London, England 72-Hour Vacation

Tower Bridge

DAY 3

London's small "villages" have long since been absorbed into the vast metropolis, but many keep their very local feel. So today find out why Londoners find living in this great city worth all the hassle, expense and congestion.

Portobello Road market, one of the largest in the world with a vibrant mix of stalls and shop units selling everything from tat at the Ladbroke Grove end to "collectables" further down, first put Notting Hill on the tourist map. The eponymous film increased the area's popularity, much to the annoyance of locals who claim that the area is now overrun by tourists vainly looking for the film's famous blue door (it was sold to an American years ago). The best, and busiest day is Saturday when street stalls join the permanent shops. Before bargaining with the stallholders, eat brunch with the locals at Tom's Delicatessen, owned by Tom Conran, or brave the celebs at the Electric Brasserie.

Notting Hill was originally a real mix of grand houses next to streets of slums. The slums may have been gentrified, but despite those multi-million pound houses, Notting Hill keeps its left-of-centre, local feel, mainly because the millionaires tend to be media and creative types who treat the area as a proper village. Many of the shops are either one-offs or are smaller designer names like Paul & Joe and Marilyn Moore who cater to the chic rather than the masses; specialist bookshops include Books for Cooks, Blenheim Books (garden and architectural books) and the Travel Bookshop. It makes a delightful mix.

The River Thames

You're spoilt for choice for lunch here; if you're with the family, go for Bumpkin; The Ledbury specializes in grown-up, seasonal, contemporary food.

For something completely different, take the Central line underground from Notting Hill to Bank station, then the overground Docklands Light Railway to stately Greenwich (Cutty Sark station) passing the Victorian terraces of Shadwell, the boats of Limehouse Basin and the gleaming glass mercantile temples of Docklands. Especially beloved by the Tudors and the birthplace of Henry VIII in 1491, Mary Tudor in 1515 and Elizabeth I in 1533, Greenwich is spread out, making it the perfect antidote to a day in the crowded center. If you have time, take the boat from Westminster; it takes around an hour and shows you London from a very different perspective.

The riverside setting is best viewed from the top of leafy Greenwich Park. Your first reward for the climb is the renovated Royal Observatory where you can stand on the Prime Meridian, straddling the eastern and western hemispheres, see where past Astonomer Royals have scanned the heavens and journey through space and time in the Planetarium.

Stretching down from the hilltop lies a complex of buildings. The small Queen's House was built by Inigo Jones in 1652 in what was then a startlingly modern neo-classical style. It forms the central part of the National Maritime Museum, showing Britain's relationship with the sea. Beyond that is the collection of World Heritage Site buildings: the Royal Naval College, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in two separate wings to give the Queen's House an interrupted view to the Thames. Don't miss the Chapel and the Painted Hall, a glorious dining hall covered in paintings by Sir James Thornhill who was eventually paid by the yard and knighted by a cash-strapped monarch. The Trafalgar Tavern is the place for a pint on the terrace overlooking the Thames.

Oxo Tower Brasserie and Restaurant

London's love affair with the Thames has waxed and waned over the centuries; currently it is in full spate, so take advantage of the restaurants that now border the river. Moving east to west, the first restaurant complex is Butler's Wharf with Butlers Wharf Chop House for the likes of game and dressed crab and the expensive Le Pont de la Tour for upmarket French food. The 8th floor Oxo Tower Brasserie and Restaurant has stunning riverside views over to St. Paul's and downriver; and way out west, The River Café is one of London's top Italian restaurants.

Come back in 2012 and there will be yet another "city" within the ever-changing capital to visit.

For more information, go to www.visitbritain.com.