Business Hours
While the City of London continues to work a very traditional Monday to Friday 0900 to 1700 routine (the Square Mile is deserted at weekends), business hours elsewhere in the city are extremely flexible. Larger shops and chain stores are usually open until 1900 Monday to Friday, as well as until at least 1700 Saturday and Sunday. Thursday is late night shopping in the West End.

Banks in central London are now usually open until 1700, although counter transactions after 1530 are usually not processed until the next working day. Post offices vary in their opening times, but most are open from 0900 to 1730 Monday to Saturday. Pubs and bars usually open from midday until 2300, shortly after which punters will have to leave unless the premises has a late licence.

Restaurants are usually open for lunch from noon until 1430, and dinner from1900 until 2200. Those hours are for food served rather than restaurant open.

Climate
The old adage that London doesn't have a climate, it has weather refers to the fickleness of the atmospheric conditions in the region. Plan a picnic in a park in the morning and it will be raining by noon; go to a film to escape a wet and dreary afternoon, and you'll emerge to bright sunshine in a blue, cloudless sky. You just never know.

But London does have a climate. in fact, among the mildest in England known as temperate maritime, with mild and damp winters and moderate summers. It's wise to expect cloudy weather and rain even in the height of summer.

In July and August temperatures average around 18°C but can occasionally soar to 30°C or more. During most summers, however, you'll be lucky if the mercury tops the mid-20s. Even so, the summer of 2003 was one of the hottest ever on record for Britain and much of Europe. London sizzled at a record-breaking 37.9C in August, breaking once and for all the stereotype of the mild English summer.

In spring and autumn temperatures drop to between 11° and 15°C. In winter they hover just below 6°C; it very rarely freezes in London these days and snow is a very infrequent visitor. It may seem mild, but the dampness can often make it feel much colder.

Discount Cards
Students studying full time in London are eligible for discounted travel on all London public transport. However, it takes some time to receive your discount card, as it needs to be sent by post for processing ask for a form to fill out at any tube station.

Possibly of most interest to visitors who want to take in lots of sights and attractions is London Pass. Passes start at £12 per day, and they can be altered to include use of the Underground and buses. They offer free entry and queue-jumping to all major attractions.

Electricity
The standard voltage throughout the UK is 230/240V AC, 50Hz. Plugs have three square pins. Adaptors for European, Australasian and American electrical items are available at any electrical store.

Emergencies
Dial 999 to call the police, fire brigade or ambulance in an emergency.

Public Holidays
Most attractions and businesses close for a couple of days over Christmas, and those that normally shut on Sunday will probably do so on Bank Holiday Mondays.

New Year’s Day 1 January
Good Friday/Easter Monday late March/April
May Day Holiday first Monday in May
Spring Bank Holiday last Monday in May
Summer Bank Holiday last Monday in August
Christmas Day/Boxing Day 25 & 26 December

School Holidays
These change from year to year and often from school to school. Moreover, public (i.e. private) school holidays tend to differ from those of state schools. As a general rule, however :

Summer holiday late July - early September
Autumn half term last week of October
Christmas holidays 20 December - 6 January
Spring half term one week in mid-February
Easter holidays two weeks either side of Easter Sunday
Summer half term one week end of May/early June

Legal Matters
Should you face any legal difficulties while in London visit any one of the Citizens Advice Bureaux throughout London or you can contact the Community Legal Services Directory (Tel: 0845 608 1122)

Driving Offences
The laws against drink-driving have become tougher and are treated more seriously than they used to be. Currently you're allowed to have a blood-alcohol level of 35mg/100mL but there's talk of reducing the limit. The safest approach is not to drink anything at all if you're planning to drive.

Drugs
Illegal drugs of every type are widely available in London, especially in clubs. Nonetheless, all the usual drug dangers apply and there have been several high-profile deaths associated with ecstasy, the purity of which is often dubious. Cannabis has recently been reclassified as a Class C drug, which means possessing small quantities will not result in the user being arrested. However, there are still stiff penalties for dealing and handling large amounts of the drug. No other drugs have been reassessed, and be warned that other drugs are treated much more seriously.

