OVERVIEW

Camden is one of the most popular destinations for visitors to London looking for something a little more eclectic. Home to the world famous Camden Lock market and endless music venues, clubs and cafés, this Bohemian corner of the city has been a hub for the arts-and-culture-minded since London’s 1960’s heyday.

ATTRACTIONS

London Zoo, Primrose Hill, Jewish Museum

2012 OLYMPICS

Triathlon, 10km Open Swim (Hyde Park), Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Camden Town, Mornington Crescent

DINING OUT

Gilgamesh, Caponata, Jazz Café

SHOPPING

Camden Market, Camden High Street, Camden Lock

NIGHTLIFE

Electric Ballroom, Underworld, Roundhouse, KOKO

OVERVIEW

This entertaining area is a great destination for those who enjoy a bit of variety during their Sunday stroll. In Covent Garden’s cobble-stoned Piazza, street performers put on shows from the morning to the evening, every day except Christmas Day. If you’re not entertained enough already, you’re also on the doorstep of the Royal Opera House, accessible from the Piazza. Or if shopping is more your thing, there is a large and ornate indoor market once known as ‘The Larder of London’, selling fresh produce from a seemingly endless number of stalls.

ATTRACTIONS

Royal Opera House, hourly street performances, London Transport Museum

2012 OLYMPICS

Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Royal Opera House, Charing Cross, Leicester Square

DINING OUT

Covent Garden Kitchen, Covent Garden Grill, Masala Zone, Wagamama, Loch Fyne, Sophie’s Steakhouse, Stranded in London Restaurant

SHOPPING

Covent Garden Market, James Street

NIGHTLIFE

Verve Bar, Stringfellow’s Covent Garden (adult), The Gardening Club, The Harp, Oxygen Bar & Club

OVERVIEW

Leicester Square is the place to go if a night at the cinema is among your hobbies. Several multiplexes are situated within the Square itself, and many more in the streets branching from it. This pedestrianised area is also home to a number of London’s major radio stations. Within steps of two other must-see destinations, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, a property in or around this area will be one of the most convenient and vibrant places to base your stay.

ATTRACTIONS

Empire Theatre, Alhambra Theatre, The Odeon, Mezzanine

2012 OLYMPICS

Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus

DINING OUT

Joy King Lau, Golden Dragon, Ruby Blue

SHOPPING

Trocadero

NIGHTLIFE

Napoleon’s Casino, The Exchange Bar, The Hippodrome

OVERVIEW

Westminster is located on the north bank of the River Thames, and is the place to go for the grand architecture and familiar London landmarks which are recognised the world over. The Palace of Westminster, better known as the Houses of Parliament, sits by the riverside, and its famous bell tower (St. Stephen’s Tower and its famous bell known as Big Ben) completes the iconic Westminster skyline. Westminster Abbey, the place in which Britain’s monarchs are crowned, and Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty’s primary residence, are both vital for your photograph collection, and also lie within Westminster, as does the Oxford Street shopping hub.

ATTRACTIONS

Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament (& Big Ben), Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms, Westminster Cathedral, The Queen’s Gallery, Tate Gallery

2012 OLYMPICS

Triathlon (Hyde Park), Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Westminster, St. James’s Park

DINING OUT

Roussillon, The Thomas Cubitt, Noura Belgravia, La Poule au Pot, The Goring Restaurant, Il Convivio

SHOPPING

Oxford Street, Sloane Street, Piccadilly Circus, Victoria Place, Harrods

NIGHTLIFE

Pacha, Tiger Tiger, Madame Jojos, Zoo Bar & Club, Reform Club, Rumba, The End, The Ritz, Ministry of Sound, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club

OVERVIEW

As if this area wasn’t famous enough already, it was brought to the world’s attention once again via the 1999 romantic comedy movie of the same name. Lending itself perfectly to this idyllic and quirky view of London, Notting Hill’s charming streets and boutique shopping create a true sense of community. Portobello Road, home of another famous market, runs the entire length of Notting Hill, bisected by Westbourne Grove, another major retail street. The Grove is also one of the streets down which the yearly carnival parades, in possibly the biggest cultural display London plays host to.

