London

London's contrasts and cacophonies both infuriate and seduce.

London - the grand resonance of its very name suggests history and might. Its opportunities for entertainment by day and night go on and on and on. It's a city that exhilarates and intimidates, stimulates and irritates in equal measure, a grubby Monopoly board studded with stellar sights.

It's a cosmopolitan mix of Third and First Worlds, chauffeurs and beggars, the stubbornly traditional and the proudly avant-garde. But somehow - between 'er Majesty and Pete Doherty, Bow Bells and Big Ben, the Tate Modern and the 2012 Olympics - it all hangs together.

Travel Warning: Security Warning - Cabin Luggage Restrictions

In the wake of 2005's bombings in London and Glasgow, the British Home Office still rates the UK's terrorism threat level as severe. Travellers should exercise caution, monitor the media for any developments in the situation and expect delays at airports due to increased security measures.

Restrictions on airline c

abin luggage are in place throughout the UK, although some restrictions have recently been relaxed slightly. For details check the UK Department for Transport website.

severity: High-level alert

When to Go:

London is a year-round tourist centre, with few of its attractions closing or significantly reducing their opening hours in winter. Your best chance of good weather is, of course, at the height of summer in July and August, but there's certainly no guarantee of sun even

in those months - plus it's when you can expect the biggest crowds and highest prices.

Weather

Many who live in London would swear that global warming has added a twist to the city's unpredictable climatic conditions. While locals used to complain about the frequent, but still somehow always unforeseen, arrival of rain, now they find themselves faced with sudden outbreaks of sunshine and dry heat instead.

Recent summers have seen record temperatures,

approaching 40°C and autumns have been positively toasty. As the tube turns into the Black Hole of Calcutta and traffic fumes become choking, London is particularly ill-equipped to cope with such heat.

However, meteorologists point out that recent statistics don't yet represent anything terribly out of the ordinary for such a naturally variable climate. The average maximum temperature for July, the hottest month, is still only about 23°C. In spring and aut

umn temperatures drop to between 13°C and 17°C. In winter, the average daily maximum is 8°C, the overnight minimum 2°C.

Despite the appearance of snow in the past few years, it still rarely freezes in London. What weather forecasters do predict in the long-term, as a result of clim

ate change in London, is drier summers, wetter and stormier winters and more flash floods.

GETTING AROUND AND THERE:

Orientation

The main geographical feature of the city is the River Thames, which meanders through central London, dividing it into northern and southern halves. The central area and the greatest number of important sights, theatres and restaurants are within the Underground's Circle Line on the north bank of the river. In the past decade, however, the south bank of the river has been transformed into one of London's must-see district, with attractions such as Borough Market, the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe theatre and the Tate Modern art gallery. The tourist-ridden West End includes Soho, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Regent St. The East End, so beloved

of Ealing comedies, lies east of the Circle Line; it used to be the exclusive preserve of the Cockney but is now a cultural melting pot. There are interesting inner-city suburbs in North London, including Islington and Camden Town, with leafy Hampstead further north. Further south, London includes a mix of poor, dirty, graffiti-ridden suburbs, and increasingly gentrifying areas like Clapham and, to an extent Brixton.

Getting There

London is one of the world's major transport hubs, and your choices of ways t

o get in and out of it are myriad. Its major airports - the monster Heathrow and the smaller Gatwick, Stanstead, Luton and City - are all efficiently linked to the metropolis.

You've always been able to hop to the European mainland (and Ireland) by ferry, but now the Chunnel link makes it a breeze.

• bus

  You can get to Europe by bus, and unless you use the Channel Tunnel, there's a short ferry/hovercraft ride thrown in as part of the deal. Bus travellers arrive and depart from Victoria Coach Station, about 10 minutes walk south of the Victoria railway

  

  and Tube station.

• ferry

  There is a bewildering choice of ferries travelling between Britain and Ireland and mainland Europe. Ferries will carry your car, motorcycle or bike, and they can be a cheap option - but book early.

• train

  For the first time since the ice ages, Britain has a land link (albeit a tunnel) with mainland Europe. Two services operate through the Tunnel: Eurotunnel operates a rail shuttle service (Le Shuttle) for motorbikes, cars, buses and freight vehicles between terminals at Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France; and the railway companies of Britain, France and Belgium operate a high-speed passenger service, known as Eurostar, between London (mainly Waterloo Station), Paris, Lille and Brussels. Within the UK, fast InterCity trains whisk you to destinations from 10 mainline terminals around London.

• plane

  Heathrow Airport is accessible by bus, London Underground (Piccadilly line) and the Heathrow Express, which makes the journey from Paddington Station to Terminals 1-3 in 15 minutes and to Terminal 4 in 20. The Gatwick Express runs between Gatwick Airport and Victoria Station in 30 minutes or you can take Airbus No 5 to Victoria Coach Station. The Stansted Express will get you to Stansted Airport from Liverpool Street Station in 45 minutes. Cabs to all the airports are only an option for the seriously loaded.

