Experience a cosmopolitan capital with a strong sense of tradition on London city breaks, where royal palaces and old pubs mingle with quirky fashion and world cuisine.

The River Thames wiggles through London, dividing it into north and south. It glides past Big Ben, winding between St Paul's Cathedral and the towering hulk of the Tate Modern art gallery before looping around the gleaming high-rise buildings of Docklands in the east. Large splodges of greenery break up the higgledy-piggledy streets, with Buckingham Palace lording it over St James's Park. West End shows, old-school pubs and swanky bars cluster around Leicester Square and Soho.

Best of London city breaks for...

• Romance: Take your loved one aboard London's giant Ferris wheel, the London Eye, for sweeping views of the city. Book a Champagne Experience at dusk and let the bubbles go to your head as you watch the sun set over the River Thames.
• Families: Get spooked at the Tower of London in the creepy towers that prisoners were once thrown into and where ravens still nest. Have your picture taken with a resident Beefeater guard, or dream of wearing the Queen's sparkly Crown Jewels.
• Shopping: Harrods out of your price bracket? Head to Selfridges, where you'll find everything from high street names to Alexander McQueen and Paul Smith. Don't miss the massive Shoe Galleries.
• Free & cheap: Head to the British Museum to see treasures from everywhere. For free! Star attractions are the Egyptian mummies. Not just humans, but cats, jackals and falcons were all bandaged up.
• Active types: Hop on a Barclays Cycle Hire bike on London city breaks and explore the city on two wheels. Cycle tracks criss-cross Hyde Park, making for peaceful ramblings.
  
  

Getting into London from the airport

• Gatwick Airport's express trains take 30 minutes to Victoria Station. Regional train services are slower, but cheaper.
• Heathrow Airport's express trains whizz into Paddington Station in 15 minutes. Underground trains are cheaper, but take 50 minutes.
• London City Airport is just 30 minutes from central London by Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Underground.
• Luton Airport is served by buses and trains, both of which take just over an hour to central London, for about the same cost.
• Stansted Airport is 45 minutes from Liverpool Street Station by express train. Coaches are cheaper but take longer.

Getting around on weekend breaks in London

• Public transport: The Underground, buses and overground trains serve the centre and suburbs. 
• Taxis: Catch black cabs at taxi ranks or hail them on the street.