10 Things You Absolutely Must See Or Do in London - If you're an infrequent visitor to London and plan to hit the tourist trail then the last thing you'll want is to be pointed in the direction of the underwhelming, the uninspiring or the instantly forgettable. There's enough of that where you live, which is why you're visiting London!
Our guide features London's best galleries, museums, landmarks,
historical sites, shopping areas and entertainment zones, all
guaranteed to provide the ultimate London tourist experience. The
attractions we've highlighted are unashamedly well known, but do you
really want to be returning home to tell your friends about the
fantastic thimble shop in Pimlico you visited? Or would you rather rave
about the phenomenal view of one of the world's great cities from the
top of The Eye, or that you've actually seen the beauty of Van Gogh's
Sunflowers with your own eyes?
London has a multitude of varied and exciting attractions but these
are the ones without which, your trip just wouldn't be the same!
Oxford Street Britain's busiest high street and
London's best known shopping area is chock-a-block full of the largest
branches of the nation's most popular shops - over 300 in fact. Many of
the biggest high street names have their flagship stores here and the
street also boasts the oldest record shop in the world (HMV at number
363). It's not all hardcore shopping though - light entertainment is
often provided in the form of chanting Hari Krishnas skipping along the
pavement. If you can't find what you want to buy in Oxford Street, you
haven't got much of a hope elsewhere.
Nearest Tubes: Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, and Tottenham Court Road
Camden Market If you're after a more bohemian approach
to shopping than the Oxford Street experience, then get yourself up to
Camden. One of London's coolest areas has a seemingly endless array of
shops and stalls selling such items as clothing (new, second hand and
retro), customised Doc Martins and trainers, jewellery, bootleg CDs and
DVDs and craft ware. Open daily; it's a multi cultural experience with
some great little food outlets dotted all over.
Nearest Tube: Camden Town
Tower of London Built by Billy The Conqueror nearly a
thousand years ago, this is one of the best preserved and most famous
historic landmarks in the world. Full of the history of executions and
imprisonments and offering the spectacle of the Beefeaters, the ravens
and the crown jewels as well as the majesty of the building itself,
this remains THE essential place of historic interest to visit when in
London.
St. Paul's Cathedral Britain's best known place of
worship and certainly one of its most recognisable buildings, having so
often been the centrepiece of state occasions. The cathedral was
designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built 300 years ago following the
destruction of the previous building by the Great Fire Of London. An
awe inspiring feat of architecture, steeped in history and featuring
works of art, monuments, mosaics and the Whispering Gallery, the
Cathedral is also still a busy working church. So booking your wedding
here during the summer months might just be a bit tricky.
Nearest Tube: St Pauls
National Gallery The National Gallery is home to one of
the greatest collections of European art in the world. Featuring works
painted between 1250 and 1900, the collection includes such well known
pieces as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Botticelli's Venus And Mars and
Constable's Hay Wain. Sadly, the work of the great Rolf Harris is too
recent and too Australian to be included - see the Tate Modern.
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross.
Admission: Free
British Museum Founded over 250 years ago, it could be
said that the British Museum is one of London's oldest and most prized
exhibits - the museum building itself is one of Britain's greatest
architectural landmarks. Housed inside is a collection of art and
antiquities from ancient and living cultures the world over spanning
two million years featuring the Rosetta Stone, the Easter Island statue
and the earliest known image of Christ.
Nearest Tubes: Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street, Russell Square & Holborn. Admission: Free
London Eye Undoubtedly the quickest way to take in all
of London's major attractions is by jumping on the Eye. There's not
much of the city that can't be seen from the top of what has become one
of the London skyline's most dominating features. To further enhance
your flight on this modern day feat of engineering, you can even order
champagne to be served in your capsule (not recommended for the easily
nauseas).
http://www.londoneye.com
Nearest Tubes: Waterloo & Westminster.
Tate Modern If random blobs of paint on canvas and
piles of rusty old engine parts is your idea of art, then get yourself
down to the Tate Modern. Created in a disused power station on the
banks of the Thames, the gallery has become one of London's most
fascinating attractions since opening in 2000. The collection features
works by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock and Warhol and represents all
the major movements since 1900. Sadly, the work of the great Rolf
Harris is too art like to be included - see the National Gallery.
Covent Garden Formerly a fruit and vegetable market,
'The Garden' is now a constant and varied hive of activity. It has a
hugely diverse selection of shops, eateries, bars, a market selling
art, crafts, antiques and souvenirs, historic buildings, theatres, the
Royal Opera House and fantastic free entertainment provided by street
entertainers and musicians. If you can't find something to capture your
interest at Covent Garden then you must be harder to please than Simon
Cowell on a bad day.
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden.
Trafalgar Square Undoubtedly one of the most famous
sights of London without visiting which, a trip to the capital would be
incomplete. Not only are tourists drawn to see Nelsons Column, the
fountains, the lions, the annual gift of a huge Christmas tree from
Norway and the pigeons (dirty little so and sos), but it is where the
masses flock to in times of national celebration or when there is cause
to demonstrate. Trafalgar Square truly is the meeting place of the
nation.
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