London
Friday, midday
Check into the Jumeirah Lowndes (doubles from £227, www.jumeirah.com), a luxurious retreat in Belgravia.
12:30pm
Head over to Covent Garden and Balthazar (www.balthazarlondon.com), as authentic a Parisian brasserie as you will find in London, with superb steaks and wines.
2pm
The new Postal Museum (www. postalmuseum.org) opened last year, offering an insight into mail delivery through the ages and the unique experience of travelling deep below London’s streets on an old mail transporter train.
7pm
Savvy diners will notice the cuisine on offer at the recently relocated Leong’s Legend (tel: 020-7287 028) is Taiwanese rather than Chinese, but it’s as good as anything else you will find in Chinatown, with nods to Korean cuisine too.
Saturday, 10am
Snare a Thames Clippers (www. thamesclippers.com) Roamer pass and head to the Battersea Power Station Pier. Take in this rapidly changing quarter before heading further upriver.
10:30am
Get off at the ferry pier next to another of London’s reborn former power stations on Bankside, which now houses the Tate Modern (www. tate.org.uk). The Turbine Hall is arguably the capital’s most striking exhibition space.
Midday
Enjoy lunch laden with fresh seasonal ingredients at the Tate Modern’s restaurant – the views are as engaging as the art.
2:30pm
Hop back on a Thames Clippers ferry and zoom downriver as far as Greenwich, cutting a swathe through the heart of London. Enjoy a drink in the café checking out everything you missed on the way down.
7pm
The Lowndes Bar & Kitchen is worth staying in for. Savour king scallops spiced with chorizo to start before a perfectly cooked ribeye steak.
Sunday, 9am
Stroll along the city’s famous South Bank. The Sea Life London Aquarium (www.visitsealife.com) offers cute penguins, a massive pool of rays and sharks, plus exhibits on ongoing attempts to save the world’s oceans. ■
The Caledonian Sleeper travels to London from Edinburgh or Glasgow (www.sleeper.scot) overnight with a choice of beds or reclining seats.