First time in London

Our Local Expert Says:

Perfect way to orient yourselves in the city before deciding which sights to investigate further. Book online for a discount. In low season the drivers often strike 2 for 1 deals & offer a 48 hour pass.

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You've probably seen these buses - along with London double-deckers, tour buses and more tour buses. Regardless of your usual attitude towards guided tours, these hop-on, hop-off tours are a good way to get an overview of the city, and you can make mental notes of where to go for a more thorough visit. The price you pay with Big Bus is for a 24-hour ticket; during this time you can travel anywhere on the tour network, which encompasses stops over just about all of central London. Included in the price is a free walking tour and Thames River cruise, as well as numerous discounts for West End shows. Guide tapes are available in 12 languages, and the company won the London Sightseeing Tour of the Year award. Be careful when choosing the open-air rooftop, because London is notorious for fickle weather.

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The Houses of Parliament, along with their trademark clock tower, Big Ben, are the ultimate symbols of London. They're the strongholds of Britain's democracy, the assemblies that effectively trimmed the sails of royal power. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are in the former royal Palace of Westminster, which was the king's residence until Henry VIII moved to Whitehall. The current Gothic Revival buildings date from 1840 and were designed by Charles Barry. (The earlier buildings were destroyed by fire in 1834.) There are more than 1,000 rooms and 3km (1 3/4 miles) of corridors. The clock tower at the eastern end houses the world's most famous timepiece. "Big Ben" refers not to the clock tower itself, but to the largest bell in the chime, which weighs close to 14 tons and is named for the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.

You may observe debates for free from the Stranger's Galleries in both houses. Sessions usually begin in mid-October and run to the end of July, with recesses at Christmas and Easter. The chances of getting into the House of Lords when it's in session are generally better than for the more popular House of Commons. Although we can't promise you the oratory of a Charles James Fox or a William Pitt the Elder, the debates in the House of Commons are often lively and controversial (seats are at a premium during crises).

Those who'd like to book a tour can do so, but it takes a bit of work. Both houses are open to the general public for guided tours only for a limited season in July and August. The palace is open Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:15am to 4:30pm during those times. All tour tickets cost £12 ($24) adult; £8 ($16) for seniors, students, and children 4-16; £30 ($60) family ticket. Children 3 and under may enter free. For advance tickets call tel. 08709/063773.

If you arrive just to attend a session, these are free. You line up at Stephen's Gate, heading to your left for the entrance into the Commons or to the right for the Lords. The London daily newspapers announce sessions of Parliament.

Insider's Tip: The hottest ticket and the most exciting time to visit is during "Prime Minister's Question Time" on Wednesdays, which is only from noon to 12:30pm, but which must seem like hours to the prime minister, who is on the hot seat, exchanging barbs with the MPs (members of Parliament). Foreign and Commonwealth visitors should apply to their embassy or High Commission in the U.K. for a card of introduction, which will normally permit entry around 11:30am. Embassies and High Commissions may issue no more than four cards on any day, so visitors from certain countries may find cards are booked for several weeks ahead. Please note that such cards do not guarantee entry. Quite often, it will not be possible to admit their bearers until after Question Time. British embassies abroad do not issue such cards.

Across the street is the Jewel Tower, Abingdon Street (tel. 020/7222-2219), one of only two surviving buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster. It was constructed in 1365 as a place where Edward III could stash his treasure trove. The tower hosts an exhibition on the history of Parliament and makes for a great introduction to the inner workings of the British government. The video presentation on the top floor is especially informative. A touch-screen computer allows visitors to take a virtual tour of both houses of Parliament.

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This massive, graceful building is the official residence of the Queen. The red-brick palace was built as a country house for the notoriously rakish Duke of Buckingham. In 1762, King George III, who needed room for his 15 children, bought it. It didn't become the official royal residence, though, until Queen Victoria took the throne; she preferred it to St. James's Palace. From George III's time, the building was continuously expanded and remodeled, faced with Portland stone, and twice bombed (during the Blitz). Located in a 16-hectare (40-acre) garden, it's 108m (354 ft.) long and contains 600 rooms. You can tell whether the Queen is at home by checking to see if the Royal Standard is flying from the mast outside. For most of the year, you can't visit the palace without an official invitation. Since 1993, though, much of it has been open for tours during an 8-week period in August and September, when the royal family is usually vacationing outside London. Elizabeth II agreed to allow visitors to tour the State Room, the Grand Staircase, the Throne Room, and other areas designed by John Nash for George IV, as well as the Picture Gallery, which displays masterpieces by Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Rubens, and others. You have to buy a timed-entrance ticket the same day you plan to tour the palace. Tickets go on sale at 9am, but rather than lining up at sunrise with all the other tourists -- this is one of London's most popular attractions -- book by phone with a credit card and give yourself a few more hours of sleep.

