When I first moved to London over a decade ago, I kept getting disoriented. The Thames, one of my reference points, was never where I thought it was.

Buenos Aires, where I lived before London, was challenging in many ways, but you always knew where the river was. The area by the River Plate is known as El Bajo, and you always knew whether you were walking towards it or away from it. The Thames is another story. It winds through London so much that a landmark you expect ahead of you ends up behind you. It drove me crazy!

So, a friend suggested I play tourist once a week and start connecting the dots of my new town. The only rule: no underground. That’s how my tourist Sundays started. I went on one walk a week, for a year.

And it paid off. When I started interpreting for visiting delegations and going with them from one venue to the next, I already knew most of the answers to their what-is-that questions.

Since then, I’ve been adding details and first-hand anecdotes to my useless-things-about-London-that-always-come-in-handy bank.

Spare Hour is my gift to you: more than a decade of navigating this fascinating city through the eyes of business travellers. Use it and share it with the colleagues heading to my adoptive home.

Each Spare Hour issue includes:

• A map of the points of interest and the photo opportunities
• Short, sweet descriptions of each point of interest
• A photo gallery from my own Sunday walks

We’ll start with a classic.

Most delegations either stay in one of the hotels on the south side of Westminster Bridge or attend meetings and events at the House of Commons or the House of Lords, in the Palace of Westminster (Parliament). So, this first Spare Hour starts at Big Ben and ends at the ultimate London landmark: Buckingham Palace.

The walk takes about 40 minutes at tourist pace. Westminster station is the nearest Tube stop to Big Ben.

Start at Big Ben (1) and look across Bridge Street. That’s Portcullis House, the Parliament extension that opened at the turn of the 21st century to house offices and committee rooms for Members of Parliament. A tunnel under Bridge Street connects it to the Palace of Westminster. If you’ve watched Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix, this is the tunnel where the minister and his mistress bump into each other.

Cross Bridge Street (above ground, not under!) and turn left. At the intersection with Whitehall, stop before crossing and look up. In the corner of the building, you’ll see a window with a triangular hood. That building is the UK Treasury, and that’s the window (2) from where Winston Churchill announced Victory in Europe on 8 May 1945.

Keep walking. This is your chance for the classic red phone box photo, with Big Ben in the background. You’ll know what I mean when you see it. Keep the Treasury on your left and Parliament Square on your right. You’ll pass some emblematic London buildings with stunning interiors, such as the Institution of Civil Engineers, until you reach the corner of St James’s Park.

There’s a park café called Café at Storey’s Gate (3) if you want to sit down for a moment. Otherwise, turn right without crossing the street. You’ll pass the Treasury, followed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on the other side of King Charles Street, where you’ll find the entrance to the Churchill War Rooms museum (4). James Bond fans: most of the scenes with Daniel Craig crossing patios and striding down hallways to meet C were filmed in these buildings.

Keep walking past the back of the FCDO. You’ll see the back of Downing Street and the FCDO Ambassador’s Entrance, which appears in Netflix’s The Diplomat.

Next up is Horse Guards Parade (5), the historic ceremonial parade ground where Trooping the Colour takes place every June.

Now cross Horse Guards Road and go into St James’s Park. There’s another café if you need a break. Otherwise, head left along the lake. Across the water, you’ll see Duck Island Cottage (6), a Swiss-looking cottage that’s actually an office for the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust. It’s also a great spot to photograph the swans and pelicans that live in the park.

Keep walking along the lake until you reach The Blue Bridge (7), a wonderful photo spot.

Look right and you’ll see the London Eye and the roofline of Whitehall Court. MI6 used Whitehall Court until the end of the First World War. Today it’s home to a hotel, a couple of members’ clubs and private apartments. Look left and you’ll see Buckingham Palace.

Leave the bridge and head towards The Mall (the red road leading to the Palace). You’ll find one of the many plaques (8) set in the ground along the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk.

When you reach The Mall, turn left and head towards Buckingham Palace. Then turn around and look up! Between the trees, you’ll get a good view (and a good photo) of the top of Big Ben.

Just before Buckingham Palace (9), you’ll reach the Queen Victoria Memorial. Go right or left, your choice. If you go left, turn around and look up for a great view (and photo) of the London Eye and Big Ben in the distance. It’s particularly good right after sunset, when both are lit up and twinkling in the darkening sky.

Here are some pics of my own.