London Like a Local

London Like a Local

Those unforgettable London moments usually aren't found in picture-postcard settings like Trafalgar Square, but in far more prosaic settings: at the bar of a friendly pub, amid the clutter of an antiques shop, on a park bench in a smart residential garden, or in a centuries-old church beneath the glass-and-steel towers of The City.

Wander About a Market

London's markets are perfect for an aimless Sunday morning potter, along with locals who aren't quite sure what they're doing there either. The most fun is Portobello, full of great clothes and jewelry from local designers, and plenty of cafés and pubs to drop into along the way.

Discover Pub Culture

Although fashionable coffee shops now dot every street, it's still the pub that Londoners are drawn to the minute the working day finishes. Don't get sucked into the big chains, such as Pitcher and Piano or All Bar One—head instead for the ones with kooky names straight out of a Monty Python sketch. Scuffed carpets, dartboards, and old chaps propping up the bar are all essential.

Go to Any Football Match

London doesn't get much more authentic than a 30,000-strong stadium on match day. In these emotional pressure cookers, thousands of fans come to drink, swear, sing, and live every moment of their team's fortunes. Lower-division games (Barnet, Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Leyton Orient, or Queens Park Rangers) will be less heavily subscribed and cheaper to watch.

Eat at a Greasy Spoon

The fatty delights of a classic London caff are best sampled after a night's excessive partying. A classic "full English" breakfast will consist of fried bacon, sausage, egg, tomatoes, and mushrooms—and, for the adventurous, black pudding, washed down with a mug of strong tea. Take a selection of red-top tabloid newspapers to peruse for the full effect.

Take a Night Bus Home

Like the street sweepers they overtake, these buses pick up the living leftovers of a thousand different nights out in the capital. Sometimes there are so many stops that it seems it will be dawn before you get to where you want to go, but the endless procession of passengers (and the speed and humor of their banter) is what makes the trip interesting.

Visit a Park

When Londoners need to escape the city, they head for its green spaces. And these will further increase after the 2012 Olympics with the construction of the Olympic Park. Sometimes it's to read the papers; other times to feed the ducks or play football. The parks boast an incredible range of free events, from music festivals to bird-watching. Favorites include Hyde Park in the west, Regent's Park in the north, Brockwell Park in the south, and Victoria Park in the east.

Party in Hoxton

This neighborhood is no longer the ultra-hip brother-in-charms to Manhattan's Lower East Side that it once was, but maybe it's for the better. Nowadays, the mullet-headed fashionistas and art school dropouts accommodate angular City slickers in the most predictable destination for a guaranteed good night out. Round off your night, or get it going, with a hearty curry on nearby Brick Lane, home to London's Bangladeshi community.