During the 8 weeks of summer, visitors are also allowed to stroll through the royal family's garden, along a 4.5km (2.75-mile) walk on the south side of the grounds, with views of a lake and the usually off-limits west side of the palace. The garden is home to 30 types of birds, plus 350 varieties of wildflowers.

Buckingham Palace's most famous spectacle is the vastly overrated Changing of the Guard (daily Apr-July and on alternating days for the rest of the year). The new guard, marching behind a band, comes from either the Wellington or Chelsea barracks and takes over from the old guard in the forecourt of the palace. The ceremony begins at 11:30am, although it's frequently canceled because of bad weather, state events, and other, harder-to-fathom reasons. We like the changing of the guard at Horse Guards better because you can actually see the men marching and you don't have to battle such tourist hordes. However, few first-time visitors will resist the lure of the Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard. If that includes you, arrive as early as 10:30am and claim territorial rights to a space in front of the palace. If you're not firmly anchored here, you'll miss much of the ceremony.

Timesaver -- With 4km (2 1/2 miles) of galleries, the British Museum is overwhelming. To get a handle on it, we recommend taking a 1 1/2-hour overview tour for £8 ($16), £5 ($10) for students and children under 11. Daily at 10:30am, 1pm, or 3pm. Afterward, you can return to the galleries that most interest you. If you have limited time to spend on the museum, concentrate on the Greek and Roman rooms (nos. 11-23, 69-73, and 77-85), which hold the golden hoard of booty both bought and stolen from the Empire's once far-flung colonies.

The Guard Doesn't Change Every Day -- The schedule for the Changing of the Guard ceremony is variable, at best. In theory, at least, the guard is changed daily from May to mid-July, at which time it goes on its "winter" schedule -- that is, alternating days. Always check locally with the tourist office to see if it's likely to be staged at the time of your visit. The ceremony has sometimes been cut at the last minute, leaving thousands of visitors feeling they have missed out on a London must-see (though we say it's overrated anyway).

Our Local Expert Says:

Ask at the desk to try on a true Royal Guard bearskin hat and scarlet tunic for a fun photo op.

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Dedicated to Her Majesty's Household Division which protects the Sovereign and Royal Palaces... in other words, dedicated to those who wear the red tunic and bearskin hat! Small and quiet, The Guards Museum is a perfect place to learn more about the royal guards and even have your photo taken in that famous regimental tunic and hat. On display are uniforms, helmets, instruments, medals, a tent from the Crimean War and more. There's a little shop next door to the Guards Museum and you might even catch the new guards forming at nearby Wellington Barracks before the Changing of the Guard ceremony at London's Buckingham Palace.

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With its identical square towers and superb archways, this early-English Gothic abbey is one of the greatest examples of ecclesiastical architecture on earth. But it's far more than that: It's the shrine of a nation, the symbol of everything Britain has stood for and stands for, and the place in which most of its rulers were crowned and where many lie buried.

Nearly every figure in English history has left his or her mark on Westminster Abbey. Edward the Confessor founded the Benedictine abbey in 1065 on this spot overlooking Parliament Square. The first English king crowned in the Abbey may have been Harold, in January 1066. The man who defeated him at the Battle of Hastings later that year, William the Conqueror, had the first recorded coronation in the Abbey on Christmas Day that same year. The coronation tradition has continued to the present day. The essentially early-English Gothic structure existing today owes more to Henry III's plans than to those of any other sovereign, although many architects, including Wren, have contributed to the Abbey.

Built on the site of the ancient Lady Chapel in the early 16th century, the Henry VII Chapel is one of the loveliest in Europe, with its fan vaulting, Knights of Bath banners, and Torrigiani-designed tomb for the king himself, near which hangs a 15th-century Vivarini painting, Madonna and Child. Also here, ironically buried in the same tomb, are Catholic Mary I and Protestant Elizabeth I (whose archrival, Mary Queen of Scots, is entombed on the other side of the Henry VII Chapel). In one end of the chapel, you can stand on Cromwell's memorial stone and view the Royal Air Force Chapel and its Battle of Britain memorial window, unveiled in 1947 to honor the Royal Air Force.

You can also visit the most hallowed spot in the abbey, the shrine of Edward the Confessor (canonized in the 12th c.). Near the tomb of Henry V is the Coronation Chair, made at the command of Edward I in 1300 to display the mystical Stone of Scone (which some think is the sacred stone mentioned in Genesis and known as Jacob's Pillar). Scottish kings were once crowned on the stone. (It has since been returned to Scotland.)

