Why
Travel to London?
It's innovative, dynamic, and outrageous,
with history and culture leaking from every brick, and individual
style around every corner.
London is supremely cosmopolitan, with excellent restaurants, quirky
pubs, interesting shops, unparalleled museums - most of which are
now free - superb theatre and similar attractions and a blitzing
nightlife.
The streets are mostly easy to walk, relatively safe [thanks in
part to CCTV], and offer endless little peculiarities.
This is one of the most interesting capital cities on earth, whatever
your needs.
Downside:
London frequently has terrible weather, overpriced hotels and taxis,
grubby places under and overground, too many homeless street people
and, of course, the eternal pickpockets.
London
Travel Guide, climate:
Best: May-Sept
Avoid: Jan, Feb [England in winter is not only often cold, grey
and wet, but daylight is in short supply].
Summer gets crowded, especially in late July/Aug.
London's main
tourist attractions [Underground, Zone 1]:
London has a very walkable centre with plenty of parks and major sights
in easily manageable clusters.
Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard
The
Power Walk could start at Buckingham Palace [where limited
interior tours are available] for the Changing of the Guard at 11.30am
on alternate days [days depends on the month, so check when you
arrive]. The guards, sometimes with music, march/ride down the [Bird
Cage Walk] avenue to the Palace and the ceremony takes about 45
minutes, but is cancelled if it's raining hard.
There is another, longer Guards marching ceremony from Hyde Park
at 10.30am, via Hyde Park corner and The Mall, arriving at Horse
Guards Parade in Whitehall at 11am every day except Sunday, when
it's one hour earlier.
Nearby, and beside the River Thames, are the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, which you cannot enter [unless you run really fast], and Westminster Abbey, which you can. This last is a dramatic
Gothic Abbey where most British royals have been and still are crowned,
married and then buried.
You could hop on many kinds of tour boat here at Westminster Bridge,
just looking or jumping off at places such as the Tower of London
or even way upstream at Hampton Court.
Alternatively immediately north of the Houses of Pee is Whitehall,
a grand broadway and the centre of British government, including 10 Downing Street [the Prime Minister's tiny terraced house] and
Horse Guards Parade.
At the north end of Whitehall is Trafalgar Square, arguably the
fairly dull centre of London, sporting Nelson's Column and the fine
and free National Portrait Gallery.
See Power
Walk Photos
Another two or three hundred metres north of that are Piccadilly
Circus [no big deal] with the superb Royal Academy gallery on one
side, Trafalgar Square pedestrian area for cinemas, mediocre eating
and dumb street theatre, Soho for sensational Asian cuisine and
mediocre sex shops, and Shaftesbury Avenue for last minute theatre
ticket buying.
The
City Walk requires a turn to the east, a short walk across
to Covent Garden for good eating, professional street theatre, some
excellent, unusual shops, and major theatres all around, including
the Royal Opera House.
Ten minutes north gets you to the unmissable - and mostly free - British Museum, or south to the river, and 18thC Somerset House,
offering OK museums and an interesting central court - skating rink in winter and fountain display the rest of the year.
See London
Pictures Party Walk
The third option is to continue east into the City of London [see
below left for explanation], past some very pretty buildings, old and
new , including St Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Courts of Justice,
the Erotic Gherkin and finishing at the Tower of London - where
excellent tours are led by a 'Beefeater' guide with fascinating
historical stories and sights, including the stunning Crown Jewels.
The Tower is busy so arriving early is a good idea.
Adjacent to the Tower is spectacular Tower Bridge, with some excellent
bankside restaurants and cafés on the other side.
This walk will be spookily quiet at night and at the weekend, with nothing open.
See London
Pictures City Walk
View from a pod in the Millennium Wheel, South Bank, London
The
South Bank Walk runs from County Hall and the Millennium
Wheel [ London Eye] downstream to Tower Bridge, and is particularly
enjoyable on a sunny, summer day but also works well at night for
romantic strolls.
The main items of interest after a ride on the big wheel are the National Theatre, an unattractive series of concrete blocks but
offering good theatre, some of it free, the stunning Tate Modern - again partly free and tourists must see the Turbine Hall, down
to Shakespeare's recreated Globe Theatre which is not at all free
and will need advance booking, past the Mayor of London's Glass
Testicle to Tower Bridge and a well earned drink on the south bank.
There are plenty of pubs, cafés and restaurants all along
this route.
See London
Pictures South Bank Walk
Walks
on the [River] Thames Path:
Opened in 1996 the Thames Path National Trail is an easy, view-packed
and characterful walking route that runs most of the 180 mile length
of England's prime river from source to London.
