Thinking of a city break in London?

Read our brief city guide to London below to help you decide if a weekend getaway or short break in London is what you want, then click on London short break packages to view our short break packages to London.

Even for those who have visited London many times, there are new things to see, such as the brilliant glass-covered court at the British Museum, the newly-accessible Somerset House which hosts the Courtauld art collection with its wonderful Impressionist paintings, the amazing Tate Modern art gallery converted from an old power station opposite the elegant new Millennium Bridge, and the newly-opened Saatchi Gallery in County Hall with its provocative collection of modern British art.

London is where it all happens: the political parties, the trade unions, the companies, the voluntary organisations – they are all headquartered here and hold their meetings and conferences here. The cosmopolitan nature of the city with its blend of so many different nationalities and its echoes of so many different languages and, over the years, it has become more Continental with a host of coffee bars and cafés and longer opening hours for book shops especially.