If you have a stop over at Heathrow airport and don't want to spend it in a heathrow airport lounge or a heathrow airport hotel, you might consider spending some time at one of the local attractions - the things to do near to heathrow airport.

Heathrow is close enough to London (15 minutes to Paddington via the Heathrow Express), to make many of the attractions in Central London 'things to do near heathrow airport'. We have included some of the top attractions, but for a more complete guide visit www.4london.info.

Heathrow is also close to Windsor, making the Royal Windsor Castle or the pretty streets of Windsor local too. Or, if you're travelling with children, Legoland Windsor is not too far from the airport.

We have included outline details below (in alphabetical order) of our top tips, with more details on separate pages. Click on the name of the attraction to find out more:

Bekonscot Model Village: the worlds oldest model village, it depicts rural England in the 1930's. There are six little villages in a 1½ acre miniature landscape of farms and fields, castles and churches, woods, lakes and rolling hills.

British Museum: founded in 1753 from several private collections, the British Museum is one of the finest museums in the world. Its museums unrivaled collections include the famous Elgin Marbles.

Buckingham Palace: The London home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Visit the Queens Gallery, Royal Mews and (during the summer) the State Rooms.

Ealing Comedy Festival: six nights of first-class comedy in Ealing's famous Big Top tent in Walpole Park. Performers in previous years have included Ricky Gervais, Harry Hill, Jimmy Carr and Bill Bailey.

Hampton Court Festival: popular venue to enjoy fanfares, fireworks and festivitie, on warm evenings in June. International artists, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, the Gipsy Kings, Jools Holland, Elaine Page, and Katie Melua plus others perform in an open air setting.

Houses of Parliament: The Home of Government in the UK. During much of the year you can queue to watch the debate from the 'stangers gallery'. Or you can take a tour.

Legoland Windsor: a theme park based loosely around the brick building toy that's just 12 miles from the airport. Aimed at children from 2 - 12, there are over 50 interactive rides, live shows, building workshops, driving schools, roller coasters, a log flume and other attractions and set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland.

London Eye: a giant ferris wheel that is near the top of any London sightseers 'to do' list, especially those travelling with children. In a glass capsule with 10 other people, your 30-minute guided 'flight' will takes you to a peak of 450 feet (it's the tallest observation wheel in the world) and offers panoramic 360-degree views over london.

London Restaurants: There are as many Michelin starred restaurants in London than in Paris. For a comprehensive guide, click on the link to 4london.info's restaurant pages.

London Theatre: see one of the many shows in London's west end. There are so many and they change so often, we couldn't keep track. Instead, we send you to the 4london.info page.

London Zoo: the worlds first 'scientific zoological garden', and still one of its finest. Founded in 1824 and opened to the public in 1828 as a way of funding the scientific work. Over 600 species of animals including lions, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, fish, spiders and many, many more.

Madame Tussauds: The world famous waxwork exhibition, where visitors wander among life-like wax figures of historical and contemporary famous people.

National Gallery: the National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of European paintings and is one of the most important picture galleries in the world. Its collection many instantly recognisable masterpieces, such as van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait, Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks, Velazquez's Toilet of Venus and Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

Newbury Comedy Festival: a festival with plenty to amuse the whole family, the annual Newbury Comedy Festival is an all day, evening and after hours event.

Opera in Holland Park: Listening to music whilst lying on the grass in Holland Park is a great joy. This annual summer program is a very accessible, with none of the stuffiness that can be associated with opera.

Raindance Film Festival: an annual gathering of Independent Film makers. The festival features one-off experimental works or films that are about to make waves across the country and beyond.

St Pauls Cathedral: A famous architectural masterpiece by Sir Christopher Wren, this sprawling cathedral, is notable for its artistry and design, and also offers a fascinating glimpse at England's religious history.

TDK Cross Central Festival: Two days of major live acts, DJs, film and art across nine performance spaces. The bands and DJs will span indie, dance and alternative genres, plus there will be films showing and art on display.

Tower Bridge: one of London's most famous landmarks, with its pale blue lines and Gothic style, Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894. The bridge has an exhibition (the tower bridge experience), which describes how it was built, its history and the role it has played in the development of London.

Tower of London: Rich in history, and is most famous for its lurid and murderous past, the Tower of London acted as the royal residence, royal mint, the treasury, and it housed the beginnings of a zoo. But it is most famous as a Royal Prison.

Windsor Castle: one of the three official residences of the Queen, but probably best known as the former home of the Queen Mother, it was recently voted one of the 7 wonders of the UK. It has been home to the Sovereign for over 900 years, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and the oldest in continuous occupation.