THE LONDON GUIDE

designers - the latest club wear is to be found here. More normal stuff is better found at Spitalfields Market. Weekends from about 09:30 to 17:00. Their Website Tube: Camden or Chalk Farm (Northern Line) Bus: Camden Town Portobello Road Market We remember this market in the late 1960s when people dressed in Sgt Pepper costumes, and antiques could be picked up for a song. Sadly the stallholders have got wiser, and the prices steeper, but if you're after something special you'll find it here - remember to haggle. The South end of the street is mainly antiques, the middle is vegetables, and the end bric-a-brac. As it's held in ultra-fashionable and expensive Notting Hill it's also great for just hanging out. Beautiful rows of white stucco'd houses abound. Saturdays from about 06:00 to about 16:30. A good website Tube: Notting Hill Gate (Central, Circle) Ladbroke Grove (Hammersmith City) Bus: Notting Hill Harrods The food halls are the reason to visit Harrods, which otherwise is just like any other department store (only more so) - they've retained their Victorian splendour, tiled with marble and with an astounding variety of foods knowingly displayed. Otherwise the decor is a bit naff. The 'eat all you can' cream teas are annually exploited by rowers after the Oxford v Cambridge boat race when as many as 20 huge cream cakes can make amends for months of watching your weight. The sale is the only time the prices descend to earth. Its great rival 'Harvey Nicks' a short distance down Knightsbridge is a better place to shop, its food hall is ultra modern and the cocktail bar next to it is meant to be one of the best places to pick up millionaires. Great rooftop restaurant. Around Knightsbridge it's assumed that money is no object so the price tags are high, but window shopping is free. Bus: Knightsbridge Jermyn Street & Savile Row The area comprising Jermyn St, Piccadilly, Burlington Arcade Savile Row is where the English Gentleman and Lady shop for their clothes, shoes and accessories. Jermyn Street shirts have a reputation the world over, Turnbull & Asser are the choice of Prince Charles (and the present author), though most of the principal makers are not far behind. Harvey & Hudson have a reputation for daring tiger stripes and Hilditch & Key for comfort and durability. Hawes and Curtis have been bought out by an Italian company and the quality has gone way downhill - they're still trading on (and blackening) the name though. Most shirt shops will make shirts at a minimum order of 6. Fosters, and Trickers shoes shops along with Lobb round the corner on St James' Street are essential for footwear and briefcases. Taylor's shaving shop is the place for shaving gear, they will also shave you with a cut throat (they have the royal warrant, which means they shave royal throats as well as commoners). Floris was London's first parfumers, and they still make excellent soaps and colognes, but their presence next to Paxman Whitbread's cheese shop (London's smelliest shop) is a case of opposites attracting. Burlington Arcade is 

similarly famous for accessories - it has its own police force - a beadle who still wears the Victorian uniform. At its top is Savile Row, an area rather than a street. Huntsman, Anderson & Sheppard, and Boateng (his brother is a cabinet minister) will kit you out in a splendid suit, if you've got the money. Prince Charles' tailor John Kent is surprisingly cheap - if you want to spend £600 on looking superb in an English tailored suit you won't beat them on price - and with Prince Charles' recommendation... their premises in a cellar don't give away their royal clientele. A hidden secret. More HERE. Bond street continues north from here with exclusive shops selling jewelry, clothes and bags, but they largely reproduce what most capital cities have already. Halfway along Bond St is the famous 'Park Bench' statue of Churchill & Rooseveldt. Tube: Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly) Green Park (Jubilee, Victoria) Bus: Piccadilly Circus Soho Once the Royal Hunting grounds (hence the name, a hunting call) now the most lively part of town, bordered by Chinatown to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west and Charing Cross Road to the east. The 

southeast corner, centering on Old Compton St is full of bars and cafes and is the centre of London's gay scene - but the capital's most lively heterosexuals are to be found here also. To the west is Carnaby St, which was the centre of 'swinging London' in the 60s is nowadays quite tacky, but the area just to the east and south of the street itself is very pleasant with interesting boutiques, restaurants and record shops. Rents are high so apart from one or two exceptions food is not good value here - that doesn't stop it having one of the capital's highestconcentrations of restaurants. It's also the centre of the capital's rapidly shrinking sex trade and the theatres along Shaftsbury Avenue are the epicentre of theatreland. Tube: Leicester Square (Northern) Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly) Oxford Circus (Central, Bakerloo, Victoria) Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern) Bus: Shaftsbury Avenue. From St Pancras London, Eurorail takes you to France quickly.

