London, London — a hell of a town. The Thames is high and the dollar is down. Still, it’s more swinging than ever, so it’s worth the splurge (and the jetlag). Ten reasons to jump the puddle:

1. Bed. And Breakfast.
Enjoy both (and then some) at the new Guesthouse West in Notting Hill, a modern homage to the B&B (163-65 Westbourne Grove, W11; +44-207-792-9800), or the Zetter, which has cute champagne vending machines (86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1; +44-207-324-4444). Other winners: the Knightsbridge (10 Beaufort Gardens, SW3; +44-207-584-6300), just off Hyde Park, or the Baglioni, near Kensington Gardens (60 Hyde Park Gate, SW7; +44-207-368-5700).

2. The Gastro-Pub.
Partake of modern cuisine, convivial atmosphere, and pints galore at the Cow (89 Westbourne Park Road, W2; +44-207-221-0021). Or sample champagnes on tap (yes!) at the Enterprise (35 Walton Street, SW3; +44-207-584-3148), in Chelsea.

3. Street Markets.
The thrill of the hunt, the ease of credit cards. Alfie’s Antiques Market shills every day except Sunday and Monday (13-25 Church Street, NW8; +44-207-723-6066); Bermondsey opens Fridays at 5 a.m. (Bermondsey Street, SE1). Hit Camden Passage on Wednesdays and Saturdays (the Angel, N1; +44-207-359-0190) and Portobello Road on Saturday mornings (288 Westbourne Grove, W11; +44-207-229-8354). Speaking of …

4. Notting Hill.
You saw the movie. (Eh. One thumb up.) Now see the real thing. Fuel up at the Electric Brasserie (191 Portobello Road, W11; +44-207-908-9696), buy candles at Miller Harris (14 Needham Road, W11; +44-207-221-1545), wander Ledbury Road, and grab a cupcake at Hummingbird Bakery (133 Portobello Road, W11; +44-207-229-6446).

5. Duh. The Shopping.
Rei Kawakubo’s new six-story fashion mecca, Dover Street Market (17-18 Dover Street, W1; +44-207-518-0680), sells everything from Comme des Garçons to Hedi Slimane furniture. Westbourne Grove’s Matches (60-64 Ledbury Road, W11; +44-207-221-0255), Paul & Joe (39 Ledbury Road, W11; +44-207-243-5510), and Heidi Klein (174 Westbourne Grove, W11; +44-207-243-5665) sell more wearable stuff. Topshop (Oxford Circus, W1; +44-207-636-7700) offers — get this! — bespoke dresses from just $240.

6. Duh. The Food.
Enough with the bad-food jokes. Eat Asian at Zuma (5 Raphael Street, SW7; +44-207-584-1010), Eight over Eight (392 Kings Road, SW3; +44-207-349-9934), or E&O (14 Blenheim Crescent, W11; +44-207-229-5454). St. John Bread & Wine (94-96 Commercial Street, E1; +44-207-247-8724) offers tapas; taste Tuscany at cozy Ziani’s (45 Radnor Walk, SW3; +44-207-351-5297), or curry at Vama (438 Kings Road, SW10; +44-207-351-4118), or Star of India (154 Old Brompton Road SW5; +44-207-373-2901).

7. The Queen’s Bling.
See the Crown Jewels at The tower of London, then score chunky rings and lariats of your own at Catherine Prevost‘s Chelsea shop (109 Walton Street, SW3; +44-207-584-8860). Or visit the crimson genie’s bottle that is Solange Azagury-Partridge’s Notting Hill boutique (171 Westbourne Grove, W11; +44-207-792-0197).

8. Dessert.
Artisan chocolate is the rage, from “couture” morsels at L’Artisan du Chocolat (89 Lower Sloane Street, SW1; +44-207-824-8365) to truffles at Rococo (321 Kings Road, SW3; +44-207-352-5857) to cocoa at The Chocolate Society (36 Elizabeth Street, SW1; +44-207-259-9222).

9. Park Places.
Nothing restores Jekyll-like calm like a stroll through Hyde Park. Wander the meandering footpaths, feed the swans, hire a lounge chair (cor blimey! Costs but a pound!), and visit the Serpentine Gallery Pavilions.

10. Did We Mention the Unmentionables?
From Agent Provocateur (multiple locations; 6 Broadwick Street, W1; +44-207-439-0229) to Myla (multiple locations; 166 Walton Street, SW3; +44-207-581-6880) to FrostFrench (at Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1; +44-8708-377-377) to SPANK at Austique (330 Kings Road, SW3; +44-870-345-0800), the “repressed” Brits know from sexy.

Now that ought to warm up the flight home a bit.