The path is reasonably well marked and has transport links near
many sections. For full information get The Thames National Trail
Guide by David Sharpe.
Here's a selection of pleasant walks near or in London, with traditional
pubs en route for refreshments:
Westminster Bridge - the Thames Barrier.
The most historically interesting walk of 11 miles starts near Big
Ben, crosses the river to the south and passes many magical sights,
old and new. Among them are: The London Eye, Tate Modern, Millennium
Bridge, Globe Theatre, back across London Bridge, Docklands, and
the Dome. Return via Charlton Station.
Richmond - Putney. A more open and
countrified walk than the above, this 8 mile wander starts at Richmond
Bridge, heads to the south bank and gets many grand green views
- including passing by Kew Gardens - interspersed with historic
buildings such as Syon House. It ends at Putney Bridge, with Putney
station or Putney Bridge station for onward transport.
Hampton Court - Richmond. More wide
open spaces and posh housing views on this 8 mile stroll. Starting
at Hampton Court station with the Palace dominating the scenery
at first, it passes
boat marinas, canal locks, wetlands, and ends at Richmond Hill.
Transport at Richmond station.
The Primrose Hill Walk is about 4 miles [6kms] long, taking a couple of hours and offers one of the best views in London. Start the hike from Baker Street tube station, head through Regent's Park, up Primrose Hill for the breathtaking view at the top, then stagger along Regent's Canal to Little Venice and the tube.
Travel
in London:
- Taxis are expensive [though knowledgeable and trustworthy].
-
Minicabs, however, that cruise late at night and are not the traditional shape are unreliable, lack knowledge AND may try to charge way too much.
-
Buses are good over
short distances tho' routes and queues can be a pain.
-
Tube: The transport
of choice for the masses is the 'Tube' or Underground [subway/ metro].
This is often a bit grubby but usually efficient and safe.
The tube is not cheap, but most sights are in Zone 1, so if you
stay in Zone 1 too and get a Zone 1 travelcard then value improves
dramatically. Tube Maps are clear and free and all lines are well colour-coded,
so once you've got that worked out it's easy to use. Buses are included in the travelcard so you can mix 'n' match according
to your needs.
- Cars: Drive your own cars, NO! We wouldn't recommend your own auto or car rental as parking is a nightmare and the city's 'Congestion Charge' [CC] is unclear, automatically applied to any car entering from outside the area - whether you are British or not - and may result in you being chased all around the world by an increasingly absurd fine. We know Japanese who paid several hundred pounds weeks later in Tokyo!
If you want to tour the UK, get to London by train, then hire a car once you have finished visiting the city centre.
If you are visiting from Europe in your own car pay attention to CC information and pay the charge as soon as possible.
Motorcycles and electric cars are free of Congestion Charge.
- Starting your London experience on the top deck of a guided bus
tour is a good way to get your bearings.
A herd of transport beasts migrating along London's Thames River North Bank
London
Festivals guide:
Dec 31, midnight firework display beside the big Wheel. Huge but
not very subtle.
Jan 1, New Year's Day Parade, wacky English folk and plenty of foreign
imports, such as American marching bands.
See London
Images of New Year
Early May, the London Marathon.
June, Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday military parade.
Outdoors and free.
June, Wimbledon tennis tournament.
July, The Royal Tournament, a massive military show, indoors at
Earl's Court.
End of August, Notting Hill Carnival, 2/3 days. Not really up to
Caribbean standards but colourful and lively.
For
some precise dates or more information see: European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals.
London
Arts/Culture:
Museums: Some truly wonderful and well-presented
collections, mostly entry free. e.g. The British Museum - the world's
oldest and most important museum.
The Natural History Museum [gorgeous Gothic building with interactive,
kid-friendly exhibits], the Victoria & Albert [stunning decorative
arts e.g. stone, glass, fashion], and the Science Museum [also interactive
and kid-friendly]. These last three are located near each other.
Madame Tussaud's waxworks and adjacent London Planetarium are fascinating
and popular with everybody, as is the Museum of the Moving Image
[fly like Superman!], near Waterloo.
An then there's Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Exhibition, a faithful
rendering of the 400 year old theatre, with performances in the
summer. Book in advance!
And many, many more.
See London
Park Walk
One of many glorious rooms in the [free!] Victoria and Albert Museum [aka V & A]
Galleries: Set in lovely buildings
old and new, mostly free of charge. e.g. Tate Britain, Tate Modern
[picture above right], National, Royal Academy [summer exhibition
June-Aug] Hayward, Serpentine & ICA for provocative stuff.