When you see a statue of the Bard, with one arm resting on a stack of books, you've arrived at Poets' Corner. Shakespeare himself is buried at Stratford-upon-Avon, but resting here are Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Tennyson, Browning, and Dickens. There's even an American, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as monuments to just about everybody: Milton, Keats, Shelley, Henry James, T. S. Eliot, George Eliot, and others. The most stylized monument is Sir Jacob Epstein's sculptured bust of William Blake. More-recent tablets commemorate poet Dylan Thomas and Sir Laurence Olivier.

Statesmen and men of science -- Disraeli, Newton, Charles Darwin -- are also interred in the abbey or honored by monuments. Near the west door is the 1965 memorial to Sir Winston Churchill. In the vicinity of this memorial is the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, commemorating the British dead of World War I.

Although most of the Abbey's statuary commemorates notable figures of the past, 10 new statues were unveiled in July 1998. Placed in the Gothic niches above the West Front door, these statues honor 10 modern-day martyrs drawn from every continent and religious denomination. The sculptures include Elizabeth of Russia, Janani Luwum, and Martin Luther King, Jr., representatives of those who have sacrificed their lives for their beliefs.

Off the Cloisters, the College Garden is the oldest garden in England, under cultivation for more than 900 years. Established in the 11th century as the abbey's first infirmary garden, this was once a magnificent source of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. Five of the trees in the garden were planted in 1850 and they continue to thrive today. Surrounded by high walls, flowering trees dot the lawns, and park benches provide comfort where you can hardly hear the roar of passing traffic. The garden is open only Tuesday through Thursday April through September from 10am to 6pm, and October through March from 10am to 4pm.

Insider's Tip: Far removed from the pomp and glory is the Abbey Treasure Museum, which displays a real bag of oddities in the undercroft -- or crypt -- part of the monastic buildings erected between 1066 and 1100. You'll find royal effigies that were used instead of the real corpses for lying-in-state ceremonies because they smelled better. You'll see the almost life-like effigy of Admiral Nelson (his mistress arranged his hair) and even that of Edward III, his lip warped by the cerebral hemorrhage that felled him. Other oddities include Henry V's funeral armor, a unique corset from Elizabeth I's effigy, and the Essex Ring that Elizabeth I gave to her favorite (Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex) when she was feeling good about him.

On Sundays, the Abbey is not open to visitors; the rest of the church is open unless a service is being conducted. For times of services, phone the Chapter Office (tel. 020/7222-5152).

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This is one of the world's most celebrated landmarks, and possibly the most photographed and painted bridge on earth. (Presumably, this is the one the Arizona businessman thought he was getting when he bought the London Bridge.) Despite its medieval appearance, Tower Bridge was built in 1894.

An exhibition inside the bridge commemorates its century-old history; it takes you up the north tower to high-level walkways between the two towers with spectacular views of St. Paul's, the Tower of London, and the Houses of Parliament. You're then led down the south tower and into the bridge's original engine room, containing the Victorian boilers and steam engines that used to raise and lower the bridge for ships to pass. Multimedia exhibits in the towers illustrate the history of the bridge.

Our Local Expert Says:

Saturated with fascinating history, spend the day

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This ancient fortress continues to pack in the crowds with its macabre associations with the legendary figures imprisoned and/or executed here. There are more spooks here per square foot than in any other building in the whole of haunted Britain. Headless bodies, bodiless heads, phantom soldiers, icy blasts, clanking chains -- you name them, the Tower's got them. Centuries after the last head rolled on Tower Hill, a shivery atmosphere of impending doom still lingers over the Tower's mighty walls. Plan on spending a lot of time here.

The Tower is actually an intricately patterned compound of structures built through the ages for varying purposes, mostly as expressions of royal power. The oldest is the White Tower, begun by William the Conqueror in 1078 to keep London's native Saxon population in check. Later rulers added other towers, more walls, and fortified gates, until the buildings became like a small town within a city. Until the reign of James I (beginning in 1603), the Tower was also one of the royal residences. But above all, it was a prison for distinguished captives.

Every stone of the Tower tells a story -- usually a gory one. In the Bloody Tower, according to Shakespeare, Richard III's henchmen murdered the two little princes (the young sons of his brother, Edward IV). Richard knew his position as king could not be secure as long as his nephews were alive, and there seems no reasonable doubt that the princes were killed on his orders. Attempts have been made by some historians to clear his name, but Richard remains the chief suspect, and his deed caused him to lose the "hearts of the people," according to the Chronicles of London at the time.

