Say "City of London" and most people think "cash". Well here, visitors can discover the backstory of Britain's central bank – from its beginnings over 300 years ago to its role today. Admission free.

An incredible monument to 60s brutalist design, the Barbican is Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue and is famous for its diverse programme of art, music, theatre, dance and film.

Worth a visit for its fascinating history, this City garden was originally a plague pit (Bone Hill) and is where famous nonconformists such as Daniel Defoe and William Blake were laid to rest.

The Charles Dickens Museum in London is the world's most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist and social commentator.

Museum tracing the history of the City of London Police with artefacts dating back to 1832 when the original force was founded.

Heard the saying "in the Clink"? Well it came from this prison, which now has this somewhat grisly museum on the original site, featuring reconstructions of the jail, torture devices and all.

This curio museum is home to the oldest collection of clocks and watches in the world and was started by the Clockmakers' Company in 1814. Admission free.

A small but interesting museum opposite the Millennium Bridge – it holds heraldic, genealogical and ceremonial records covering the past 500 years.

An amazing, atmospheric experience. Visitors are encouraged to wander this beuatiful Spitalfields house in silence, soaking up the character of the ten rooms which capture various periods between 1724 and 1914.

This wonderfully preserved period house is where famous City scribe Dr Samuel Johnson worked on his 1755 Dictionary of the English Language, first published in 1755.