Thames Barrier Park

Opened in 2000, this Anglo/French venture by landscape architect Allain Provost and London architects Patel Taylor is unlike any other London green space. Perched above the Thames and overlooking the steely and stylish eponymous flood barrier, the 22-acre oasis features an elegant 32-jet fountain and an equally pleasing and unusual 130-foot-long horticultural "Green Dock" (formerly called 'dry dock'), noted for its imaginative plantings and contours. Plus paths for wandering, a war pavilion, a café with good views and a high-quality kiddie play area. A trek out here will have you thinking you've demystifyed a part of London you thought you'd see only from an aeroplane (US = airplane). Local landmarks include the stunning, colossal but controversial Richard Rogers/Buro Happold structure the Dome (born Millennium Dome in 1999), Royal Victoria Dock and its inventive bridge (worth crossing, with City Airport planes flying just above your head) and the neighbouring industrial areas that define Silvertown. Tube stations: Bank or Canning Town, then Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Pontoon Dock.