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F CUS GUIDES
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A short break in
London
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If the old Cockney song is right, maybe it is 'because I'm a Londoner that I
love London so'.
Or maybe it's because this vast, dynamic, free-and-easy metropolis, by far
Europe's largest, most important and most culturally diverse city, offers more in arts and music,
eating and drinking,
shows and entertainment, all day and all night, than most other capitals
can even imagine.
Visually, London is fascinating, a city of
greenery and gardens, fine tree-lined
streets, grand terraces and charming, beautiful squares and over 5,000 acres of parkland.
Capital of England, of the United
Kingdom and of the British Commonwealth, for several centuries London has had
unequalled political, financial, intellectual and social influence around
the globe. Once the seat of the greatest empire the world has known,
fittingly London has inherited an open, internationalist outlook, and a population drawn from every nation on earth.
At the same time, London retains its quintessential Englishness,
combining a love of personal freedom with a
formal, dignified heritage and a flair for pageantry and tradition. Many of the clichés about Londoners are true - people do have a certain reserve and a liking for
privacy, and great respect for individual liberty.
It's true, too, about Londoners' quirky humour, and a genuine good nature that extends a quiet welcome to everyone.
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Although densely urban, most of London's skyline (apart from the
City and Docklands) is low-rise, with many
long terraces of fine
18th- and 19th-century
buildings. There are numerous well-kept
parks and squares, with three large Royal
Parks - Hyde Park, Green Park and St James' Park - in the city centre.
Even in the heart of the
capital,
the atmosphere is surprisingly calm and
relaxed, and you'll see a lot of crowded, convivial pubs
of character, most of them at least a century
or two
old.
London sprawls over 600 square miles with about 14 million
residents (8
million within the 32 boroughs). It began in about
AD43 as the
walled Roman city of Londinium on the north bank of the Thames.
That original London has become the financial district known simply as the City
- also colloquially known as "the Square Mile".
London's role as
a world leader in commerce and trade, science, technology and the arts has been
undisputed for centuries. It established itself as the leading
global financial centre in the 18th century, a position it
has kept ever since.
The River Thames winds
through the middle of 21st-century London, but the city centre,
historic London,
most sightseeing and the main
entertainment district all lie on the north side of the river in
the West End - so called because it is
west of the more ancient City.
Outside these central areas are dozens of distinctive residential
and commercial districts. Among them are several historic neighbourhoods
of character and charm - often known as London's
'villages' - for example Hampstead, Richmond and Greenwich.
The official tourist
information organisation is Visit London. Its main tourist information offices are at Piccadilly
Circus and in St Paul's
Churchyard.
In addition there are 10 other London Tourist Information
Centres around the capital, of which 7 are in the city centre.
Click for map of Visit London tourist offices.
Another useful London information resource is
London Information Centre in Leicester Square
www.visitLondon.com
www.londontown.com/
St Pancras
International is London's Eurostar terminus, on the north
side of the city centre. Other major railway termini are Waterloo (trains from
SW England), Victoria (the south), King's Cross (the north), Paddington (the west)
and Liverpool Street (the east).
The West End, London's central district, extends from Park Lane to the Aldwych. Its
focal point is considered to be Trafalgar Square. Within a
few paces of this majestic public square are many of London's most
famous streets, sights, museums and places of entertainment, including Piccadilly
Circus,
Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.
London's busiest shopping street is 1½ mile long Oxford
Street, from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road.
Kensington & Chelsea, west of Park Lane and
mainly south of Hyde Park, is London's smallest, most densely populated
borough, noted for prosperous residential areas, major museums and
the upmarket department stores and designer outlets of
Knightsbridge and King's Road. It also includes
funkier Notting Hill and Portobello Road.
London is too big to explore comfortably on foot. The central
zone alone is about 5 miles [8km] across. You'll need to get acquainted with London's inefficient and often infuriating public transport system, or spend quite a lot
of pounds sterling on the
famously overpriced black cabs.
Public transport - Transport for London (or TfL) operates a comprehensive
network of red buses (not all are double deckers!) and 11 London
Underground lines (locally known as the Tube).
TfL also includes the
Overground (ordinary trains operating around London's perimeter) and DLR
(Docklands Light Railway), linking the City to the East End and
former docklands.
Tickets are valid throughout the whole TfL network. Fares are payable by zone: a flat rate within one zone, a higher
flat rate to travel in two zones, and so on. The
zones are concentric, zone 1 being the West End and City. There are 6
zones in total.
