London may boast it is one of the world's most exciting cities, but, as Nick Morrison discovers, some of that boast is really hot air

SO it may not be the most grown-up thing to do, but when you're surrounded by helium-filled, pillow-shaped balloons bobbing around your head, you don't have much choice. Of course you've got to bat them around the room, even if it means they bounce into complete strangers. It might have drawn a few funny looks, but it was art, after all.

Apparently, Andy Warhol wanted to create art that moved, so he filled a room with the aforementioned balloons and let the visitors do the rest. And surely no one can sniff at art that moves.

It's easy to dismiss Warhol as a posturing self-publicist, but a comprehensive exhibition of his work at Tate Modern shows just what a shrewd take he had on Western, and particularly US, culture. He was satirising the cult of celebrity while it was still in its infancy, and he knew a thing or two about our fascination with gruesome deaths as well.

Sadly, the Warhol exhibition runs only until April 1, but there is still plenty to entertain in this converted power station, a fascinating building it itself, even if you don't much care for modern art. Standing in the entrance hall and looking up to the ceiling, it is difficult not to be overcome by a sense of wonderment.

On Tate Modern's doorstep is the newly-reopened Millennium Bridge, repairs courtesy of Darlington's own Cleveland Bridge, which has a stunning view across to St Paul's. And the bridge has reopened just in time - as London's tourist trade seeks to recover from the twin disasters of foot-and-mouth and the aftermath of September 11, both of which did so much to keep visitors away last year.

The fact that nine museums have recently scrapped their admission charges must help as well - the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum among them. The last is holding a series of exhibitions to tempt visitors, from Men in Skirts (to May 12) to Tiaras (to July 14). Another exhibition well worth catching is at the Royal Academy of Arts. Paris - Capital of the Arts, traces the city's pre-eminence in the field of the visual arts for most of the last century, including works from Matisse to Man Ray.

We stayed during our visit at the Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth, not even a stone's throw from the superb British Museum and a short walk from Covent Garden and Soho. The hotel itself is everything you expect from a four-star establishment, as well as being surprisingly quiet for somewhere just off Oxford Street.

London is pinning some of its hopes for a tourist revival on the Golden Jubilee celebrations. The occasion may not have exactly captured the public's imagination as yet, but the London Tourist Board is obviously optimistic that interest will pick up. To that end, an impressive array of events has been lined up for the capital over the spring and summer, including a series of happenings intriguingly dubbed the String of Pearls. This involves more than 400 events at 80-odd locations along the Thames, with some normally off-limits buildings, including the Eton College, the Cabinet Office and private areas of Westminster Abbey opening up to the public.

When planning our holidays, it is easy to plump for foreign climes and forget that our capital is one of the most lively and interesting of cities. From West End shows to museums, shopping to nightlife, it has so much to offer that to neglect it would be criminal. Of course, you're never going to get a tan, but when there are silver balloons to play with, that doesn't seem quite so important.

TRAVELFACTS

London Tourist Board Tel: 0207 932 2000 or www.londontouristboard.com

A two night weekend break at the Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth Hotel, costs £129 per night bed and breakfast. Tel freephone 0800 374411

Nick Morrison travelled to London with GNER. Advance purchase fares start from £33 from Darlington. Information and bookings on 08457 225 225, or www.gner.co.uk

Reader Offer

From now until April 30, Radisson Edwardian is offering readers of The Northern Echo a special deal for weekend stays at their London hotels. The Spring Break offer entitles readers to a complimentary upgrade from a standard double to a Hallmark/Delux double, at £99 per night bed and breakfast.

To take advantage of this offer, call freephone 0800 374411 and quote "Spring Breaks"