Fines
In general you rarely have to cough up on the spot for an offence. The exceptions are trains, the tube and buses, where people who can't produce a valid ticket for the journey when asked to by an inspector can be fined there and then £5 on buses and £10 on trains and the tube. No excuses are accepted.

At the time of writing, the British government was in the process of giving police new powers to impose on-the-spot fines for antisocial behaviour. These run from £40 for being drunk and disorderly, buying alcohol for under-18s or throwing fireworks in the street, to £80 for making false 999 calls or wasting police time.

Medical Services
Reciprocal arrangements with the UK allow residents of Australia, nationals of New Zealand, and residents and nationals of several other countries to receive free emergency medical treatment and subsidised dental care through the National Health Service (NHS; Tel: 0845 4647). They can use hospital emergency departments, GPs and dentists. Visitors of 12 months or longer, with the proper documentation, will receive care under the NHS by registering with a specific practice near their residence.

EU nationals can obtain free emergency treatment on presentation of an E111 form that has been validated in their home country. Travel insurance, however, is advisable as it offers greater flexibility over where and how you're treated and covers expenses for an ambulance and repatriation that won't be picked up by the NHS.

Metric System
People in London use both the metric and imperial systems interchangeably. To convert kilometres to miles, multiply by 0.062; to convert metres to feet, multiply by 3.28. To convert kilos to pounds, multiply by 2.2.

Money
Despite being a member of the EU, the UK has not signed up to the euro and has retained the pound sterling as its unit of currency. One pound sterling is made up of 100 pence (pronounced "pee", colloquially). Notes come in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50, while coins are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2.

ATMs are a way of life in London, as the huge queues by them on Saturday nights in the West End attest. There is no area in London unserved by them, and they accept cards from any bank in the world that is tied into the Visa, MasterCard, Cirrus or Maestro systems, as well as some other more obscure ones. After a national campaign, most banks now allow their card holders to withdraw money from other banks, ATMs without charge, and vice versa. However, those without UK high-street bank cards should be warned that there is nearly always a transaction surcharge for cash withdrawals. You should contact your bank to find out how much this is before using ATMs too freely.

You can change money in most high-street banks and some travel agent chains, as well as at the numerous bureaux de change throughout the city. Compare rates and watch for the commission that is not always mentioned. The trick is to ask how many pounds you'll receive in all before committing, you'll lose nothing by shopping around. Credit and debit cards are accepted almost universally in London, from restaurants and bars to shops and even some taxis. American Express and Diner's Club are less widely used than Visa and MasterCard, while most Londoners simply live off their Switch debit cards that can also be used to get "cash back" from supermarkets, which saves making a trip to an ATM if you are low on cash.

Pharmacies
There’s always one neighbourhood chemist that's open 24 hours. Since all medication is readily available, either over the counter or on prescription, there's no need to stock up.

Most people will be instantly struck by the almost total monopoly enjoyed by Boots the Chemist. The Superdrug chain is the only potential rival, and individual dispensing pharmacies often lose out to the increasingly corporate face of UK medicine dispensing. That said, Boots are by far the best supplied and largest pharmacies in London, selling everything from hair dryers to camera film.

Post
Once the pride of Britain, the privatization of the post office has resulted in the downgrading of a once superb delivery service. It's still generally very reliable, but it is no longer possible to take for granted the speed and accuracy that once was its hallmark. For general postal enquiries ring Tel: 0845 722 3344.

Rates
Domestic 1st-class mail is quicker but more expensive (28/42p per letter up to 60/100g) than 2nd class (20/34p). Postcards and letters up to 20g cost a uniform 36p to send anywhere in Europe; to almost everywhere else, including the Americas and Australasia, it's 47/68p up to 10/20g. Packets and parcels up to 100/200g cost 89p/£1.34 to Europe and £1.17/2-2.13 to everywhere else. They must be taken to the post office for weighing. Airmail letters to the USA or Canada generally take three to five days; to Australia or New Zealand, allow five days to a week.