Most London residents use an Oyster Card - an electronic
smartcard which stores credit and allows access to all London's
public transport.
It's not possible to pay bus fares with cash: see other ways to pay.
Visitors to
London can buy a
Visitor Oyster Card or, if preferred, travel
passes called
Travelcards valid for 1 to 7 days.
-
Transport for London: www.tfl.gov.uk
-
London Undergound map
Taxis - The advantages of London's distinctive
black cabs
are that drivers'
knowledge of London is encyclopaedic, journeys are always properly metered, they
can be hailed anywhere, and they are widely available day and night. A tip of
10% is always expected.
Offering a cheaper alternative to black cabs are numerous licensed taxi companies whose drivers use saloon
cars, locally known as minicabs. These must always be pre-booked.
Any minicab touting for business is unlicensed.
London's leading minicab operators are
Uber, 'hailed' and paid for
using an app, and
Addison Lee, booked and
pre-paid online or by phone.
AndrewSanger-2012.jpg)
Bike hire - TfL's cycle rental scheme is in place throughout central London. You
can pick up
and return the bicycles, officially called Santander Cycles but still popularly known as Boris Bikes (after
former London mayor Boris Johnson who
created the scheme), at distinctive bike stations, using
a pre-payment key or a credit card. The first 30 minutes, enough to cycle almost
anywhere in the city centre, are free.
-
Bicycle hire scheme
River bus services run by Thames Clippers along the Thames are a fast,
enjoyable way through central London. (Oyster cards valid, but with an
additional fare.)
www.thamesclippers.com
Driving - Traffic in central London flows relatively smoothly most of the
day, but parking is hard to find and expensive, except on Saturday afternoon and
Sunday. Beware of large numbers of cyclists riding fast and dangerously, weaving
across lanes in heavy traffic - especially at night, when many have no lights. All of the West End and City is within the
Congestion Zone, which from 7am-6pm Mon-Fri
can only be entered on payment of a daily charge of £11.50p.
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Entertainment and nightlife |
What's on in London?
Find latest listings and
reviews in London's popular free publications:
Evening Standard,
Metro, and
Time Out.
London has over 50 theatres,
1000 music venues and clubs, and - depending on tastes - entertainment round the clock 7 days a week.
London's entertainment
districts
Entertainment
and nightlife are located in different
parts of the city centre. The main central London entertainment
districts are
South Hoxton, Shoreditch, South Hackney - NE of the City -
vibrant arts and
entertainment with bars, clubs and restaurants.
Camden - N of West End -
clubs, shows, live music venues, including Electric
Ballroom, The Roundhouse, Dingwalls.
Soho (including Chinatown) - between Leicester Sq,
Regent St, Oxford St, Charing Cross Rd - hundreds of bars, cabarets, striptease
clubs, gay venues,
jazz, theatres,
restaurants.
The South Bank - Thames riverside - high culture,
classical music, concerts, theatre,
National Film Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Shakespeare's
Globe Theatre.
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
www.shakespearesglobe.com
Leicester Square / Piccadilly Circus / Shaftesbury Avenue -
"Theatreland", major rock and pop
venues, late-night pubs, clubs, cinemas.
Covent Garden - Ballet, opera, classical music, Royal
Opera House, classic theatres.
Other arts and
entertainment centres
Outside the entertainment districts are many other performance
venues and arts centres
large and small. Europe's largest performing arts centre is the
Barbican, in the City. It
stages world-class exhibitions, music, theatre,
dance and film, and is the home of the London Symphony
Orchestra.
An important nightlife restriction:
in the UK, alcoholic drinks
are only served in
'licensed premises'. Most are licensed only from 11am until 11pm
or midnight. Some (usually if there is live entertainment) have
longer hours, especially nightclubs and dance venues which are
normally open to 3am or 4am.
Pubs ("public houses"), known for
their odd names, cosy
decor and wide choice of
beers on tap, as well as a convivial informality, are part of the English
way of life. London has about 4000 pubs, most dating from the 18th to
early 20th centuries. Most have loyal
patrons (regulars), and cater
either
to
a local neighbourhood or to a particular type of clientele.
Pubs may either be 'tied' to particular brewers, or 'free houses' serving their
own choice of beers including 'real ales' -
traditional beers from independent breweries. Most pubs also serve food.