Sir Walter Raleigh spent 13 years in the Bloody Tower before his date with the executioner. On the walls of the Beauchamp Tower, you can still read the last messages scratched by despairing prisoners. Through Traitors' Gate passed such ill-fated, romantic figures as Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex and a favorite of Elizabeth I. A plaque marks the eerie place at Tower Green where two wives of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, plus Sir Thomas More, and the 9-day queen, Lady Jane Grey, all lost their lives.

The Tower, besides being a royal palace, a fortress, and a prison, was also an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, and, in 1675, an astronomical observatory. Reopened in 1999, the White Tower holds the Armouries, which date from the reign of Henry VIII, as well as a display of instruments of torture and execution that recall some of the most ghastly moments in the Tower's history. In the Jewel House, you'll find the Tower's greatest attraction, the Crown Jewels -- some of the world's most precious stones set into robes, swords, scepters, and crowns. The Imperial State Crown is the most famous crown on earth; made for Victoria in 1837, it's worn today by Queen Elizabeth II when she opens Parliament. Studded with some 3,000 jewels (principally diamonds), it includes the Black Prince's Ruby, worn by Henry V at Agincourt. The 530-carat Star of Africa, a cut diamond on the Royal Sceptre with Cross, would make Harry Winston turn over in his grave. You'll have to stand in long lines to catch just a glimpse of the jewels as you and hundreds of others scroll by on moving sidewalks, but the wait is worth it.

The presumed prison cell of Sir Thomas More is open to the public. More left this cell in 1535 to face his executioner after he'd fallen out with King Henry VIII over the monarch's desire to divorce Catherine of Aragon, the first of his six wives. More is believed to have lived in the lower part of the Bell Tower, here in this whitewashed cell, during the last 14 months of his life, although some historians doubt this claim.

A palace inhabited by King Edward I in the late 1200s stands above Traitors' Gate. It's the only surviving medieval palace in Britain. Guides at the palace are dressed in period costumes, and reproductions of furniture and fittings, including Edward's throne, evoke the era, along with burning incense and candles.

In 2004 several improvements were made, including the opening of a Visitors Center and the restoration of a 13th-century wharf. To the west of the Tower is the newly created Tower Hill Square, designed by Stanton Williams, with a series of pavilions housing ticketing facilities, a gift shop, and a cafeteria.

Oh, yes -- don't forget to look for the ravens. Six of them (plus two spares) are all registered as official Tower residents. According to a legend, the Tower of London will stand as long as those black, ominous birds remain, so to be on the safe side, one of the wings of each raven is clipped.

One-hour guided tours of the entire compound are given by the Yeoman Warders (also known as "Beefeaters") every half-hour, starting at 9:30am, from the Middle Tower near the main entrance. The last guided walk starts about 3:30pm in summer, 2:30pm in winter -- weather permitting, of course.

You can attend the nightly Ceremony of the Keys, the ceremonial locking-up of the Tower by the Yeoman Warders. For free tickets, write to the Ceremony of the Keys, Waterloo Block, Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, and request a specific date, but also list alternate dates. At least 6 weeks' notice is required. Accompany all requests with a stamped, self-addressed envelope (British stamps only) or two International Reply Coupons. With ticket in hand, a Yeoman Warder will admit you at 9:35pm. Frankly, we think it's not worth the trouble you go through to see this rather cheesy ceremony, but we know some who disagree with us.

Tower Tips -- You can spend the shortest time possible in the Tower's long lines if you buy your ticket at the kiosk at Tower Hill Tube station before emerging above ground. Even so, choose a day other than Sunday -- crowds are at their worst then -- and arrive as early as you can in the morning.

Our Local Expert Says:

Try a night ride for stunning view of the city or the private “Cupid’s Capsule” complete with champagne

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Many Londoners were none too happy when in the 135 meter high Millennium Wheel (as was first known) was erected in 1999 to commemorate the "turning of the century".  Now known simply as the London Eye, locals have softened and have even taken a ride or two in one of the 32 capsules which hold up to 25 people each. Views up to 25 miles can be observed on a clear day and evening rides are available to see an illuminated London. Weddings, private events and children's birthday parties are held within the London Eye's pods. Special packages are designed for every season and holiday, the wheel glows with matching lights for the occasion. Even with pre-booked capsules expect lines; however, entertainment in the area is abundant with street performers, a playground and a carousel. Grab the camera because the best part of the London Eye is the most breath-taking view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament across the Thames at ground level. A journey lasts approximately 30 minutes.

Our Local Expert Says:

Home to The Princess of Wales Playground -adults must be accompanied by a child. Warning: Your kids will not want to leave, it is truly fantastic. Search for the Peter Pan statue and eat yummy scones at The Orangery tucked beside the palace.

