A city of: royal palaces, futuristic skyscrapers and gothic churches with renowned art galleries and tailors. Home of: punks, finance bros and nobles; related to icons such as William Shakespeare, Queen Victoria and James Bond. The first metropolis with railways, factories and suburbs; the capital of the largest empire in history; and the current financial center of the world — London has a lot to offer.

London is known for its: blue chip art galleries, theaters, enormous museums plus its gothic churches, bridges and contemporary skyscrapers. Its modern but old, chaotic yet elegant, industrial and imperial at the same time. Within the art world it plays a huge role in the academia and art market spheres; and outside of it, it’s important in the music, theater and fashion worlds. Many iconic artist, writers, architects, bands and fashion designers have emerged from this city. Think of Demian Heirst, Tracey Emin, Queens, Spice Girls, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Vivian Westwood and Alexander McQueen. There’s a lot to check out but if you only have a limited amount of time I would make sure to: visit 1 museum, eat fish and chips in Camden, drink a beer at a pub, watch a play around Shaftesbury Avenue, walk around the river Thames, check out a blue chip art gallery in Mayfair and take a picture in front of the Big Ben and/or the Buckingham Palace. If you have more time you should try to: attend a concert and/or a rave, shop around Covent Garden, buy some tailoring at Savile Row, read a British author at St James Park, go to a chanted mass in a medieval church and get lost in the financial district.

Here are some recommendations of places to visit. London has 4 unesco sites: The Tower of London, The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, The Westminster Complex and the Maritime Greenwich. The city has 77 ‘Michelin restaurants’ with 6 having 3 stars, so try to make a reservation to one of them. My top 5 museums are: The British Museum for antiquities, the National Gallery for European art, the Tate Modern for modern/contemporary art, the Natural History Museum for science, and The Victoria & Albert Museum for a little bit of everything. My favorite art galleries are: White Cube, Pace, Pilar Corrías, plus the 2 lords Hauser & Wirth, and Gagosian. For luxury shopping go to New/Old Bond street or the famous department store Harrods; for the typical brands go to Regent Street; and for cheaper goods go to Camden Street. Also take a chance to walk up and down Savile Row and Piccadilly Arcade, the epicenter of tailoring and menswear. Some venues to check out are Shakespeare Globe for historical plays; Shaftesbury for big productions; Outernet for concerts and Picturehouse Central for movies.

Here are 9 daily tours to explore London:

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