the city of poetry, pioneering music and the 'pint'

London: where tradition, innovation and royals reside. Like a first date, this city keeps you guessing. There's something new around every corner – you'll fall out of a quirky boutique into a famous drinking den. It's impossible to miss the age-old landmarks like Big Ben too. And with over 170 museums dotted across the capital, you'll leave more cultured than you arrived.

For serious art – The National Gallery. The National Gallery is ideal for an afternoon of proper, serious art. Across its grandiose, high-ceilinged galleries, you'll find more than 2,000 paintings by some of the greats. Crowds flock to Da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks. Plan some time for photo-taking before you enter – it's located in Trafalgar Square, one of the major landmarks of London. Reach it easily by tube from all three citizenM hotels.

For smoking hot Thai – Smoking Goat. It's Thai food, but not as you know it! Taking inspiration from Bangkok’s late night canteens, this restaurant serves fiery and fragrant aharn glam lao – that’s Thai for ‘drinking food’. Dishes are designed to share and packed with herbs and heat. Order a craft beer and prepare to sweat your way from the Cornish cockles naam jim to the barbecued goat turmeric massaman. Two-minute walk from citizenM London Shoreditch hotel.

For decadent shopping – Liberty London. A heavenly respite from chaotic Oxford Street, Liberty is a famous designer department store, best known for its hand-printed fabrics. Opened in 1875 in a photogenic Tudor-revival building, Liberty is a creaky-floored mansion brimming with the most luxurious skincare, perfume, shoes and clothes. Stroll there in about 40 minutes from citizenM London Bankside hotel, passing Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square on your way.