Your extreme enthusiasm for balance beams, relay races, and handball (yes, it’s a real thing) led to a ticket across the pond. Here’s what to do when you’re taking a break from stalking Phelps & Co.
You may remember its famous exterior from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (it was next door at King’s Cross that Harry found platform 9¾ from which to board the train to Hogwarts). The Gothic Victorian masterpiece — now home to the Eurostar and St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel — has undergone a major modern makeover. Wander around and marvel at its magic.
St. Pancras International Station, Euston Road, N1C 4QP (020 7843 7688 or stpancras.com).
Set within Harrods (a major institution of a department store and as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside), Ladurée’s salon de thé is always packed to its Paris-inspired rafters. The jewel-like macarons (vanilla, chocolate, rose, licorice) are the best in town.
Ladurée at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW1X 7XL (020 3155 0111 or laduree.fr).
The Queen’s residence — and the location for many a royal wedding — is truly splendid. For a grand day out, watch the Changing of the Guard and then peruse the State Rooms (including the new Diamonds exhibition), the Royal Mews, and the Queen’s Gallery.
Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA (020 7930 4832 or royalcollection.org.uk).
On the ground floor of North Kensington’s famous eyesore, Trellick Tower, Rellik is a vintage shop for serious collectors and casual browsers alike. Find everything from Alaïa and Ossie Clarke to Vivienne Westwood and Christian Dior; then potter up neighboring Golborne Road (at the end of Portobello Road) for antiques and Portuguese custard tarts.
Rellik, 8 Golborne Road, W10 5NW (020 8962 0089 or relliklondon.co.uk).
London is teeming with theaters big and small; the historic Royal Court is one of the best. Plays that premiere here (Enron, Jerusalem, Cock) go on to show around the world. The downstairs cafe/bar heaves with hot Brit actors; in the bookshop, play texts cost just £3.
Royal Court Theatre, 50-51 Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS (020 7565 5000 or royalcourttheatre.com).
Top British chef and molecular magician Heston Blumenthal has only one London restaurant and it is a science lab behind the scenes. He of The Fat Duck serves experimental cuisine for lunch and dinner. Don’t leave without trying the meat fruit.
Dinner, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA (020 7201 3833 or dinnerbyheston.com).
The derelict-chic concept fashion mecca from Rei Kawakubo (of Comme des Garçons fame) stocks clothing and accessories for men and women by the likes of Gareth Pugh, Peter Pilotto, Erdem, and Giles. High fashion at high prices.
Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover Street, W1S 4LT (020 7518 0680 or doverstreetmarket.com).
Fashion designers and students flock to the V&A for inspiration: It houses an impressive collection of clothing and textiles from every century (the current Ballgowns retrospective is a must-see). The outdoor cafe in the museum’s inner quadrangle is one of London’s more tranquil.
Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL (020 7942 2000 or vam.ac.uk).
The rural-inspired spa in Holland Park is the work of the impeccable Soho House group. After your treatment, hit the cozy farmhouse kitchen, which serves homemade soups, salads, tea, and cakes.
Cowshed, 119 Portland Road, W11 4LN (020 7078 1944 or cowshedonline.com).
Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the outdoor market bustles with stalls, vans, and counters selling cooked meals and take-home ingredients. Sausages and mash, fish and chips, fresh oysters, hog roasts, dairy cheeses, artisan breads, handmade chocolates, local beers, and ales — they’re all here.
Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, SE1 1TL (020 7407 1002 or boroughmarket.org.uk).
Outdoor screenings of films old and new allow everyone to sit under the stars in the quadrangle of the historic neoclassical building, which also hosts London Fashion Week. There’s plenty of room (with a view).
Film4 Summer Screen, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA (08448 471715 or somersethouse.org.uk).
Of-the-moment department store Selfridges always has something fun going on behind its weird and wonderful windows. Inside the vast space, find fashions from a wide range of designers. And this summer, there’s crazy golf and tea on the roof.
Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB (0800 123400 or selfridges.com).
The latest pad from Tim and Kit Kemp (Covent Garden Hotel, The Soho Hotel, Charlotte Street Hotel) is set in a Regency townhouse in villagey Marylebone with English country house decor. In-house bar and restaurant The Potting Shed offers fresh British produce and a rural vibe.
Dorset Square Hotel, 39-40 Dorset Square, NW1 6QN (020 7723 7874 or firmdalehotels.com).
Scholar types, TED fans, the curious, and even the ignorant appreciate The Idler Academy. The quaint bookshop-cum-cafe hosts lectures by charming professionals on such subjects as cloud spotting, bread making, British history, and the ukulele.