Bakerloo) Leicester Square (Northern) Bus: Shaftsbury Avenue/Wardour St. Borough One of London's trendiest markets, mainly for its unspoilt Victorian architecture and its location in 'Booming Borough' under the railway as it leaves London Bridge Station. A film location manager's dream, there's rarely a month when a film isn't being shot here it seems (eg. Bridget Jones, Richard III, Lock, Stock and....). Under threat from developers allied to railtrack. Not really worth a special visit (though you're likely to be close to it at some time during your London stay) except on Saturdays when there's a farmer's market - good quality food, to take away and also produce, though a bit on the expensive side. Get there early on Saturday as it gets very crowded. Quite a few good restaurants on the fringes including our favourite Brindisi. Excellent for breakfasts all week (esp The Monmouth Coffee Shop) Getting more expensive and more yuppified by the month though. Good for buying for picnics (eg in Greenwich Park) Excellent Cheese shop (Neal's Yard Dairy) a loaf and a piece of Montgomery Cheddar from here are sublime for eating outdoors. Fruit wholesale 04:00-08:00 Mon - Fri. Farmers' Market 1200-1700 Friday, 1000-1600 Saturday. Visit it as part of our itinerary. Tube: London Bridge (Northern/Jubilee) Train: London Bridge Bus: London Bridge Station

Camden Market Currently recovering from a serious fire, and more damage by developers, Camden Market is one of London's top attractions. Virtually everything is on sale here, clothing, music, antiques (though this sector is shrinking - not a patch on Paris' St Ouen Marche aux Puces) , collectibles, ethnic art, rugs and kelims, food and drink. However recent tasteless development of the Stables market has put up prices and destroyed the impromptu feel. It does tend to get a bit crowded on Sundays, and has a wide variety of food stalls, pubs and restaurants - and there's much live music and comedy in the evenings. Very mixed quality of goods on offer but there are few real bargains to be found. Recently it's become a haven for emerging fashion designers - the 'latest' club wear (yawn) is to be found here. It has, however peaked, and is sliding towards consumerist tat, but slowly. Weekends from about 09:30 to 17:00. Their Website If you want to make a day of it walk up past Stables market to Chalk Farm tube station and follow the signs for Primrose Hill - a great little park with a view over London, merging into the huge Regent's Park (almost as large as the whole City of London). You can walk down through Regent's Park, past the Mosque to Madame Tussaud's (and vice versa) and beyond to the Wallace Collection Gallery in Manchester Square and finish up with an early meal in St Christopher's Place, just north of Oxford Street. You can also walk along the canal into Regent's park and along as far as Little Venice if the fancy takes you, which on a Saturday connects into Portobello Road Market. Tube: Camden or Chalk Farm (Northern Line) Bus: Camden Town Columbia Road Flower Market Somewhat off the beaten track this is one of the best ways to start a Sunday - there are several places to have brunch. Well signposted from Shoreditch tube station which opens specially on Sundays for the Market (special buses run from London Bridge also), and from the top of Shoreditch High Street by Liverpool St Station. Flowers and plants. Hardly the stuff to take back home but it's a great place to potter. Then on down Brick Lane to Spitalfields Market for a late lunch. Really great way of spending Sunday. Sunday: 09:00 -

