Holiday rentals in City of London

The City of London is different from London, the city. Somewhat confusingly, it’s the name of a central area within the vast metropolis, also dubbed the Square Mile for its diminutive size. This turbo-charged financial zone is both the oldest part of the capital, where the ancient Roman city of Londinium was established, and the economic engine room powering its future.

A few sections of the Roman city walls that defined its boundary can still be seen, but now glassy high-rises tower over ancient streets and centuries-old pubs. St Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, is here; so too are the old Leadenhall and Smithfield markets, the important courts of the legal district, and Fleet Street, once the centre of the British press. Incredible old churches, squares, and dank alleyways make the City of London a magical place to wander. Just remember to look up, look down, read the history, and soak it all up.

They say money never sleeps, which might be why the financial area is always busy, from dawn until late at night, year-round. That said, away from tourist attractions, weekends — and particularly Sundays — in the City can be eerily quiet when office workers are absent. If it’s architecture you’re interested in, come then, when you won’t be hassled by financiers bumping into you while you gawp.

Weekday evenings see bars and pubs packed with people having afterwork drinks, so you’ll find these quieter and perhaps more enjoyable at weekends.

Bank holidays and July and August are the busiest times for visitors to crowd the main sites and attractions, but spring and autumn are great times to be in London, when the weather isn’t too grim, and the parks are at their best.

Skyscrapers

Stroll in the shadows of London’s most architecturally ambitious skyscrapers, many of which have nicknames based on their unusual shapes. See the Gherkin at 30 St. Mary Axe, 20 Fenchurch Street — AKA the Walkie Talkie — and 122 Leadenhall Street, the Cheesegrater. Many have excellent restaurants and bars on their upper floors, where the price of the cocktails is justified by incomparable views. The radical Lloyd’s of London building, centre of the insurance industry, is an example of Bowellism architecture, with its ducts and lifts on the outside.

Barbican’s Secret Garden

The iconic Barbican Centre is a magnificent Brutalist building and hosts some of the best live performances and exhibitions in the city in its events spaces, but most miss the indoor tropical garden, the Conservatory.

London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE

While other office buildings might have a bike shed or storage space on the underground level of their building, this well-known financial company’s European headquarters sits atop the archaeological remains of the Roman Temple of Mithras. Seven metres below the streets of London, the reconstructed temple is displayed in an exhibition space, alongside 600 Roman artefacts discovered during excavations of the site.