Located on the banks of the Thames in Barnes, The London Wetland Centre is a 43 hectare reserve developed on the site of disused Victorian reservoirs, and is one of the best urban areas in the world to watch wildlife. The London Wetlands Centre is home to rare and beautiful wildlife including Bitterns, Kingfishers and a colony of endangered Water voles, and has free guided tours and bird feeds twice a day. If you need some time out from the hustle and bustle of London, then this is worth a visit.

London Wetlands Centre
Website : www.wwt.org.uk

I was given a 2CV tour as a gift the first time I visited Paris, and it’s the single most memorable experience I had. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it is to relax in the back of a Citroen 2CV as it bounces and rattles around Paris. The chauffeur obviously loved driving his 2CV (they have an entire fleet of them!), and told me all sorts of intriguing little facts about Paris that would never make it into a guide book.

One of the nicest things about the tour was the way that people on the street would react when they saw the 2CV, people of all ages would smile and wave - it seems that Paris loves the 2CV as much as Rome loves the Fiat Bambino. This is something you absolutely must do when in Paris, and is a wonderful introduction to the city. This is up there with visiting the Eiffel Tower. Highly recommended.

Paris 2CV tours (Four Wheels One Umbrella)

The ADMT is a museum and library dedicated to Japanese advertising from the Edo period to the present. The ADMT features over 135,000 archived advertisements, and a great permanent exhibition giving visitors a panoramic view of the history of advertising in Japan. If you’re interested in pop culture, art, or advertising, then is a great place to relax and see some of Japan’s print history.

ADMT Advertising Museum Tokyo
Website : www.admt.jp

Since its opening in 1958, the Tokyo Tower has been the world’s tallest self-supporting steel tower. The Tokyo tower stands at 333m (the Eiffel Tower is 320 m high). Tokyo Tower has two observation decks - the Main Observatory and the Special Observatory, both offer spectacular 360 degree views of Tokyo and, on clear days, Mount Fuji can be seen to the south. The Main Observatory (145m), has two “look down windows” that allow visitors to stand over a small clear window and look directly straight down at the ground below - not recommended for anyone with vertigo! The Special Observatory (250m) is a completely enclosed observatory with glass walls, and being up much higher than the Main Observatory, gives a better view. At night, the tower is lit up and looks fantastic.

Tokyo Tower
Website : www.tokyotower.co.jp

Only in Japan could there be a museum dedicated to ramen - the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum is a unique museum devoted to the popular Japanese noodle and soup dish. The Ramen Museum covers the history of ramen noodles in Japan, including the huge global success of instant ramen. The museum features several ramen restaurants, with each store featuring a special ramen dish from a different region of Japan. You can taste all sorts of ramen by purchasing “mini ramen” dishes from each store. This is a great place to learn some Japanese ‘foodie’ history, and taste a great selection of ramen while you’re wandering around. Make sure you’re hungry!

Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum
Website : www.raumen.co.jp

Aizuya Inn is a haven of tranquility in one of the most exciting and fast paced city in the world. Situated in the heart of San’Ya, Old Tokyo, with Asakusa, Ueno, Yanaka, Akihabara close by. With convenient access from Narita, Shinjuku, Ginza, Roppongi and Yokohama. Aizuya Inn combines high practicality for your business and sightseeing with very reasonable prices. Aizuya Inn is very popular with travellers from all over the world, excellent value, and a really friendly place to stay in Tokyo.

Aizuya Inn
Website : www.aizuya-inn.com

If you’re looking for anime and manga in Tokyo, then your first stop should be one of the many Animate chain stores. They’re the largest retailer of anime, games, and manga in Japan, and their range is simply mind boggling. The original store in Ikebukuro opened way back in 1983, and has since been joined by another 38 stores across Japan. If you’re into anime, manga, or weird Japanese games - then prepare to spend at least an entire day (and whatever you’ve got in your wallet) at Animate. They even have their own vending machines dotted around Tokyo!

Animate
Website : www.animate.co.jp

Yomiuri Land amusement park is great day trip if you’re staying in the center of Tokyo and feel like getting away from the city for a few hours. Yomiuri Land is located in the suburban area of Tokyo, which is about one hour by train from the center of Tokyo - along with many exciting rides, they have giant Ferris wheel - if the weather is good you can see all the way to Mt. Fuji. During summer, Yomiuri Land open their Water Amusement Island with 6 huge swimming pools, it can get busy, but if you’ve got kids they’ll absolutely love it.

Yomiuri Land amusement park
Website : www.yomiuriland.co.jp
4015-1 Yanokuchi Inagi-city, Tokyo (Yomiuriland station or Yomiuriland-mae station)

Take a tour of BBC TV Centre and get a feel for what happens at the most famous TV headquarters in the world. Tours last between one and a half and two hours, where you’ll visit the studios, visit BBC News, play in the interactive BBC studio and be shown around by well-informed, entertaining guides. You might even bump into a celebrity!

BBC Television tour
Website : www.bbc.co.uk

The Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays. Each year the Globe Theatre Company rediscovers the dynamic relationship between the audience and the actor in this unique building. You can also take a tour of the theatre - a fascinating guided tour of the Globe Theatre is included in your visit to Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Website : www.shakespeares-globe.org
New Globe Walk, Bankside, London