The City The financial and trading heart of London, the City contains the headquarters of all the major UK banking and stockbroking institutions and is full of pin-striped wheeler-dealers during the week, but a desert by night and at weekends. Soho Behind Leicester Square, this is London entertainment’s throbbing heart. With dive bars, cool pubs, fashionable restaurants and a large gay community, Soho is where Londoners go to let off steam. It’s a must-see for any visitor interested in seeing London life at its largest and most engaging. Live and let live is the general feeling here and prudes should avoid.

Covent Garden The east side of the West End, Covent Garden is a short walk from Leicester Square and is a haven for individual fashion and accessory shops, funky bars, cafés and small, independent theatres. In summer, the cobbled square of the reconstructed Covent Garden Market becomes more Florence or Seville than central London.

Mayfair The west side of the West End, Mayfair is the opulent centre of Old London and, accordingly, is home to the grandest hotels (The Dorchester, Claridge’s, The Connaught) and world-famous Bond Street, a boulevard of bling, with all the top fashion houses (Gucci, Prada, D&G) jostling for attention. Islington N1, Islington’s postcode, is where the capital’s media congregate to live and kick back in the area’s many gastro pubs. Shoreditch Brick Lane and the environs of Old Street are where London’s creative types hang out in the various vintage clothing shops, art studios, noodle bars and fashionably run-down pubs and bars. Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough, are both west of the centre, although still very accessible, and home to some of the most sought-after residential property in London. Popular with ladies who lunch, Chelsea has many of the designer boutiques and restaurants necessary for such an audience. Its main thoroughfares are the King’s Road, Fulham Road and Sloane Square.

Knightsbridge One of the smartest areas in London, Knightsbridge has world-famous department stores Harrods and Harvey Nichols and many designer boutiques along Sloane Street, Walton Street and Beauchamp Place. Come with a fully armed credit card.

South Bank This area on the south side of the Thames houses some of the institutions of Britain’s contemporary arts community. Among these are the National Theatre, the National Film Theatre and the Tate Modern art gallery, a mammoth former turbine hall housing some of the world’s best contemporary and mosern art. Make sure you stroll along the Thames to the Design Museum too

GETTING AROUND

The London Underground (locals call it the Tube) and buses are generally the quickest way of getting around London.

A Travelcard, which must be purchased after 9.30am, will cost £4.30 for zones 1 and 2 (central London—see the London Underground map, a model of clarity) or £4.70 for zones 1-4 (inclusive of most of Greater London) and allows unlimited travel for the day within those areas. It is valid on tubes, buses and night-buses. If you’re travelling before 9.30am and using the Tube a good deal, the Oyster Pre-pay card is an option. This is loaded with your chosen level of credit when you buy it and then simply held against a reader as you enter and exit the Tube or bus. Details on www.tfl.gov.uk.

On the whole it is better to get black cabs in London. They’re safe, registered and, although expensive, the drivers know exactly where they’re going and will take the quickest route. Charges are £2.40 flat and approximately 70p per mile from then. Get your hotel to call you a minicab, as it will prove far cheaper than a black cab and they know the reliable operators. Minicabs are prohibited from picking up fares on the street, although some will try.

Driving a car in London isn’t recommended. Apart from the exorbitant cost of parking, there is also the congestion charge— payable every time you drive anywhere within the central London area—to contend with.

SHOPPING

London’s busiest shopping street is Oxford Street, which features larger versions of high-street shops as well as the marvelous Selfridges (400 Oxford Street), a multi-story shrine to consumerism. Nearby Tottenham Court Road is, essentially, one of the largest concentrations of electronic gadget shops outside Japan. Nearby Regent Street features the likes of Liberty (200 Regent Street), Burberry (165 Regent Street) and Aquascutum (100 Regent Street), and around the corner is Carnaby Street, chock full of young designer gear. Covent Garden, whose shopping area has been rebranded as Seven Dials, has a plethora of interesting retailers.

Mayfair has both Bond Street and South Molton Street, home to some of the world’s most exclusive labels including Gucci (34 Old Bond Street), Prada (15-16 Old Bond Street), Brown’s (23-27 South Molton Street) and Versace (113-115 New Bond Street).

Knightsbridge is famous for two of London’s foremost department stores, Harvey Nichols (109 Knightsbridge) and, of course, the irrepressible Harrods (87 Brompton Road). Chelsea is good for designer-wear, particularly individual shops like Joseph (74 Sloane Avenue), Agnès b (111 Fulham Road) and Vivienne Westwood (430 King’s Road).

The upmarket Portobello Road antiques and flea market in Notting Hill takes place every Saturday from 8am-6pm, although there are stalls from Monday-Friday as well. On Saturday it’s huge, with over 2,000 stalls selling everything from books to bric-a-brac and lace to Limoges—even exotic cooking ingredients are on sale. The market runs from Chepstow Villas to just under the Westway.