Good pubs in London are too numerous to list. About 200 of the city's
best pubs are listed on
http://londonist.com/pubs |
English food was once
infamous - but that's one cliché which is utterly outdated. Several of Europe's finest gastronomic restaurants are in London.
Michelin Red Guide London 2019 lists
3 three-star, 10 two-star, and an astounding 58 one-star establishments
in the city,
as well as scores of other recommended restaurants. See the
Evening Standard's full list and Google
map of London's 2019 Michelin-starred restaurants.
Classic British ingredients include high-quality beef, sausages, fresh fish, vegetables and cheeses.
Traditional meals include English breakfast (focused on fried
eggs with bacon, with many extras); Sunday roast (beef, potatoes, green
vegetables, a batter dish called Yorkshire pudding, and a meat sauce
called 'gravy'); and afternoon tea (see below). Vegetarianism is
very common
and widely catered for.
Typical London eating
combines European and Asian influences,
with just a few surviving English classics. Fish & chips is popular, but so is chicken tikka masala. English
sweet pies and puddings served with custard appear on menus alongside panna cotta
and tiramisu.
Central London is
packed with French and Italian restaurants.
Prices can be on the high side. Homely, family-run Asian
restaurants - especially Indian, Chinese and Thai -
generally offer less expensive dining.
In addition, so-called
'coffee shops' and
sandwich bars provide inexpensive meals and snacks, while simple
diner-style restaurants called
cafés - jokingly pronounced "caffs" - serve
generous traditional English breakfasts and basic cooked lunches at rock-bottom
prices. All department stores have
restaurants, and most pubs, too, serve food.
Afternoon tea is
a traditional British
treat. Normally taken between 3.30pm and
5pm, a full afternoon tea, or 'set tea', comprises a pot of tea, light sandwiches or savouries, scones with clotted cream and
strawberry jam (or preserve), and a slice of cake or a
selection of small cakes. Clotted
cream, by the way, is thick and buttery - it's not whipped
cream. Properly
appreciated, afternoon tea is not a
substitute for lunch or dinner.
Optional variations include more
sandwich and less cake, coffee instead of tea, and butter
instead of cream.
Top places for an elegant set tea include most leading hotels, notably
Claridges,
the Ritz,
the Dorchester,
Palm Court at the Langham
and
Brown's Hotel.
Upmarket
department stores
Harrods and
Fortnum & Mason are also known for their
afternoon teas. Expect to pay as much as £50-£65pp for tea in
such places.
Countless other eating places offer a less grand afternoon tea, including the
restaurants of
museums and art galleries,
for as little as £5.
London's top afternoon teas |
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The British Museum
A majestic 18th-century building entered
through a beautifully roofed Great Court, the British Museum
displays one of the world's leading collections of worldwide artefacts
illustrating the development of civilization and
culture from two million years ago to the present day.
"Museum highlights" alone number over 4000 items,
including the Ancient Egyptian Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures
(Elgin Marbles),
and treasures of Mesopotamia, drawings by
Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Entry is free, except for
temporary
special exhibitions which
attract large numbers of London residents. There are three cafés and a
restaurant serving full meals and afternoon tea.
Address:
Great Russell St, WC1.
Tube:
Tottenham Court Road; Holborn.
www.britishmuseum.org
St Paul's Cathedral
Under a vast, elegant dome
and tall lantern tower visible from afar, St Paul's is one of London's most
beautiful and striking landmarks. As the cathedral of the diocese of London, it's
the principal centre of religious life in the capital.
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and opened in 1710, it's the
fifth cathedral on the site since 604, and the first built
after the Reformation - as such, St Paul's embodied the independence and
freedom of England and the English church.
Numerous royal and national events have been celebrated here,
including the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria and both jubilees
of Queen Elizabeth II, and her 80th birthday in 2006. Royal
weddings include the marriage of Prince Charles to Diana Spencer in
1981, and state funerals held here include that of Sir Winston
Churchill.
The interior is wonderfully decorated and proportioned. Don't miss the curious
Whispering Gallery, 259 steps up into the dome. St Paul's also
has a restaurant, serving afternoon tea.
Address:
St Paul's Churchyard, EC4.
Tube:
St Paul's.
www.stpauls.co.uk
The Tower of London
A complete Norman and medieval fortress beside the Thames, the
Tower is replete with sometimes bloody history and significance.
