London’s famous double-decker buses are an ideal way to see the city if you’re on a budget. Buy a Travelcard for the day and take a self-guided city tour on London’s best bus routes. These five cover most of the major sights in the city. Their routes are described from west to east and the return journey passes the same sights in reverse.

Number 74
Starting in Putney, this route travels past London’s museums hub in South Kensington where the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum sit side by side. It then passes luxury department store Harrods and the boundary of one of London’s largest green spaces at Hyde Park Corner. You can catch a glimpse of The Dorchester hotel just after, followed by the famous haunt of public rhetoric – Speaker’s Corner at Marble Arch. The final stop is Baker Street, home to both the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, at the site of the fictional detective’s residence.

Number 9
The number 9 is one of only two routes operating the old-style Routemaster buses on part of its route. Leaving from Hammersmith, it passes Kensington Palace (you’ll have to get off to see it) followed by the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and the monument to Queen Victoria’s husband which sits opposite it. Like the number 74, the 9 passes the museums in Kensington, Harrods and Hyde Park corner. It takes a different route afterwards to visit St James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Savoy hotel and arts and cultural centre Somerset House.

Number RV1
The RV1 is a favourite route for us here at VL Towers! Despite being a single decker, it still passes through some of the best parts of London, giving you a great cultural tour of the city. Soak up some shops and street theatre at Covent Garden before taking the RV1. Hopping on it will take you to the South Bank where you’ll see the London Eye and Royal Festival Hall. The London Bridge stop is metres from the London Dungeon and City Hall is the next sight on the route, which crosses Tower Bridge to finish up at the Tower of London.

Number 24
The 24 sets off from Camden Town which offers alternative fashion and food. The bus then heads to the more mainstream Leicester Square in the centre, calling in at Trafalgar Square and Horse Guards Parade. The political heart of London is next as the bus passes Parliament Square where you’ll find Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the nearby Westminster Abbey where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married last year. The final site is the city’s policing headquarters at the iconic New Scotland Yard building.

Be aware that some bus routes might change during the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games – read our top tips for Olympic travel here

Fans of James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Avatar are in for a treat this weekend: a giant replica of the Tree of Souls is being erected in Hyde Park to celebrate the movie coming out on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Wannabe Na’vi can get up close and personal with the tree, which is made of 20 miles of fibre optic cable, and can even interact with it via their iPods and phones. The tree’s “branches” will respond to the movements of visitors around the tree by changing light and colour. Visitors can also send messages to an inbuilt screen in the tree.

As an added bonus, Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar, will unveil the tree.

The event coincides with the Earth Day 2010 and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has pledged to plant a real tree for every person who connects with the Tree of Souls.

And if that’s not enough Avatar-related fun for you, HMV Oxford Street will be transformed into Pandora on 25 April for the film’s small screen release. Stephen Lang will be popping up again, and there’ll be lots of Avatar goodies for customers. Wristbands will be available for the event from 10am on the day on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tree of Souls, Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, 24-26 April, free

Today sees the last in a series of informative free talks at Covent Garden’s very own Speakers’ Corner. So far the talks have covered tea, honey and urban-farming; today the subject is chocolate!

Come and join us at the Covent Garden Real Food Market on the East Piazza where, at lunchtime, seminal 90s supermodel Lorraine Pascale will demonstrate the fine art of cupcake decorating. Or pop down in the evening for chocolate tasting and a talk on the history of chocolate – from bean to bar – with highly skilled chocolate obsessives, Chocolution. 

The fun kicks off at 1pm – don’t miss it!

Covent Garden is the place to be today, with a jam-packed schedule of exciting events from talks on Urban Beekeeping, to grow-your-own workshops, at The Covent Garden Real Food Market.

Speakers’ Corner (the series of free, weekly talks and demonstrations for London’s foodie community) will feature two of the UK’s leading experts in Urban Beekeeping and Urban Allotments:

• Thursday at 1pm: Beekeeping advice, honey & beeswax workshops with The Hive Honey Shop
• Thursday at 6pm: Urban Farming talks and demonstrations with Capital Growth

If you can’t make it today, there’ll be more talks and demonstrations on Thursday 20 August at the same times.

Don’t forget, if you’re struggling to entertain the kids this holiday, Covent Garden is running The Kids Are Alright summer promotion until Sunday 23 August. This massive free event includes juggling and puppet workshops, cupcake decorating classes, and even a giant sandpit.

The Kids Are Alright also sees great offers on toys and family dining from some of the area’s leading shops and restaurants, including complimentary kids meals from top Covent Garden restaurants, free Disney goodies and the chance to win a Build-A-Bear Workshop party.