The London Model, Building Centre

The lowdown

Tucked inside the Building Centre on Store Street is a free wonder for anyone who loves cities, an enormous, intricately detailed scale model of central London laid out across the floor. Spanning the streets and landmarks from the West End to the City, it lets you stand god-like over the capital and pick out every tower, park and river bend.

Run as part of the centre's free exhibitions on architecture and the future of the city, the model is often lit and animated to show new developments. It is free to walk around, a brilliant rainy-day stop and a genuinely fresh way to get your bearings on how London fits together.