ATTRACTIONS

Notting Hill Carnival, Albert Memorial, Museum District (see KENSINGTON)

2012 OLYMPICS

Volleyball (Earl’s Court), Triathlon, 10km Open Swim (Hyde Park)

GETTING AROUND

Westbourne Park, Notting Hill Gate, Ladbroke Grove, Holland Park

DINING OUT

The Elgin, Notting Hill Brasserie, Bloody French, The Market Thai, Essenza

SHOPPING

Portobello Road, Westbourne Grove

NIGHTLIFE

Blagclub, The Gate, Liquid Nation, Notting Hill Arts Club

OVERVIEW

Once notorious as London’s centre of adult entertainment, Soho has undergone sweeping changes over the last three decades, and is now known for its fine restaurants, and is a base for many high flyers in the media industry. This is a small area densely packed with culture, nightlife, record shops and a handful of provocative retail outlets still remaining from its past.

ATTRACTIONS

Central St. Martin’s Window Gallery, Golden Square, London Palladium, Mozart’s House, Soho Square

2012 OLYMPICS

Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade), Triathlon, 10km Open Water Swim (Hyde Park)

GETTING AROUND

Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, Goodge Street

DINING OUT

Arbutus, Bocca di Lupo, Yauatcha, Bar Shu, La Trouvaille, Mint Leaf

SHOPPING

Carnaby Street, Berwick Street Market

NIGHTLIFE

Madame Jojo’s, Crobar, CC Club, Bar Rumba, The Borderline, 100 Club

OVERVIEW

A more modern symbol of London is the nameless neon advertising hoarding on the site of the former Monico Café. This famous junction links Regent Street and the theatre district on Shaftesbury Avenue. Also, here stands the statue of Anteros, certainly worth checking in your London guide book for the plethora of urban myths that surround it and its meaning. The largely underground Criterion Theatre, the London Trocadero mall and a number of major retail outlets are to be found around the junction.

ATTRACTIONS

Statue of Anteros, Shaftesbury Memorial, Famous Hoardings

2012 OLYMPICS

Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square

DINING OUT

Al Duca, Rowley’s, Sumosan, Cecconi’s, Galileo’s, Brasserie Roux, Embassy

SHOPPING

Lillywhites, Fortnum & Masons

NIGHTLIFE

The Comedy Store, Salsa!, Madame Jojo’s, Metra Club & Bar, The Ritz

OVERVIEW

One of the world’s most famous town squares, this plaza and its monument currently rank as the fourth most popular tourist site in the world. The majestic Nelson’s column, guarded by its four huge lion statues, commemorates Horatio Nelson’s death in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar, the site of which lends its name to the entire square. The National Gallery is located here, and features work by da Vinci, Rubens, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Monet and every other great artist or sculptor you care to think of. The square also features a revolving cast of statues and sculptures, and plinths on which modern art exhibits are placed and replaced periodically. Bustling with red double-decker buses and black cabs, Trafalgar Square truly is the essential London destination on every tourist’s travel itinerary.

ATTRACTIONS

Nelson’s Column, The National Gallery

2012 OLYMPICS

Beach Volleyball (Horse Guards Parade)

GETTING AROUND

Charing Cross, Embankment, Westminster

DINING OUT

Ciobanni’s, Buddha Bar, La Piazza, The Strand Terrace

SHOPPING

Check COVENT GARDEN and PICCADILLY CIRCUS

NIGHTLIFE

Funky Buddha, Mahiki, China White, Fabric

OVERVIEW

Weymouth is a resort town on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, now a World Heritage Site. Traditionally a tourist destination, and previously an expansive port for international trade, the ‘sheltered bay’ offers the perfect location for 2012’s Olympic sailing events. Connected to Weymouth by a road bridge is the Isle of Portland. Much British architecture is constructed from Portland limestone, including St. Paul’s Cathedral in the capital, and this artificial harbour has lent its name to many other towns overseas. Henry VIII’s Portland Castle adds grandeur to the Island, and provides the historical interest while admiring the fantastic views over the English Channel.