Getting Around

The dirty, wrathful congestion of London streets makes both driving and cycling an extreme sport. Hop on a bus, a Thames ferry or an elegant black cab - and let a native negotiate the chaos on your behalf. Or take the Tube: you're sure to come up against its notorious, infuriating inefficiencies, but in most cases it's still the quickest way to get about.

• bus

  If you're not in a hurry, buses are a pleasant and interesting way to get around, as long as the traffic's not gridlocked. The classic red double-deckers are sadly a thing of the past now, but due to enormous outcry, they have been retained on two 'heritage' routes. Route No 9 goes westbound only from the Royal Albert Hall to the Strand and loops back to Piccadilly Circus. Route No 15 runs from Trafalgar Square past St Paul's Cathedral to Tower Hill. Normal tickets are valid; for more details see www.tfl.gov.uk/buses.

• boat

  Various boats ply London's Thames and canal system, with numerous companies running shuttle boats on the river. Traditionally, these cruises have been genteel affairs. But after a traditional guided tour down to Canary Wharf, the new services from RIB London Voyages (tel: 7928 2350; www.londonribvoyages.com; London Eye, Waterloo Millennium Pier, Westminster Bridge Road SE1; adult/child £26.00 / £16.00 ; hourly from 11:15 - 16:15 year-round) roar back up the river at 30-35 knots - a good choice for thrill-seekers.

• car

  If you drive a car in London, beware that you'll have to pay £8.00 a day to enter the centre. You're also in for a parking nightmare - it's almost impossible to park in the city centre, and the punishments for parking illegally are cruel and unusual indeed.

• walking

  Since many of the main sights are relatively close together in central London, walking is an excellent transport option. It will also give you a more coherent picture of the city than travelling by Tube will.

• taxi

  London's famous black cabs are excellent but expensive. Minicabs are cheaper competitors, with freelance drivers, but you can't flag them down on the street.

• bicycle

  Although it is inexpensive, heavy traffic makes cycling a rather grim way to get around. Most London cyclists wear masks to avoid fumes and become artful at dodging.

• train

  Several rail companies now run passenger trains in London, most of which interchange with the Tube. The driverless Docklands Light Railway (DLR) links the City at Bank and Tower Gateway at Tower Hill, with services to Stratford to the east and the Docklands and Greenwich to the south.

• underground rail

  London's immense Tube (consisting of 12 lines) is legendary, but mainly because it's not that much fun to use - inevitably, you'll spend a lot of time sitting in tunnels. Still, it's usually the quickest and easiest way to get around.

• Disabled Travellers

  For many disabled travellers London is an odd mix of user-friendliness and downright disinterest. These days new hotels and modern tourist attractions are usually accessible by wheelchair, but many B&Bs and guesthouses are in older buildings that are hard (if not impossible) to adapt. It's a similar story with public transport. Some of the newer trains and buses have steps that lower for easier access (such as the Stationlink buses that follow a similar route to that of the Circle Line), but it's always wise to check before setting out. Transport for London's Unit for Disabled Passengers can give you detailed advice and it publishes Access to the Underground , which indicates which tube stations have ramps and lifts (all DLR stations do).

  Many disabled toilets can be opened only with a special key, and this can be obtained from tourist offices.

  Many ticket offices and banks are fitted with hearing loops to help the hearing-impaired; look for the ear symbol.

ACTIVITIES:

If beer and chips are adding excess to your waistline, London offers a number of ways to work it off. Take out a rowboat for a dreamy drift after a picnic or promenade with a pipe in Hyde Park. Or hire a nag and go for a canter.

• paddle boating

  If you feel like a paddle on the water, hire a pedalo for an hour or two and go boating on the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

• cycling

  You can hire a bike practically anywhere in the city, although if you're planning to ride in traffic you might be taking your life in your hands. It may be wiser to stick to the parks.

• swimming

  North of the centre, Highgate Ponds on Hampstead Heath offer open-air swimming all year round. Otherwise, take a dip in Ironmonger Row Baths or the Art Deco Porchester Spa.

• horse riding

  Aristocrats of the 19th century used to promenade on horseback along the paths of Hyde Park. If you want to follow in their hoofprints, steeds can be hired by the hour.

• gym

  Many hotels in London lack gym facilities. If you're missing your work-out try the popular Oasis Sports Centre in Covent Garden, which has everything a healthy heart desires.

• roller skating

  Join packs of roller-blade enthusiasts in Hyde Park - every Friday evening there's a communal skate starting out at Wellington Arch.

• walking

  It's good for the constitution, and London's parks - especially Hyde Park and Regents Park - are delightful settings for a stroll.