Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : London - December 2007

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Getting around

London is served by Gatwick Airport, which is 46km south of the city centre.

Bus: National Express coaches to London Victoria take one hour 35 minutes. Single tickets cost €9,80/£6.60 and the service runs 24 hours a day.
Train: The quickest way to get into the city is by taking the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. It takes 30 minutes and runs every 15 minutes from 5am to 11.45pm. A single ticket costs €22,60/£15.90.
Taxi: Outside rush hour, a taxi to the city centre will take about an hour and cost €114/£77.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at 1 Lower Regent Street (tel. , visitlondon.com).

HOLBORN

Situated squarely between the City and West End, Holborn makes an ideal base from which to explore the city.

Sleep soundly – Renaissance Chancery Court (252 High Holborn, tel. , marriott.co.uk, rooms from €277/£195) has the best day spa in the city. December’s bitter temperatures are as good an excuse as any to try its Winter Warmer treatment – a healing, herbal body wrap and hot-stone massage.

Must eat – The Chancery (9 Cursitor Street, tel. ) has somehow managed to remain Holborn’s best-kept secret.

Must drink – Pearl (252 High Holborn) does an inventive take on the classic martini. Try an Aphrodyte – vodka with pineapple and pearl dust.

SOHO

Perhaps London’s liveliest square mile, Soho is packed with bars, pubs and clubs.

Sleep soundly – Located right in the thick of things, The Soho Hotel (4 Richmond Mews, tel. , firmdale.com, rooms from €362/£255) does a nice line in contemporary English prettiness.

Must eat – The simple French food at Arbutus (63-64 Frith Street, tel. ) and its wide range of wines by the glass have found favour with every critic in town.

Must drink – Small but perfectly formed Lab (12 Old Compton Street) is widely renowned for its lengthy list of cocktails. A hangover-salving milkshake at Ed’s Easy Diner (12 Moor Street) will be just the thing the morning after.

SPITALFIELDS

Steeped in history, Spitalfields is also home to some of the city’s most fashionable restaurants.

Culture vultures – Immigrant communities have always gravitated here, from the Huguenots onwards. Explore Spitalfields’ rich history at 19 Princelet Street. Anyone with even a passing interest in modern art should visit Whitechapel Gallery (80-82 Whitechapel High Street).

Must eat – Canteen (2 Crispin Place, tel. ) does comforting Brit food in minimal surroundings. St John Bread and Wine (94-96 Commercial Street, tel. ) has a similarly ascetic approach to its Smithfield antecedent.

Shop til you drop – Pick up everything from vintage clothes to organic produce at Spitalfields Market (Crispin Place). Start (42-44 Rivington Street) stocks the season’s key designer pieces.

NOTTING HILL

Despite being the apex of aspirational London living, Notting Hill maintains a pleasantly bohemian air.

Culture vultures – The popular Electric Cinema (191 Portobello Road) shows art house and mainstream films.

Must eat – Hereford Road (3 Hereford Road, tel. ) specialises in robust British dishes and is especially good for game.

Must drink – The Cow (89 Westbourne Park Road) is a Notting Hill institution.

Dance the night away – The eclectic music policy at Notting Hill Arts Club (21 Notting Hill Gate) runs the gamut from hip hop to bossa nova.

CANARY WHARF

Worth a visit for its soaring architecture alone, Canary Wharf has become increasingly popular with out-of-towners.

Sleep soundly – For stunning views of the Thames, book into a Curve Suite at London Marriott West India Quay (22 Hertsmere Road, tel. , marriott.co.uk, rooms from €360/£254). Downstairs, Curve Restaurant (tel. ) does spanking fresh seafood.

Culture vultures – The O2 Arena (Millennium Way) has played host to everyone from Prince to 50 Cent.

Shop til you drop – Pick up gorgeous gifts at Space NK and The White Company (both Cabot Place West), then treat yourself at the Rejuvenation MediSpa (34 North Colonnade).

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley