LONDON
Stay:
- Apex Temple Court. 4* hotel with nice design close to famous Fleet Street. You can book it here.
- Nottingham Place. 4* hotel in Marylebone with small apartments around the streets. You can book it here.
- The Hoxton. Cool hotel right at Holborn with busy lobby bar and cute breakfast bags. You can book it here. They also feature events, have a look here.
- My Hotel Chelsea. Charming quiet hotel close to Sloane Square with a cosy breakfast cafe and affordable rooms. You can book it here.
- Arbor Hyde Park. 3* hotel with nicely designed rooms in a 19th century townhouse close to Paddington Station. The suites are spacey and the service attentive. You can book it here.
- CitizenM Shoreditch. 2017 opened branch of the convenient trendy hotel. Great location. You can book it here.
- Pullman St. Pancras. Business hotel close to King‘s Cross and St. Pancras International stations. You can book it here.
Eat:
Western
- Don‘t miss a visit in the fancy Sketch Gallery. Their interior design itself is worth a visit but food and service are really good as well! It is a complex with many fancy rooms.
- Albion is known for seasonal British food and has a branch in Shoreditch (very cute bakery)and Clerkenwell.
- Enjoy Michelin-starred food by Gordon Ramsay at Maze or Maze Grill.
- To experience Jamie Oliver‘s creations, try out his restaurant Fifteen with its industrial atmosphere.
- Called the "new Jamie Oliver", Michelin starred Tom Aikens opened one of his restaurants in a Townhouse in Chelsea: Tom‘s Kitchen.
- Rochelle Canteen. Absolutely charming place set in the old Rochelle School. (if you have nice weather it is best) Food by Arnold&Henderson.
- Austrian specials are to be found at Fischer‘s in Marylebone. How about some fish "Brötchen" and "Schnitzels"?
- If craving for burgers: Honest Burgers e.g. in Notting Hill
- For something from the water go to North Sea Fish. You will not only find Fish & Chips – promise!
Asian/Oriental
- Get original and very affordable Chinese Dim Sum at Golden Dragon in Chinatown.
- Love more dim sum? Go for Yauatcha with its flashy interiors in Soho.
- Don‘t miss high-class Cantonese cuisine at Hakkasan.
- Try trendy lively Korean food at Jinjuu.
- Looking for some Korean BBQ? Visit one of the two Kimchee restaurants – nice interiors included.
- For contemporary Nikkei (Japanese - Peruvian) food check out Kurt Zdesar‘s Chotto Matte in Soho.
- For Indian food, stroll along Brick Lane and pick one. Thrillist has made a ranking of "every curry house" here.
- Get fantastic Turkish food at Pitted Olive. They serve handmade dishes at very reasonable prices.
Do & See:
Culture
- See some Shakespeare at the originally restored Globe Theatre at the River Thames.
- Visit a classic concert at the Wigmore Hall.
- To watch a play with famous actors you should check the program of the Trafalgar Studios.
- Enjoy free admission to London‘s greatest museums like the Tate Britain, the Tate Modern, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Wallace Collection.
- The National History Museum is great for children and adults. They just hung up the skeleton of a blue whale! – and have free entry.
- The Barbican is a venue for arts, theatre, music, dance, film and also offers some free exhibitions.
- The Saatchi Gallery with its contemporary arts exhibitions is free, too.
- A peculiar museum: the house of Sir John Soane, also free.
Shopping
- One of the most famous shopping streets of the world: Regent Street.
- Do food shopping at Whole Foods Market.
- Stroll through the beautiful old Liberty department store.
- For fashion shopping do not miss Selfridges.
- Walk through the famous and lively markets of Portobello, Petticoat Lane or Brick Lane.
- Fancy shopping in Shoreditch at Boxpark pop-up mall.
- At Covent Garden you can eat, see plays and shop till you drop.
- Beautiful and tasty souvenirs can be found at Fortnum & Mason.
- The Monocle Shop is a store with beautifully selected objects and belongs to the Monocle Magazine.
- Trunk is a cosy place to do shopping for gentlemen‘s fashion in Marylebone.
- You will find more souvenirs for Him at one of the Pink stores.
- The School of Life was founded by author and philosopher Alain de Botton. Its headquarter is in London and has a cute little shop and also a classroom for their courses.
Afternoon Tea
- In the Mirror Room of the Rosewood Hotel you will be served a delicious afternoon tea in a modern interior. They always work on innovative ideas.
- Classic luxurious afternoon tea can be found at the Dorchester Hotel right at Hyde Park.
- Get great tea at Fortnum and Mason‘s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
Daytrips
- From London there are a lot of buses taking you to the famous site of Stonehenge. Also popular day trips are for Windsor Castle or Bath.