Johns.

It would be no exaggeration to call the Cornerhouse the vanguard of Manchester's arts and culture scene. It may be fairly small, but it crams a hell of a lot in, including three spacious gallery areas. Hosting some of the latest, most avant garde, politically involved, interesting and best exhibitions to come to the city (or, often, hosting its own exhibitions not to be seen elsewhere), this is a must-do for anyone with even a passing interest in art and contemporary culture. It also has a stellar restaurant, relaxed bar and café, a lovely little art bookshop and a renowned cinema showing arthouse and foreign language films.

The difference between this place and a lot of cheap boozers is that it actually makes some effort with decor and atmosphere, and whilst hardly super-hip or bohemian, it at least leans in the right direction and attracts a more studenty/young-and-hip crowd and less middle aged alcoholics. However, you probably won't care about any of this after around half an hour. £2 cocktails. What more can I say?

This is one of those shops that restores your faith in the retail industry - mainly because it quite squarely isn't a part of it. Proudly independent, definitely quirky and yet still inviting and accessible, this lovely, colourful, friendly boutique offers a great range of handmade and hand-selected new, vintage and recycled clothes, jewellery, accessories and household objects (sometimes of the 'd'art' variety). I defy you to not fall in love with something here.

If, like me, any bar that you have to enter through a yellow curtain on a fairly drab main road immediately takes your fancy, then Indigo is probably a spot you'll like. If the idea of entering through a vaguely hippie doorway is scary, don't worry, you'll probably still like it. I won't exaggerate and claim this is the coolest bar in the world (or even Manchester), but if you're looking for something offering a bit more than the usual student hang-outs of South Manchester, then with a great range of drinks, a hip crowd and a relaxed atmosphere, you can't really go wrong.

Whilst I would usually express a preference for small, intimate, quirky little bookshops that smell vaguely of must and mothballs, I most definitely make an exception for this temple to the written word. Looking like just another branch of the Blackwell's chain from the outside, a few seconds stroll into the backroom off the shop will blow your mind: this is quite simply the biggest bookshop you'll probably ever find. And once you're done getting lost in the basement room, you'll discover the place actually runs to several other (large) floors in the adjacent (linked) building. Any kind of book, any author, any subject area, be it french philosophy, history of science, 21st century poetry, african politics, travel... (you get the idea) ...it'll be here. Okay, so it's almost all new stock at full price, but it's so big you could easily get away with reading a few choice items hidden away in a corner without actually having to buy. And the second hand books are something else: real things of beauty. This is a treasure, a literary Aladdin's Cave, of epic proportions.

Hidden away on one of Angel's many pretty 18th century backstreets, the Island Queen looks pretty special from the outside, with its characterful dark wood exterior. Stepping through the door (in the very middle, not to be confused with the look-like-doors-but-actually-aren't to the right and left) and you can't help but be wowed by the beautiful interior, straight out of 1800. An impressive wine list and selection of beers, a cosy, laid-back atmosphere and reasonable prices all just add to the Island Queen's appeal.

Drawn by the eccentric-yet-on-trend-old-lady atmosphere of this cosy little café just off Greenwich's bustling marketplace, I was astounded by the delicious coffee and to-die-for macarons, both at low prices. The window is full of other tempting treats, and there are lots of arty gifts and things to look at too. You can sit out in the atmospheric old lane and people watch, or soak in the bohemia inside. The service is also swift and friendly - I'm not really sure what more you can ask for!

A little way from anywhere else that you're likely to visit, but this makes part of the centre's appeal - it is by no means hard to get to, and you're almost guaranteed a crowd-free look at some exhibitions by top cutting edge artists as well as famous names (such as a much-feted recent Eva Hesse exhibit). The space is great, light and airy, and the café's not bad either.

For those of us who love travel literature and books from other cultures generally here is the bookshop of our dreams: arranged not just alphabetically, but by country. What's more, this Edwardian palace to the written word is pretty damn huge too - so you can spend a whole day ensconced in one corner or another with an obscure volume of Turkmeninstani or Paraguayan literature...

This tiny little bookshop at the southern end of Broadway Market is a real treasure trove: walk in looking for one book and you'll end up finding at least another ten or twenty books that you simply need to have, even if you'd never know of their existence before. From beautiful antique editions of classics to pop culture tomes, interviews, theory and criticism and a brilliant selection of the best contemporary and recent literature, this is a bookshop for people who really, truly love books.

Super up-to-date, superbly laid out, well stocked and filled with a myriad wonderful books, Artwords is a wet dream for anyone into the visual arts.

I don't know about the rest of the week, but the legendary saturday night Rock-a-Billy Rebels at Ye Olde Axe manages to please die-hard faithfulls of the rockabilly scene and those of us who just want a fun night out with a difference. Brilliant music, beautiful surroundings, open til 6am, and only a fiver in. Drinks are a little pricey though for the area.

Just a hop, skip and a jump from Old Street and you're a whole world a way and a few centuries back in time. Ignoring the now-ubiquitous Thai-restaurant-within-a-pub (though I'm assured the food is both good and cheap), you find yourself in an intimate, old world jazz bar. The usual Shoreditch crowd are nowhere to be seen, as jazz lovers relax on comfy sofas to hear the best resident and visiting bands and local jam sessions (Mondays), whilst sipping on reasonably priced drinks. At the weekends its a rowdier, but still unpretentious and music-centric affair and there's almost no hint that the post-modern world ever came into existence.