During Tudor times, the Tower was a royal prison, and many
executions took place here. The Tower houses the Crown Jewels
- the crowns and regalia, some currently in use,
of the British monarchy. The security guards of the Tower, commonly known as 'Beefeaters'
(their correct name is Yeoman Warders),
still
wearing 15th-century uniform.
Superstitions and legends surround the Tower, for
example that if the six ravens living there should ever leave,
'the kingdom will fall.'
Crossing the Thames beside the Tower of London, Tower Bridge is a spectacular example
of Victorian design and engineering. Its latest addition is a
spectacular glass floor in the walkways across the Thames.
Address:
Lower Thames St, EC3.
Tube:
Tower Hill.
www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/
www.towerbridge.org.uk
Covent Garden
The
atmospheric former vegetable market of London
is now one of the city's most popular shopping, dining and
leisure districts. It's centred on the old "piazza" covered market and surrounding cobbled plazas.
Address:
Covent Garden, WC2.
Tube:
Covent Garden; Leicester Sq.
www.coventgardenlondonuk.com
London Eye
The huge rotating wheel of
transparent capsules, standing across the river from the Houses
of Parliament, provides London's most spectacular panoramic
views. At the top you're 442 feet high and can see as much as 25
miles in fine weather. A rotation takes 30 minutes.
Address:
Westminster Bridge Road, SE1.
Tube:
Waterloo; Westminster.
www.londoneye.com
Buckingham Palace
The Queen's imposing
775-roomed official London residence and administrative office stands between St James' Park and Green Park, at the
end of the pink-paved Mall. If the Royal Standard is flying, Her
Majesty is in residence. The lavish suite of
State Rooms, where official
events are held, is opened to the public on certain dates each
year.
The
Royal Mews - stables
and garages - is open to visitors, as is
The Queen's Gallery, exhibiting part of the
Queen's extensive art collection.
Changing the Guard (11.30am. May-July daily; rest of year:
alternate days, weather permitting) is a splendid 40-minute
ceremony on the Palace forecourt. Guardsmen of the Queen's Guard
- in red tunic and black 'bearskin' hats - arrive with a band to
replace those on duty.
State Rooms
- next tour dates - see website
Address:
The Mall, SW1A 1AA.
Tube:
St James's Park; Hyde Park Corner.
Buckingham Palace webpage
Westminster Abbey
and the Houses of Parliament
Majestic 316ft (96m) clock
tower Big Ben, properly called Elizabeth Tower, rises from the Palace of Westminster
- better known as the Houses
of Parliament (ie the Commons and the Lords), seat of
the world's oldest democratic government. Though mainly
19th-century neo-Gothic, parts of the
golden stone building date to the 11th century.
You can climb steps to the bells
of Big Ben (not right now -
currently closed for
repairs), go on guided tours, and watch
debates and Government proceedings in action.
Across the road,
Westminster Abbey is the church where royal
coronations, christenings, weddings and funerals have taken place
for over 1000 years (though the present building dates to 1245).
The interior is richly decorated with paintings, fabrics,
stained glass, fine paving and elaborate memorials and
tombs. Many great figures are buried
here, including 17 monarchs. In Poets' Corner, great
British writers are honoured, including Shakespeare and Chaucer.
Address:
Parliament Square, SW1.
Tube:
Westminster.
www.westminster-abbey.org
www.parliament.uk
The Science Museums
The Science Museum and its
neighbour the
Natural History Museum cover an
immense range of
knowledge in accessible, thought-provoking and entertaining displays
that are highly child-oriented. Highlights at the Natural History are the
reconstructed dinosaurs and the
large mammals. Both museums deserve a long visit, are free, and have
restaurants. And note that the V&A (see Art museums,
below) is just round the corner.
Address:
Exhibition Rd, SW7.
Tube:
South Kensington.
The Art Museums
London's art collections rival any city in the world.
The largest permanent galleries open to the public are the
National Gallery (Trafalgar
Square), housing 13th-19th century W. European art;
Tate Modern (South Bank), international
modern and contemporary art; and
Tate Britain (Millbank), British art from 1500 to the present,
including a huge collection of works by Turner. All these are free
except for special exhibitions.
