Just when you think you know London, you turn your back it’s suddenly different. Britain’s exciting capital is ever-changing, so if you haven’t been for a while it’s time to go back and discover the new London. If you’ve never been, what is your excuse? The city is big, brash and loud; full of history yet crammed with new ideas; packed with quiet corners, hidden museums, beautiful boutiques and a vibrant nightlife.

London, reflected in No1 London Bridge
Image from twinIsles.com

Like all great cities, London never stands still. Approaching the magnificent National Gallery, you no longer dodge London’s traffic, for the north side of Trafalgar Square is pedestrianised - and site of an open-air café and regular entertainment. (And there is less traffic in the city altogether, since a £5 charge has been levied to drive in the centre.)

Renowned collector, Charles Saatchi, has moved his unrivalled modern art collection to premises overlooking the Thames on the revitalised South Bank, joining the Tate Modern gallery and British Airways London Eye. Colourful, wacky fashion designer, Zandra Rhodes, got it into her head to open a fashion and textile museum – which she’s done in once highly unfashionable Bermondsey. In fashionable Kensington, the 19th century Royal Albert Hall and the golden Albert Memorial have undergone a stunning restoration.

They say there is a festival celebrating something practically every weekend in London. From the London Jazz Festival at the Royal Festival Hall (November 12-21, 2004) to Diwali, the Hindu festival of light (also in November), or the Mind, Body and Spirit Festival at the Royal Horticultural Halls (May 26-31, 2005), there’s an outstanding selection of events; you will never be short of things to do.

The array of blockbuster exhibitions includes the annual Turner Prize (October 29 to January 4) at Tate Britain - always good for a bit of controversy. By contrast, the National Gallery is showing Britain’s first major exhibition of paintings and drawings by the great Renaissance painter, Raphael (until January 16). The city’s fashion sense, spawning designers from Mary Quant to Paul Smith, is subject of a new exhibition at the Museum of London: “The London Look: Fashion from Street to Catwalk” (Oct. 29 – May 8); while the first major exhibition on Arts and Crafts as an international style, with 300 objects from collections around the world, is at the Victoria & Albert Museum from next spring (March 17 – July 10).

All the big international fashion designers are represented in London, and, of course, the classic tailors that exemplify the inimitable ‘British look’ - Burberry, Pringle, Daks, with the latest in chic checks and cashmere. It is also the place to buy inexpensive catwalk copies (try Topshop and New Look), unique clothing from up-and-coming designers (especially Camden Market and Portobello Road) and – with Christmas coming - unusual presents.

Christmas is a magical time in London. While shops are filled with scrumptious food and goods screaming ‘buy me, buy me’, stores try to outdo one another with fabulous window displays, grottoes and magnificently decorated Christmas trees. Watch the seasonal lights being turned on (various venues mid-November – and it’s the 50th anniversary of the Regent Street lights in this, one of the major shopping streets). Try a little ice-skating in the elegant courtyard of Somerset House (daily November 25 to January 30) or at Hampton Court Palace or riverside Greenwich.

Seeing as everything else changes in London, so, of course, does the food. Out has gone outdated ideas of unimaginative dinners with gravy and custard and in has come an international, inventive cuisine. After all, this is the city boasting the most Michelin stars – with the exception only of Paris. Haute cuisine now comes from India and the Orient (try Chutney Mary or Yauatcha, the capital’s first dim sum restaurant) as well as from Europe and Britain (head to Lindsay House for modern British, or Rules for traditional English).

Eating out in London can be very, very good – and sometimes very expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. There’s a whole range of restaurants that emphasise value - and with 12,000 eateries in the city, there’s certainly no lack of competition. Watch for set priced lunches, from £5 in Chinatown to £30 at the stunning Connaught in Mayfair, and competitively priced pre-theatre menus in the West End.

London is home to some of the most spectacular musicals and talked-about dramatic productions in the world. Again prices can be high, but there are always special offers (two-for-ones, or same-day bargains at the official Tkts ticket booth in Leicester Square). And the capital’s club scene is legendary – always a new club night, always the latest celebrity DJs and the hottest sounds …every night of the week, often until dawn.

For those who prefer their nights in a comfortable hotel, in the last few years, several budget hotel chains have moved into the city. There’s plenty of choice from names such as Travel Inn and Holiday Inn Express. Pay a little more and you will get quintessential English country house hotels, or modern minimalist chic. Very attractive weekend rates are available at some of London’s best hotels, to attract leisure business once the corporate clients have gone home. Cool and stylish hotels have been opening at a steady rate, from Zetters and Malmaison in trendy Clerkenwell, to The Cumberland on Oxford Street, its spacious lobby more art gallery than hotel reception.

London has never been easier to reach. Eurostar trains into London Waterloo are faster than ever and there are plenty of bargain fares to be had from the big airlines as well as from the highly lauded budget ones. With six airports and numerous airlines serving the city, there’s plenty of choice.

Website for more information http://www.visitlondon.com/

This Copyright Free article is provided courtesy of VisitBritain Press Centre

Comments, Suggestions, contact info@twinisles.com