Passing Clouds will challenge everything you think a good night is all about and prove to you that there is so much more. What could be just another cavernous warehouse space playing minimal, electroclash and whatever else with a few LED displays has been transformed into something else entirely. Cooperatively run by forward-thinking, left-leaning artists, musicians and other creative types, Passing Clouds serves as a space to showcase the best of the rich variety of live music available in East London. Lavishly and eccentrically decorated - the downstairs resembles the inside of a huge tent, and the upstairs is somewhere between Moroccan hookah lounge and '20s cabaret - Passing Clouds is a feast of bright colours, with free face painting, and people dressed not to latest trends but in whatever looks the most fun. Drinks prices are low, and the music policy is of course eclectic, with performers playing everything from tango and salsa to electro-jazz to reggae. Just don't expect repetitive beeping. It goes without saying that the crowd is perhaps the most diverse and friendly of any venue I've been to, possibly ever. A blow-your-socks of amazing time is guaranteed for even the most hard-hearted anti-party people.

Moustache has pretty much all the ingredients for a great club: a cool theme, carried through with gusto by way of hilariously altered paintings and photos that literally cover the walls; great music; a great location; a hip crowd; cheap drinks prices (and often no entry fee); and ever-so-fun-when-you-are-wasted light displays. It does have one big drawback though: it's absolutely teeny tiny - making it pleasant earlier on in the night but frustrating when you'd really quite like to dance without spilling a drink over someone or knocking them out with a stray elbow. Oh well, chances are you've probably not paid to get in, so you can always head to one of the many other clubs, parties and raves in Dalston.

There are, as Londoners know, a lot of bars in Shoreditch. A LOT. And most of them are at least half-way decent. So it really takes something special to stand out from the crowd. For me, at least, the Book Club has got it. Small enough to be intimate but big enough to not get boring, the Book Club comprises a homely, chilled out upstairs bar-café and a sleek, industrial-chic downstairs bar-club. With a ceiling of undulating light bulbs, an artfully destroyed wall partitioning the space, and lots of inviting corners to sit and drink in, this is a perfectly done-out space: stylish and interesting but not over the top. It was pretty crowded when I went, but you never had to wait long at the reasonably-priced bar. The crowd is full of East London's beautiful and stylish young things, but it doesn't feel intimidating or unfriendly. The music policy is eclectic, and the place plays host to a variety of nights. If dancing away to electro interspersed with indie and party classics still isn't your thing, come on a week night and play ping pong or snooker. Or during the day for food which an acquaintance assured me was pretty damn good. This place is just win, win, win - the only minor complaint I could make was that at 9pm the music was already far too loud to make conversation easy.

Shiny and sleek yet somehow a bit quirky, the friendly service at Tomato was my first experience of Slovenians' incredible hospitality. The food might not be spectacular, but prices are very reasonable, and I had a fantastic, huge breakfast featuring a memorable slice of strudel.

I can't really think of any reason most people would be on a side street in a residential part of North London but if you're anywhere in the neighbourhood and feeling peckish, make Flavours your first stop. The cakes are unbelievable moist and flavoursome, the genovese pasta is literally the best I've had outside of a restaurant, or Genoa for that matter. Everything is delicious, the staff are extremely friendly and chatty, the prices are low... what more do you want? I can't think of a thing.

Some bars have a vague retro vibe and odd bits of antique furniture. Trailer Happiness, on the other hand, entirely eschews the 21st century and shows them all how it's done. In a basement of the chic Portobello Road, you really can imagine you are in the '70s, sipping a cocktail with one of Charlie's Angels on Honolulu or somewhere. And even if drinks aren't especially cheap, they're pretty big and it's ever so much silly fun.

...thus spake Ms. Winehouse. And it's true, despite the shift of cool to the east and the encroaching tourists, Hawley Arms shows that Camden can still party with the best. Sure, there are a million wannabe Kings of Leon/Libertines members walking around, but with decent prices, bucketloads of atmosphere and characters and reasonable prices, you can ignore them and just imbibe.

There is a massive diplodocus skeleton. Yeah, i know what it is because once upon a time I was a six year old that liked dinosaurs. The fake velociraptors aren't exactly terrifying, but the fake earthquake is kind of fun if you're not hungover, and you can actually learn stuff whilst being entertained or at least vaguely impressed by the scale and architecture. Though taxidermy-phobes may want to give it a miss.

If you've watched more than a couple of British-set rom-coms, the chances are the view from Parliament Hill may be somewhat familiar. Admittedly, London doesn't have the rugged topography of San Francisco, picturesque spires and domes of Rome or Prague or the skyline of Manhattan, but the view is still pretty damn awesome - particularly just before sunset as the last light hits the buildings of the City and Docklands. You can play spot the sight too, most of London's famous buildings are fairly easy to see from here.

Once much derided, the National Theatre is now feted as one of Europe's finest examples of, er, brutalist architecture. Whatever you think of the building, you can't argue with the stellar programme of performances, events and free exhibitions. The café isn't particularly cheap, but it does offer a lot more than the pre-show basics you might expect. The location is pretty awesome too.

Okay so this is kind of my local, so I'm biased. But it is very cheap for London, and manages to pull of being big enough to bring pretty much everyone you know and their extended family whilst still remaning cosy and atmospheric. No mean feat if you ask me. Roaring fires, extremely comfy squishy sofas, a massive beer garden, low prices, friendly (largely pretty hot) staff... what more do you want? Come in winter and try the mulled wine, it's ridiculously cheap, strong and tasty. Just what the doctor ordered when it's below freezing outside.

Known locally as 'The Dog', the Crown and Greyhound is definitely the best spot in the area for a quiet drink or three. Its beautifully preserved interior, air of relaxed elegance, fairly reasonable prices and large terrace all add up to the very best that a traditional British pub should be.