Otherwise known as London’s larder, Borough Market boasts a mouth-watering range of fresh food stalls under its Dickensian wrought-iron roof—Italian cheeses, Morecambe Bay shrimps, Spanish meats and much more. Atmospheric and lively, it’s a definite must on a Saturday morning. It’s a foodie’s paradise. Open noon-6pm Friday, 9am-4pm Saturday. Nearest Tube: London Bridge.

THINGS TO DO

London’s world-class shopping, West End theatre scene and beautiful historical landmarks are just the icing on a very large cake. For art lovers, Tate Britain (Millbank, SW1, www.tate.org.uk) on the north side of Vauxhall Bridge is a must, or check out the Tate Modern on Bankside— hang on as you cross the once wobbly pedestrian bridge from the north side of the Thames near St Paul’s Cathedral. Continuing along the river to the South Bank, the walk offers magnificent views, including the British Airways London Eye (www.londoneye.com), London’s huge ferris wheel. Climb aboard and savour unique 360° views over the city from its glass pods. The 40-minute ride costs £12. Check out the National Theatre (www. thisistheatre.com). Even if you’re not seeing a play, there is always free live music in the foyer and generally an art exhibition too. For a glance at the past, the reconstructed Shakespeare’s Globe theatre (21 New Globe Walk, www.shakespeares-globe.org) is home to all things Shakespearean, and the National Film Theatre (South Bank, www.bfi.org.uk) hosts many festivals, so do check the schedule.

Be sure to visit the National Gallery (www.nationalgallery.org.uk) at the top of Trafalgar Square. It houses, among others, many of Claude Monet’s original works, Hans Holbein’s Ambassadors and regularly changing exhibitions.

Most art galleries and museums in London are now free. Particularly of note are the Natural History Museum (Cromwell Road, www.nhm.ac.uk) and the Science Museum (Exhibition Road, www.sciencemuseum. org.uk) in South Kensington, of interest to those with or without children. Private collections may charge entrance.

London is proud of its many parks—Hyde, where you can go for a row (www. royalparks.com), Regent’s, Battersea and Green Park to name but a few. All get very busy if the sunshine lasts for anything more than an hour.

For those interested in British sports, London is home to the Oval cricket ground (www.surreycricket.com) and also several famous football stadiums, including Arsenal’s Highbury (www.arsenal.com), Tottenham’s White Hart Lane stadium (www.spurs.co.uk) and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge (www.chelseafc.com).

EXCURSIONS

The London Wetland Centre (Queen Elizabeth’s Walk, London SW13 9WT, Tel: 8409 4400, nearest railway station: Barnes, nearest Tube: Hammersmith), gives Londoners the chance to enjoy wetland wildlife on their doorstep. The 105-acre site has been turned into a mosaic of pools, ponds and lakes, with 14 different wetland habitats from around the globe. It’s open from 9.30am-5pm in winter and until 6pm in summer. Entry costs £6.75.

For pure foodie heaven, hire a car and woo a client by visiting one of these stellar dining establishments an hour or so from London. You’ll get to see a bit of that famous English countryside too.

The Fat Duck, 1 High Street, Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AQ (Tel: 01628 580 333, www.fatduck.co.uk). Since becoming the UK’s latest recipient of the culinary world’s most prestigious accolade, three Michelin stars, The Fat Duck has attracted a lot of attention for chef/proprietor Heston Blumenthal’s fascination with the science of cookery.

Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Church Road, Great Milton, Oxfordshire OX44 7PD (Tel: 01844 278 881, www.manoir. com). Raymond Blanc’s finely tuned take on country-house luxury offers exemplary cooking based on classic French technique and the very best ingredients.

TOURIST TRAPS

Madame Tussaud’s knows that the majority of its audience consists of tourists and adjusts its prices accordingly. The same goes for the Planetarium and London Dungeon. Also beware of unregistered 'tours—these are more often than not a rip-off.

CONVENTION CENTRES

ExCeL London (www.excel-london. co.uk), the international exhibition and conference centre, is home to a vast range of events throughout the year, from internationally acclaimed travel trade exhibitions to high-octane sporting events, as well as product launches, conferences and corporate hospitality functions. The only down side is the location way out in Docklands, but once you’re on the Docklands Light Railway from Bank underground station, it only takes 20 minutes. There are several hotels based at Canary Wharf, including the Four Seasons Hotel Canary Wharf (46 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, E14 8RS, Tel: 7510 1999, www.fourseasons.com). With its spectacular river-front setting and ultramodern towers, Canary Wharf is London’s newest financial centre and worth a visit in itself.

In central London, The Cavendish Conference Centre (Tel: 7323 4555, www. cavendishconference.com) is just a five-minute walk from Oxford Circus.