The essential guide to the best places to shop, eat and relax in London. Find the best restaurants, cinemas and nightlife spots along with general need-to-know information including shopping hours and going out tips.

Top departments stores (Selfridges, Liberty's, Harrods and Harvey Nichols) house all the latest styles. Designer boutiques cluster on Sloane Street and on Bond Street.High street brands have flagship stores on Oxford Street, Knightsbridge, Covent Garden and Regent Street.

For electronics, try Tottenham Court Road. For books, both privately-run shops and chain stores congregate on Charing Cross Road. The best bookshop in London is Daunt Books with branches on Haverstock Hill, South End Green (Hampstead tube) and Marylebone High Street.

London's markets (Camden, Portobello, Spitalfields, Borough, Greenwich) are an afternoon's entertainment in themselves.

Standard opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9.30am-6.30pm. Many department stores also open on Sunday.

Head to Brick Lane for a clutch of vintage fashion stores. It's an increasingly hip place to shop and full of quirky little stores.

Bars and clubs are concentrated on the high streets of London's many 'villages'. The busiest areas are Soho where bars and clubs are wall-to-wall. Soho's Old Compton Street is the heart of London's gay scene. Since the late 1990s, Hoxton has also become party-central with a number of good bars lining Charlotte Road and Old Street. Notting Hill's Portobello Road has a number of fun bars while Mayfair is very upmarket.

Pubs shut at 11pm every day except Sunday when they close at 10.30pm. Bars in Soho have late licences (until 1pm or 2pm) while most clubs stay open until 6am or later.

It is worth arriving early for clubs (pre 11pm) to avoid the queues. Club entry to popular nights is often £10+.

Key dining districts include Soho (Tottenham Court Road tube), Chinatown and Covent Garden (Leicester Square), Smithfields (Farringdon tube), Mayfair (Bond Street tube), Islington's Upper St (Angel tube), Notting Hill and Chelsea (Sloane Square tube). Classic English dishes include fish and chips, steak and kidney pudding, roast beef, bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potato) and strangely named puddings like 'spotted dick' and 'plum duff' (steamed puddings).

From a choice of over 70 different cuisines, modern British (delicious renderings of traditional recipes) predominates and is served in most 'gastropubs' (former old mens' pubs transformed by refurbs and decent cooking).

Standard opening hours are 12pm-3pm and 7pm-10pm, seven days a week (Chinatown closes around 2am). Many restaurants close on Sunday. The busiest nights for eating out in London are Friday and Saturday nights.

Where service is not included in the bill, tips of 10% are standard. Up-market restaurants require advance booking, cost between £30-£80+ per head (for three-courses including wine) and smart dress is expected.

Old fashioned service and the latest trends in haute cuisine. Gordon Ramsay, London's superstar chef with three Michelin stars, presides.

The standard bearer for French food in London under the baton of the Roux family. The restaurant has three Michelin stars. Definitely one for the expense account.

British produce meets tapas-style dining at this popular cityside haunt. Also a good place to dine alone.

At this world famous jazz venue, touring performers guarantee a great dinner jazz experience.

Brainchild of Momo, London's hippest restaurant entrepreneur, this two-storey, über-designed 'space' has an art gallery, trendy bar and two dining options - one expensive, one absurdly expensive.

Do allow plenty of time to reach appointments as public transport can be troublesome and distances are large. Do be punctual for meetings, shake hands on greeting and exchange business cards. Do dress formally (suits) if meeting financial people. Don't refuse an after-work drink as this is an important way of building relationships. Don't be offended if Londoners act as though London is the only city in the UK - it's their loss!

9am-5.30pm Monday to Friday although in practice most companies work longer hours, especially in finance.

Banking, insurance, advertising, media, design, tourism.

City of London for all financial services, Soho and Covent Garden for media and advertising, the Docklands for newspapers and other business services.