London Pubs mean Business

No visit to London would be complete without a pint or two of real ale. It’s hard to go more than a hundred meters without stumbling across a pub, but two neighborhood favorites include Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (145 Fleet Street, Blackfriars tube) and the Charles Lamb (16 Elia Street, Angel tube). The first is haven of old dark wood, open fires and flagstones that’s been around since just after the Great Fire of 1666; the second is tucked into a quiet street in Islington, a newly popular residential area just north of the financial district. Don’t be surprised if pub dog Masha arrives at your table asking for a chin scratch.

Several ways to see the city

If you’re on a corporate travel trip and your days are packed with meetings and conference calls, try an evening tour. London by Night offers nightly tours of the city starting at Victoria Rail Station and taking in Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square and St Paul’s Cathedral. Open-top buses are used, weather permitting. See www.london-by-night.net for a list of pick-up points.

If you’re a photo buff and have brought along your camera, London Photo Tours offers weekly walks focusing on views of Westminster Bridges, the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral. The tour goes at a slow pace to allow time to compose well-considered photos. www.londonphototours.co.uk.

Fancy a bit of grub?

English gastronomy is enjoying an extraordinary renaissance, fuelled on the one hand by a renewed interest in seasonal, local ingredients and by an influx of exciting culinary influences from abroad. You’ll be hard-pressed, for example, to find better Indian restaurants outside of Delhi and Mumbai (but stay away from the tourist traps on Brick Lane!). For many Brits, in fact, a good curry is a national staple! Classic English specialties include the “full English breakfast” or “fry-up” (with sausages, bacon, eggs, fried bread, baked beans and grilled tomatoes and mushrooms); smoked fish (from salmon to kippers); pies and Cornish pasties; and fish and chips. High tea, complete with scones and clotted cream, can still be enjoyed at many of London’s top hotels; the Dorchester is a classic afternoon destination.

BCD Travel is your all inclusive corporate travel agency offering competitive ongoing corporate travel management solutions to companies across Australia. We do more than simply organise your corporate travel, we also coordinate conferences and incentives and assist staff with personal holiday planning to any destination worldwide.