Londonwww.elondon.dk.com e guide the travel guide with its own website always up-to-date d what’s happening now London e guide In style • In the know • Online www.elondon.dk.com Produced by Blue Island Publishing Contributors Jonathan Cox, Michael Ellis, Andrew Humphreys, Lisa Ritchie Photographer Max Alexander Reproduced in Singapore by Colourscan Printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press First published in Great Britain in 2005 by Dorling Kindersley Limited 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL Reprinted with revisions 2006 Copyright © 2005, 2006 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Company All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. A CIP catalogue record is available from the British Library. ISBN 1 4053 1401 X ISBN 978 1 40531 401 5 The information in this e>>guide is checked annually. This guide is supported by a dedicated website which provides the very latest information for visitors to London; please see pages 6–7 for the web address and password. Some information, however, is liable to change, and the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain. Contents The Website >> Your Password 6 Top Choices 8 The Year / Morning / Afternoon Evening / Night Restaurants 20 Shopping 56 Art & Architecture 92 Performance 114 Pubs, Bars & Clubs 132 Streetlife 156 Havens 166 Hotels 176 Street Finder 190 Index by Area 210 Index by Type 220 Travel Information 230 Practical Information 232 General Index 234 visit www.elondon.dk.com for the One book to take… listingsStay ahead of the crowd with edguide London, and find the best places to eat, shop, drink and chill out at a glance. Packed with great ideas, incisive reviews and stylish photographs, it’s the guide for those who want to experience the real soul and pace of the city. With its own dedicated website, this is the only guidebook that’s always up-to-date. • Find a romantic restaurant for a special occasion, or the best pub for a pint • Explore small, independent art galleries in London’s coolest neighbourhoods revi • Discover the city’s nightlife, from DJ bars to live gigs and the latest clubs • Shop till you drop at the very best of London’s shops, from fashion to furniture 6 latest on what’s happening now your user ID is: london your password is: london48279 …one website to visit Click onto www.elondon.dk.com for • Tap into what’s on at Covent Garden the latest news from and about places and who’s in at the Tate, and book your tickets online listed in the guide, plus readers’ reviews and chat, features on hot topics, • Look up restaurants by name, by type and and an up-to-the-minute short list of by area, and check the latest reviews London’s most useful service providers. • Link directly to all the websites in the The website is regularly updated, book, and many more so every time you visit you bring your guidebook up-to-date. • Have your say about places in the book, and recommend your favourites How to log in When you click on Log in on the ewshome page of the website, a log-in box will appear. Enter your user ID User ID: london and password (see right). The password will be valid for a Password: london48279 minimum of 12 months from the what’sdate you purchased this guide. new 7 top choices London is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, boasting superb modern architecture, bold street fashion, a vibrant arts scene, and restaurants and nightlife for every taste. This guide leads you to the city’s latest and best, opening with the top choices of what to do through the year and 24/7. And here, to get you started, are London’s most unmissable sights: d The British Museum (p98) d The London Eye (p18) d Tate Modern and Tate Britain (p111 and p99) d The National Gallery (p95) d The Tower of London (p96) d Westminster Abbey (p96) d Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s Gallery (p96) d St Paul’s Cathedral (p100) d The Houses of Parliament (p113) d Shakespeare’s Globe (p130) TOP CHOICES – the year There’s no doubt about it – London is ready to party. No matter what time of year you’re in town, there’s always something going on in this most international of cities. London’s music and film festivals are second to none, and venerable British institutions such as the Chelsea Flower Show seem to become more exciting every year. Community celebrations too, such as Chinese New Year and Pride, have become bigger and slicker in recent years, attracting a wider cross-section of the population. However, don’t miss out on the quirkier events that will give you insight into local life. Take advantage of Open Garden Squares Weekend to peek inside secluded gardens that are usually kept behind lock and key, and join in the free, family-friendly festivities dotting the summer calendar on the South Bank. SPRING mystical landscapes – have universal appeal. In mid- summer, Hampton Court Palace hosts the world’s Chinese New Year largest horticultural event, with dazzling floral displays www.chinatownchinese.com and temporary landscaped gardens in the palace’s The main celebration has sprawling parkland. May (Chelsea) & Jul (Hampton Court) outgrown Chinatown and moved to Trafalgar Square, Outdoor Concerts which is decorated with Kenwood House (Map 1 C1; see p108), lanterns and flowers. The www.picnicconcerts.com; Somerset House (Map 9 H3; entertainment includes see p94), www.somerset-house.org.uk; Holland Park traditional lion and dragon (Map 6 D5; see p170), www.operahollandpark.com dances, and fireworks in What could be more magical than listening to music Leicester Square. Food outdoors in a beautiful setting? On a balmy summer’s stalls spring up all along evening, pack a picnic and throw down a blanket in the Gerrard Street. Jan or Feb grounds of Kenwood House. Concerts feature big names in jazz, pop and classical music, and end with a fire- London Marathon works display over the lake. In central London, the mag- www.london-marathon.co.uk nificent courtyard of Somerset House hosts concerts More than 45,000 runners set off from Greenwich Park, each summer. Recent super-chilled acts include Air and and follow the Thames through Docklands and along Bebel Gilberto. For something more classical, Opera Victoria Embankment to The Mall. You can join the party Holland Park performs amid flowerbeds – a canopy atmosphere in one of over 50 participating pubs, which ensures the show goes on whatever the weather. open in readiness for the 9am start. Apr Check schedules on the websites. Jun, Jul & Aug SUMMER Open Garden Squares Weekend http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/london.gardens Chelsea & Hampton Court Palace Flower Shows A rare, fleeting opportunity to slip into some of Royal Hospital, Chelsea (Map 14 C4); London’s secret gardens. More than 80 private squares Hampton Court Palace • £ Hampton Court; www.rhs.org.uk – usually the preserve of privileged key-holding The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show residents – open their gates to the public. Refresh- is a slightly elitist occasion, but the show gardens – ments, live music and other entertainments are offered ranging from restrained, contemporary spaces to in some. Maps and full details are on the website. Jun 10 Link up to events websites through www.elondon.dk.com Coin Street Festival AUTUMN Bernie Spain Gardens (Map 10 A4), www.coinstreetfestival.org Ethnic diversity is celebrated with live world music, Frieze Art Fair dance and art workshops at this free, community-based Pavilion in Regent’s Park (Map 2 B3), www.friezeartfair.com festival. Events take place over a series of theme days London’s newest and best contemporary art fair draws and weekends throughout the summer. Jun–Aug work from 150 galleries around the world, including big hitters Marian Goodman and Leo Koenig in New York, Pride London Jablonka Gallerie in Cologne and Galerie Yvon Lambert, www.pridelondon.org Paris. The gathering is organized by international art The gay and lesbian festival is one of London’s largest, magazine Frieze and lasts for four days. Mid-Oct with flamboyant floats, dancers and, of course, drag queens. It begins in the morning with a parade through Open House Weekend central London. In the afternoon, a massive party kicks www.londonopenhouse.org off in a park, with live music and high camperie. Jul Over 500 London build- ings, most of which are The Proms not usually accessible to Royal Albert Hall (Map 13 G1), www.bbc.co.uk/proms the public, throw open Launched over 100 years ago to promote musical appre- their doors for just one ciation among the masses, the Proms offer very cheap weekend. The list of “promenade” (standing) tickets on the night, as well as participating buildings prebooked seats for over 70 concerts. There is a big- changes annually, but each screen link-up in Hyde Park. Securing a ticket for the year’s event includes a famously high-spirited Last Night is tricky.