You simply can’t get enough of London.

After all, this sprawling metropolis is rich in history and culture so vibrant that its 8.6 million inhabitants welcomed 31.5 million tourists last year, a 20 per cent increase on 2010, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The figure, of course, is mind-boggling and, according to a May 20 report in the Guardian, the city’s new mayor Sadiq Khan is delighted.

“It is fantastic that more people than ever before are opting to visit London, to sample the best of our capital and the best of Britain,” Khan is quoted by the newspaper. “London has something for everyone and an appeal that clearly extends across the globe.”

He is absolutely correct.

You actually start experiencing that special English appeal the moment you enter a British Airways aircraft here in Jamaica.

The warm welcome, top-class service, in-flight amenities and entertainment are difficult to match in the skies.

In fact, so pleasant is the experience that you hardly notice the approximately eight hours in flight. And what makes the Kingston to London journey particularly lovely is the fact that you arrive in ‘The Old Smoke’ early enough in the morning to enjoy the sights on your way to your hotel.

If you didn’t nap on the flight you’ll naturally want to rest a bit before starting to soak up all that the city has to offer.

And who best to satisfy your desire than Evan Evans Tours, regarded as Britain’s longest established and largest sightseeing operator in London.

“Our mission is to provide guests with high-quality panoramic tours that showcase the beauty and heritage of London and England,” Evan Evans says on its website.

It’s not just a promotional declaration. It’s true.

The company’s morning tour of London is particularly educational and entertaining, especially if you’re lucky enough to get 72-year-old Allan Cash as your tour guide.

Blessed with the famous British sense of humour and gift of the gab, Cash will keep you laughing throughout the tour that takes you to famous landmarks such as Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park Square and Marble Arch, the white triumphal arch built in the 19th century that resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, to name just a few.

Along the way he pointed to Londoners either jogging, walking or cycling. “Healthy people make me sick,” he joked.

Near Buckingham Palace, Cash pointed out a newly constructed gate he said was a gift from the city to the Queen for her 90th birthday. “Who gives a 90-year-old woman a gate she can’t open?” he asked.

Amidst the laughter in the coach he answered: “We do.”

The tour takes you past Royal Albert Hall, Millionaires’ Row, the Animals in War Memorial and you get a fleeting glimpse of the residential circle where the Who Will Buy scene from the 1968 movie Oliver Twist was filmed.

As the coach passes a woman walking three dogs, Cash’s dry sense of humour kicked in: “Look, a lady with three dogs, she must be British,” he said.

More laughter.

Moving quickly past a number of museums, Cash and his driver get to Buckingham Palace in time for you to witness the pomp and pageantry that accompany the Changing of the Guard.

The palace website explains that the ceremony lasts about 45 minutes and usually takes place daily at 11:30 am from April until the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year, weather permitting.

The key to enjoying this spectacle, though, is to get there early, as the crowd is usually thick.

If you missed Taste of London in Regents Park this June, no need to worry as ‘The World’s Greatest Restaurant Festival’, as it is labelled, will stage ‘The Festive Edition’ November 17-20 at Tobacco Dock.

The June show was a gastronomic delight, featuring 40 of London’s best restaurants and more than 200 of England’s finest gourmet producers.

A series of famous quotes celebrating food were mounted on the fence leading into the event. Among them, Chinese writer Lin Yutang’s “Our lives are not in the lap of the gods but in the lap of our cooks,” and George Bernard Shaw’s “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

Ed, who heads the Doom Bar Crew, said his 21-year-old company makes the best ale in the country. “We’ve got five different cask ales, two keg beers, one cider and about 12 different bottle beers. It’s a lot of stuff,” he told the Jamaica Observer while filling a glass from one of the taps in his booth for a patron.

Ross Ardley, who was busy providing samples of Jude’s ice cream from a branded mobile booth, said that the festival was his first promotional event ever.

“I’m loving it,” he said. “The reaction to our products has been very good, especially the brown butter pecan.”

Ardley explained that the owner of the business, Theo Mezger, started in his barn in Winchester, using milk from local cows. He took samples of the product to the local village and, after receiving positive responses to the ice cream, named it after his wife, Jude.

Now, the family-run company’s range of award-winning products — ice cream, sorbets, frozen yogurts — is distributed across England.

“Our main aim is obviously good quality, it trumps everything, and the more local we can source it, the better,” Ardley said.

Vintage reggae music blares from the Equinox Kombucha booth manned by Kelly, who said that this was her first time ever at the festival.

“It’s been good for us because we’ve never done a cocktail bar before,” she told the Sunday Observer above the strains of Dennis Brown’s Westbound Train. “We make Kombucha, which is a fermented green tea, and we decided we want to use it as a mixer for cocktails, so we thought we’d come to the Taste festival to try it out, and we know now that we can build a bar and set up a cocktail menu and manage.”

Of course, your visit to London would not be complete without afternoon tea at Amba Charing Cross restaurant where you’ll be pampered with a range of pastries to complement your tea of choice, after which you can take a leisurely walk to Aldephi Theatre to enjoy the Broadway musical Kinky Boots.

Inspired by a true story, the acting, music and singing are simply fabulous and will have you yearning for more at the end.

If you’re a Michael Jackson fan, you will not want to miss Thriller playing at Lyric Theatre. The production uses the late King of Pop’s vast discography to take you on a nostalgic journey that will influence you to either sing along, snap your fingers, or get out your seat and dance.

Naturally, there’s a lot more on offer in London and, indeed, the entire England, and getting there is not difficult. After all, British Airways has been safely taking us there and back for the past 70 years.