Poste Restante
Unless you (or the person writing to you) specify otherwise, poste restante mail sent to London ends up at the Trafalgar Square post office (tube Charing Cross), 24-28 William IV St, WC2. It opens 0800 to 2000 Monday to Saturday and 0900 to 2000 on Saturday. Mail will be held for four weeks; ID is required. Amex offices will also hold clients, mail for free.

Postcodes
The London postal code system is a remnant of the First World War and confuses Londoners themselves. The whole city is divided up into districts notated by a letter (or letters) and a number. For example, W1, the Mayfair and Soho postcode, stands for West London, district 1. EC1, on the other hand, stands for East Central London, district 1. The numbers are assigned alphabetically throughout the districts and make little logical sense. However, postcodes are a good way of differentiating London streets that have identical names. For example, Harrow Road exists in E6, E11, NW10, W2, W10 and W9.

Taxes & Refunds
Value-added tax (VAT) is a 17.5% sales tax levied on most goods and services except food, books and children’s clothing. Restaurants must, by law, include VAT in their menu prices. It's sometimes possible for visitors to claim a refund of VAT paid on goods, resulting in considerable saving. You're eligible if you have spent fewer than 365 days out of the two years prior to making the purchase living in the UK, and if you're leaving the EU within three months of making the purchase.

Not all shops participate in the VAT refund scheme, called the Retail Export Scheme or Tax-Free Shopping, and different shops will have different minimum purchase conditions (normally around £75 in any one shop). On request, participating shops will give you a special form (VAT 407). This must be presented with the goods and receipts to customs when you depart (VAT-free goods can't be posted or shipped home). After customs has certified the form, it should be returned to the shop for a refund (minus an administration or handling fee), which takes about eight to 10 weeks to come through.

Telephone
British Telecom's (BT's) famous red phone boxes survive in conservation areas only (notably Westminster), while some private phone companies have painted theirs black and installed them around Piccadilly and Charing Cross. More common these days are the glass cubicles with phones that accept coins, phonecards and/or credit cards.

BT offers £3, £5, £10 and £20 phonecards that are widely available from retailers including most post offices and newsagents. A digital display on the telephone indicates how much credit is left on the card.

The following are some important telephone numbers and codes:

International dialling code 00
Local and national directory enquiries 118 500
International directory enquiries 153
Local and national operator 100
International operator 155
Reverse-charge/collect calls 155
Time 123
Weathercall (Greater London) 0906 654 3268

Be advised that some of the numbers above are charged calls. Some special phone codes worth knowing include:

Toll-free 0500/0800
Local call rate applies 0845
National call rate applies 0870
Premium rate applies (from 60p per minute) 09

Calling London
London's area code is 020 followed by an eight-digit number beginning with 7 or 8. You only need to dial the 020 when you are calling London from elsewhere in the UK. To call London from abroad, dial your country's international access code, then 44 (the UK's country code), then 20 (dropping the initial 0) followed by the eight-digit phone number.

Local & National Call Rates
Local calls are charged by time alone; regional and national calls are charged by both time and distance. Daytime rates apply from 0800 to 1800 Monday to Friday; the cheap rate applies from 1800 to 0800 Monday to Friday; and the cheap weekend rate applies from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday. The last two rates offer substantial savings.

Calls to local and national directory enquiries cost 11p per minute from public phones (minimum deposit of 20p) and 40p from private phones.

International Calls and Rates
International direct dialling (IDD) calls to almost anywhere can be made from nearly all public telephones. To call someone outside the UK dial 00, then the country code, then the area code (you usually drop the initial zero if there is one) and then the number. For example, to ring Melbourne, where the area code is 03 and the code for Australia is 61, you would dial 00-61-3-1234 5678. To reach Boston, where the area code is 617 and the code for the USA is 1, dial 00-1-617-123 4567.

