London travel guide
Meet LondonLondon weather reportGetting into LondonTop attractions in LondonGetting around London Where to eat in LondonPage 2: More information on London
Meet London
Samuel Johnson said: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. For centuries London has felt like the centre of the world for those who live there; it never ceases to excite and inspire. It truly is one of the world’s great cities and is constantly evolving and reinventing itself.
Despite the fast pace, the air of history still hangs thick here, with the old and new existing side-by-side. Standing on Westminster Bridge, the iconic Big Ben stands importantly on one side, and the Millennium-built London Eye on the other.
Tourists flock all year round to this city and it’s not hard to see why. London has been the height of cool for years. From the ‘Swinging sixties’ to the ‘flower power’ days of the 1970’s and the rebellious Punk era, London has remained the buzzing centre for innovation and new trends. Fashion is a big deal here, with many important international designers being Londoners; Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Stella McCartney to name just a few.
What London does: the rest of the world follows.
London weather report
English weather is notoriously unpredictable, and you can expect sudden downpours even in summertime. The other thing you may notice is that the English are obsessed with complaining about it – don’t blame them, it’s one of their quirks! Umbrellas are advisable. If it does rain, do as the Brits do and warm your cockles with a nice cup of Rosie lee (cockney rhyming slang for tea!)
July and August are the warmest months, with temperatures averaging 14-22°C. December to February are the coldest, with temperatures usually in the low Celsius and occasionally dropping to minus temperatures.
For the latest weather info use the Pampo weather forecast tool.
Getting into London
London’s biggest airports are Heathrow and Gatwick, with the most international flights headed for Heathrow:
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Heathrow has four terminals and a fifth on the way (due for completion in 2011). The Piccadilly line on the London Underground train network can take you from all 4 terminals into the city centre. Alternatively you could catch the Heathrow Express coach, which runs from terminals 1, 2 and 3, delivering you to Paddington Station, (£29 return ticket). A black cab into the centre from Heathrow should cost approximately £55.
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Gatwick is smaller than Heathrow and divided into two terminals: North and South, linked by a monorail. To get into the city either catch the Gatwick Express coach to Victoria Station (£26.80 return), or catch a black cab (approx £85 to the city centre).
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Luton airport serves many budget airlines such as easyjet, with the majority of flights connecting to European cities. On arrival get a Thameslink train to Kings Cross station, (£20.60 return), or a Green Line bus 757 to Buckingham Palace Road, (£15 return) departing every half-hour between 9.30am – 8pm, and hourly until midnight. Black cabs into the centre costs about £100.
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Stanstead is London’s third busiest international portal and also Europe’s fastest growing airport. Budget airlines easyjet and Ryanair run a lot of their flights from here. Catch the Stanstead Express train to Liverpool Street station in the city (£25 return), or a black cab for about £105.
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City airport serves mainly business flights. It is only six miles outside the city centre so a black cab will only set you back around £25. Docklands Light Railway will take you to Bank station for £4, with trains departing every 10 minutes.
If your travelling from elsewhere in the UK, National Rail have frequent trains to the Capital, as well as National Express coaches which usually cost a bit less. .
Top attractions in London
You could live in London for years and still not have seen it all – it’s impossible to be bored in this city. However, if you’re only visiting for a short time, here are the things you won’t want to miss:
Buckingham Palace will most likely be on your itinerary anyway. The fascination with the British Monarchy is unrelenting, and Queen Elizabeth is still hugely popular. If the flag is up, that means she’s at home. You never know, you might see her Majesty through one of the hundreds of windows.
Westminster has several top attractions. The most recognisable of these is Big Ben (the huge clock tower) and The Houses of Parliament, which sit alongside the River Thames. Just round the corner sits Westminster Abbey – a huge part of London heritage and where many historical figures have tomb stones. The tour here comes highly recommended. Just across Westminster Bridge, and like Big Ben, pretty hard to miss due to its height, is the London Eye. Built in celebration of the Millennium, until recently this was the world’s largest Ferris wheel. Amazing views over the city.
If you’re travelling with children (and even if your not!) Madam Tussaud’s, the famous wax-work display is great fun, and you can have your photo taken next the world’s most famous faces. See if you can convince your friends at home that you ran into the real thing. The Tower of London is also an interesting visit. See what the criminals of yesteryear went through. Consider yourself warned: it’s not pretty! Beware long queues for both.
Art Lovers will love the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (next to each other in Charing Cross.) The Tate Britain and the Tate Modern are also firm favourites. For those with a passion for theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe and The Rose – where Christopher Marlowe has thespian roots are important London landmarks. The West End in Soho has some of the world’s most popular commercial shows.
If history buffs still haven’t had enough, head out of the city-centre to Hampton Court Palace. Before Buckingham Palace was built, this was the home of the Royals. Henry 8th beheaded his wives here and you will be told many a ghost story on your way round. Whether you believe the stories or not is up to you! Take a day for this; there is a lot to see, and also there is an enormous maze that you may well get lost in for most of the morning...
Getting around London
The London Underground (most commonly referred to as ‘The Tube’) is by far the fastest way to get around the city. But there are also plenty of bus routes (another icon: the red double-decker.) Even if you’re only here for a few days, the cheapest way to travel is to get an Oyster card, available from all tube stations. You can pay as you go, or alternatively, Day, week, month and annual travel cards are also available. These can then be used on all underground and over ground trains, as well as the buses.
This being said, in central London a lot of the sights are walking distance!
Where to eat in London
England has an (undeserved) reputation for bad food. This is really not the case and London boasts some exceptional restaurants. If you’re here on a Sunday, try a traditional roast beef with Yorkshire pudding – a real English favourite!
There’s no chance of your taste buds getting bored in this city – being so multicultural there is something to excite everyone:
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Borough Market – A food lover’s paradise. For 250 years this has been the spot of London’s oldest and best loved wholesale food market. You can purchase unusual things to cook with, your lunch, or just meander throughout the stalls munching on the samples.
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Those wanting to dine in style should look no further than the Criterion Grill in the heart of Piccadilly Circus. This serves exquisite French food as well as having daily British lunch specials such as Shepherd’s Pie.
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Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden – dating back to Victorian times and serving no-nonsense, good old fashioned Fish and Chips. A very English experience!
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England loves its celebrity chefs, and the much-celebrated Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant at Claridge’s in Mayfair brings in the crowds – and for good reason. Before going be warned that the prices may make your eyes water as much as the food makes your mouth water. (Requires advanced booking.)