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An oasis of tranquillity in central London, Hyde Park, together with Kensington Gardens to the west, is the largest of the three royal parks. On the north-east side is Speaker's Corner, a traditional haven of free speech. It is also famous for the Serpentine boating lake, complete with a designated swimming area, and the Serpentine Gallery. Lesser known is the Dogs' Cemetery at the northern end of the park. The graves commemorate more than 200 pooches who enjoyed the park in their day.

Our Local Expert Says:

It's a shopper's must do

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Since 1837 Portobello Road has hosted a market of some sort or another. Made famous by the movie Notting Hill, the market will not disappoint despite attracting serious crowds. Known prodominently for antiques found at the south or Notting Hill Gate end of the market, there are several sections worth a peak although finding a bargain might be an option. After the antiques, jewelery and souevnirs the market thins as people bail out on Westborne Grove, but keep going and you'll find colourful fruit & veg stalls and mouth watering street food vendors. The third section is fashion, both new and second hand, which extends along the street under the motorway. Don't forget to go behind the stalls where you'll find nifty little shops. Oh and don't forget to take a camera!

Our Local Expert Says:

The food halls are not to be missed; sample an English afternoon tea at the Georgian Restaurant on the top floor.

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"The Corner Shop", as Knightsbridge locals call it, is probably the most famous store in the world, selling everything from its ubiquitous green-and-gold branded carrier bags (its best selling item) to a 12.5kg solid gold bar, its latest ultimate luxury accessory. It may not have all the latest fashions these days (look opposite in Harvey Nichols to find those) but it's not far behind and for all but the hardest to please shoppers it's usually a great experience. Harrods began on its present site in 1849 as a small grocer's shop. These days 15 million customers per year come to explore its 7 floors and 4.5 acres. Don't miss the daily cornucopia in the fabulous Food Halls and return by night to see its famous terracotta façade, illuminated by 13,500 lightbulbs.

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This pub-restaurant combo is the newest addition to London's Mayfair neighborhood. Located right off of the trendy Berkeley square, this gastropub has it all: a bar on the first floor, which offers patrons the typical British experience; delicious ales and fuss-free pub grub, and a fine dining restaurant on the top floor, which serves everything from foie gras and roast pork, to succulent sea scallops and lobster. So whether you want a laid back dinner of Fish n' Chips, or prefer to entice your palette with the finer foods in life, this is the place for you. They also have a great selection of ales, brews and wine to choose from; there's certainly something to compliment any meal.

Our Local Expert Says:

Nice view above Kensington High Street not far from Kensington Gardens and Palace.

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Wagamama serves up a pan-Asian cuisine that features a fusion of eclectic traditional favorites with modern flavors. The fare is made fresh and all items are featured on a dietary menu, allowing guests full access to the ingredients in their food. Orders are taken via electronic pads, meaning that preparation begins in the kitchen as soon as you have made a choice on what to order. Dishes come to the table in the order that they are prepared, which can be problematic for groups who want to eat together. Start off with a range of dumplings, or dive right into the kare noodle soups. The atmosphere is also a major draw with lots of open, light space and minimalist décor. The end result is a dining experience that has only grown in popularity as new locations have opened worldwide.

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Two of London's top restaurateurs, Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, formerly of The Ivy, offer one of the finest and most serviceable restaurants in London. With its vaulted ceilings and pillars, polished marble, wrought-iron chandeliers, and Art Deco interior, The Wolseley recalls a Viennese cafe, but for much of the past century it was a bank and later an automobile showroom. Now it's the idyllic spot for afternoon tea (second only to the Palm Court of the Ritz Hotel). We often duck out of our hotel for breakfast here (served from 7am), ordering such old favorites as fried duck eggs with Ayrshire bacon or smoked fish cakes with poached eggs. There is an all-day menu offering light fare. For dinner, the menu grows more elaborate, including such dishes as Weiner Holstein with fried egg and anchovies, grilled lobster with butter, and even roast Landaise chicken with Lyonnaise potatoes. A specialty is the spit-roasted suckling pig with apple sauce.

Our Local Expert Says:

ideal Indian for beginners

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The British and London love affair with the cuisine of the subcontinent shows no signs of wavering and with places like this the future seems to be in good hands. The dining room is bright, quirky and modern, with lots to catch the eye, including soothing wall murals. The food is the authentic vibrant taste of informal regional and local cafe-style dishes from India. Speedy service, no reservations.

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A former Good Curry Guide award winner, Chutney Mary is well known as one of London's most upscale Indian restaurants. The interiors ooze romance and intrigue with low lighting and flickering candles. The innovative cuisine goes for a regional approach, with dishes from all zones of India appearing on the menu. There is a great range of vegetarian dishes, too: Vegetable Biryani, Vegetable Thali and starter Papri Chat (lentil rissoles with potatoes, yoghurt, pomegranate seeds with spices) are all outstanding.