Direct dialling is cheaper than making a reverse-charge (collect) call through the international operator (Tel: 155). International directory enquiries (Tel: 153) cost a whopping £1.50 per minute from private phones.

Some private firms such as Callshop offer cheaper international calls than BT. Try the Earl's Court branch of Callshop (Tel: +44 (020) 7390 4549; 181a Earl]s Court Rd SW5; tube Earl's Court; h 9am-11pm); in such shops you phone from a metered booth and then pay the bill. Some cybercafés and Internet access shops, such as Internet Lounge in Earl's Court, also offer cheap rates for international calls.

It's also possible to undercut BT international call rates by buying a special card (usually denominated £5, £10 or £20) with a PIN that you use from any phone, even a home phone, by dialling a special access number. There are dozens of cards available with bizarre names such as Alpha, Omega, Banana Call, First National and Swiftlink, available from newsagents and grocers. To decide which is best you really have to compare the rate each offers for the particular country you want, posters with the rates of the various companies are often displayed in shop doors or windows.

Mobile Phones
The UK uses the GSM 900 network, which covers the rest of Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but is not compatible with the North American GSM 1900 or the totally different system in Japan (though many North Americans have GSM 1900/900 phones that do work here).

If you have a GSM phone, check with your service provider about using it in the UK, and beware of calls being routed internationally (very expensive for a local call). You can also rent one from various companies, including Mobell (Tel: 0800 243 524) and Cellhire (Tel: 0870 5610610) from around £20 per week, depending on the hire period. In this case, however, you can’t use your existing number.

Time
Wherever you are in the world, the time on your watch is measured in relation to the time at Greenwich in London, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). British Summer Time, the UK's form of daylight-saving time, muddies the water so that even London is ahead of GMT from late March to late October.

Tipping
Many restaurants add a discretionaryservice charge to your bill, but in places that don't you are expected to leave a 10% to 15% tip unless the service was unsatisfactory. Waiting staff are often paid derisory wages on the assumption that the money will be supplemented by tips. It's legal for restaurants to include a service charge in the bill but this should be clearly advertised.

You needn't add a further tip. You never tip to have your pint pulled in a pub but staff at bars now often return change in a little metal dish, expecting some of the coins to glue themselves to the bottom. If you take a boat trip on the Thames you'll find some guides and/or drivers importuning for a tip in return for their commentary. Whether you pay is up to you.

Toilets
Toilets at main train stations, bus terminals and attractions are generally good and usually have facilities for disabled people and those with young children. At train and bus stations you usually have to pay 20p to use the facilities. You also have to pay to use the self-cleaning concrete pods in places such as Leicester Square.

In theory it's an offence to urinate in the streets, but arrests are rare. However, with the streets of Soho so frequently stinking of urine, Westminster council has pioneered an excellent scheme whereby public urinals are set up on the streets at weekends for those who can't make it to the next bar without relieving themselves. These can be found on Soho Square, Wardour Street and on the Strand, among other locations.

Women Travellers
In general, London is a fairly laid-back place, and you're unlikely to have too many problems provided you take the usual city precautions. Apart from the occasional wolf whistle and unwelcome body contact on the tube, women will find male Londoners reasonably enlightened. There's nothing to stop women going into pubs alone, though this is not necessarily a comfortable experience even in central London.

Safety Precautions
Solo women travellers should have few problems, although common sense and caution should be observed, especially at night. It's particularly unwise to get into an Underground carriage with no-one else in it or with just one or two men, and there are a few tube stations, especially on the far reaches of the Northern Line, where you won't feel comfortable late at night. The same goes for some of the mainline stations in the south (such as Lambeth) and southeast (such as Bromley), which may be unstaffed. In such cases you should hang the expense and take a taxi.

Top 10 Attractions
The city is home to countless historical and modern attractions, from the British Airways London Eye to Big Ben and the Tower of London. Take your pick from the top ten, based on Visit London ticket sales.