Classical Music: The Proms in Royal
Albert Hall [July-Sept], Covent Garden Festival [May/June], free
summer lunchtime concerts in churches all over the place, Kenwood
Lakeside Concerts, South Bank Centre, Wigmore Hall etc.
Dance/Opera: Try the restored Royal
Opera House, the Coliseum, the South Bank Centre, Sadler's Wells
+ ICA + Riverside for more avant-garde stuff.
Theatre: the city is packed with big
shows as well as little fringe things, mainly in 'theatreland' area.
Try SOLT in Leicester Square for half price same day tickets, or
call Ticketmaster/First Call.
Comedy: Plenty of this. The Comedy
Store is #1 and Fri/Sat nights best, but avoid August as all the
funny people are in Edinburgh at the festival.
Live Music: Plenty of this too, but
avoid mega-shows at Wembley and don't buy from touts. Some good
medium-size venues are: Astoria, Brixton Academy, Forum, Hackney
Empire, Shepherd's Bush Empire.
Check excellent 'Time Out' magazine for event info/listings.
London
Suburbs:
- Camden Lock, [Camden Town tube],
has an extensive, permanent market, mostly covered of very wild
and wacky offerings. This is a must for souvenirs, rebellious teenagers,
goths, and indeed anti-establishment persons of any age.
- Walks on Hamstead Heath and summer
picnics at Kenwood House concerts will suit tranquil music lovers
perfectly.
- Wimbledon is the holy grail for tennis freaks of course, though
tickets are hard to come by unless you have very deep pockets on
the day.
- Kew Gardens in Richmond is a 300
acre collection of gardens, parks and Victorian conservatories full
of beautifully presented plants of all sorts.
Short
Trips Guide:
Hampton Court is about 40 minutes travel
by rail from Waterloo station or attainable more pleasantly by boat
from Westminster Bridge in around 3 hours.
This palace was built by a Cardinal and endured all sorts of scandals
during the reign of Henry VIII. It is loaded with over-the-top royal
apartments, galleries - and an amazing maze.
Cambridge,
the famously academic city, has glum suburbs but a gorgeous ancient
centre with an unparalleled ambience of lazy, ancient intelligence.
It is about 1.5 hours travel from London by train or guided bus
tour. And don't forget to take a punt!
Oxford,
another bout of academia with let's-not-go-there suburbs but stunning
yellowish medieval colleges of spires and gargoyles set off with
masses of greenery.
Take a train from from London's Paddington station or guided bus
tour. And don't forget to take a punt here too!
Windsor Castle, one of the Queen's
favourite residences and 900 years old, is 20 miles from London.
Travel by train from London to Windsor and Eton station.
There is a Changing the Guard ceremony at 11am on alternate days
[which depends on the month] and no shortage of royal attractions,
including the staterooms.
Legoland for the kids!
York's
medieval walls, streets and buildings are possible as a day trip
from London, though it's a bit pushed.
Bath
is a calm and elegant city of Georgian architecture and real Roman
baths, in England's southwest, 170 miles from London. It is possible
to see Bath on a rail day-trip from London but would be a little
hurried.
Bath is set in pretty countryside and not too far from some other
special locations - such as Glastonbury,
Stonehenge,
and Avebury
so car hire may be a good idea for this trip.
Avebury prehistoric stones, near Stonehenge but these are touchable!
London
city vs the City of London:
The first is what you would expect, all of London.
The second is the medieval city of London, what is now mostly the
main business and legal district on the north bank of The Thames
river, roughly stretching from Covent Garden to Tower Bridge, including
St Paul's Cathedral, the 'Erotic Gherkin' and the Tower of London.
Cuisine
Guide:
Forget traditional British food which is truly terrible and look
for adventure in the more modern restaurants with which London is
stuffed or superb, diverse and authentic foreign cuisine along the
lines of Thai, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Brazilian, Malaysian...
Excellent healthy/tasty fast food places are all around. Pret-a-Manger
is especially efficient, tasty and commonplace.
Young
Travellers:
Entry to many attractions, such as the Tower of London, is much cheaper if you have a student or youth card.
Accommodation:
London is has notoriously pricey hotels so make sure you book more
cheaply via the internet before you arrive.
London
Shopping Guide:
Classy: Bond Street, Knightsbridge, Kensington, Harrods,
Regent Street [especially Liberty's].
Wacky: The Kings Road, Covent Garden, Neal Street, Camden Lock market
and Portobello market [weekends].
London
Travel Links
And
if you plan to travel to UK's London, how about adding another European
city or two to your trip? Check these tourist guides, all with images:
Edinburgh
Guide | Paris
Guide | Lisbon
Travel | Amsterdam
Guide | Barcelona
Guide | Madrid
Guide
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