# Heading to London? Insiders Share Their Very Best Tips > London insiders share their tips: how to see the Tower, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace, plus the spots the guidebooks never mention. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/london-insaydery-dilyatsya/ - Language: en - Published: 2023-12-06 - Categories: Leisure, Restaurants, Museums, Hotels, England, Food & Drinks, Relaxation --- Buckingham Palace, the Charles Dickens Museum, Hyde Park, the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, Shakespeare's Globe theatre, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Wimbledon: these are just a few of London's finest attractions. It's hardly surprising that a city 2,000 years old should be an alphabet soup of dazzling things to do. But, as in a Dickens novel, London's best qualities tend to seep through the cracks between its headline tourist sights. So let's get to know the city with this insider's guide: ## Hotels The Savoy ![](/storage/image/prev/Inglang-1-Hot-Savoy-1024x576.jpg) Perfectly placed beside the shops of Covent Garden and the cinemas of Leicester Square, the Savoy was Marilyn Monroe's favourite hotel in London. Book one of the hotel's 267 luxurious rooms and suites and settle into either elegant Edwardian styling or refined Art Deco design. The famous Savoy Grill, overseen by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (don't expect the steaks to be as blue as his language), can be pricey, but it isn't overpriced. The Charlotte Street Hotel Set in London's media district, just north of Soho, this former dental hospital now holds 52 individually designed rooms, including a loft and a penthouse. The huge, comfortable beds and the signature bathrooms finished in polished granite and oak feel genuinely luxurious, and some rooms come with soaring ceilings. If you can afford it, go for one of the split-level loft rooms. On top of that, they have televisions in the bathroom. The Arosfa This affordable townhouse hotel was once the home of the painter John Everett Millais in Bloomsbury. It sits close to Euston station, the British Museum and the shops on Oxford Street. Wi-Fi is provided, and a full English breakfast is included in the room rate. The Arosfa has just 15 rooms, so book well ahead. The Rookery The Rookery sits in a quiet neighbourhood, a few minutes' walk from the Barbican, St Paul's Cathedral, Holborn and the City. It's known for its open fireplaces, Georgian panelling and floors lined with sturdy bookshelves. There's an honesty bar downstairs, a tiny summer garden terrace, 33 double rooms and two singles. Every one is as quirky as the building itself. The bedrooms are named after people who lived in the Dickensian houses on this spot over the past 250 years, including a disgraced preacher and a prostitute hanged for murder. The hotel has no restaurant, but if you fancy the meaty, muscular dishes of English cooking, head to the celebrated St. John. The Hoxton This one couldn't be better for party-goers: it sits right in the heart of the capital's liveliest nightlife district. The Hoxton has been a huge hit since it opened in 2006. (There are now three Hoxton hotels in London, the other two in Holborn and Southwark.) The hotel's 210 rooms feature parquet floors, oversized mirrors and industrial touches. ## Restaurants The Wolseley ![](/storage/image/prev/Inglang-2-Rest-Wols-1024x640.jpg) A short stroll from the Ritz, the Wolseley radiates history and style. Housed in a former car showroom that later became a Barclays bank branch, it has vaulted ceilings, polished marble, an Art Deco interior and its share of celebrities. On the menu you'll find lobster, crab, oysters and two kinds of caviar (plus dover sole if you're not in a surf mood). The traditional English breakfast here is a must, and you'll need to book a table in advance. Wild Honey Setting off for dinner in London's exclusive Mayfair, you might expect to need government assistance to settle the bill. Not so at Wild Honey. The wood-panelled dining room has an air of expense about it: smoked eel, roast saddle of rabbit and grilled Cornish gurnard (a fish from the eastern Atlantic). Wonderful cheese board. Busaba Eathai Serious (London) Thai food. Tucked away in the backstreets of Soho, this restaurant serves communal Thai cooking in a stylish, understated setting. On Friday and Saturday evenings there are no queues here, which makes for great people-watching (and Soho's residents are well worth watching). For couples or solo diners, the wait shouldn't be more than 15 minutes. A tasty menu to choose from: Bang-Kick prawns, Yam Pak crispy duck salad and black pepper beef with basil. Not in Soho? The chain has restaurants all over London. Lucknow 49 In the heart of Mayfair, Lucknow 49 sets out to "celebrate the heritage of the Mughal Empire," serving Awadhi cuisine of the kind found in the Indian city of Lucknow. The mouth-watering menu includes lentil-stuffed flatbreads, galawat kebab (soft lamb patties seasoned with more than 50 spices), murgh korma (chicken thigh slow-cooked in a sauce of browned onions and cashews), and, for dessert, rasmalai served with mango. The restaurant's intimate space makes you feel as though you're dining in someone's home. It's a good choice if you want to take in nearby Hyde Park. ## Nightlife Experimental Cocktail Club ![](/storage/image/prev/Inglang-3-Cokyail-Club-1024x683.jpg) You can get into this Chinatown club by emailing before 5 p.m. (reservation@chinatownecc.com); there's no booking by phone. That said, the club keeps half of its seats for walk-in guests. The cocktails here aren't all that experimental, but they're excellent. The Havana is the house favourite. Mirrored ceilings, vintage Parisian styling, tiny sofas, complete intimacy and a 5 pound cover charge after 11 p.m. The entrance is a shabby door with no signage at all and doormen who give hard looks at practically everything. Good luck. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese No introduction to London is complete without a beer in one of its many historic pubs, and they don't come older or more historic than Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Once frequented by Mark Twain, Voltaire, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde, this pub has stood on the spot since it was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire of London. Charles Dickens, famously a regular at this temple of serious drinking, mentioned it in his novel "A Tale of Two Cities." Moving from room to room, you'll have to duck, dive down cramped stairs and cross floors strewn with sawdust. And what's the real draw? A pint of Sam Smith's for less than you'll pay in other London pubs. And Shakespeare's Globe theatre is only a 20-minute walk away on the south bank of the Thames. Booking Office The ingenious Booking Office occupies the site of the old ticket hall at St Pancras station and sits in the lobby of the restored St. Pancras Renaissance hotel. It's a wonderful spot to enjoy a cocktail while admiring one of the capital's architectural marvels: a magnificent red-brick Gothic masterpiece that was once the Midland Grand Hotel. The cocktail list suits the setting and shows a deep respect for the history (and the abundance) of British drink, offering sours, fizzes and cobblers. Ronnie Scott's Dark, moody, and the waiters will shush you if you talk over the acts. We love it. Ella, Miles and Curtis are just some of the greats who have played Ronnie's over the years. This legendary jazz club on Frith Street in Soho is worth a visit even if you don't love jazz. And if you do love jazz, it's jazz hands all round. The tables are arranged in neat tiered rows around a sunken stage, with glowing red lamps scattered throughout the dim room. Seat prices depend on the view and the performer. The cocktails are a very big part of the club's appeal. Sadly, they've stopped serving the Ellington, apparently the Duke's own favourite, but the choice is still wide. Forget about eating here: it's not the main event and generally a letdown. ## Shopping Selfridges ![](/storage/image/prev/Inglang-4-S-Selfridges-1024x780.jpg) Rated by many experts as the best department store in the world, Selfridges takes up the western end of Oxford Street and comprises six floors, four hectares of retail space and two exhibition halls. Although it's smaller and less famous than Harrods, it's less touristy, more contemporary and draws a more discerning crowd. It's a high-end, high-octane store and comes highly recommended. You could spend a whole day here, leave empty-handed and still feel like Julia Roberts in that scene from "Pretty Woman." Either way, there are plenty of places to eat and recharge, and personal shoppers will do all the hard work for you. Borough Market London's oldest market, dating back to the 13th century, remains a bustling place today. On the banks of the Thames, just south of London Bridge, you'll find beautifully presented organic fruit and vegetables, cheese, pastries, bread, olive oil, fish, meat, beer, wine and chocolate. Go hungry, go early, taste everything and bring cash in case a trader doesn't take credit cards. Columbia Road Flower Market The Columbia Road Flower Market, where thousands of blooms crowd a single noisy street of Victorian terraces, is a throwback to the old East End, now dotted with trendy boutiques. Every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., some of the finest (and cheapest) flowers and plants are on sale here. Come early to beat the crowds. ## Landmarks The Views from Waterloo Bridge Londoners bore tourists to death going on about how wonderful the views from Waterloo Bridge are, but they have a point. Although it lays claim to being the ugliest bridge in London, the views it offers are inspiring. On one side stand the Royal Festival Hall, the Elizabeth Tower (better known as Big Ben), the Houses of Parliament and the BT Tower. Look the other way and you'll see St Paul's Cathedral, Canary Wharf, the Gherkin (the nickname for the rather phallic skyscraper called 30 St. Mary Axe), the Oxo Tower and the Shard. St Paul's Cathedral Christopher Wren's masterpiece has risen majestically over the City of London for 300 years now. It's famous for surviving the Blitz and became something of a symbol of London's resilience. In the crypt you can see the tombs of the nation's greatest heroes, including Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. You can also test out the acoustic curiosities of the Whispering Gallery and carry on climbing to the Golden Gallery, which offers a view over all of London. Paid tours run Monday to Saturday. During the week the cathedral returns to its traditional role and is open free of charge to worshippers. The Victoria and Albert Museum ![](/storage/image/prev/Inglang-5-Museum-1024x574.jpg) Perfect for history lovers. It will delight fans of art and design. And if you love both, you'll simply swoon. Thank Queen Victoria for this visual feast: she laid the foundation stone of the museum in 1899. You'll see a parade of styles, from the medieval and rococo to Art Deco and modernism, across the widest range of art forms: architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting and much more. Come in comfortable shoes, because the museum has 145 galleries.