I quite often get friends from elsewhere (okay, usually the US) asking me for cool stuff to do in London as a tourist so I eventually sat down and wrote this: Paul’s Guide to London.

Covent Garden/Leicester Square

Paul – French bakery with a café out the back. Brilliant for breakfast or afternoon tea and cakes. (29 Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2 – nearest tube Covent Garden)

Freuds – basement bar just below a furniture shop at the end of Shaftsbury Avenue. Good for wholesome soup and sandwiches type lunch or drinking into the evening and night – cocktails are amazing. (198 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JL – nearest tube Covent Garden or Leicester Square)

National Portrait Gallery – one of my favourite galleries (ground floor exhibitions are usually great) but the best thing to do is head up to the café/restaurant at the top. It’s a bit expensive so you might just want a coffee but you’re not really here for the food – it’s the view over the rooftops of London. You’re just level with the top of Nelson’s column. (St Martin’s Place, London WC2H – nearest tube Leicester Square or Charing Cross)

Gordons Wine Bar – one of London’s oldest bars, it’s pretty hidden from the outside so look carefully for the sign. When you get down it’s full of scruffy old furniture and one part of it is candlelit. Really amazing atmosphere and they specialise in good wine, port and sherry. (47 Villiers Street, WC2N 6NE – nearest tube Embankment or Charing Cross)

London Bridge/Borough

Tate Modern – easily the best of the big galleries at the moment and the cafes and bookshop are great too. (http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/ - nearest tube London Bridge or Southwark)

Borough Market – a huge farmer/producer market that’s usually only open on Fridays and Saturdays. If you’re self catering, this is the place to come for really fresh produce. Surrounded by nice cafes and pubs. (8 Southwark Street SE1 – nearest tube London Bridge)

City Hall – good spot to get a view of the City and Tower Bridge. There are usually outdoor exhibitions and the building’s pretty stunning too. It’s where David Blaine did his glass box trick if you heard about that. (on the river walkway near Tower Bridge – nearest tube London Bridge)

The Garrison, Bermondsey Street – great gastropub that does breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a nice cosy feel. The rest of Bermondsey Street is also worth a look – it’s one of London’s up and coming areas. (99 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XB)

The George – really old pub with crooked floors and wonky walls and good beer. Used to be a coaching house. (77 Borough High Street, Borough, SE1 nearest tube London Bridge or Borough)

Waterloo

Walk over Waterloo Bridge – the best ground level view of London – no question. Houses of parliament one way, the City and St Paul’s the other. Great at night or in the day (nearest tube Waterloo).

London Eye – although it’s a bit of a touristy thing to do, it is good. Try to go just as the sun is setting (nearest tube Waterloo and then follow the signs).

Tas – Turkish Mese restaurant which is usually bustling with people. Great food and usually live Turkish music in the evenings. (33 The Cut, London, SE1 8LF nearest tube Waterloo or Southwark)

Anchor & Hope – Great gastropub and you’ll probably have to wait for a table so go early. Menu is very authentically English and seasonal. Expect pigeon and pheasant. It’s wonderful though. (36 The Cut, London, SE1 8LP nearest tube Waterloo or Southwark)

Somerset House – just over the river from Waterloo (walk across the bridge) Somerset House has a couple of galleries but is really worth it for the middle square which is turned into an ice rink in Winter. Really impressive old building – used to be HQ for tax collection. (http://www.somerset-house.org.uk/)

Islington

Farmer’s market – Sunday mornings, nowhere near as big as Borough Market but still worth a look. (William Tyndale School (behind the Town Hall), Upper Street, Islington. N1 – nearest tube Angel)

S&M – stands for Sausage and Mash café. It’s what cafes used to look like in the 1930s and does great breakfasts using organic ingredients and then a whole range of different sausages with mashed potatoes from lunchtime on. (4 Essex Road, N1 – nearest tube Angel)

Tinderbox – good independent coffee shop with old airline seats for you sit in while you sip bowls of cappuccino. Check out their comic books – Too Much Coffee Man is my favourite. (21 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 0PQ – nearest tube Angel)

Duke of Cambridge – Britain’s first organic pub is tucked away on a back street. Really nice food although it can be a bit expensive. Everything is organic including the coke and lemonade. (30 St Peters Street, London, N1 8JT – nearest tube Angel)

Island Queen – proper old London boozer. Really friendly and usually heavily decorated for Christmas. (87 Noel Road, Islington, N1 8HD – nearest tube Angel)

Screen on the Green – nice old school cinema. Usually shows interesting films. (83 Upper Street, Islington N1 0NP – nearest tube Angel)

Old Street/Shoreditch

Columbia Road – on Sunday mornings, Columbia road turns into a massive flower and plant market. It has an amazing atmosphere and there are loads of breakfast and coffee places as well. (Columbia Road, E2 – nearest tube Old Street but it is a bit of a walk)

Brick Lane – famous as being London’s most multicultural street, it has housed waves of immigrants throughout history. At the moment it’s mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi so is the best place in town to come for curry. Also there are a couple of bagel places at the northern end which are cheap, tasty and open 24 hours. There are also lots of artists based in the area so you’ll usually find impromptu galleries and art sales on. Vibe Bar in the middle of the Lane is a pretty nice bar in what used to be London’s biggest brewery. (nearest tube Aldgate East)

Carnevale – if you’re into vegetarian food (actually even if you aren’t) you can’t go wrong with Carnevale. It’s a tiny restaurant hidden away on a back street but the seasonal menu is just great. (135 Whitecross St, London, EC1Y 8JL – nearest tube Old Street)

Bar Kick – cool bar on Shoreditch High Street with loads of table football (soccer) tables. If a couple of French guys offer to play you expect to get soundly beaten. They’re just too good. (126 - 127 Shoreditch High Street, London, E1 6JE – nearest tube Old Street)

Bit further out

Richmond – lovely part of town up the river. Come out of the tube station and walk towards the river. Loads of nice pubs down there and then you can walk along the river bank. (tube Richmond)

Kew Gardens – the most amazing gardens. In the winter you’ll want to head to the hot houses which have an amazing selection of plants. Some of the specimens are the only ones left of particular species in the world (http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/).

Hampstead Heath – the biggest park near central London and famous as muse for all kinds of writers and artists who have lived in London. Bits of Notting Hill were filmed on the grass in front of Kenwood, the big white house at the far end of the Heath. I like it because it’s wild and not manicured like Regents Park or Hyde Park. (nearest tube’s Hampstead or Kentish Town)

Get a boat to Greenwich – they go from Westminster pier or Tower Bridge and the journey takes only about 30 minutes. You get to see all the old warehouses that are being developed and how the city is spreading eastwards. When you get to Greenwich head up to the Observatory which is where the Greenwich Meridian (as in GMT) is.