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Westminster, St. James’s, and Royal London. This is the place to embrace the “gran turismo” label. Snap pictures of the mounted Horse Guards, watch kids clambering onto the lions in Trafalgar Square, and visit stacks of art in the fantastic national galleries. Do brave the crowds to peruse historic Westminster Abbey and its ancient narrative in stone.

Mayfair and Marylebone. You might not have the wallet for London’s most prestigious shops, but remember window-shopping in Mayfair is free. Meanwhile boutique shops in Marylebone are a refreshing change from gaudy Oxford Street a few blocks south.

Soho and Covent Garden. More sophisticated than seedy these days, the heart of London puts Theaterland, strip joints, Chinatown, burger boîtes, and the trendiest of film studios side by side. Nearby Charing Cross Road is a bibliophile’s bookfest. And hold tight amongst the hectic hordes in Leicester Square, London’s crowd-packed answer to Times Square. Covent Garden’s historic piazza is one of the busiest, most raffishly enjoyable parts of the city.

Bloomsbury and Holborn. Once the bluestocking and intellectual center of London, elegant Bloomsbury is now also a mixed business district—albeit with the mother lode of museums at its heart. The British Museum has enough amazing artifacts to keep you busy for a month of Sundays; otherwise, offerings are limited, though the Law Courts, University of London, and Lamb’s Conduit Street are worth a gander.

The City. London’s Wall Street might be the oldest part of the capital, but thanks to futuristic skyscrapers and a sleek blade-of-light Millennium Bridge, it looks like the newest. History fans won’t be short-changed, however: head for the baroque dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral; the Victorian iconography of Tower Bridge; and the grisly medieval terrors of the Tower of London.

The East End. Once famed for the noxious 19th-century slums immortalized by Charles Dickens and Jack the Ripper, today the area’s become a fulcrum of London’s contemporary art scene and a trendy youthquake party zone. For spit-and-sawdust sensations of market London on the weekend, dive headfirst into the wares at Spitalfields, Brick Lane (popular for curry houses and 24-hour bagel bakeries), and Columbia Road’s much-loved flower market.

South of the Thames. Die-hard culture vultures could spend a lifetime here. The Southbank Centre—including the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall, the Haywood Gallery, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Tate Modern—showcases the capital’s crowning artistic glories. Or put it all in aerial perspective from high up on the London Eye.

Kensington, Chelsea, and Knightsbridge. Although the many boutiques of the King’s Road have lost much of their heady ’60s swagger, the free museums are as awe-inspiring as ever. Kensington High Street (or “High Street Ken” to locals) is slightly more affordable than the King’s Road; otherwise, flash your cash at London’s snazziest department stores, Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

Notting Hill and Bayswater. For that effortlessly hip west London demeanor, hang out in its coolest residential postal code: Notting Hill, north of Kensington. Around Portobello Road, Notting Hill Gate is a trendsetting square mile of multi-ethnicity, galleries, bijou shops, and see-and-be-seen-in restaurants. Nearby, Bayswater mixes eclectic ethnic fashions, fresh-food shops, and Chinese restaurants.

Regent’s Park and Hampstead. Surrounded by the supremely elegant “terraces”—in truth, mansions as big as palaces—designed by 19th-century architect John Nash, Regent’s Park is a Regency extravaganza, and the nearby hilltop “villages” of Hampstead and Primrose Hill attract residents like Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Greenwich. The Royal Observatory, Christopher Wren architecture, the Old Royal Naval College, Cutty Sark, and the Greenwich Meridian Line all add up to one of the best excursions beyond the cut-and-thrust of central London.

The Thames Upstream. As an idyllic retreat from the city, stroll around London’s historic gardens and enjoy the stately homes of Kew, Richmond, and Putney. Better yet, take a river cruise and fetch up at the famous maze of Hampton Court Palace.

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