Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +44 (0)1582 414666. Open from 6am-2am seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Coach: easyBus, in conjunction with Greenline, runs a frequent 24-hour coach service to London Victoria via Brent Cross, Finchley Road, Baker Street and Marble Arch. Tickets: from £2 single (in advance); £9 (currently) at the easyBus ticket desk at Luton Airport (www.easybus.co.uk).

Train: Travel to central London in as little as 34 minutes with First Capital Connect. A frequent shuttle bus runs between the airport and the train station, taking just 10 minutes. There are up to six First Capital Connect trains an hour between London and Luton Airport Parkway station. You can buy tickets on the day or in advance on the First Capital Connect website (www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk).

Taxi: Taxis charge roughly £54 to get into central London.

Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +44 (0)1293 531062. Open 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Coach: easyBus runs a direct express minibus service to London Victoria. Tickets from £2 single (in advance); £9 (currently) at the easyBus ticket desk or from the driver. Coaches depart up to every 20 minutes from 7am-1am (www.easybus.co.uk).

Train: The Gatwick Express to Victoria runs every 15 minutes from 4.35am-1.35am and takes 30 minutes. Exclusive easyJet discounted fares available when you buy on board. Ask your cabin crew for details. Alternatively, First Capital Connect operates regular train services to London and the South Coast. As does Southern, which operates four trains an hour to London Victoria. Tickets: from £9.50.

Taxi: A journey to central London should cost about £78 and takes about 90 minutes.

Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +44 (0)1279 680240. Open 24 hours a day seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Coach: easyBus runs a direct express minibus service to Central London (Baker Street, Zone 1—Circle, Jubilee, Bakerloo, Metropolitan and the Hammersmith & City Underground lines). Tickets: from £2 single (in advance); £9 at the easyBus ticket desk at Stansted Airport or from the driver. Minibuses depart every 20 minutes from 7am-1.10am (www.easybus.co.uk).

Train: The Stansted Express runs every 15-30 minutes until 00.30am (additional services as late as 01.30am on Thursday, Friday and Sunday). Exclusive easyJet discounted fares available when you buy onboard. Ask your cabin crew for details. The journey takes about 46 minutes to London Liverpool Street in the City or 35 minutes to Tottenham Hale for connections to London’s West End.

Taxi: Fares are about £82 to central London.

Crepeaffaire
( Old Spitalfields Market, E1. Tel. 020 7377 0200 )
With a couple of outfits around town, this new spot in trendy Spitalfields Market is ideal for lunch, or just a break during your afternoon shopping spree. Tasty combinations include the Supreme, with ham, cheese, tomatoes, mushroom and spinach, and Thai chicken. Sweet creations such as the classic Nutella, Belgian chocolate or decadent I'll Have What She's Having—strawberries, cream and chocolate—will satisfy and sweet-tooth craving. Alternatively, try the Soho store at 173 Wardour Street.

Ping Pong
( 1 Bread Street, EC4. Tel. 020 7651 0880 )
Within chiming distance of London’s famous St Mary-le-Bow’s church, this new opening from the renowned dim-sum restaurant chain combines style, atmosphere and exceptional food. Whether it’s a quick pork puff at lunchtime or a more leisurely soft shell crab and sake in the evening, the steaming baskets of signature dishes deliver every time. You must finish with one of their speciality flowering jasmine teas—a delight after the dim sum (www.pingpongdimsum.com).

Big Easy
( 332 King's Road, SW3. Tel. 020 7352 4071 )
Crabshack dining, it’s fair to say, is very thin on the ground in London. Which is why this Texan ‘shack’ has all the great atmosphere of a Stateside steak and seafood joint with portion sizes and food quality to match. From king crab claws to the finest New York strips, thirst-quenching margaritas, succulent racks of ribs and lobsters the size of dinosaurs, you should arrive very hungry. Live evening music and special offers to make the pound stretch further than your waistline. The Big Easy is one of a kind in this city (www.bigeasy.uk.com).

Camino
( The Regent Quarter, N1. Tel. 020 7841 7331 )
Good Spanish food, let alone half decent tapas is hard to find in the capital. That’s why Camino, in the renovated King’s Cross area, shines. The finest sweet slices of jamón Ibérico and the cool, spicy marinated octopus salpicón de pulpo, whet the appetite. Follow this with the mouth-watering Iberian pork or squid, stuffed with back pudding rice. With great beers, a superb regional wine list mapped for easy reference and live music in the evening, Camino worth tracking down for a little bit of Spanish sunshine during the winter months (www.barcamino.com).

