London is one of the world’s most traveled cities, which has something for everyone: from history to culture, art to architecture.
London is as much about high-density, sight-packed exploration (the West End, South Bank, the City) and urban dynamism as it is about wide-open spaces and leafy escapes. Central London is where you will find all the major museums, galleries and most iconic sights, but escape to Hampstead Heath or Greenwich Park to flee the crowds and put the city’s greener hues into gorgeous perspective. Or venture even further out to Kew Gardens, Richmond or Hampton Court Palace for effortlessly good-looking panoramas of riverside London.
London is immersed in history. Not so much that it’s intimidating, but there’s sufficient antiquity and historic splendour (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court) to blow you away. London’s buildings are eye-catching milestones in the city’s unique and compelling biography. Architectural grandeur rises up all around you in the West End, ancient remains dot the City and charming pubs punctuate the Thames riverside.
History and tradition greet you at every turn in London; it’s also one of the coolest, most modern cities in the world. If London contained only landmarks such as Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace, it would still rank as one of the world’s great destinations, but Britain’s capital is much more. People come to glimpse the royals and stop by hot galleries; to take in theater and trendy shops; to sample tea and scones or cutting-edge cuisine. When you need a break from the action, pop into a pub, relax in a park—or take a walk and make London your own.
Top things to visit in Lon Don
TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower is London at its historic, gory best. Every brick tells a grisly story, and the ax-blows and fortunes that have risen and fallen within this 20-towered mini-city provide an inexhaustible supply of intrigue.
National Gallery
With some 2300 European paintings on display, this is one of the richest art galleries in the world. There are seminal paintings from every important epoch in the history of art from the mid-13th to the early 20th century, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Van Gogh and Renoir.
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the gallery’s western side houses paintings from 1260 to 1510. Here you will find largely religious paintings commissioned for private devotion (eg the Wilton Diptych ) as well more unusual masterpieces such as Botticelli’s Venus & Mars and Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait .
London museum
The country’s largest museum and one of the oldest and finest in the world, this famous museum boasts vast Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, European and Middle Eastern galleries, among many others. It is once again London’s most visited attraction, drawing an average of five and a half million punters each year.
London eye
It’s hard to remember what London looked like before the landmark London Eye (officially the EDF Energy London Eye) began twirling at the southwestern end of Jubilee Gardens in 2000. Not only has it fundamentally altered the South Bank skyline but, standing 135m tall in a fairly flat city, it is visible from many surprising parts of the city (eg Kennington, Mayfair or Honor Oak Park). A ride – or ‘flight’, as it is called here – in one of the wheel’s 32 glass-enclosed eye pods holding up to 28 people draws 3.5 million visitors annually.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Today’s Londoners may flock to Amsterdam to misbehave but back in the bard’s day they’d cross London Bridge to Southwark. Free from the city’s constraints, men could settle down to a diet of whoring, bear-bating and heckling of actors. The most famous theatre was the Globe,where a genius playwright was penning box-office hits such as Macbeth and Hamlet .
Cuisine
Once the laughing stock of the cooking world, London has got its culinary act together in the last 20 years and is now an undisputed dining destination. There are plenty of fine, Michelin-starred restaurants, and British TV is awash with celebrity chefs and cooking shows. But on the ground, it is the sheer diversity on offer that is extraordinary: from Afghan to Vietnamese, London is a virtual A to Z of world cuisine, and modern British cooking – often championing traditional ingredients such as smoked fish, root vegetables and game – is enjoying a renaissance. We’ve mixed high-end dining with affordable cuisine in this selection of the best places to eat in town.
LONDON HOTEL REVIEWS
London has some of the very best and most luxurious hotels in the world. On the other hand, freshly minted billionaires favor the rash of new hot spots, like the Corinthia or ME London, while fashion plates always book Kit Kemp’s super-stylish hotels (such as the Covent Garden and the Charlotte Street). But even these places have sales, and you can sometimes snag a bargain within the reach of ordinary mortals—particularly in the off-season—or just be a spectator to all the glamour by visiting for that most traditional of high-society treats, afternoon tea.
Meanwhile, several midrange hotels have dropped their average prices in response to the choppy waters of the global economy, which has pulled some fantastic places, such as Hazlitt’s, the Rookery, and Town Hall, back into the affordable category. And there’s a clutch of new, stylish, and super-cheap hotels that are a real step forward for the city. The downside is that these places tend to be a little out of the way, but that’s often a price worth paying. Another attractive alternative includes hotels in the Premier and Millennium chains, which offer sleek, modern rooms, lots of up-to-date conveniences, and sales that frequently bring room prices well below £100 a night.
Travel guide to Lon Don
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