Culture Vulture Weekend in London

London is one of the greatest cultural destinations in the world.

Does Turner turn you on? Tchaikovsky choke you up? Shakespeare give you the shivers? Then there's no doubt about it. You're a culture vulture; and you've come to the right place!

With some 70 large museums, more than 30 major art galleries and almost 150 theatres, not to mention hundreds of years of fascinating stories behind its monuments, palaces and historic houses, London is the perfect location for a weekend of cultural enlightenment. Now, take a few (balletic) steps this way…

Friday Night

Old Curiosity Shops and Chops

Eat as the 19th century literati used to, at the Quality Chop House on Farringdon Road. In those days, a plate of meat, bread and half a pint cost sixpence. You'll pay more today, but the menu is still based on traditional fare like jellied eels or steak and chips. Or head for Frederick's on Camden Passage, and do some window-shopping around the nearby antique shops after your nosh.

Round the evening off with a show at Sadler's Wells, London's premier dance house which puts on everything from Japanese drumming to Brazilian dance.

Saturday Morning

Inspirational Art and Fantastic Food

You could probably spend the whole weekend looking around Somerset House. Once the home of Elizabeth I, todays it houses the Courtauld Galleries, the Embankment Galleries, and the Hermitage Rooms. Enjoy specialities such as loin of venison and steamed halibut at the Admiralty Restaurant.

As an alternative, the world-renowned Tate Modern and Tate Britain galleries are just along the river. You can actually take the special Tate-to-Tate boat between the two. Both galleries also have excellent in-house restaurants.

Another contender for best gallery restaurant in London is the National Dining Rooms at the National Gallery. The classic British menu includes things like crisp pork belly with pease pudding and scrumpy. Yummy!

If you're wandering London's South Bank, sample the delights of the renowned Blueprint Café in the Design Museum. This classic Conran restaurant has stunning views of the river and London skyline.

Saturday Afternoon

Handel with Care

Spend the afternoon browsing the smaller art galleries on Cork Street, before continuing on to the Handel House Museum, once home to the 18th century composer. On occasion, you can enjoy live music within the restored Georgian surroundings. Finish off with a visit to the Haunch of Venison contemporary art gallery on Brook Street.

Saturday Night

Curtain Please!

Dress up in your finest, and enjoy the familiar, red-velvet surroundings of a London theatre. Why not try a West End musical? Or, for an alternative to the usual shows, head to the Donmar Warehouse, or the Barbican which houses a concert hall, a theatre and cinemas.

Fans of the Bard should look out for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which frequently stages seasons in London, or head to the magnificent Shakespeare's Globe (performances May-October).

Afterwards enjoy post-theatre beluga caviar and sea bream at celeb diner the Ivy or immerse yourself in a hotpot of food, art and music at Sketch.

Sunday

Ahoy There!

Close your eyes and imagine you're a character from a Robert Louis Stevenson novel as you take a boat trip to Greenwich.

There's more than a whole day's worth of fun to be had here. Attractions include the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, Wernher Collection, Fan Museum, Cutty Sark, and the Queen's House, once home to King James I's wife, Anne of Denmark. If you're not feeling seasick after all that, enjoy some gastro fodder and a pint of raspberry beer at the Greenwich Union on Royal Hill.

Alternative and Arty: London's East End

Alternatively, delve into the past of London's vibrant East End. Begin with a visit to Dennis Severs's House for a fascinating glimpse of life in the 18th century.

Around the corner, browse the stalls of Old Spitalfields Market and take in the impressive architecture of Nicholas Hawksmoor's Christ Church and surrounding Huguenot terraces. With a short stroll down to Aldgate you can while away your afternoon at the Whitechapel Gallery.

As for lunch, just take your pick. Some of London's best Indian restaurants line Brick Lane, there's a huge range of inexpensive food stalls in Spitalfields Market or for something a bit more swanky head to the Great Eastern Hotel.

Iconic Cultural Hotels in London

A Room with a View…

Think of your favourite novel or play, and more often than not, there's an iconic building at its centre: Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice, or Mandalay in Rebecca. So, since this is a cultural tour, why not base your stay around an iconic hotel?

Brown's, close to the theatres of the West End, is composed of 11 Georgian townhouses and combines quintessential English elegance with contemporary style. Antiquarian books and paintings furnish each room.

Another hotel with original artworks in every room is One Aldwych, just a short walk from the Royal Opera House. And you can get yourself in the mood for Madame Butterfly while you swim the butterfly, as the pool boasts underwater music!

Hazlitt's occupies three 18th century houses, and was once the home of painter and writer William Hazlitt. Or how about the Gore? With its eccentric Victorian furniture, walnut panelling and stained-glass windows, it looks like it has emerged from the pages of a Conan Doyle novel.