Hotel in Twickenham, London

Historic, attractive Twickenham is one of west London’s major towns, in the Richmond district and close to major tourist attractions like Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace.

A charming riverside town with much to offer in terms of shopping, dining and lovely properties, Twickenham’s synonymous with English rugby union, Twickenham Stadium being home to the national side (Rugby Road, 0870 405 2000, www.rfu.com). The iconic 82,000-capacity stadium has all England’s home tests as well as major cup games and the occasional rock concert.

Also nearby is Hampton Court (East Moseley, 0870 752 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace), one of the UK’s most popular palaces – rich in royal history and with truly beautiful gardens, the annual Flower Show (July, http://www.rhs.org.uk/hamptoncourt) and Hampton Court Music Festival (June, www.hamptoncourtfestival.com) help attract millions of visitors to this lovely corner of London.

If horticulture is your thing, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (Kew Road, Richmond, 020 8332 5655, www.kew.org) are a must-visit. They have the world’s largest collection of living plants, plus museums, conservatories, Japanese pagodas and a treetop walkway guaranteed to delight. Continuing the theme, Marble Hill House (Richmond Road, 020 8892 5115, www.english-heritage.org.uk) is a Palladian villa on the Thames with more gorgeous gardens – planted by the famous poet Alexander Pope – and summer concerts.

Specialist and independent shops abound in Twickenham: head to Church Street for a concentration of quirky retailers selling antiques, jewellery and some excellent cafes.

Eating out in Twickenham is upmarket but excellent: try The Grill Room (2 Whitton Road, 020 8891 0803, www.thegrillroomtw1.co.uk) for lovingly cared-for British steaks, and Loch Fyne (175 Hampton Road, 020 8255 6222, www.lochfyne.com) for outstanding British seafood with particularly superb oysters.

There are around 12 trains an hour connecting Twickenham (Zone 5) to Waterloo.

Twickenham: Tube (underground)

Twickenham: Rail (overground)