12:00. For hardcore enthusiasts a SUNDAY circuit of: Liverpool St station - train to London Fields, walk back south to Broadway Market (good french delicatessan/cafe, good brunchy pubs and restaurants). Then continue south through Hackney City Farm (restaurant there won best family restaurant of the year 2005..) to Colombia road, along Colombia road then South to Brick Lane, Hugenot district, Spitalfields market and back to Liverpool Street station - see an AtoZ map or go HERE for mapping it out - you may need to expand the map both south and north to get the whole route. Tube: Old Street (Northern Line) Shoreditch (East London) Bus: Shoreditch Church Covent Garden Touristy place to hang out. You don't go for the market (overpriced tat) but for the atmosphere and the buskers. The old fruit 'n' veg market that appeared in old Hitchcock films has been converted to a piazza. If you're a Hitch fan you'll want to go and see his house/museum in Leytonstone, and the new murals at the tube station there - our favourite piece of public art (but ONLY if you're a fan) Don't eat or drink in Covent Garden, the quality is bad and the prices sky high (but if you do we recommend the 'All Bar One' chain or the Garden branch of Wagamama). Somerset House is nearby for a hit of culture. The London Transport Museum Shop in the corner of the Piazza is good for gifts. There is a nice cluster of shops around the market which makes it a major, if somewhat expensive, shopping area - see our shopping page for details. Market: every day 1000-1800, atmosphere: all the time. Tube: Covent Garden (Piccadilly) Leicester Square (Northern) Charing Cross (Bakerloo) Bus: Shaftsbury Avenue/St Giles High Street Gabriel's Wharf Small market on the South Bank next to the OXO building, selling mostly jewelry, ethnic nick-nacks and artsy paraphernalia. It's on our walk along the river (See Itinerary Page) - most people stumble across it rather than head for it. You can hire bicycles here and there are one or two restaurants. Mainly Weekends 10:00-18:00, some stalls keep shop hours. Tube: Southwark (Jubilee) Bus: Blackfriars bridge Greenwich Market Sprawling series of weekend markets selling antiques, arts & crafts, clothing, books. A huge penumbra of flea markets. More of an attraction than a serious market. Not really worht a special trip so visit as part of a trip to Greenwich (Observatory, Maritime museum, Cutty Sark, Naval Academy, Park, Queen's House, Blackheath, Ranger's House.) There's also a covered market in the central square, near the DLR station and the Cutty Sark. The best way to approach this is to take the Docklands Railway through Canary Wharf and get off at Island Gardens, and walk the foot tunnel to Greenwich. Weekends. Tube: Cutty Sark/Island Gardens (Docklands) Train: Greenwich Bus: Greenwich Town Hall Leadenhall Well preserved Victorian food market, off Gracechurch St, just north of the Monument. Some of the shops don't look as if they've changed over the past century. More a historic building than a market - it's very busy weekday lunchtimes when it's crammed with city businessmen. Some good, but overpriced eateries, lively pubs. It's right next to the hyper-modern Lloyds building and should be taken in as part of a tour of the City. Features on our City Walk on the itinerary page. Weekdays 08:00 -15:00 Tube:Bank (Central, Circle) Bus: Moorgate Petticoat Lane/Brick Lane Petticoat lane is a famous but disappointing tat market in the East End. It's day has passed. Not recommended. However nearby Spitalfields/Brick lane is amazing - Sunday only. Try a SUNDAY circuit of: Liverpool St station - train to London Fields, walk back south to Broadway Market (good french delicatessan/cafe, good brunchy pubs and restaurants). Then continue south through Hackney City Farm (restaurant there won best family restaurant of the year 2005..) to Colombia road, along Colombia road then South to Brick Lane, Hugenot district, Spitalfields market and back to Liverpool Street station - see an AtoZ map or go HERE for mapping it out - you may need to expand the map both south and north to get the whole route. Sunday 10:00-17:00 Tube: Aldgate/Aldgate East (Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City) Bus: Aldgate Portabello Portobello Road Market We remember this market in the late 1960s when people dressed in Sgt Pepper costumes, and antiques could be picked up for a song. Sadly the stallholders have got wiser, and the prices steeper, but if you're after something special you'll find it here - remember to haggle. The 

South end of the street is mainly antiques, and make sure you go off-street as there are bargains to be had late afternoons ( especially in the smaller markets, underground) the middle is vegetables, and the north end bric-a-brac. About half the size of the antiques sections of Paris' St Ouen - but take this together with South Moulton Street and Chelsea's Kings Road and the two are comparable. As it's held in ultra-fashionable and expensive Notting Hill it's also great for just hanging out. Beautiful rows of white stucco'd houses abound. From Notting Hill tube you can walk south into Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park and down to the museum district. One way of doing it involves the Hammersmith and City line to Ladbroke Grove (turn left out of tube, market begins 50m on your right) through the railway arch bit of the market, turn left (ie North) and continue to Goldborne Rd, walk it towards the huge ugly, but much loved, tower block (Trellick Tower, a listed building whose occupants were vociferous in their opposition to demolition) and start with coffee and pastry at Cafe Lisboa (on the right side of the road, as you're looking at Trellick)- a London institution - 2 large coffees and 4 cakes for £6, then walk back down Goldborne, turning left back onto Portobello and continue through the three markets towards Notting Hill tube. It's a mile at least. Our favourite way is to take the Bakerloo line to Warwick Avenue station and walk along the canal through Little Venice to where the canal meets Goldborne Rd - about 100m from Cafe Lisboa. Take cash as there are always huge queues for the ATMs. Saturdays from about 06:00 to about 16:30.

