England - London

The West End, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Oxford Street. While the usual tourist haunts in this amazing city will keep you entertained for a year and a day, there are also plenty of delights off the beaten track. Both established attractions and less well known treats can be discovered in every area of this sprawling metropolis.  Having grown around the River Thames over 2,000 years ago, the City of London has expanded outwards and is a network containing distinct areas which were formerly villages or towns in their own right. This has meant that London is incredibly cosmopolitan and diverse with whatever you are seeking on offer, as long as you know where to look!

THE WEST
The ‘glittering’ West End is the place to go to catch the latest show or musical. In Leicester Square, choose from Hollywood blockbusters to the Independent sleeper hits. You may even bump into Tom Cruise on the red carpet premieres which occur regularly at the famous and luxurious Odeon cinema!  With economy chain restaurants, icecream parlours and high street vendors aplenty you won’t go hungry. Just north of Leicester Square, Soho plays host to numerous trendy bars, clubs, theatres, cafes, restaurants and also the exotic Chinatown where East Asia meets West London.
 If your money is burning a hole in your pocket head to Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, where you will find national chains & department stores neighbouring unique, exclusive boutiques.
Further west also contains one of the most exclusive parts of Britain: Chelsea and Kensington. Notting Hill, after featuring in the film of the same name, is becoming less of a secret gem but it has still lost none of its charm and the Portobello market it hosts is definitely worth a visit.  

NORTH LONDON
In the North, explore the boutiques and trendy second-hand stores of the bohemian Camden Market in ‘Old Camden Town’ and pick yourself up a bargain. Hampstead Heath provides fantastic views of the city and allows you to get away from the usual hustle and bustle with a dip in one of the natural swimming pools. Highgate, Primrose Hill, and Muswell Hill contain numerous independent shops and cafes. With many celebrities, such as Jude Law, Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani choosing to settle there you never know who you might bump into as you wander the hilly streets!

EAST END/CITY
The infamous East End of the city has been rejuvenated recently and has been boosted further in its redevelopment with the area of Stratford playing host to the 2012 Olympic Games. This exciting and energetic region of London contains Brick Lane, which is the heart of a major Bangladeshi community and has come to the fore recently with Monica Ali’s award-winning novel. If you are looking to hit the town head to where the Bright Young Things come out to play: Hoxton and Shoreditch. Hoxton isn’t just for night life though; it also contains many cutting edge art galleries and stylish restaurants such as Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen. For lovers of the arts the Barbican Centre is worth a visit.
The ancient marries easily with the modern in the East End as the skyscrapers of the City sit among the pristine medieval winding streets of the London where Jack the Ripper roamed and Hitler failed to drop his bombs. The Jewell in the architectural Crown that is St. Paul’s Catherdral, its dome shining brightly like a symbol of hope, has seen Kings & Queens married, a fire and bombs wreak havoc in the city and present day London evolve around it. It is a must see.

SOUTH LONDON
South London is the term Londoners use to describe everything South of the Thames and does not separate into the East and West as everything North of the River does. Efficiently connected to central London by an ever improving and state of the art transport system (Greenwich is an Olympic Borough) no one should miss out on a DLR trip which will take you from East (Bank Station) to South London. All overland, the views are stunning and modernistic, taking you through the centre of Docklands and Canary Wharf, with breathtaking views of the Millennium Dome and the River Thames. History has been magically preserved here with listed 1960s council blocks, aristocratic homes and Billingsgate Fish Market sitting confidently with the cities’ most dense collection of skyscrapers. Docklands has become a community with a very distinct 21st century atmosphere, unparalleled in any other part of London and in the past dismissed as being characterless. Not true.  Stay on the DLR beyond Docklands and you will be delivered to one of the prettiest and historic parts of London: Greenwich. With the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Park, Cutty Sark and bordering onto Blackheath (the Heath where they buried the dead of the plague) it should not be missed. Crammed with small cafes, restaurants, pubs, bookshops and a lovely covered market, Greenwich has something to offer for everyone.

THE RIVER THAMES 
Where ever you are in London, you are always near enough to the River Thames, which apart from the incredibly efficient transport system which exists since the Mayoralship of Ken Livingstone, is what unites the city.  It is huge, magnificent and now one of the cleanest rivers in Europe. On a pleasant Spring day or hot summers day, there is nothing better than taking a river cruise from East to West or West to East.  Boats can be picked up from several points along the river.  A guide will give you the history of everything which can be seen on the banks of the Thames and is fascinating, educational and reasonably priced.  Embankment to Greenwich is a perfect journey, taking you around the bend in the River at Canary Wharf.
On the banks for the Thames, don’t miss the renowned ‘arts quarter’ on the central banks which includes the South Bank Centre - home to many  great cultural entertainment venues of classical & world music, rock & pop, jazz, dance, literature and the visual arts. The Royal Festival Hall,  The Haywood, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Saison Poetry Library are all found here.   Within walking distance you can visit the world famous Tate Galleries (both old and modern), the National Theatre, Millennium Wheel and Bridge and plenty of other less well known cultural gems.    And if its food you’re after in this area, visit Borough Market, London’s oldest food market, built when the Romans first built London Bridge.