London
London can be a tricky dance partner, so it pays to know your steps. Unlike neater, more intuitively planned cities, the sprawling UK capital conceals its charms far from big red buses and the thoroughfares to which ill-advised tourists flock. (Save yourself some time: Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square are all roundabouts.)
Some general rules before we get under way: first, think of London as a cluster of villages and group your movements around neighbourhoods – by foot is best. Having a driver or hailing a black cab can be good options outside of rush hour but public transport, although dingy at times, is swift and safe. Second: many of the best museums in the world – V&A, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and The British Museum among them – are here and free, so there’s never an excuse to waste a rainy afternoon. Thirdly, don’t expect the grandeur or coherence of a Paris, instead try to tune in to the variety. The city, although unlovely in parts, is a pleasing palimpsest of Georgian squares, Victorian townhouses, 1950’s tower blocks and postmodern behemoths often shoehorned into odd plots. And remember to be streetwise with phones and valuables while ogling that Edwardian cornicing or cloud-troubling new tower. Oh, and a very general, probably slightly biased geography lesson: east leans edgier and younger than west. The north is leafier and more genteel than the south. As always in this chaotic and charming city, exceptions and caveats to these rules of thumb abound. Despite a slight post-Brexit tarnish to travel and the ease of doing business, plus the rise of chains – there are certainly creative corners, wonderful independents and a flying food scene to discover.
The UK capital has its foibles and can take time to tame and learn to love. Our guide is here to save you the wrong turns and ensure that you and the Big Smoke get on famously.
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