London
United Kingdom
- Cityscape
- Pretty, gritty and green
- City life
- Cultural kaleidoscope
England's capital has got it all. And she flaunts it.
From the revived East End to the swish haunts of Notting Hill, London accessorises its heritage beauty with couldn’t-give-a-damn street cred. This feisty lady is effortlessly cool: glorious parks and historic squares, monuments galore, museums piled with colonial swag, galleries where art soothes or surprises, and stages attracting theatre’s hottest talent. A multi-ethnic English eccentric, the British capital lets you eat and shop your way around the globe, sending you home sated and satisfied. The Routemaster buses, King’s Road punks and Carnaby Street swingers may be long gone, but this shoppers’ Valhalla has reinvented itself as a modern metropolis. And, while architectural icons the Gherkin, the London Eye and Wembley Stadium provide a skyline for the new renaissance, the build-up to the 2012 Olympics provides an endlessly fascinating topic for the city’s enthusiastic cabbies…
Pictured: Haymarket Hotel
Boutique hotels in London
From city-centre high-luxe to stylish stays in the suburbs, we've picked out the best boutique hotels in London.
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Getting there
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
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Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best London has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
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Eating, drinking & dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in London.
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Smith Maps
Here is the map of London; each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag; click it for more details.
moreLocal knowledge
- Taxis
- You can hail one of London’s trademark metered hackney cabs anywhere, or ring Zingo (0870 070 0700) from your mobile, and the nearest one will find you. Avoid unlicensed minicabs; we recommend Climatecars (+44 (0)20 8968 0440), whose carbon‑neutral minicabs operate in central London.
- Tipping culture
- 10 per cent is standard, but many restaurants now add a discretionary 12.5 per cent, so be careful not to tip twice.
- Packing tips
- A pocket‑sizedA–Z guide with a Tube map will prevent ‘Where am I?’ moments becoming ‘Lost’ moments.
- Recommended reads
- Martin Amis’ London Fields follows three characters as nuclear disaster looms; Iain Sinclair circumnavigated the M25 on foot to research London Orbital; Peter Ackroyd’s epic London: The Biography treats the town as a personality.
- Cuisine
- You name it… London wins global praise for its authentic multi-cultural cuisine, from Chinatown’s dim sum to Brick Lane’s saucy spices and West London’s Moroccan tagines. You want Lebanese falafel or Vietnamese phô? You're in the right city. To tick the traditional box, acquire a taste for jellied eels or pie and mash – try F Cooke on Broadway Market, E8 (+44 (0)871 332 8190). Or just start your day, like your cabbie did, with a full English breakfast from a greasy-spoon caff. For the local brew, try a pint of Young’s or Fuller’s ESB.
- Regional specialities
- Hey, even a mega‑metropolis can source from its own garden. At Oliver Rowe’s King’s Cross restaurant, Konstam at the Prince Albert ((+44 (0)20 7833 5040; www.konstam.co.uk), all the ingredients used in the making of his Northern European menu are grown or produced within the M25. Norbury Blue cheese, Tower Hill honey and Amersham lamb not only lack air miles, they also offer a true taste of London town.
- Currency
- Pound sterling.
- Dialing codes
- Country code for the UK: 44. London: 020.
- Do go/don't go
- London empties out in August, but tourist sites still get crowded. Spring and summer can be lovely, even if the weather is reliably unreliable.