Our Local Expert Says:

Decent food, and the interior along with a pint or two are worth sampling.

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Found just off the shopping Mecca of Oxford Street, The Argyll Arms is a first-rate old-style pub that serves great food and prides itself on quality of service. Both the interior and exterior have been tastefully designed - the inside is divided into a series of individual bars, decked out with 19th century glass partitions and mirrors, originally intended to separate the various classes of people who came here to drink. Nowadays, these separated areas help create an intimate atmosphere. Food is served as well.

Our Local Expert Says:

After business hours, professional crowd

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Corney & Barrow bars are part of the City landscape, but they've now settled in areas of central London. The clientele are mostly professionals who are here to wind down after a hard day at the office. C&B Fleet Place is a thoroughly pleasant place, benefiting from huge windows - which open onto the world on hot summer days. Straddling two floors, the light and airy ground level operates as a full-time bar, while the basement, with its arched ceiling, turns into a brasserie at lunchtime with bookable tables and waiter service. Food is served all day, on both floors, from breakfast onwards. The menu changes monthly, and encompasses everything from sandwiches with a range of fillings to salads, tapas and croquettes, which are sold at very reasonable prices. Cocktails are also available, and you can get a champagne breakfast if you book two weeks in advance.

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Dickens once frequented this pub, which has changed little from the days when he prowled the neighborhood. The pub has an amazing and scandalous history. Poet and author Dryden was almost killed by a band of thugs outside its doors in December 1679, and the pub gained the nickname the "Bucket of Blood" during the Regency era (1811-20) because of the bare-knuckled prizefights here. Tap beers include Courage Best and Directors, Old Speckled Hen, John Smiths, and Wadworths 6X.

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Sprawled over two floors, this former RIBA building is today one of the city's most famous restaurants. A video gallery by day, it transforms into a popular restaurant at night. However, you can enjoy video projections right through the evening. Inflatable furniture, a disorientating staircase scrawled with poetry, and mirrors define the dining room at Sketch. Its innovative menu offers French cuisine, and consists of dishes, such as Sea Bream Panfried with Bean Sprout, and Salsa Roja and Lamb in Spice Crust with Aubergine. The building also has two bars, East and West, and a patisserie named Parlour. If you can afford the high price, there's no better place than this.

Our Local Expert Says:

Celebrity clientele

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Say aloha to a fun night at Mahiki an upscale Hawaiian-themed bar. Although this bar is slightly cheesy, it has amazing cocktails, friendly service, wonderful dishes and is a place to see and be seen. Set on two floors, Mahiki has Hawaiian decor complete with bamboo furniture and tropical plants. The bar serves Polynesian and Hawaiian cuisine, including organic dishes. Although the food is delicious, most people come here for the impressive drink menu.

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Set in scholarly Bloomsbury, this immense museum grew out of a private collection of manuscripts purchased in 1753 with the proceeds of a lottery. It grew and grew, fed by legacies, discoveries, and purchases, until it became one of the most comprehensive collections of art and artifacts in the world. It's impossible to take in this museum in a day.

The museum is divided basically into the national collections of antiquities; prints and drawings; coins, medals, and banknotes; and ethnography. Even on a cursory first visit, be sure to see the Asian collections (the finest assembly of Islamic pottery outside the Islamic world), the Chinese porcelain, the Indian sculpture, and the prehistoric and Romano-British collections. Special treasures you might want to seek out on your first visit include the Rosetta Stone, in the Egyptian Room, the discovery of which led to the deciphering of hieroglyphics; the Parthenon Sculptures, a series of pediments, metopes, and friezes from the Parthenon in Athens, in the Duveen Gallery; and the legendary Black Obelisk, dating from around 860 B.C., in the Nimrud Gallery. Other treasures include the contents of Egyptian royal tombs (including mummies); fabulous arrays of 2,000-year-old jewelry, cosmetics, weapons, furniture, and tools; Babylonian astronomical instruments; and winged lion statues (in the Assyrian Transept) that guarded Ashurnasirpal's palace at Nimrud. The exhibits change throughout the year, so if your heart is set on seeing a specific treasure, call to make sure it's on display.

