The City of London: two thousand years in one square mile

Visitors often use 'the City' and 'London' as if they meant the same place. They do not. The City of London is a single square mile on the north bank of the Thames, with its own Lord Mayor, its own police force and a history that begins with the Romans.

What to see

St Paul's Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, was rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 and is the natural place to start. The climb to the dome rewards anyone with the energy for it. Nearby, the Monument stands close to the place where the fire began.

The Bank of England Museum explains money, gold and inflation in terms a teenager can follow. At Guildhall, the City's medieval hall, visitors can see the remains of a Roman amphitheatre beneath the art gallery.

Leadenhall Market is a covered Victorian market. Beside it stands the Lloyd's building, home of the insurance market that grew out of a seventeenth-century coffee house. Around it rise the towers known by their nicknames: the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater and the Walkie-Talkie.

Why students should go

The City shows how an old place stays useful. Medieval street names such as Bread Street and Milk Street sit beneath glass towers. Livery companies founded by medieval trades still fund schools and charities. For a student interested in economics, law or finance, a morning here makes abstract subjects concrete.

How to visit

Go on a weekday, when the streets are full of people at work, and go on foot. The distances are short. A good guide matters more here than almost anywhere else in London, because so much of the story is hidden behind doors and beneath pavements.