London is best seen on foot. But in a city so historically, culturally and geographically vast, you might need a guide. Fortunately, a burgeoning community of tour operators is ready and waiting to lead you through the streets of London. Ten of the many options – including the mainstream and the more offbeat – are suggested below. Check the websites for full details, as most walks require pre-booking.
Fox & Squirrel Art Walks
New company Fox & Squirrel prides itself on knowing the best lifestyle venues in the capital. Regular walks explore London's fashion, arts, vintage, architecture and food scenes. On a typical arts walk, you'll visit three contemporary galleries. A curator or artist will not only explain the work on show, but also the oft-bewildering nature of the London arts world.
The next Arts walk is on 8 October, 3pm, Peckham Library, £15, 90 minutes, foxandsquirrel.com
Old Map Man
Nearly all tour guides thrive off London's unrivalled history. Ken Titmuss, AKA the Old Map Man, goes one step further by physically conjuring up lost London using historic maps. For example, he'll not only lead you to Charles Dickens' former home, but also show you a 19th-century map with a gap where this house was about to be built. Tours operate all over London, but there's no fixed rota so check the website for details.
Tour starting points vary, next tour 19 October at 11am. Most walks cost £8 and last two hours, londontrails.wordpress.com
Olympic tours
All eyes will be on London in 2012 for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Public access to the main Olympic Park is restricted during the build-up, but a guided walk around the perimeter offers a tantalising preview. Blue Badge guides from Tour Guides Ltd provide daily outings. The tours begin in the Lower Lea Valley, where you'll learn about the area's still-visible industrial heritage. You'll finish up on the Greenway, a raised walkway through the middle of the Olympic Park with spectacular views of the main stadia.
11am every day from Bromley-by-Bow tube station, adults £9, children £6, walks last around two hours maximum, tourguides2012.co.uk
Black History Walks
Explore the history of London's African populations with these regular tours in the City, West End, Docklands, Elephant and Castle and Notting Hill. You'll hear how much of England's wealth was built on African labour and resources, discover the streets that carry African names, and learn to spot African architectural influences. There's no regular rota of walks, so check the web site for upcoming events.
The next City tour is on 9 October at 2pm, £7 adults, £3 children, around two hours, blackhistorywalks.co.uk
Liars' London
Lesser tour guides are often accused of "making stuff up" for the sake of a good story. This tricksy tour makes a virtue of embellishment and deceit. You get two tour guides, one of whom tells the truth while the other tells porkies. Your task is to guess which one is the fibber, with a prize for the most astute member of the group. Liars' tours are organised by London Street Tours and are available for Kensington, Chelsea, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Bloomsbury (assuming that their spokesperson is telling the truth).
Group tours available on request at £7.50 per person, minimum group size of 20, londonstreettours.co.uk
Charles Booth Poverty Maps
Sean Patterson has numerous tricks up his sleeve to bring the sights and sounds of Victorian London to life. One minute you're ushered into a local supermarket to learn about the history of ice cream, the next you're dropping into the local pub for a pint of Best. Patterson draws on the work of Charles Booth, the Victorian philanthropist who mapped poverty levels across all of London's streets. Patterson uses the map to point out areas that remain down-at-heel, and ones that have prospered. His main tours explore the fascinating but little-known streets of Deptford, and he's working on sequels elsewhere.
Tours run most Saturdays and Sundays from central Deptford, £10, three hours, charlesboothwalks.com
London Street Art Tours
There's much more to street art than Banksy. Graff guide Griff knows many of the artists personally, and will open your eyes to this vibrant subculture. By the end, you'll be able to tell your Roas from your Malarkys and your Eines from your Sweet Toofs. And Banksy? You'll also be shown a few of his lesser-known pieces, hidden from general view. Tours usually focus on the Shoreditch area, this being London's main hotbed of street art. Weekend tours will also take you up to Hackney on a more extended expedition.
From Old Street tube station every Tuesday (10am) and Thursday (6pm), £10, two hours. A four-hour tour costs £15, on Saturdays at 11am, streetartlondon.co.uk/tours
London's Lost Rivers
A lost network of rivers is buried beneath the roads of modern London. Most are now sewers, but all have left their mark on the world above. Tom Bolton, author of the recent book London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide, will show you how to read the landscape and spot these ancient watercourses – from the slopes of nearby roads to tell-tale street names. His next trek, on 8 October, follows the elusive River Neckinger, which rises in Southwark and drains into the Thames in Bermondsey. Periodic tours are available, but don't run to a rota.
8 October, from Bernie Spain Gardens, 2.30pm, £5, two hours, strangeattractor.co.uk/further
Harry Potter Tours
Perfect for families, these wizarding tours of London seek out locations from the eight movies. One tour explores the City of London, home to Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron. Another will leave you spellbound in Westminster, where you'll discover the entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Muggles are welcome. The tours are by London Walks, who've dominated the guided walk scene in the capital for decades, and offer many other themed excursions.
City tours run every Wednesday from Temple tube station, 6.30pm, Westminster tours run on Saturdays from Westminster tube station, at 2pm, adults £8, children £3, free for under-8s, walks.com
Smithfield Earlybird
Forget the Tower of London. Smithfield is undoubtedly the bloodiest location in the capital, with a long history of executions (including William "Braveheart" Wallace), centuries of heretic-burning and a famous peasant-slaying (the Revolt was stamped out here). Smithfield has also been the site of a butchers' market for centuries, which still thrives today. This turbulent and fascinating history is best explored in the early morning, when the market is bustling. Join a representative of the City Guides group for an early-bird tour.
Tours run once a month, with the next on 20 October, 7am, £8, 90 minutes, cityoflondontouristguides.com
Matt Brown is editor of online listings magazine Londonist.com and an obsessive walker