Insider's Tip: If you're a first-time visitor, you will, of course, want to concentrate on some of the fabled treasures previewed above. But what we do is duck into the British Museum several times on our visits to London, even if we have only an hour or two, to see the less heralded but equally fascinating exhibits. We recommend wandering rooms 33 and 34, and 91 to 94, to take in the glory of the Orient, covering Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The Chinese collection is particularly strong. Sculpture from India is as fine as anything at the Victoria and Albert. The Mexican Gallery in room 33C traces that country's art from the 2nd millennium B.C. to the 16th century A.D. A gallery for the North American collection is also nearby. Another section of the museum is devoted to the Sainsbury African Galleries, one of the finest collections of African art and artifacts in the world, featuring changing displays selected from more than 200,000 objects. Finally, the Money Gallery in room 68, traces the story of (what else?) money. You'll learn that around 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, grain was used as currency, and that printed money came into being in the 10th century in China.

The museum's inner courtyard is now canopied by a lightweight, transparent roof, transforming the area into a covered square that houses a Centre for Education, exhibition space, bookshops, and restaurants. The center of the Great Court features the Round Reading Room, which is famous as the place where Karl Marx hung out while writing Das Kapital.

Finally, a warning: Watch your wallets when you're standing in crowds, particularly in front of the Rosetta Stone. The museum is free and tends to attract a few grab-happy drifters.

Description:

The Victoria and Albert is the greatest decorative-arts museum in the world. It's also one of the liveliest and most imaginative museums in London.

The medieval holdings include such treasures as the early-English Gloucester Candlestick; the Byzantine Veroli Casket, with its ivory panels based on Greek plays; and the Syon Cope, a unique embroidery made in England in the early 14th century. An area devoted to Islamic art houses the Ardabil Carpet from 16th-century Persia.

The V&A boasts the largest collection of Renaissance sculpture outside Italy. A highlight of the 16th-century collection is the marble group Neptune with Triton, by Bernini. The cartoons by Raphael, which were conceived as designs for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, are owned by the Queen and are on display here. A most unusual, huge, and impressive exhibit is the Cast Courts, life-size plaster models of ancient and medieval statuary and architecture.

The museum has the greatest collection of Indian art outside India, plus Chinese and Japanese galleries. In complete contrast are suites of English furniture, metalwork, and ceramics, and a superb collection of portrait miniatures, including the one Hans Holbein the Younger made of Anne of Cleves for the benefit of Henry VIII, who was again casting around for a suitable wife. The Dress Collection includes corsets that are sure to make you wince. There's also a remarkable collection of musical instruments.

The V&A has opened 15 modern galleries -- the British Galleries -- telling the story of British design from 1500 to 1900. No other museum in the world houses such a diverse collection of British design and decorative art. From Chippendale to Morris, all of the top British designers are featured in some 3,000 items, ranging from the 5m-high (16-ft.) Melville Bed (1697) with its luxurious wild-silk damask and red-velvet hangings, to 19th-century classics such as furniture by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. One of the most prized possessions is the "Great Bed of Ware," mentioned in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Also on exhibit is the wedding suite of James II. The interactive displays hold special interest. Learning about heraldry is far more interesting when you're designing your own coat of arms. And don't miss the V&A's most bizarre gallery, Fakes and Forgeries. The impostors here are amazingly authentic -- in fact, we'd judge some of them as better than the old masters themselves.

Don't miss the suite of five renovated painting galleries that were originally built in 1850. A trio of these galleries focuses on British landscapes as seen through the eyes of Turner, Constable, and others. Constable's oil sketches were donated by his daughter, Isabel, in 1888. Another gallery showcases the bequest of Constantine Ionides, a Victorian collector, with masters such as Botticelli, Delacroix, Degas, Tintoretto, and Ingres. There's even a piano here designed by the famous Edward Burne-Jones, which once belonged to Ionides's brother.

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This stately neoclassical building contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning 7 centuries -- from the late 13th to the early 20th -- and covering every great European school. For sheer skill of display and arrangement, it surpasses its counterparts in Paris, New York, Madrid, and Amsterdam.

The largest part of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including the Sienese, Venetian, and Florentine masters. They're now housed in the Sainsbury Wing, which was designed by noted architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. On display are such works as Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks; Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne; Giorgione's Adoration of the Magi; and unforgettable canvases by Bellini, Veronese, Botticelli, and Tintoretto. Botticelli's Venus and Mars is eternally enchanting.

Of the early Gothic works, the Wilton Diptych (French or English school, late 14th c.) is the rarest treasure; it depicts Richard II being introduced to the Madonna and Child by John the Baptist and the Saxon kings, Edmund and Edward the Confessor. Then there are the Spanish giants: El Greco's Agony in the Garden and portraits by Goya and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens, and de Hooch; the Rembrandts include two of his immortal self-portraits. None of van Eyck's art creates quite the stir that the Arnolfini Portrait does. The stunning work depicts Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife (who is not pregnant, as is often thought; she is merely holding up her full-skirted dress in the contemporary fashion). There's also an immense French Impressionist and post-Impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne. Particularly charming is the peep-show cabinet by Hoogstraten in one of the Dutch rooms: It's like spying through a keyhole.

