By Roberta Muir

Samuel Johnson famously said; “...when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford”; and one could easily spend a lifetime exploring this ancient city with architecture across every era from Roman walls to controversial modern skyscrapers such as ‘the gherkin’, food from almost every nation reflecting its multi-cultural population, some of the world’s best theatre and art and a wealth of tourist attractions from Madame Tussauds to Buckingham Palace. But most of us don’t have a lifetime to devote to London – so how best to get a taste of it in a few short days?

Start with a hotel that is both central and has a sense of London’s history, such as The Langham London in the consular district on Regent Street, and just a stone’s throw from beautiful Regent’s Park. Opened in 1865, this was the first purpose built European grand hotel, and reopening this month after an extensive refurbishment it’s more beautiful than ever, yet still manages to provide very warm and personal service. www.london.langhamhotels.co.uk

A stroll along Regent Street takes you to bustling Piccadilly Circus and on to Trafalgar Square where tourists loll on the giant bronze lions that guard the square. Walking around this section of London is like walking along the Monopoly board. Regent Street is a great place for shopping, if that’s your thing…but you can shop at home, there’s much more to explore that’s unique to London.

If you’re new to London, or just feeling lazy on your first day, an open top bus tour is a great way to get your bearings. A day pass allows you to hop on and off buses covering several different routes visiting all the major tourist attractions from the Tower of London to the Ferris wheel-like London Eye, with an entertaining commentary along the way. Taking a boat along the Thames gives another perspective, passing under instead of over London’s famous bridges. Thames Clippers run regularly up the river to the village of Greenwich, where longitude 0 passes through the observatory at the top of the hill in the centre of a beautiful garden full of cavorting squirrels and seasonal blooms. With great views back to London and further upriver to the Millennium Dome, it’s well worth the walk. www.theoriginaltour.com

Deciding where to dine in a city like London is a challenge. Indian seems a good place to start given England’s ties to this spicy nation and large Indian population. The Cinnamon Club in the Old Westminster Library is a warm wooden space offering contemporary Indian food in a very London setting. The wine list suggests that this could be the place for a big night out with everything from the great European vintages to bottles of Penfolds Grange, but it’s just as easy to select a few dishes for sharing such as Scottish black bream in a creamy, tomato-based Kerala curry sauce and breast of blackleg chicken with an almond korma and citrus spicing, plus some great dahl, smoky crushed eggplant and crisp roti, naan or spiced potato stuffed paratha. Service is knowledgeable and accommodating, tables are well-spaced and the by-the-glass wine selection excellent. www.cinnamonclub.com

St John is another quintessential London experience with a wonderfully casual bar and bakery in the courtyard, full of after-work locals catching up over a drink, and a very simple dining room up a few metal stairs offering Fergus Henderson’s pared back dishes such as roast bone marrow with parsley salad, black cuttlefish and pickled onions, and lentils braised in wine with a big creamy splodge of tangy goats curd. Once again service is polished without being pompous and the wine list offers everything from good glasses to great bottles. www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk

Grand Hotels are part of the London experience and afternoon tea at The Dorchester is a great way to soak up the atmosphere without spending a fortune. Thanks to the trend towards ‘credit crunch lunches’ that is sweeping town, there’s an even better way to get the grand experience without spending accordingly at the two Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. The only Alain Ducasse restaurant in London that bears the master’s name, this 18-month-old restaurant overlooking the trees of Hyde Park entered the famous little red book last year with 2 stars and a bullet. Their ‘The Lunch Hour’ menu offers 2 courses for £39.50 or 3 courses for £45 along with 2 glasses of wine and all the frills such as a wide selection of beautiful house-baked bread (black olive rolls, tiny crisp sourdough baguettes, rich mini fougasse…) with superb butter and a spread of creamed fresh curds, generous platters of tiny amuse bouche such as pepper-dusted gougeres and tiny deep-fried spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli, coffee and tea and a killer range of superb petite fours: truffles, passionfruit bonbons, melting orange macaroons, choc-coated almonds. The dining room is minimal and refined, tables are set with beautiful silverware and china, staff is gracious with just the right balance of formality and friendliness and a skill for making each guest comfortable. www.alainducasse-dorchester.com

A pub is a must do London experience and if you’re up for a short drive (about 1 hour west of London) you can dine at The Hind’s Head in Bray, across the road from the more famous The Fat Duck, where Heston Blumenthal dispenses with the foams, creams and aerosols and does an outstanding job with British classics such as potted shrimp with a peppery watercress salad, caramelised onion and goat’s cheese tart on a super flaky disc of pastry with rich sweet onion and two fat discs of tangy goat’s cheese or tea-smoked salmon with soda bread and a light crème fraiche. Main courses such as chicken, ham and leek pie and pork sausages, mash and onion gravy probably never tasted this good before, and I know it’s a big call, but the triple cooked chips, thick well-salted-fluffy-inside-super-crispy-outside blocks of potato, may just be the best chips I’ve ever eaten. Pudding’s an essential part of the British diet, so it’s a shame to leave without trying banana Eton mess, sherry trifle or lardy cake with whisky ice cream. www.thehindsheadhotel.com