Don't be intimidated by the size and bustle of England's capital – just let yourself be swept along, writes EMMA CULLINAN
LONDON IS big, busy and fast-moving, but it is nothing to be frightened of: it belongs to everybody. The city must be the most cosmopolitan in the world, filled with all nationalities and people from other parts of England, so even if you are a first-time visitor you won’t stand out – unless you are dressed as a tourist, in pastel shorts, and wandering around with your nose in a map.
London is so fast-paced and accepting that you can lose yourself here, should you wish, and can experiment with new styles without raising eyebrows or gossip. Should you want to try pink luminous tights with Doc Martens, go ahead. Who cares? Who notices? They’ve seen it all before – and if they haven’t, you could be clocked for next season’s trends, as fashion designers have scouts in London who watch what wear is coming off the street.
Yet London retains its innate character – and has proud locals who are best found by travelling on the buses in neighbourhoods just outside the city centre. London is a conurbation of villages. You should never try to take the city on as a whole. Even Londoners can’t do that – they divide it into neighbourhoods. The nicest ones to live in are those with a high street on which to shop, drink coffee and pass people you know in the street – having broken the place down to the size of an Irish town. That’s why areas such as Camden Town, Stoke Newington, Islington and Hampstead are so popular – they have a hub.
Yet for the visitor, London’s centre is walkable and rewarding, with mainstream and quirky shops, culture and people-watching. The way to cope with the crowds is to create an invisible bubble around your head in which to float about. This creation of a zone and lack of everyday chat is probably what gives Londoners their reputation for being unfriendly, but it’s just a way of coping with big-city life, and if you engage anyone in chat they will (90 per cent of the time) be friendly. You just have to choose your moment – bus stops are often full of conversation – and short, jokey comments (laughing at a mad situation you are in often works well) are more usual than long chats (although once you get to know Londoners they will tell you everything about themselves).
Mainstream London shops – especially on Regent Street, for some reason – have adopted the American greet-you-at-the-door-but-no-hard-sell approach, and they’re forever taking any clothes you’ve chosen so far off you to hang by the changing rooms, adding an extra feel-good factor to retail therapy.
There’s a swathe of central London that can be walked but, while it could be done in a day, you will be stopping to look at things so often that you’d better give yourself more than that.
You can walk from Oxford Street through Soho and Covent Garden, down past Trafalgar Square and to Parliament Square and back up along the South Bank of the River Thames (home of London Eye, Royal Festival Hall, the British Film Institute and the Barbican), or you could go the other way down Oxford Street and head for Hyde Park, Knightsbridge (home of Harrods and Harvey Nichols and, farther along, the VA, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum) and then to Kensington.
You could even start at Camden Lock and its market – which is open every day, although there is more to see and buy at the weekend – and London Zoo, in Regent’s Park, before heading for Oxford Circus by walking through the park, where, with squirrels bounding around and flowers in bloom, you can feel part of a Disney cartoon.
Oxford Street is purely a shopping experience, with Top Shop at Oxford Circus a must for any teen girl (and up). If you head to the Marble Arch and Hyde Park end of the street go to Selfridges, especially the food hall, for all sorts of sumptuousness, from sweets to breads. Harrods food hall (head through Hyde Park – or bus it down Park Lane – to Knightsbridge) is another good place to treat your stomach. I had a Saturday job in the ice-cream parlour there way back, and when you went to the walk-in freezer for new tubs of strawberry whirl and mint choc chip you would have to pick your way around sea creatures of human size lying on the floor (I’m guessing they were sharks).
The best bit of Oxford Street runs from the Circus to Marble Arch (and Hyde Park), or you can head south down either Regent Street or Carnaby Street – now with more mainstream shops than in the 1960s heyday but with brands at the quirkier end of the high-street spectrum. From here you can walk eastwards through Soho or China Town to Cambridge Circus, and then through to Covent Garden.
Parallel to this is Charing Cross Road, with very browsable second-hand bookshops that cater for all buyers.
South of here is Trafalgar Square, and just before it the National Portrait Gallery, which is free and has in its collection pictures of most celebs you’ve ever heard of.
Trafalgar Square is a stop-off point for people- (and pigeon-) watching, and then there is the thrill to be had walking down wide Parliament Street (past Downing Street) and into Parliament Square, home of the Houses of Parliament and towering Big Ben. Across the bridge from here is the London Eye, from which you can map out the route you’ve just walked.
