Encapsulating West Mayfair, Green Park, and Hyde Park, this up-market neighbourhood presents a wonderful diversity of Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian architectural variations as well as an abundance of green space. Hyde Park and Green Park are the most obvious choices, however residents and visitors to this area can also enjoy some tranquil urban oases in Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square, if they want a quick break from the hustle and bustle of the tightly-packed streets. Shepherd Market in the heart of this neighbourhood is a must-visit: an 18th-century market square with pubs, restaurants and niche stores selling clothing, watches, jewellery, and the like. North of here, numerous embassies and companies reside, including the embassies of Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Myanmar, and a number of mid-level law firms, consultancies and investment companies. In the eastern side of this neighbourhood one can find an abundance of unique and interesting restaurants and pubs, such as Sexy Fish, a stylish Japanese seafood restaurant serving sushi, sashimi and cooked fish using a Robata grill. Tamarind is also a highly popular local eatery. Being the first Indian restaurant in London to receive a Michelin star, it offers a modern, fine dining twist on traditional Indian dishes that highlights the distinctiveness of each of India’s regional cooking styles. Entertainment is also abundant, with a Curzon cinema, multiple galleries, and the Royal Academy of Arts all within walking distance. House prices are famously high, with the average price sitting at £2.5 million.

Mayfair gets its name from the annual ‘May Fair’ that was held in what is now Shepherd Market from 1686 to 1764. Despite it being one of the most expensive districts in London (and the world) it was not always so. The annual May Fair was quite unpopular with the elite classes, as it was believed to attract “unpleasant, downmarket folk”. As a result, the Grosvenor family began to develop the land for the wealthy in the 18th century where Hanover Square, Berkeley Square and Grosvenor Square were constructed. This resulted in a complete transformation of the area into an upper-class district by the end of the 18th century. This began to change in the wake of the First World War, as the reduced workforce meant servants were more expensive, and in shorter supply. As a result, many of the grand houses of Mayfair were sold and became the foreign embassies and office spaces that remain to this day. Mayfair’s retention of its upper-class status is distinct, as many surrounding areas lost this prestige around the end of World War I.

Mayfair’s prestigious status has been commemorated by being the most expensive property square on the Monopoly board at £400. Mayfair has featured in a number of novels, including Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Oscar Wilde lived in Grosvenor Square for a year in 1883, and referred to the area fondly in his works.

The expensiveness of Mayfair is by far its biggest downside. Whilst beautiful and full of interesting eateries, entertainment venues and the like, the landscape of Mayfair is for many – even some of the middle classes – one of exclusion.

A number of grade-II listed buildings have been or are in the process of being developed into luxury flats around Mayfair. Most starting prices begin at around £25 million.