1. The London Eye
   British Airways London Eye is the world's highest observation wheel and offers passengers amazing views of Britain's capital city.
2. Madame Tussauds/Planetarium
   Mingle with the likes of Kylie Minogue, David Beckham, Jerry Springer, Brad Pitt and many more in this waxwork world.
3. Houses of Parliament Summer Opening
   Open from July, visits are by guided tour only and include the main chambers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
4. The London Dungeon
   Discover the world's most chillingly famous horror attraction, The London Dungeon...if you think you're brave enough?
5. Royal London & Buckingham Palace Tour
   Tour Buckingham Palace during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September, and view artwork from the Royal Collection.
6. Tower of London
   Discover its 900 year history as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, mint, arsenal, menagerie and jewel house.
7. London's West End & Westminster Abbey Tour
   Take a tour of this architectural masterpiece and visit the tombs of many of the country's notorious Kings and Queens.
8. Hampton Court Palace
   Explore the magnificent State Apartments of Henry VIII, 60 acres of riverside gardens and the world-famous maze
9. Dali Universe
   The Dali Universe is an innovative permanent 3000 square metre exhibition, dedicated to the awe-inspiring works of Salvadore Dali.
10. The Original London Tour
    The Original London Sightseeing Tour is the largest operator of its kind, showing you the best of the capital from an open top bus.

Major Museums
London's museums are a treasure trove waiting to be explored - from contemporary design to the animal kingdom.

British Museum
The British Museum is the oldest public museum in the world and houses a treasure trove of objects. In more than two hundred years, the museum has built up a collection of over six million objects. Highlights include the Elgin Marbles, Egyptian mummies, Rosetta Stone and the Mildenhall Treasure.

There are extensive collections of Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities, plus coins, medals, prints and drawings. The recently opened Great Court has transformed the museum by covering the inner courtyard with a glass and steel roof. It houses new galleries, a restaurant and a dynamic new piazza.

Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum contains hundreds of exciting interactive exhibits with sections on ecology and the animal world. Highlights include the Earthquake Experience, the Earth Galleries - which tell the story of our planet - and the Dinosaur Gallery. You can see creepy crawlies magnified hundreds of times, hear the roar of a dinosaur, explore the world of mammals, learn more about human biology and see the huge diplodocus skeleton.

Science Museum
The Science Museum is home to the world's most comprehensive collections of science, technology, industry and medicine. Learn about space flight or find out about steam locomotives and the world's first aeroplanes. Charles Babbage's calculating machine, Stephenson's Rocket and the Apollo 10 command module that made the first manned flight around the moon are all on display. There is a special interactive gallery for children called Launch Pad, where you can build a bridge and fly a plane.

Victoria & Albert Museum
The V&A is one of the world's finest museums of decorative arts. Particular gems in the collection are the glass gallery, with its stunning glass staircase, the new silver gallery with its superbly made artefacts in precious metal, and the dress collection.

The Canon Photography Gallery shows part of the museum's wonderful collection of photographs from the 19th century to the present. The Late View Programme each Wednesday and one Friday of every month has DJs, bars and a lively social programme as well as a chance to look around the museum until 2200.

Imperial War Museum
The award-winning Imperial War Museum illustrates life on the home front and on the front lines in the First and Second World Wars. The museum also tackles other conflicts with sensitivity and style. Walk through the Trench experience, share the dramatic Blitz experience complete with the sounds, smells of London during an air raid. The museum has a permanent section on the Holocaust and a changing programme of temporary exhibitions.

Royal Observatory Greenwich
The Royal Observatory Greenwich was founded in 1675 by Charles II to find out the 'so-much desired longitude of places for perfecting the art of navigation'. The architect was Sir Christopher Wren, who was himself an astronomer. John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal, moved into the new building, now named Flamsteed House, in July 1676. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Meridian Line. National Maritime Museum.

The National Maritime Museum explains Britain's worldwide influence through its explorers, traders, migrants and naval power. The galleries include Oceans of Discovery, Nelson, Prince Frederick's gilded royal barge and ship models as up to date as P&O's Grand Princess cruise liner. Visitors will also find features on costume and the ecology of the sea as well as many beautiful maritime paintings.

