奇妙伦敦：周末指南

British Airways operates daily, worldwide flights to three of London’s major airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and London City – so you’re bound to a find a flight time that suits you.

If you’re flying into London City Airport, you’ll get spectacular aerial views of the capital, especially the burgeoning development East along the Thames corridor. Check in at nearby Lincoln Plaza, a supremely stylish and luxurious hotel based in Canary Wharf. Known as a major financial and business district, the area boasts boutique shopping and various bars, restaurants and cafes. If you’d rather stay closer to the centre of town, but still want to hang out with the hip crowds, try The Curtain in the achingly trendy Shoreditch area.

探索伦敦的更多酒店

享受酒店早餐之后，沿着泰晤士河漫步前往 Bow Creek 和利河 (River Lea)，再去伦敦第 2012 届奥林匹克运动会的主场 - 伊丽莎白女王奥林匹克公园，在扎哈·哈迪德 (Zaha Hadid) 设计的游泳馆畅游一番。在这番清新小游之后，乘坐 388 路巴士从斯特拉特福前往修迪奇高街站 (Shoreditch High Street)，去游览一下 Charles Uzzell Edwards 拥有和运营的 Pure Evil Gallery 美术馆，Charles 是继 Banksy 之后第二大成功的英国街头艺术家。新锐艺术家的原创作品售价昂贵，但 Pure Evil 的吸血鬼女郎标牌或“哭泣的名流”系列印画就售价很便宜了。

You have a choice of lunch venues on Brick Lane. Either drop in at the 24-hour Brick Lane Beigel Bake, a London institution where fresh, filled bagels can be enjoyed for a couple of pounds. Or further down Brick Lane is a more modern manifestation of London’s foodie culture, the Cereal Killer Café, where London hipsters pay £4.40 for a large bowl of American Froot Loops.

Walk over London Bridge – not to be confused with Tower Bridge – and discover Borough Market, a foodie paradise of artisan market stalls. After you’ve had your fill, whizz up to the top of western Europe’s tallest building and enjoy an unparalleled view of London from the Shard’s viewing platform, a dizzying 800 feet above the city.

After a stroll around the vintage clothing, homeware and record stalls at Spitalfields Market take the speedy glass lift up to the 38th floor of the Heron Tower for a punchy mid-afternoon cocktail at the bar of restaurant Sushisamba – try the Coconut Seviche, an intriguing mix of citrusy yuzu and passion fruit with coconut gin and dark chocolate liqueur. You don’t have to book and show ID as you do at the nearby Sky Garden on top of 20 Fenchurch Street, aka ‘The Walkie-Talkie’, but there is a dress code and preference is given to restaurant diners.

The National Theatre, Old Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe are within easy reach – but so too are Southwark Playhouse and the Menier Chocolate Factory, both kooky theatres with buzzy bars in former industrial premises, which punch above their weight in terms of star casting and innovative drama. The Menier is particularly strong on musicals, staging recent revivals of Funny Girl and Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins.

Drop in for a drink at LASSCO Ropewalk to finish off the day – a bar in an antique shop on Maltby Street near London Bridge Station. The bar is peppered with unique finds – all with a price tag that you can buy. Pick up some antique door knobs or marvel at some vintage maps as you sip on a botanical gin and tonic.

Start the day with breakfast in one of the upmarket restaurants in the new developments around King’s Cross, including hearty Australian food at pared-back Granger and Co and German Gymnasium, a restaurant converted from London’s first Victorian gym. Then head for a pint at the Queen’s Head, a deliciously old-school Victorian boozer that is always packed (in a good way).

If you want a bit more of a lie in, head for a later brunch at restaurant-of-the-moment, Berber & Q grill house in Haggerston. You’ll be lucky to get a seat in this no-reservations hotspot in the evening, but it recently launched a brunch menu which is under-the-radar – for now. Opt for the Israeli breakfast (think warm pita bread, avocado, boiled egg, feta, olives and dips) – it’s certainly Instagram-worthy. For an alternative, pop next door to Draughts, London’s first board game café and play Scrabble under the railway arches.