The Idler Academy, 81 Westbourne Park Road, W2 5QH (08452 501281 or idler.co.uk).
The hidden drinking den in Chinatown is a cross between an old speakeasy and an antiques shop. Its brilliant barmen shake up unusual concoctions that get everyone talking.
Experimental Cocktail Club, 13a Gerrard Street, W1D 5PS (020 7434 3559 or experimentalcocktailclublondon.com).
Down a delightfully dark and seedy Soho alleyway, Simon Hammerstein’s outrageous nightclub — modeled on his famous NYC outpost — is a den of iniquity that attracts royals, rockers, film stars, and pretty much everyone else.
The Box, 11-12 Walker’s Court, W1F 0ED (020 7434 4374 or theboxsoho.com).
Situated on the south bank of the river Thames, one of London’s coolest architectural structures (it was formerly Bankside Power Station) houses the UK’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art from 1900 to present day. The vast entrance hall humbles the tallest of men.
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG (020 7887 8752 or tate.org.uk).
The latest nightclub from the team behind Mahiki, Whisky Mist, and The Punch Bowl is a favorite with superstar DJs (David Guetta, Will.i.am), who regularly hit the decks here. Cabaret acts, ballet dancers, and opera singers add to the mix.
Rose, 23 Orchard Street, W1H 6HL (020 7224 4699 or theroseclub.com).
Disguised by a fake sex-shop window in Soho, La Bodega is a new Mexican restaurant and cafe from Will Ricker, the man responsible for Eight Over Eight, E&O, and Great Eastern Dining Room. It’s nothing less than hot.
La Bodega Negra, 16 Moor Street, W1D 5NH (020 7758 4100 or labodeganegra.com).
East End hipsters and art tarts don’t leave the borough without getting a mani/pedi at Wah Nails. The salon is open to groups of six or more and hosts art shows, jumble sales, and film nights.
Wah Nails, 420 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA (dalston@wah-nails.com or wah-nails.com).
The British high street phenomenon continues to produce affordable high-fashion garb for trendsters of every age. Its Oxford Street flagship is big, bold, and jam-packed with pieces by TS and its merry band of collaborators. Model scouts linger outside, waiting to set eyes on the next Kate Moss.
Topshop, 216 Oxford Street, W1D 1LA (08448 487487 or topshop.com).
Inside a majestic former bank on Piccadilly, The Wolseley is a restaurant for power players. Service at the quintessential English cafe/restaurant is impeccable. The food is just as good.
The Wolseley, 160 Piccadilly, WJB 9EB (020 7499 6996 or thewolseley.com).
Stroll into the free public gallery to peruse the hotshots on display; swing back by for lunchtime lectures and weekly workshops.
The Photographers’ Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies Street, W1F 7LW (08452 621618 or thephotographersgallery.org.uk).
Of the many new independent coffee spots in the capital, Prufrock, founded by World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies, is one of the best. Head in for serious coffee, credible cake, and barista training (for those who want to learn).
Prufrock Coffee, 23-25 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TE (020 7242 0467 or prufrockcoffee.com).
Any actor worth his or her salt wants to tread the boards at the gleaming shrine to the Bard and his theater before setting foot on any other stage. Tickets are worth making a play for.
Shakespeare’s Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, SE1 9DT (020 7401 9919 or shakespearesglobe.com).
The art deco interior of the Mayfair hotel is as smart as the guests who stay there (and they’ve been going since 1854). Take tea in the lobby, sip cocktails in Claridge’s Bar, or dine at Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. The loos are also chic.
Claridge’s, 49 Brook Street, W1K 4HR (020 7409 6307 or claridges.co.uk).
Charles Saatchi’s gallery is a serious hotspot, not least because admission is free. Find works by global contemporary superstars like the Chapman Brothers, Chuck Close, Mat Collishaw, and Damien Hirst.
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4RY (020 7823 2332 or saatchi-gallery.co.uk).
The Knightsbridge hotel is less famous for its Blue Bar (great cocktails) and swimming pool (retractable roof) than for its tea. Pret-a-Portea — taken in the Caramel Room — is a colorful collection of cakes that resemble the must-have fashion accessories of the season. Shoe pastry never looked so good.
The Berkeley, Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL (020 7235 6000 or the-berkeley.co.uk).
Portobello Road’s cafes, antiques shops, and indie fashion boutiques appeal to shoppers on a daily basis. Its famous market, which lines the entire street to the top of Golborne Road and proffers the coolest in vintage everything, is best on Fridays and Saturdays.
Portobello Market, Portobello Road, W11 (portobellomarket.org).
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