For a bespoke suit, one goes to Savile Row. For the contemporary art scene, Soho. For the royal treatment, Buckingham Palace. London is an endlessly diverse metropolis that defies characterization: posh meets punk; regal yet underground; modern and classic. The presence of these contradictions imbues the capital with an indescribable aura of chic. Meander from private members’ clubs and storied theaters to bustling markets and candlelit dining rooms as the city reveals itself as a living tapestry of black cabs and Georgian town houses. Breathe in the capital’s rarefied air at one of its many green spaces—Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Hampstead Heath—or with armfuls of blooms purchased at Columbia Road Flower Market.

Charles Finch