London

Why take city breaks to London when there are so many foreign cities to discover? London, quite simply, is one of those rare destinations that you must visit at least once in your lifetime - and will probably want to return to again and again.

It's not the oldest city in the world, or the most decadent, or even the most beautiful - but short breaks to London have a magic of their own.

To get your bearings in this sprawling metropolis, it's worth doing a hop-on, hop-off city bus tour around central London and dipping into any of the myriad attractions that takes your fancy.

Start at the pigeon-flurried Trafalgar Square to satisfy your cultural urges at a couple of the capital's many (and free) museums. The National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are good starting points for those on short breaks to London.

Later you can head to the West End, take in the razzle-dazzle of Theatreland, street entertainment in Covent Garden and the buzzing easy-come easy-go Soho.

A visit to London's most famous landmarks is also to see the most enduring and celebrated images of the capital for yourself. They might be firmly on the tourist trail but Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are still musts for first-timers to the capital.

However, once you've ticked off the essentials, city breaks to London can be just about anything you make it. Outside the centre, you'll find a truly cosmopolitan city meshed together by different communities thriving on their own.

To the north, Hampstead Heath with its acres of natural parkland is perfect place to get away from city life, while the west has Notting Hill with its candy-coloured mews and antique-paradise Portobello Market.

The east has recently become synonymous with everything hip - Spitalfields is the place to shop, Shoreditch is the place to be seen. Further east, is the space-age Docklands, which eventually leads to leafy Greenwich.

The hurtling pace of the city is balanced by London's many green spaces. Hyde Park is the largest in the centre, with wide boulevards ideal for in-line skating and strolling, a lake and the small but impressive Serpentine Gallery.

On a warm day, it's nothing short of festive in the exquisite parks, and the pub tables lining the meandering Thames are thronged.

At night, the streets of Soho buzz as London's socialites make their way boisterously from café to pub to bar to club, or others trot to the theatres around Covent Garden. Altogether short breaks to London provide a perfection of play, culture and history.