The Royal Academy (Piccadilly) specialises in
prestigious temporary exhibitions. London has many
other remarkable art galleries, such as the
Courtauld Institute
(CLOSED FOR REDEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT 2019), considered one of the
finest small art museums in the world, with exceptional
Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces. During the
2019-2020 closure, many works from Courtauld are displayed in
the National Gallery. A further 100 works are on loan to the
Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
There are many specialised museums numbering among the best in the world, among them the
renowned
Victoria & Albert (V&A),
which has the world's largest collection devoted to
design, style and fashion; it also has a leading photography
gallery.
All London's art museums have restaurants and cafés.
Oxford St – London's main
shopping street, with focus on clothes. Its western half has top department stores including Selfridges, and flagship stores of Marks & Spencer
and John Lewis.
Regent St, curving elegantly south from Oxford
Circus, has many designer fashion stores including Liberty's, Jaeger,
Austin Reed, and Barbour, as well as toyshop Hamleys. Touristy
fashion mecca
Carnaby St is parallel.
Bond St, also south of Oxford St, is a chic upmarket
area noted for exclusive high fashions and jewellery and
Fenwick's
flagship store.
Piccadilly, along its eastern half, runs through a traditional, exclusive
shopping districts, with department store Fortnum
& Mason, upmarket Burlington Arcade, and luxury tailoring in Savile
Row and Jermyn St.
Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea – The meeting of
Knightsbridge, Brompton Road and Sloane Street is a focal
point for designer outlets and prestigious department stores
(notably Harrods). West from Sloane Sq,
King's Road has stylish, original fashions. In N.Kensington,
Portobello Rd
is a long multi-ethnic market street, with a big antiques
section.
The Boat Race
7 April 2019
Oxford and Cambridge universities' traditional fast and furious rowing race along the Thames between Mortlake
and Putney (W of city centre). Now with separate men's and women's races.
www.theboatrace.org
Chelsea Flower Show
21-25 May 2019
The Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious annual flower
show transforms the Royal
Hospital grounds
into impressive show
gardens and displays.
www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/chelsea
Notting Hill Carnival
24-26 August 2019
This West
London event celebrating the Caribbean community has become Europe's largest street festival,
with steel bands, parades, floats and over 50,000
performers. Culminates in Carnival Parade on Bank Holiday Monday.
www.nhcarnival.org/
Thames Festival
1-30 September 2019
London's riverbank is the setting for a
celebratory month of music, dance, art, river events and fireworks.
http://thamesfestival.org/
•
Riverboat is the fastest and most enjoyable way
from the Tate Modern to the Tate Britain.
•
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - the basis of time zones around the world)
is the time at the
Greenwich Royal Observatory in London.
•
Three huge parklands lie on the edge of the city centre -
Hampstead Heath (great London views), Richmond Park (deer roaming freely) and
Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens).
• Don't block the
escalators
at London Underground ("Tube") stations! The rule is stand on
the right or walk on the left.
• Ride the top deck
on London buses for a
great sightseeing ride, especially #15 (Trafalgar Sq to Tower of London via St Paul's)
and #12 (Piccadilly, Trafalgar Sq, Whitehall, Westminster and Big Ben).
•
Foggy London Town
in reality
rarely experiences dense
fog. The notorious "pea-soupers", London's thick
yellow-tinted opaque smogs caused by a combination of fog and
smoke-polluted air, have not occurred for many years thanks to
Clean Air legislation.
•
Flights to London: London's five airports are
London Heathrow (15 miles W
of city centre by tube or express bus),
London Gatwick (28 m S,
express train),
London Stansted (40 m N,
train or bus),
London Luton (32 m NW,
bus
or train) and
London City
(6 m E, DLR).
•
By road: London is at the
start of motorways M1, M2, M3 and M4, as well as major roads A1, A2, A3 and A4.
Motorway M25 encircles London. The North Circular and South
Circular ring roads run through the inner suburbs.
Google map of road access to
London.
London accommodation ranges from
hundreds of small guesthouses in the London suburbs, to scores of
branded budget hotels near major
London stations and
interchanges, and dozens of decent, mid-range hotels on the edge of the
city centre, up to some of the world's grandest, most luxurious
hotels, which are mainly in the heart of London's West End.
The
accommodation pages on Visit London's
website give a comprehensive overview of finding a
hotel in London, with online
booking.
Basic lodgings outside the city
centre can be booked via
www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk.
•
Where is London? In
SE England.
•
International dialling code: + 44 20.
•
Time zone: GMT (+ 1 in summer
= BST).
•
Money: Pound Sterling (£).
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