Design Museum
Dedicated to the world of contemporary design, visitors can discover one hundred years of the best in international design and view state-of-the-art innovations at the Design Museum. Furniture, domestic appliances and graphics show the importance of design in our everyday lives. The museum has an innovative year-round programme of special exhibitions that have covered subjects as diverse as vacuum cleaners and Porsche cars.

London's Transport Museum
London's Transport Museum tells the story of London's famous transport system, from 1800 to the present day. There are displays of buses, trams and trains plus the very latest in interactive displays.

Theatre Museum
The Theatre Museum illustrates the history of performance in the UK including displays on theatre, ballet, dance and music. There is an unusual programme of special events like workshops on stage make-up and costume.

Imperial War Museum Duxford
The Imperial War Museum in Duxford offers a fascinating day out for aircraft enthusiasts of all ages. Learn the story of aviation through a variety of aircraft on display from biplanes and Spitfires though to Concorde and Gulf War jets.

Many of the historic planes housed at Duxford still fly, and you may see one take to the skies during a visit. Other highlights include the largest collection of American combat aircraft outside the US and an interesting collection of tanks and military vehicles. Duxford Airfield also stages a wide range of exhibitions, including 100 Years of Flight.

Royal Air Force Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon is home to a world class collection of over 70 aircraft, aviation memorabilia and artefacts, graphically depicting one hundred years of aviation development. In the Battle of Britain hall, the presentation, Our Finest Hour, uses film footage, audio and special lighting effects to portray the reality of the battle. The interactive Fun 'n' Flight gallery and flight simulator provides entertainment for all ages.

Museum of London
The Museum of London illustrates over two thousand years of London's social history, from prehistoric times to the twentieth century. On display are reconstructed Victorian shops and the Great Fire Experience, which shows how fire destroyed more than three quarters of the city and many of its churches, including St Paul's Cathedral. Archaeologists at the museum recently excavated two deep Roman wells in the City of London, discovering the remains of mechanisms used to lift water to the surface in Roman times.

Major Galleries
London's major galleries are homes to work by some of the world's most famous artists. Many have free admission, so you can't afford to miss them.

The National Gallery
The National Gallery is a 'must' for any art-loving visitor to London. The Gallery displays western paintings from about 1260-1900 and includes works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Van Gogh.

The National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery houses a permanent collection of portraits of famous men and women from the Tudors to the present day. The likenesses of poets and princesses, sportsmen and statesmen are all on display. There are also pictures of royalty, including Annigoni's portrait of the Queen as well as the less traditional 1985 version by Andy Warhol. The Ondaatje wing has a Tudor Gallery, Balcony Gallery, a roof top restaurant with fantastic views over Whitehall, a lecture theatre and an IT gallery

Tate Britain
The original Tate Britain houses the national collection of British painting from 1500 to the present day, from the Tudors to the Turner Collection. It holds the greatest collection of British art in the world including works by Constable, Gainsborough, Hodgin, Hogarth, Moore, Rossetti and Turner.

Tate Modern
The Tate Modern is the largest and one of the foremost museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. Its displays feature some of the art world's most famous movers and shakers such as Andy Warhol, Rachel Whiteread, Henri Matisse and Henry Moore. All works are arranged into four themes; landscape, still life, the nude and history paintings.

Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy of Arts is world famous for its continuous programme of outstanding exhibitions. Highlights for 2004 include The Art of Guston and Vuillard from Post-Impressionist to Modern Master.

Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery moved to County Hall in April 2003, transforming the former GLC Headquarters into a museum for modern art. The gallery's primary focus concentrates on and promotes young British artists exhibiting art from its own collections, including large scale shows by the Chapman Brothers, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Jenny Saville.

Hayward Gallery
Part of the South Bank Centre, the Hayward Gallery shows four exhibitions of international stature annually. The Gallery specialises in the works of modern masters and the most exciting names in contemporary art.