If you’re travelling farther afield, buy an Oyster card the minute you arrive in the city. While single Tube journeys can cost about £4, they will be about half that with an Oyster card, while every bus journey will cost you £1 with the card.
Go there
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com), Ryanair (ryanair.com), Aer Arann (aerarann.com), BMI (flybmi.com) and easyJet (easyjet.com) variously fly to London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and City from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Derry, Galway, Kerry, Knock, Shannon and Waterford.
5 places to stay
Portobello Hotel.
22 Stanley Gardens, 00-44-20-77272777, portobellohotel.com. Live among the lucky people who reside between Notting Hill Gate and Westbourne Grove. Relax on four-posted beds and in claw-footed baths. Singles from about €156, doubles €215.
Cadogan Hotel. 75 Sloane Street, 00-44-20-72016612, cadogan.com. Oscar Wilde was arrested here. Within walking distance of Sloane Square in one direction and Knightsbridge in the other. From about €220 for a double.
The Cavendish. 81 Jermyn Street, St James’s, 00-44-20-79302111, thecavendish-london.co.uk. Bang in the centre. You spill out on to Piccadilly and Regent Street. Prices from about €160 for a Classic double.
Holiday Inn Bloomsbury. Coram Street, 00-44-871-9429222, holidayinn.co.uk. In a great location in the former neighbourhood of the Bloomsbury set, and a walk away from the West End. Doubles about €100-€225.
The Gore. 190 Queen’s Gate, 00-44-20-75846601, gorehotel.com. Handy for Knightsbridge, the Kensington museums and Hyde Park. Sumptuous, theatrical rooms.
5 places to eat
Camden Brasserie. 9-11 Jamestown Road, 00-44-20-74822114, camdenbrasserie.co.uk. Its French fries are legendary. Frequented by architects, writers, TV types and artists, but not flashy or pretentious.
Ping Pong. 5 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, 00-44-20-78516969, pingpongdimsum.com. One of a chain of dim sum restaurants. Traditional Chinese parcels of food in a non-stuffy environment. Most dishes are just over £3 (€3.50).
The Eagle. 159 Farringdon Road, 00-44-20-78371353. Often cited as London’s first gastropub, it took pub grub into the Mediterranean and seared-steaks sphere. The shabby interior doesn’t stop the queues.
Bistroteque. 7 Wadeson Street, Poplar, 00-44-20- 89837900, bistrotheque.com. Hidden on a small street in east London, but frequented by those in the know. Serves smart fish and chips, Parmesan polenta and roast sea bass.
The Electric Brasserie.
191 Portobello Road, 00-44-20-79089696, electricbrasserie.com. Consistent quality, good service, decent prices and trendy location have kept this establishment buzzing.
5 places to go
National Portrait Gallery.
2 St Martin’s Place. 00-44-20-73122491, npg.org.uk. While most art is about the artist, here it’s a toss-up between the painter and painted. The famous sitters include the likes of Peter Ackroyd, Joan Armatrading and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Entrance is free.
Tate to Tate boat. 00-44-20-78878888, tate.org.uk/tatetotate. Sail the Thames between Tate Modern and Tate Britain. The spotty boat was designed by Damien Hirst. Entry is free to both museums’ standard collections.
Hampstead Heath. Vast park in north London with tennis courts, children’s playground, woodland walks and hill climbs. Have tea in Kenwood House, once owned by the Guinnesses. You can access the park from many places, including South End Green.
Camden Lock Market, (Camden Town, 00-44-20-74857963 camdenlockmarket.com) for books, music, art and vintage and alternative clothes. Open every day but more to see and buy at weekends.
South Bank. southbank london.com. An area by the Thames awash with arts venues. There is the Royal Festival Hall, the QEH, the BFI (film centre), the Hayward gallery, the National Theatre, London Eye and more.
Shop spot
Oxford Street still cuts it. The major Top Shop on Oxford Circus is a Mecca for fashionistas, while the Apple Store on Regent Street is a shrine for the iPod-squad.
Hot spot
Gordon’s Wine Bar.
47 Villiers Street, 00-44-20-79301408, gordonswinebar.com. Reputedly London’s oldest wine bar, established in 1890. It exudes old London. Reached via a rickety descending stair.
Emma Cullinan was a guest of BMI