General Tourist Information for London

About London

What strikes visitors more than anything else about London is the sheer size of the place. Stretching for more than thirty miles on either side of the River Thames, and with an ethnically diverse population of just under eight million, it’s Europe’s largest city by far. Londoners tend to cope with all this by compartmentalizing the city, identifying with the neighbourhoods in which they work or live, and just making occasional forays “into town” or “up West”, to the West End, London’s shopping and entertainment heartland. Despite Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolution, London still dominates the national horizon, too: this is where the country’s news and money are made, it’s where the central government resides and, as far as its inhabitants are concerned, provincial life begins beyond the circuit of the city’s orbital motorway. Londoners’ sense of superiority causes enormous resentment in the regions, yet it’s undeniable that the capital has a unique aura of excitement and success in most walks of British life, if you want to get on, you’ve got to do it in London. For the visitor, too, London is a thrilling place and after winning the right to stage the Olympics in 2012, the city is also in a relatively buoyant mood. The facelift that the capital has undergone over the last decade or so has seen virtually every one of London’s four world-class museums, galleries and institutions reinvented, from the Royal Opera House to the British Museum. The city now boasts the world’s largest modern art gallery in Tate Modern, the tallest observation wheel in the London Eye, and two fantastic new pedestrian bridges that have helped transform the south bank of the Thames into a magnet for visitors and Londoners alike. And after years of being the only major city in the world not to have a governing body, London now has its own elected assembly, housed in an eye-catching building within sight of Tower Bridge, and a mayor who’s determined to try and solve one of London’s biggest problems: transport. In the meantime, London’s traditional sights continue to draw in millions of tourists every year. Monuments from the capital’s more glorious past are everywhere to be seen, Covent Garden market from medieval banqueting halls and the great churches of Christopher Wren to the eclectic Victorian architecture of the triumphalist British Empire. There is also much enjoyment to be had from the city’s quiet Georgian squares, the narrow alleyways of the City of London, the riverside walks, and the quirks of what is still identifiably a collection of villages. Even London’s traffic problems are offset by surprisingly large expanses of greenery: Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park are all within a few minutes’ walk of the West End, while, further a field, you can enjoy the more expansive parklands of Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park.
You could spend days just shopping in London, mixing it with the upper classes in Harrods, or sampling the offbeat weekend markets of Portobello Road, Brick Lane, Greenwich and Camden. The music, clubbing and gay and lesbian scenes are second to none, and mainstream arts are no less exciting, with regular opportunities to catch outstanding theatre companies, dance troupes, exhibitions and opera. Restaurants these days are an attraction, too. London has more Michelin-star establishments than Paris, as well as a vast range of low-cost, high-quality Chinese restaurants and Indian curry houses. Meanwhile, the city’s pubs have heaps of atmosphere, especially away from the centre — and an exploration of the farther flung communities is essential to get the complete picture of this dynamic metropolis.

Kids’ London

At first glance, London seems a hostile place for children, with its crowds, incessant noise and constant traffic. The British attitudes towards children can be discouraging as well, particularly if you’ve experienced the more indulgent approach of the Mediterranean countries. London’s restaurateurs, for example, tend to regard children as if they were one step down evolutionary scale from monkeys, although the more entrepreneurial realize the power of the family/kids money. Similarly, pubs still operate under very archaic laws meaning it’s not easy to enjoy an alcoholic beverage if you have young ones in tow. Yet, if you pick your place carefully, though even central London can be a delight for the pint—sized, and it needn’t overly strain the parental pocket. Don’t underestimate the value of London’s public transport as a source of fun, either. The mere idea of an underground train gives a buzz to a lot of kids, and you can get your bearings while entertaining your offspring by installing them in the front seats on the top deck of a red double-decker bus. The number 11 from Victoria, for instance, will trundle you past the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square and the Strand on its way to St Paul’s Cathedral and kids now travel free on all buses. The driverless Docklands Light Railway is another source of amusement, too grab a seat at the front of the train and pretend to be driver; at Island Gardens, you can take the foot tunnel under the river Thames to Greenwich. Another alternative is to have a ride on one of South London’s trams. Covent Gardens buskers and Jugglers provide no-cost entertainment in a car-free setting. Another great area to head for is the South Bank and Southwark, which are connected by a traffic-free riverside walk that stretches from the London Eye to Tower Bridge. And if you don’t fancy the walk, there are now plenty of passenger boats stopping off at piers along the way. Right in the centre of the city, there are plentiful green spaces, such as Hyde Park and Regent’s Park, providing playgrounds and ample room for general mayhem, as well as a diverting array of city wildlife. If you want something more unusual than ducks and squirrels, head for one of London’s several city farms, which provide urbanites with a free taste of country life. Museums are another, more obvious diversion. The good news is admission is free to the likes of the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the National Maritime Museum. These, and other museums, have hi-tech, hands-on sections that will keep young kids busy for hours and they might even learn something while they’re at it. There are museums. too, devoted to childhood and toys, while teenage horror fans will, of demand a visit to the London Dungeon and Madame Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors they are both fantastic. The spread of shows on offer — from puppet performances to specially commissioned plays is at its best during school holidays, when even the biggest theatres often stage family entertainment. see Online Discounted Hotels Kids Entertainment choices below.

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