Sir Gilbert Scott’s monolithic brick power station refashioned as a contemporary art gallery. A row of original Tudor bankside houses and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre make for a fitting ‘best of British’ finale.

FOR ALL 10 REASONS, READ THE FULL ARTICLE.