City Guide

City Guide London, United Kingdom
Currency £ (GBP)

In The City
KEY AREAS

Mayfair is an opulent quarter of Old London and, accordingly, is home to a number of London’s grandest hotels. Bond Street and New Bond Street house a large number of the world’s top fashion and jewellery stores, including Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Garrard and Tiifany. Towards the southern end of New Bond Street is Fortnum & Mason on Picadilly, the world-renowned haven for food, wine and excellent picnic hampers! A good route to Fortnum’s is via the Burlington Arcade, perhaps stopping at the Royal Academy for afternoon tea en route. The Burlington Arcade is the best place in London to purchase Cashmere jumpers and cardigans. South of Piccadilly is Green Park, a green oasis between the hustle and bustle of Mayfair and Buckingham Palace.

Kensington and Chelsea is home to some of the most sought-after residential property in London with some beautiful stucco fronted houses and smart garden squares. The borough has many of the designer boutiques and restaurants necessary for the ‘ladies who lunch’ set. Its main thoroughfares are the King’s Road, Fulham Road and Sloane Square. Peter Jones, part of the John Lewis Partnership, is a popular department store by Sloane Square and was recently renovated to include a roof top café, affording splendid views over London. Brompton Cross is also worth visiting and includes The Bliss Spa, Chanel, Joseph, The Conran Shop and some really great restaurants such as La Brasserie and Bibendum.

Knightsbridge is one of the smartest areas in London. The department stores, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, are close to one another. Harrods has a traditional old-money appeal to it whereas Harvey Nichols feels more cutting edge in both its fashion and home departments. Both stores have fabulous restaurants. Across the road from Harrods, and past Hotel Chocolat, is Cheval Place, one of Knightsbridge’s hidden gems for ladies, containing some excellent vintage shops selling an array of designer fashion, shoes, handbags and accessories. Cheval Place is also home to one of London’s most exclusive Indian restaurants, Shezan. Sloane Street has many designer boutiques including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Nicole Fahri. To the north of Brompton Road one can easily slip into Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Early weekday morning strolls are a great way to see the Household Cavalry exercising their horses along Rotton Row in Hyde Park, occasionally rehearsing in full regalia if there is a forthcoming military or royal event.

Notting Hill is a fashionable and affluent area, famous for its antique market on Portobello Road every Saturday. Fashion-meets-food at the Nicole Farhi café called 202 on Westbourne Grove. The Westbourne Grove and Clarendon Cross area is home to a wide range of chi-chi cafes, deli’s, galleries and lifestyle shops selling objects d’art, furniture, fashion and accessories. The Notting Hill Carnival takes place every year during the late August Bank Holiday weekend.

Soho is behind Leicester Square and is one of London’s entertainment quarters with a variety of bars, pubs and fashionable restaurants. The area is also close to Oxford Street and Regent Street with many high street shops and department stores, including Liberty. This area is populated both day and night by shoppers and party revellers! Just over the road from Regent Street on Heddon Street is The Ice Bar, made entirely from ice.

Covent Garden is a short walk from Leicester Square or The Strand and is a haven for fashion and accessory shops, bars, cafés, restaurants and small, independent theatres. In summer, the Piazza of Covent Garden Market becomes continental in feel and vibrant with crafts stores, outdoor cafes and street performers. Covent Garden is very close to Theatre Land.

The South Bank on the south side of the Thames houses a number of Britain’s cultural ‘institutions’ including the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery, National Theatre, National Film Theatre, Dali Museum, Tate Modern and the Design Museum. There are some excellent cafes and restaurants including Tate Modern’s Restaurant on level 7. A fabulous walking route will take you from the London Eye (Millennium Wheel) along the Thames Pathway and then past the Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre, Gabriel’s Wharf, Oxo Tower, Blackfriar’s Bridge, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Southwark Cathedral, HMS Belfast, Shad Thames and Butler’s Wharf and then onto the Design Museum. If you can get a riverside table in the sunshine then the Le Pont de la Tour Restaurant is worth a leisurely lunch.

The City is the financial and trading heart of London and contains the headquarters of all the major UK banking and stockbroking institutions. The area is vibrant with traders during weekdays but is very quiet by night and at weekends. Foster’s Swiss Re building (also known as The Gherkin!) is a tourist attraction in itself. Fantastic views of London, and even further afield on a clear and visible day, can be found in the champagne bar, Tower 42, in the Natwest Tower.

GETTING AROUND

The London Underground (also refered to as the Tube) and buses are generally the quickest way of getting around London.

Travelcards are widely available from stations and newsagents but the easist way of getting around is by purchasing an Oyster Card which one can top up, either in person at a pay point or online. All tube stations and buses have yellow Oyster Card readers which automatically deduct single fare journies from the sum that has been uploaded onto the card. Details on fares and how to obtain an Oyster Card can be found on www.tfl.gov.uk.

On the whole it is a far nicer experience to get black cabs in London. They are safe and registered and the drivers, who have to take The Knowledge Exam, know exactly where they are going and will take the quickest route.

Driving a car in London can prove troublesome during peak rush hour. Apart from the mind boggling one way systems, trying to avoid bus lanes and the exorbitant cost of parking (around £30 GBP per day in central London), there is also the Congestion Charge to contend with. The zone for this area now stretches from Earl’s Court to Shoreditch across London, having recently been extended.

This is just a quick and simple description of some of what is on offer in London. There are plenty of city guide books to choose from and Tourist Information Centres dotted around Central London. Your hotel may also be able to assist you with your travel plans or tickets for a theatre showing or concert. Please check with your concierge.

Please note, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate visa, travel permissions, innoculations and travel insurance for your trip, if required and if appropriate for your chosen destination.