Elegant Georgian houses, five-star hotels, and lush green parks – Bayswater is one of those delightfully refined parts of London that welcomes discerning visitors with uniformed doormen and exclusive restaurants. You’re just a short walk from the thriving cultural attractions of the West End. This is one of the most culturally diverse parts of the capital and is also home to a veritable gaggle of A-list celebrities. Dine on Vietnamese or Malay cuisine, or stroll around the tranquillity of Kensington Gardens, one of the finest royal parks in London.

Once the home of highwaymen and known as Five Fields for centuries, modern Belgravia is one of London’s most affluent boroughs. To the southwest is Buckingham Palace and the extensive royal park, which is open to visitors during the summer months. At the heart of the borough is Belgrave
Square, a classic London square surrounded by elegant stuccoed houses and mansions. With such stunning architecture on display around every corner, it’s no surprise that you’ll frequently see film units using the refined frontages as backdrops for period dramas.

Chelsea is where affluence and uber-cool trends sit side by side. Famous in the 1970s and ‘80s for the Punk Rock scene that had such a huge influence on music and fashion, it’s always been an eclectic place where innovative ideas meet outrageous excess. The result is a vibrant, colourful scene where exclusive restaurants and hyper sportscars sit next to retro-cool record shops and
vintage fashion stores. There’s plenty of history on display too, and the borough is home to the famous Royal Hospital Chelsea and home to the red-coated Chelsea Pensioners.

Whether you want to learn all about ancient history or experience the incredible atmosphere of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington is London’s cultural epicentre. This wealthy borough is home to internationally acclaimed museums, galleries, concert halls and colleges, as well as embassies and consulates. You’ll see plenty of celebrities strolling down Kensington High Street. Regarded as one of the best shopping districts in London, expect to find vintage clothing boutiques alongside bespoke fashion stores and independent coffee shops.

Think of Knightsbridge and there’s one iconic store that springs to mind – Harrods. It’s also home to the world’s most expensive apartment (worth a cool £100million), countless flagship stores and the home of international fashion in London. Browse shoes at Jimmy Choo or get accessorised at Prada. Dine in some of the city’s most exclusive restaurants (but our top tip is to book well in advance), or stroll around some of the capital’s finest antiques stores. If you need to escape the crowds for awhile, Hyde Park is a short walk away.

Lined with Georgian townhouses and fashionable among those in the know since the 1800s, Marylebone is an eclectic district that gives you a taste of the real London. Marylebone High Street is elegant, relatively crowd-free, and packed with sophisticated boutiques rather than tatty tourist shops. Catch a game at Lord’s Cricket ground, walk among the waxworks at Madame Tussauds, or take a picture outside 221b Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, where players in authentic period costumes bring Holmes and Watson to life.

Ultra-trendy and vibrantly multi-cultural, Notting Hill is famous for appearing regularly in films and TV shows as well as for its annual carnival. It’s also home to one of London’s best boutique shopping streets, the fabulously colourful Portobello Road Market. Filled with retro-chic and vintage shops, ethnic restaurants and street food vendors, Notting Hill is a lively place with a genuinely bohemian atmosphere. Street murals bring a burst of colour, and this is also the place to search out smaller live music venues for the best jazz in the capital.

While it may be famous for being one of London’s most affluent boroughs, South Kensington is also home to some of the capital’s most important colleges including the Royal College of Art, the Lycée Français, and the Royal College of Music. This cultural epicentre is also famous for its luxury hotels and apartments clustered around the borough’s squares like Onslow Square and Thurloe Square.
From world-renowned auction house Christie’s to world-class museums that are free to enter, South Kensington is a fabulously rich snapshot of London life at its best.

Head away from the hustle and bustle of the capital to Primrose Hill and you’ll find a tranquil oasis just a few miles from the West End. This park is located north of Regent’s Park and is the second-highest natural point in the borough of Camden. The views across the city are spectacular and on a clear day allows you can see right across the capital towards the trendy East End and Canary Wharf in the distance. Once a hunting park for Henry VIII, today, Primrose Park is one of London’s best green spaces and a delightful spot for a picnic on a sunny day.

Tucked away on the western edge of the city is Holland Park, a tranquil area of Kensington that leaves the hustle and bustle of the West End behind. Tree-lined streets and grand Victorian houses are home to exclusive restaurants, spas and hotels. With art galleries, boutiques and attractions such as the Design Museum, it manages to pack a lot into a small area. At its heart is a small park of around 54 acres, with wild woodlands and formal gardens that are home to some very noisy peacocks. The Kyoto Garden is a must-see, with its spectacular waterfall.