London: The Honest Guide

London is the largest city in Europe, has been producing and exporting culture for several centuries, and is a genuinely excellent place to spend a week provided you understand a few things going in. The cost of living is high. The weather is not reliable. The tube is mostly reliable but old and prone to overcrowding. The free museums are among the best in the world. The restaurant scene is outstanding in the right places. And the city has enough depth that frequent visitors keep finding new things.

The Museums (All Free, Permanent Collections)

British Museum on Great Russell Street holds 8 million objects. Most worth your time: the Egyptian collection (Rosetta Stone, mummies, Late Period sculpture), the Sutton Hoo helmet from a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon burial, the Lewis Chessmen, and the Elgin Marbles from the Athenian Parthenon (which Greece has formally requested back since 1983; the British government has consistently declined). Allow at least 3 hours.

National Gallery on Trafalgar Square holds one of the strongest collections of European painting anywhere. The Sainsbury Wing has the medieval and early Renaissance work, van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, Botticelli, Leonardo. The main building has Vermeer, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Turner, Seurat. Free, no timed entry needed for the permanent collection.

Tate Modern at Bankside in the former Bankside Power Station holds the national collection of modern and contemporary art. The Turbine Hall hosts major commissioned installations visible from the ground floor. The Switch House extension added five floors in 2016. Free permanent collection.

Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington is the world’s largest decorative arts museum: ceramics, fashion, jewellery, furniture, sculpture, photographs, and textiles across world cultures spanning 5,000 years. An afternoon with no plan works well here.

Natural History Museum in South Kensington. The building (Alfred Waterhouse’s 1881 Gothic Revival) is worth entering for the architecture alone. Hope the blue whale skeleton in the central hall replaced Dippy the diplodocus in 2017. Free.

Neighbourhoods

Shoreditch and Spitalfields in East London: Brick Lane for 24-hour bagels from Beigel Bake and Bengali curry, Spitalfields Market on Sunday, Boxpark for food in shipping containers. The most restlessly changing part of the city.

Borough Market at London Bridge: 100 stalls selling serious produce, cheese, bread, charcuterie, and prepared food. Thursday through Saturday. Go Thursday to avoid peak Saturday crowds. The lunch options (salt beef sandwiches, Ethiopian food) are among the best cheap eats in London.

Where to Eat

St John Bread and Wine on Commercial Street: nose-to-tail British cooking, excellent charcuterie, superb toast. Lunch is the value option. Mains £18-28.

Padella on Southwark Street: fresh pasta, very good tagliarini cacio e pepe, prices that make no sense for the quality (£8-14 per dish). No reservations. The queue has not shortened since it opened in 2016.

Rochelle Canteen in the bike sheds of a former school in Shoreditch: open for lunch, 3-4 dishes changing with the season and market. No sign outside. Ring the bell.

Kiln on Brewer Street in Soho: northern Thai and Burmese cooking over wood-fire grill. The brisket curry noodles are very good. Book, or eat at the bar.

Getting Around

Buy an Oyster card or use contactless payment on the tube. Single Zone 1-2 ride is currently £2.80; the daily cap means you cannot spend more than £8.10 per day regardless of how many journeys you make. Night Tube on Friday and Saturday nights on five lines. Walking between central neighbourhoods (Trafalgar Square to Borough Market is 20 minutes) is usually faster and more interesting than the tube for short distances.