London.

Tip · LondonThe CowThe best pint of Guinness in west London, possibly the whole city. Creamy, unhurried, served properly. Tom Conran opened it in 1995 and it's never tried to be anything other than exactly what it is: a serious pub with serious food and no nonsense about either. The 'flow' is good here. Best pint of Guinness in London. Order some oysters or winkles and whelks while you're at it.

By Dave

Tip · LondonRuby Zoë HotelSkip the hotel breakfast. There's a good bagel spot and a coffee place a few blocks away. The Central line is right there for getting into the city. If you're partial to west London — and you should be — this is the base. Book the top floor. The view over the Notting Hill rooftops is worth it and still comes in under £200.

By Dave

Tip · LondonYour phone can bend reality. Most people never try.I lived in London for a few years, in the W11 pocket between Notting Hill and Bayswater. At some point I started taking photos on panorama mode and deliberately not doing it properly — moving too fast in parts, dipping the phone mid-sweep, pausing for a second. What came back were images that looked more like how the city felt than how it looked. One from Barcelona too. The narrow alleys in the Gothic Quarter compress like this naturally — the panorama just makes it official.

By Dave

Tip · Hampstead HeathKarma BreadThe rest of the bakery is excellent too — honest sourdough, good pastries, the kind of place that's busy on a Saturday morning because it deserves to be. But the challah on a Friday is the reason to make the trip specifically. Come on Friday. That's when they bake the challah and it goes fast.

By Dave