Barbican Art Gallery
The Barbican Art Gallery has changing exhibitions of photography, art and design covering an exciting range of distinctive work. It reopened in April 2004 following major refurbishment which added 140 square metres of display space over two levels.

Somerset House
Somerset House is home to the Courtauld Institute Gallery of world famous paintings, the magnificent Gilbert Collection of decorative arts and the Hermitage Rooms, a permanent exhibition of treasures from The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. The Gilbert Collection is a gift to Britain from Sir Arthur Gilbert and includes works in gold and silver, Italian mosaics, portrait images and jewellery, and the Hermitage Rooms displays a collection on loan from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Non-EU visitors are entitled to claim back tax (VAT) on purchases when you take them home. VAT rate in the UK is 17.5% (14.89% of the purchase price), and to qualify for a refund you have to make the minimum purchase set by the store.

Shops generally open from 0900 or 1000 to 1800 or 1900 Monday to Saturday. Shops in the West End open late (normally to 2000 on Thursday). Those in Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Kensington open late on Wednesday. Many shops are now open on a Sunday, typically from 1200 to 1800. Sunday trading is also common in Greenwich and Hampstead, and along Edgware and Tottenham Court Roads.

Department Stores
Hamleys of London Limited (188-196 Regent St.)
With a completely refurbished store, the magic has returned to Hamleys, making a visit even more fun. With seven floors filled with everything from the latest crazes, computer games, traditional teddies and specialist collector areas. Open M-F 10am-8pm, Sa 9.30am-8pm, Su noon-6pm

Selfridges & Co (400 Oxford St.)
Selfridges is one of the world's finest department stores and dominates the west end of Oxford Street. The shop has six floors offering ten acres of shopping space, eleven places to eat, two exhibition halls and countless services. From high fashion to hi-fi, wardrobe co-ordination to wedding lists, it's every shop you'll ever need. Open M-W 10am-7pm, Th-F 10am-8pm, Sa 9.30am-7pm, Su noon-6pm

Liberty (210-220 Regent St.)
Liberty's alluring window displays hint at the wealth of treasures to be found in the Regent Street store - Liberty print gifts and toys, ethnic jewellery, modern and antique furniture, oriental carpets and wares. Open M-W 10am-6.30pm, Th 10am-8pm, F-Sa 10am-7pm, Su noon-6pm

Fortnum & Mason Plc (181 Piccadilly)
Established in 1707 and holder of three Royal Warrants with five floors of luxury, Fortnum & Mason is legendary. The genteel ground floor, as well as the three restaurants offer the very best in British regional foods. Open M-Sa 10am-6.30pm

Harrods (87-135 Old Brompton Rd.)
One of the world's most famous department stores, established in 1849 as a humble grocery store employing two assistants. Today, it offers everything from food to fashion, furniture to sportswear plus 20 in-store restaurants serving every kind of cuisine imaginable from pizza to sushi. Services range from piano tuning to fitting saddles. Must-see sights include the Food Halls, the Egyptian Hall and the Pet Department. At night the store is illuminated by 11,500 light bulbs. Open M-Sa 10am-7pm

John Lewis Oxford Street (Oxford Street London)
This is the store for sensible shoppers, which boasts the catchphrase never knowingly undersold. It's great for finding life's little essentials, with a brilliant homes, kitchen and china department in the basement, through fabrics buttons and crafts on the ground floor to nursery furniture and school uniforms of every conceivable shape and style. Whether you want towels, lights, electrical goods or masking tape John Lewis has it all. Opening times, two weeks before Christmas: Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat: 9.30am - 8pm. Thu: 10am - 8pm. Sun: 1pm - 5pm

Harvey Nichols (109-125 Knightsbridge)
Five floors of fashion, from the biggest names to the hippest unknowns. Open M-Tu and Sa 10am-7pm, W-F 10am-8pm, Su noon-6pm

Peter Jones (Sloane Square London)
Chelsea's ultimate corner shop sells everything from fine china, glass and silver, including the Jubilee range, to designer fashions, cashmeres, perfumes and much, much more. Open M-Sa 9.30am-7pm