British and modern art are the specialties of the Tate Gallery, but the National Gallery does have some fine 18th-century British masterpieces, including works by Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Constable, and Turner.

Guided tours of the National Gallery are offered twice daily, with an extra tour on Wednesday. A Gallery Guide Soundtrack is also available. A portable CD player provides audio information on paintings of your choice with the mere push of a button. Although this service is free, contributions are appreciated.

Insider's Tip: The National Gallery has a computer information center where you can design your own personal tour map for free. The computer room, located in the Micro Gallery, includes a dozen hands-on workstations. The online system lists 2,200 paintings and has background notes for each work. Using a touch-screen computer, you can design your own personalized tour by selecting a maximum of 10 paintings you would like to view. Once you have made your choices, you print a personal tour map with your selections.

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In the transformed Bankside Power Station in Southwark, this museum draws some 2 million visitors a year to see the greatest collection of international 20th-century art in Britain. How would we rate the collection? At the same level of the Pompidou in Paris, with a slight edge over New York's Guggenheim. Tate Modern is viewer-friendly, with eye-level hangings. All the big painting stars are here -- a whole galaxy ranging from Dalí to Duchamp, from Giacometti to Matisse and Mondrian, from Picasso and Pollock to Rothko and Warhol. The Modern is also a gallery of 21st-century art, displaying new and exciting works.

The Tate Modern makes extensive use of glass for both its exterior and interior, offering panoramic views. Galleries are arranged over three levels and provide a variety of spaces for display. Instead of exhibiting art chronologically and by school, the Tate Modern, in a radical break from tradition, takes a thematic approach. This allows displays to cut across movements.

You can cross the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian-only walk from the steps of St. Paul's, over the Thames to the gallery. Or else you can take the Tate to Tate boat (tel. 020/7887-8888), which takes art lovers on an 18-minute journey across the Thames from the Tate Britain to the Tate Modern, with a stop at the London Eye. A day pass for the ferry costs £4.30 ($8.60); £11 ($22) for a family pass. Leaving from Millbank Pier, this catamaran is decorated by the trademark colorful dots of that enfant terrible artist, Damien Hirst.

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In 1996, one of the world's great libraries began moving its collection of some 12 million books, manuscripts, and other items from the British Museum to its very own home in St. Pancras. In the new building, you get modernistic beauty rather than the fading glamour and the ghosts of Karl Marx, William Thackeray, and Virginia Woolf of the old library at the British Museum. You are also likely to get the book you want within an hour instead of 3 days. Academics, students, writers, and bookworms from all over the world come here. On a recent visit, we sat next to a student researching the history of pubs.

The bright, roomy interior is far more inviting than the rather dull red-brick exterior suggests. The most spectacular room is the Humanities Reading Room, constructed on three levels with daylight filtered through the ceiling.

The fascinating collection includes such items of historic and literary interest as two of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta (1215), a Gutenberg Bible, Nelson's last letter to Lady Hamilton, and the journals of Captain Cook. Almost every major author -- Dickens, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Keats, and hundreds of others -- is represented in the section devoted to English literature. Beneath Roubiliac's 1758 statue of Shakespeare stands a case of documents relating to the Bard, including a mortgage bearing his signature and a copy of the First Folio of 1623. There's also an unrivaled collection of stamps and stamp-related items.

Using headphones set around the room, you can hear thrilling audio snippets such as James Joyce reading a passage from Finnegan's Wake. Particularly intriguing is an exhibition called "Turning the Pages," where you can, for example, electronically read a complete Leonardo da Vinci notebook by putting your hands on a special computer screen that flips from one page to another. There is a copy of The Canterbury Tales from 1410, and even manuscripts from Beowulf (ca. 1000). In the Historical Documents section are letters by everybody from Henry VIII to Napoleon, from Elizabeth I to Churchill. In the music displays, you can seek out original sheet music by Beethoven, Handel, Stravinsky, and Lennon and McCartney. An entire day spent here will only scratch the surface.

Though self-guided admission to the library is free, walking tours library cost £8 ($16) for adults and £6.50 ($13) for seniors, students, and children. They are conducted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3pm, and Saturday at 10:30am and 3pm. Library tours that include a visit to one of the reading rooms take place on Sundays and bank holidays at 11:30am and 3pm; £8 ($16) adults, £6.50 ($13) for seniors and students. Reservations can be made up to 2 weeks in advance.