London

First-timers gravitate to the Westminster core: Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, all within a fifteen-minute walk of each other along the Thames. From there the river is your compass. East along the South Bank takes you past the Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe to Tower Bridge; west leads to the royal parks and Kensington's museum row.

Beyond the centre, London rewards neighbourhood thinking. Soho and Covent Garden for theatres and late-night energy, Shoreditch and Hackney for street art and food markets, Notting Hill for pastel terraces and Portobello Road, Camden for music heritage and canal-side stalls, and Greenwich for maritime history and the best free skyline view in the city from the park by the Royal Observatory.

London's greatest bargain is that its best museums are free: the British Museum (the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures), the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, the V&A, the Natural History Museum and both Tates. You could spend a week inside them without paying a pound, which helps offset the city's otherwise steep prices.

The paid heavyweights are worth booking ahead: the Tower of London for the Crown Jewels and Yeoman Warder tours, Westminster Abbey, and St Paul's Cathedral with its whispering gallery and dome climb. For a view, the Sky Garden is free with a timed reservation and a smarter choice than the London Eye on a budget.

London's food reputation has flipped completely: it's now one of the great eating cities. Start with the markets: Borough Market for grazing under the railway arches, Maltby Street for a smaller, local-feeling alternative, and Brick Lane for curry and bagels. The city's real strength is breadth: proper Cantonese in Chinatown, Punjabi canteens in Southall, and a Nigerian or Turkish table on almost any high street.

Don't skip the pub. A Sunday roast in a centuries-old local is as much a sight as any monument; the George Inn near London Bridge and the Churchill Arms in Kensington are classics. Theatre lovers should check same-day rush tickets and the TKTS booth in Leicester Square for West End shows at half price.

May to September gives you the longest days and the best odds of dry weather, though London's climate is mild and workable year-round. December is a genuine contender: Christmas lights on Regent Street, ice rinks at Somerset House and the Natural History Museum, and pubs at their cosiest. Rain is a possibility in any month, so pack a light waterproof rather than planning around sunshine.

Get a contactless card or phone ready: tap in, tap out works on the entire Tube, bus, Overground and Elizabeth line network with daily caps, so there's no need for a travel card. Central London is far more walkable than the Tube map suggests; stations like Leicester Square and Covent Garden are a three-minute stroll apart.

Five airports serve the city; Heathrow and Gatwick have the fastest rail links into the centre, while budget carriers favour Stansted and Luton. If you're combining London with Paris, the Eurostar from St Pancras takes just over two hours city-centre to city-centre.

London is one of Europe's pricier stays: budget roughly £150-250/day for two covering a mid-range hotel room share, transport and meals. The free museums, markets and parks keep the damage manageable. Book accommodation early for summer and December weekends, and stay near a Tube line rather than fixating on a single neighbourhood.