TRAVEL GUIDE TO LONDON (WEST & CENTRAL) by Jocelyn L.

Jocelyn L. is an Urban Explorer, Foodie, and Music Lover. She loves architecture, history, music, art, and food. If you are into these, her travel diary will help you decide where to stay, eat, hang out, and play.

photo by @oleg.magni

I love London. It reminds me so much of Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York - all places where I have lived before. It feels familiar because Hong Kong and Singapore were British colonies, and both cities still have British-influenced architecture, holidays and customs. London and New York are very similar, but I know I am in London because of its quintessential Victorian architecture, red double decker buses, red phone booths, the underground "tube" and the grand Buckingham Palace.

Almost everyone has been to London but where to go? I am most familiar with West London (Notting Hill, Chelsea and South Kensington) and Central London (Marylebone, Mayfair, Soho and Fitzrovia). This is a guide to these areas.

A few facts about London

• The human population of London is close to 9 million

• London is the capital of the United Kingdom

• London was founded by Brutus of Troy (founder and first king of England) in about 1000–1100 B.C

• Richmond Park is the biggest park in London

• With more than 40% green space/open water, London is one of the greenest cities in the world

• London has very diverse architectural styles - Tudors, Roman, Victorian, and more

• Cars drive on the left, like in Hong Kong

• The main financial districts are the City (South Central London) and Canary Wharf (East London)

• Red foxes are regulars in your backyard, if you have one

Useful tips

Notting Hill by GeorgiannaLane

• I think the best time to visit London is in the spring because cherry blossoms are blooming and the city is covered in beautiful flowers.

• The tube is always the best way to travel as traffic is horrendous.

• The Gatwick Express or ThamesLink National Rail are the best ways to get to Gatwick Airport; taking a car could take up to 2 hours, whereas the train takes 30 minutes.

• The best exchange rate is from your bank. For some reason, all the ATMs in UK charge a very high rate compared to ATMs in other parts of Europe.

Where to stay

The Connaught. Photo from Pinterest

• Andaz

• The Marylebone

• The Standard Hotel

• The Mandrake

• The Connaught

• Chiltern Firehouse

• The Ned

• Ham Yard Hotel

Where to eat

Breakfast/Lunch:

• Yauatcha Soho - best dim sum and a big selection of tea

• HIDE

• Get high tea at The Connaught, 4 Seasons or The Ritz

• Mortimer House Kitchen

• Granger & Co

• Kyseri

• A.O.K

• Seafood restaurant at Harrods

• Yashin Ocean House - really good sushi and fun bottomless champagne brunch

• Gloria

• Ottolenghi Notting Hill

• Humble Pizza (vegan)

• Kalifornia Kitchen (vegan)

• Chiltern Firehouse

Dinner:

5 Social

• 5 Social - modern British fare

• The Ledbury

• Zuma London

• The Summerhouse - seafood

• Sabor - tapas

• Coya

• Chucs - Italian spot with the best cacio e pepe

• Spring - modern European food

• Clipstone

• Parlour

• Ginza Onodera - Japanese

• Fucina

• Padella - best pasta

• Kym's - trendy Chinese

Where to play

Chiltern Firehouse from Vogue.com

For cocktails:

• Chiltern Firehouse

• Playa

• Hovarda

• any private club like LouLou's

For an all-nighter:

Printwork. Photo by independent.co.uk

• Printwork

• Fabric

• Village Underground

For shopping:

Liberty London. Photo by @prettylittlelondon

• Liberty London

• Soho in general

• Bond St and New Bond St

For wellness:

• Heartcore for pilates, yoga, and cycling

• Lifespace for sound meditation and yoga

• Psycle for group cycling and indoor workouts

For must-sees:

Tate Modern. Photo by londonices.com.br

• Tate Modern

• The British Museum

• The British Library

• The Barbican

• Saatchi Gallery

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