The City of London is where it all happens. Yes, Canary Wharf may be home to some impressive skyscrapers but this 'Square Mile' is our equivalent of Wall Street and centre of all things financial and powerful. With that comes great restaurants and more high-end boutiques, fashion stores and cultural venues than you could possibly hope to visit.
On weekdays, you'll see men and women in suits bustling all the way from London Bridge to The Bank of England and beyond to Liverpool Street, but at weekends, the City takes on a quieter air so you can really relax. You somehow get the best of both worlds by staying in the City.
Panoramic View of The City of London
The City of London was for a long time the entirety of London - imagine one of the world's greatest capital cities squeezed into this district! But it's true that for most of England's medieval times, this was London. It still amazingly holds city status in its own right and is counted as a separate cermonial county - look out for the City of London Corporation's Coat of Arms upon venues such as the Barbican.
Many major companies base their headquarters in the City including Aviva, Unilever, BT, Lloyds and Prudential. The City is also home to the London Stock Exchange, so anyone with an interest in economics will feel right at home here.
To the West of the City of London area, more towards Fleet Street and the West End, you'll find Inner Temple and Middle Temple, two Inns of Court that operate as centres for the legal professions. Big name legal firms like Allen & Overy, Linklaters and Slaughter & May line these streets.
Many famous landmarks are piled on top of each other here so be sure to keep a guidebook handy! The Monument, built in homage to the Great Fire of London and Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent St Paul's Cathedral, which should be stops on everyone's itinerary. Look out for the Royal Exchange, the Bank of England, the Old Bailey and the architecturally interesting Lloyd's Building. The Tower of London, on the banks of the Thames, is also within walking distance.
There's also plenty of skyscrapers being built in this area to compete with the Gherkin (30 St Mary's Axe) such as the "Cheesegrater" on Leadenhall Street and the "Helter Skelter" a.k.a the Pinnacle on Bishopsgate.
Bishopsgate Tower as Viewed from London Bridge
Once you've had your fill of history and economic attractions, it might be time to venture further East or West in search of a little light entertainment. The West End is a hop and a jump away by bus or tube -the Central line will take you straight from Liverpool Street, via St Paul's and Chancery Lane, to Oxford Circus for instance.
If you want to soak up some of the City's old streets, The Strand and Covent Garden are easily reachable by foot, and from there you can easily continue to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Mayfair. If not, change underground lines at Oxford Circus and the Bakerloo line will take you to Piccadilly Circus, right in the heart of Soho and the West End.
For Buckingham Palace and the parliamentary sights of Westminster, get down to Bank and change to the District and Circle lines which will whisk you straight to Westminster and St James' Park in South West London in no time at all.
The City of London is also handy for taxis - if you've been to Theatreland to see a play or musical or a fancy Mayfair restaurant, the fare shouldn't be much more than £15-£20 to whisk you back to the City at the end of the night making a much more comfortable ride than the tube.
What with all those hundreds of thousands of workers pouring in and out of the City every weekday, there are plenty of Boris bikes to hire so at the weekend you'll have your pick of them. Ride to Shoreditch for the markets and bohemian streets of the East End or across the River Thames to Borough and beyond, all reachable within a pleasant half an hour ride.
If we've made it sound as thought the City of London is a place of all work and no play, don't depair - there's plenty of hidden delights here as there is in the rest of London.
All you have to do is stroll East to find curry houses on Brick Lane, great Vietnamese restuarants slightly further north on Kingsland Road and trendy cafes, lounges, music venues and bars around Curtain Road and Great Eastern Street. Spitalfields Market is a must and it's only round the corner from Liverpool Street.
If you want more mainstream dining and entertainment, you'll find familiar chain stores and lots of West End establishments have outposts in the City (just check opening times on the weekend as many will shut completely).
Jamies Restaurant & Bars (named after straight-talking British chef Jamie Oliver) can be found in Bishopsgate, Fleet Place, Creechurch Lane, Ludgate Hill and Groveland Court - all within the City so if one is no longer taking reservations, just try again!
Try Chamberlain's in the wondrous location of the quaint Leadenhall Market or One Lombard Place near Bank tube station for somewhere with a touch of class. We also love The Folly, a relatively new bar that's situated on Gracechurch Street near the Monument. It has a fantastic décor and a sophisticated crowd - just try to reserve a table as it gets busy.
The Hustle of London's Busy Liverpool Street Station, Bishopsgate
Mixed in with markets like Leadenhall and Spitalfields, there's the One New Change shopping centre at St Paul's which has a mixture of fashion and jewellery stalwarts and a Marks & Spencers with gift shops and a newsagents.
The City also does food-on-the-go very well, to cater for all those office workers, - check out Leon which does great, healthy chicken wraps and fish finger sandwiches or just pop in to whichever sushi, jacket potato or salad place that takes your fancy.
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