The Thames Upstream

The upper stretch of the Thames unites a string of lustrous riverside pearls—Chiswick, Kew, Richmond, Putney—taking in friendly streets, horticultural delights, regal magnificence, and Henry VIII's fiendish outdoor labyrinth at Hampton Court Palace. The neighborhoods dotted along the way are as proud of their village-y feel as of their stately history, with many a pleasing pub nestled at the water's edge. After the busyness of the West End, it's easy to forget you're in a capital city.

Chiswick & Kew

Chiswick is the nearest Thames-side destination to London. It's a low-key district, content with its good run of restaurants, stylish shops, and film-star residents, but it is also proud of the seething moral authority of its most famous son: William Hogarth, one of Britain's best-loved painters, lived here, and tore the fabric of the 18th-century nation to pieces in his slew of satirical engravings. Incongruously stranded among Chiswick's terraced homes are a number of fine 18th-century houses, and a charming little village survives, populated by London's affluent middle-class families.

A mile or so beyond Chiswick is Kew, and the village atmosphere here makes this one of the most desirable areas of outer London. The biggest draw for visitors, though, are the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Richmond

Named after the palace Henry VII built here in 1500, Richmond is still a welcoming and extremely pretty riverside "village," with many handsome (and expensive) houses, antiques shops, a Victorian theater, London's grandest stately home, and, best of all, the largest of London's royal parks.