Inamo
( 134-136 Wardour Street, W1. Tel. 020 7851 7051 )
An Asian fusion restaurant that stands out for many reasons. Its fantastic menu boasts a host of fantastic dishes, including the light sashimi salad and moreish shiso chicken wraps to start, and heavy hitting mains, such as the beautifully buttery black cod with miso, and the tender hot-stone rib eye. But the main reason to go? There are no waiters. Well, there are, but you get to order your entire meal on an interactive table, then your food and drink order is brought out to you. Play around on the games, change the background and check out maps for the easiest way home. Ice-breaking first date spot.

Skylon
( South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road. Tel. 020 7654 7800 )
If you find yourself wandering along the South Bank, as a lot of tourists inevitably do—then bypass all the packed-out chain restaurants along the river and seek out Skylon, in the newly revamped Royal Festival Hall. With a fine-dining restaurant, brasserie and raised bar, it is much more sophisticated than any of its neighbours. Enjoy spectacular views across the river as you tuck into dishes like pan fried halibut with Morteau sausage or warm smoked mackerel with fennel salad.

Amuse Bouche
( 21-22 Poland Street, W1. Tel. 020 7287 1661 )
For a champagne aperitif without the exorbitant prices, Amuse Bouche is a bubbly haven. A good selection of the fizzy stuff, with bottles, by the glass (starting at a very reasonable £5 a glass) and cocktail options. An offshoot of the Parsons Green outfit, this version in the heart of the city evokes a similarly relaxed, suburban atmosphere.

The Fly
( 36-38 New Oxford Street, WC1. Tel. 0870 907 0999 )
Part of the nationwide Barfly chain, established in Camden in 1996, this venue is known as the place to spot the stars of the future. This club is less dingy than its Camden counterpart, with comfortable seating and an air of sophistication. But don’t forget, it’s all about the music at The Fly. Expect to see superb British talent like the Jukebox Vandals (14 November) and Munkster (29), and a host of famous DJs rocking nearly every week.

Floridita
( 100 Wardour Street, W1. Tel. 020 7314 4000 )
Spice up a chilly November evening with a trip to Floridita, a glam Cuban bar in the heart of town. Named after El Floridita in Havana—the home of the world's first daiquiri (inspired by Ernest Hemingway, no less) is the perfect place to sink a cocktail or two while moving to the beat of the resident Cuban band or DJ at the weekend.

Camden Passage is one of London's top shopping destinations—and the best thing about it is that most visitors don't know it even exists! Tucked away behind Angel Tube station, this little alley has a host of vintage and second-hand shops, antiques stores and more. Pop into Elk in the Woods for a refreshing pick-me-up.

Camden Passage is one of London's top shopping destinations—and the best thing about it is the most visitors don't know that it even exists! Tucked away behind Angel tube station, this little alley has a host of vintage and second hand shops, antique stores and more. Pop into Elk in the Woods for a refreshing pick-me-up.

In recent years, the quintessential London experience is a trip on the London Eye, a 135 metre-high observation wheel. You can see all the city's major landmarks, on a clear day you can admire views as far away as Windsor Castle—an impressive 40 kilometres! Visit www.londoneye.com to pre-book your tickets and you'll save 10%. London is a bit of a minefield when it comes to working out where to eat, with so many different cuisines catering for every budget. That's why Hg2's Eat London restaurant guide—with input from about 80 industry insiders—is a good buy. With a dining option for every occasion (from 'lazy Sunday afternoon' to 'frugal feasting'), it will help you find the perfect restaurant for your mood. RRP £9.99.

A must-see attraction when heading to Greenwich is the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres. The beautiful covered market is a great place to get ahead with your Christmas shopping, offering unusual crafts, jewellery, accessories, food and more.

Somerset House's annual ice rink returns on 19 November. Join the city's well-wrapped-up locals for a spin around the rink. The building is beautifully lit up with seasonal colours and the Tiffany Christmas Tree will put you in a festive mood. The famous late-night DJ sessions (from 10.30pm-11.30pm) are on 21, 22, 28 and 29 November, and the Skate Bar and Café stays open until 10.45pm (11.45pm on late nights) serving hot chocolate and mulled wine. Tickets: from £10.50 (adults); from £7.50 (children).

Oxford – Escape the hustle and bustle of the city for the architectural splendour of nearby Oxford. Trains leave Paddington station and arrive in Oxford in about 50 minutes. Wander through the famous colleges, take a peek inside the fabulous cathedral, and enjoy the fusion of different cultures in the area's bohemian quarter, Cowley Road.

The award-winning London Eye carries a whopping 3.5 million people each year—the equivalent of 6,680 jumbo jets full of passengers!

Compiled by Claire Bennie