If hotel and food prices are London's big disappointments, here's the good news: the best things in London are mostly free. It is possible to spend a fortnight here and not pay a cent for admission to anything, including galleries, museums and historic buildings. And you won't miss out on much. The Guardian newspaper published a list of tips in July 2009, which is worth perusing. See also HERE for some general and very specific money saving tips. FREE CONCERTS: loads of free summer concerts, open air films etc. along the river, at the National Theatre, Coin Street and near Tower Bridge by the 'Beehive' office of the London Council. See here for details. There is a late cafe/bar/lounge at the National Theatre until 0100. Take a stroll from the Wheel to Tower bridge and pick up the brochures - the area is buzzing at night, especially on the far side of Tower Bridge. Also, in season, free outdoor screenings at Canary Wharf Check the listings magazines for other free events - there are a load each year in Trafalgar Square organised by the Mayor and his crew.... They coordinate and subsidise lots (and we mean lots) of other free events as well - see HERE There are lots of great free events up and down the UK - eg: if you are early and crafty enough you can get to Liverpool for about £5 and enjoy the Marshall St Festival (150 bands - Late August bank holiday) which is entirely free. All it takes is a bit of planning. Museums - Most of the Big museums are free - that includes the Science, Natural History and Imperial War Museums, The British Museum, The John Soane Museum Museum of London. The Department of Culture has invested millions - raised by gambling tax and other taxes, to keep Britain's museums free - don't miss out! Places that do charge usually have a free period or day eg. The Old Naval College in Greenwich is free on Sundays after 15:30. See our museums page for full details. Galleries - Virtually all free, including the National Gallery, Both the Tate galleries. Those that do make an admission charge usually have a free day (eg The Courtauld), or a free period (the Guildhall, from 15:30). Full details on our Galleries page Salsa - Free Salsa (latin dance) lessons all over the place. Bar Salsa on Charing Cross road on Wednesday evenings from about 7pm (Salsa suffers from manana-syndrome and classes never start on time): gives a 30 minute introduction to each of Lambada, Merengue and Salsa, there's a club afterwards with bands. More on our Entertainment page History - There's plenty of history for free in London - although most of the Royal Palaces make a charge, there are plenty of historic buildings and houses that don't (Sir John Soane's museum is housed in his 18th C house for example) and London's rarely explored churches are exquisite (you can even visit Westminster Abbey, which makes a charge, for free if you attend evensong services there). We recommend you do spend a little money and visit either the Tower of London or Hampton Court. Punch and Judy Sorry, we're being irreverent, but the political business in the Houses of Parliament can seem that way some times - it's surprisingly rowdy. Admission when the house is sitting is free - you queue up outside (see our itinerary page for details) but you won't get into Commons much before 16:30 - better to go later in the evening when the queues have gone down. Skate Two free skate cavalcades (Wednesday and Friday nights about 2000 -2200) are an excellent way of spending an evening, for free (see our activity page for details). Also free skating lessons on Wednesdays for beginners. Shopping Ok, the prices in London are often astronomical, but the London shopping experience is still largely free. Harrods' Food hall is a cornucopia of Victorian victuals, Camden and Portobello road markets are attractions in themselves, and you can wander down Bond Street anytime fantasizing about that distant relative and her will.... See Markets and Shops pages! Theatre - Theatre in London is one of the few reasonably prices things we have to offer, nonetheless, there's plenty for free. From the street entertainers in Covent Garden (under the porch of the Actors' Church where Britain's first Punch & Judy show was performed) to the innumerable festivals, there's lots going on. Free foyer events at the South Bank Centre and Barbican are usually of the highest standard. For the theatre of life, head for the markets. TV Shows The BBC needs audiences for its shows - tickets are available for recordings of TV programmes at TV Centre, in White City and for radio shows at various venues. Email them with a list of dates and an address to send tickets to (this is pot luck) if you're booking way ahead tv.ticket.unit@bbc.co.uk or radio.ticket.unit@bbc.co.uk or fax them on 0208 576 8802. You can also look what's available and book online, for free BBC Symphony orchestra concerts, TV