London

As a city that seamlessly blends the old world with the seductively modern, London is an atypical British city that – despite its multinational mish-mash of culture – simply couldn’t be anywhere but the UK. Black cabs and red telephone boxes are dotted amongst entire districts of curry house and sporadic castles, which you arrive at by rattling underground train or symbolic double-decker bus. There's even a corner - Camden - that's painted in vivid technicolour and rarely sells anything that could be described as local. 

Plenty of Britain’s symbolic sites reside right here, like the ornate outlines of Buckingham Palace (which, unless you have an invite from the Queen, you’ll have to be content with eyeing from outside), plinth and marble charms of Trafalgar Square and the sunset silhouettes of the iconic Tower Bridge. Wander boggle-eyed around the interior of the Houses of Parliament (democracy’s occupation permitting), or get a skyline overview of the whole city from atop the slowly rotating big wheel that is the London Eye. 

One of the great draws of London is the museums. There are legions of them, and the best ones – like the world class British Museum and the triple cluster of the Science, Natural History and Victoria and Albert Museums in South Kensington - tell stories not only of the UK, but of a host of international cultures, achievements and key historical ideas in their vast hallways and chambers. At the other end of the spectrum, a football match in one of London's Premier League stadiums is perhaps the best taste of the passion of modern day Londoners. 

Head for the markets of colourful Camden Town and you can tuck in to cuisine from almost anywhere in the world, and shop from stores that happily sell a vast array of things you’ve never seen before. Head down the road and you can indulge in a nightlife that revolves around pub rock and plenty of beer (which, unless you’re ordering ale, won’t be warm!). Other notable food emporiums are the curry houses of Brick Lane and the always-busy streets of Chinatown, which run through London's legendary West End, the ultimate 'theatreland'.

From the historical depths of Westminster to the seedy nightlife of Soho, plenty of people live in London for years and don’t see everything they want to. Pick your highlights, make the most of your time, and dive in to a capital steeped in a colonial history that justifies its nickname: ‘the World in a city’.