If
you’re an infrequent visitor to London, England 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!
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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.
http://www.oxfordstreet.co.uk/home.html. 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
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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.
http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html. Nearest Tube: Tower
Hill.
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.
http://www.stpauls.co.uk. 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.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/default.htm. Nearest Tube: Charing
Cross. Admission: Free
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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.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk. 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. http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/. Nearest Tubes:
Southwark & Blackfriars. Admission: Free (however donations are
gratefully received)
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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.
http://www.coventgarden.uk.com. 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. Nearest Tube: Charing Cross.
24-7 London is an online entertainment guide to London. Check it out! www.24-7london.co.uk
Lisa Mills writes articles for magazines and websites. You can view much of her work on her website www.24-7london.co.uk
24-7 London is an online entertainment guide to London.
View all articles by Lisa Mills
