Visit London England



Tower Bridge London by Geoff Sutton 2 March 2007


Welcome to London! London is my hometown. Although I no longer live there, I frequently return to visit family, walk the familiar streets, and see something new. This post indexes links to many places I have visited over the years. I include some visitor tips for some places.

Click on each  LINK  for amazing photos, short videos, and information about popular places to see and things to do. 

 LONDON'S POPULAR LANDMARKS 




BIG BEN      BenLINK
 Big Ben is the Great Bell in the famous Elizabeth Tower housing the Great Clock at the North End of the Houses of Parliament. Borough of Westminster 

BUCKINGHAM PALACE      BuckLINK
“Buck house” is where the King lives when in town. And where tourists watch the changing of the guard. Borough of Westminster

HAMPTON COURT PALACE   HamptonLink
  A magnificent palace with beautiful gardens built by Henry VIII and a short train or boat ride from central London.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT        HPLINK
  Iconic English Gothic Westminster Palace housing Big Ben in the Borough of Westminster .

LONDON EYE         EYE-LINK
 The giant wheel noted for its fantastic views of the city. Borough of Lambeth



PICCADILLY CIRCUS & “Eros   PiccadillyLINK
  A unique traffic circle with a famous, and misnamed, statue. Borough of Westminster


SHARD            ShardLINK
   Travel to the top of London’s tallest building for brilliant views of the city. Borough of Southwark.

RIVER  THAMES   ThamesLINK
 Why not enjoy a river cruise around London or further afield?


TOWER BRIDGE       TowerBridgeLINK
 Great views from above this iconic bridge over the Thames between London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Southwark.

TOWER OF LONDON        TowerLINK
  A medieval castle makes famous and fantastic stories come alive and there are fabulous jewels. Borough of Tower Hamlets.


TRAFALGAR SQUARE    TrafalgarSqLINK
 A famous public square surrounded by historic buildings, galleries, and statues.


LONDON'S POPULAR MARKETS & SHOPS 

COVENT GARDEN         CoventGLINK
The garden site dates to 1200. Today this market place is full of shops and restaurants. Entertainers perform and there are museums nearby.  Boroughs of Westminster and Camden


HAMLEYS TOY STORE      HamleysTOYLINK
 Visit the world's largest toy shop on Regent Street--gifts for all ages.

HARRODS     HarrodsLINK
 Visit Europe's largest department store. Borough of Kensington and Chelsea


PORTOBELLO ROAD     PortabelloLINK
  Notting Hill area and the favourite and famous Portobello Road market. Borough of Kensington and Chelsea



LONDON'S GARDENS & PARKS



BATTERSEA PARK     BATTERSEAPARKLINK
  
An attractive 200-acre park with a children's zoo and beautiful gardens.

HYDE PARK     HYDELINK

 A large historic green space for walking, picnics, and lots to see and do. Borough of Westminster

KEW GARDENS      KewLINK

The Royal Botanical Gardens offer a floral feast. Borough of Richmond upon Thames

St JAMES PARK       StJamesLINK
 
A great place to rest, enjoy lunch, and watch the famous pelicans. Borough of Westminster


LONDON'S MUSEUMS & GALLERIES





BRITISH MUSEUM        BritishMuseumLINK

The British Museum has many of the world's treasures. It's one of my favourite places to visit as they continue to offer special exhibits. Borough of Camden

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON       IWMLINK
 If you have an interest in military history or the history of war, this is a well organised         place to visit.  Anniversary events are marked by special exhibits. Borough of Southwark

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART       NationalGalleryLINK
 
A place to sample the works of many of the world's great artists.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY         NationalPortraitGalleryLINK
 
The history of the UK in its leaders' portraits.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM    NatHistoryLink

 Children and adults will enjoy a look at gems, dinosaurs, animals from around the world, and more.

TATE MODERN ART GALLERY      TateLink
 
 Appreciate a vast collection of modern art over the Millennium Bridge from St. Paul's Cathedral.


TUSSAUDS of London       MTLINK

  Madame Tussauds original museum (1835) was in London-their displays are continually updated. It's close to Regent's Park and the London Zoo.


BRITISH HISTORY


IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON     IWMLINK

 
If you have an interest in military history or the history of war, this is a well organised place to visit. Anniversary events are marked by special exhibits.


JEWEL TOWER       JewelTowerLINK
 
A hidden small gem of a building near the Houses of Parliament

NELSON’S COLUMN         Nelson'sColumnLINK

   Monument to Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square


TOWER OF LONDON        TowerLondonLINK

 A medieval castle makes famous and fantastic stories come alive 
and there's fabulous jewels


LONDON'S PUBLIC STATUES     StatuesLINK

Examples of  Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and more

St JAMES PALACE   St JamesLink
  
Explore this palace built by Henry VIII in the 1530s.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE     TrafalgarSquareLINK
 
 A famous square commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar surrounded by places to see and things to do.    
  

WESTMINSTER PALACE        HPLINK

 
The Houses of Parliament with Big Ben- making history every year




   BRITISH MILITARY HISTORY   



                                    








CENOTAPH   CenotaphLINK
  
British monument on Whitehall honouring the war dead since 1919. Attend the special ceremony 11 November each year.


CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS         ChurchillWarLINK

 
Explore the underground labyrinth where so many World War II decisions took place.


HMS BELFAST     BelfastLink     
  
Explore this World War II war ship on the Thames River. Experience D-Day.


IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON     IWMLINK

 
If you have an interest in military history or the history of war, this is a well organised       place to visit. Anniversary events are marked by special exhibits.


ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM       RAFLINK
 
The RAF-more than a hundred years defending the British Isles.

ROYAL ARMY MUSEUM               RALINK

 Learn about the centuries of the Royal Army around the world.  And trace your ancestors who served as I did.


LONDON'S CHURCHES & SACRED PLACES

London is full of ancient churches, which are museums full of paintings and antiques. They are places to walk the paths trod by the famous, the pious, and not so virtuous. For some of us, they mark the places where our ancestors were baptised and married.

St Mary-le-Bow    StMaryleBowLink
 The church crypt dates to 1080. The church has been rebuilt following the 1666 fire and WWII raid in 1941.

St PAUL's CATHEDRAL     StPaulLINK
 
One of the world's great churches is also a museum.

Temple Church    templelink

The 12th century church of the Knights Templar.

WESLEY CHAPEL      WesleyLINK
 
 The mother church of Methodism and a museum. See the cemetery across the street where many notables were buried.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY     WAbbeyLINK

 
One of London's most famous landmarks is worth visiting more than once. Consider this ancient church as a museum as well.


LONDON'S RAILWAY STATIONS


Paddington Station  PaddingtonLink

The station made famous for Paddington Bear whose statue can be found inside.

St Pancras     PancrasLINK
 
The home of the Eurostar and a place to appreciate awesome architecture.




MORE PLACES in LONDON 


BATTERSEA POWER STATION   BatterseaPowerLink
 
  A modern shopping area with a variety of restaurants at the site of the old power station dubbed London's "Brick Cathedral."

CHINATOWN  in London     CHINALINK
 
A place to savour Chinese culture and of course, Chinese cuisine.

GOLDEN CAROUSEL      GOLDENCAROUSELLINK
 
Take a ride on this classic English carousel in Jubilee Park and Garden by the Thames River.

MARBLE ARCH    MarbleArchLINK
 
Built for Buckingham Palace in the 1800s but moved to Oxford Street.

OLD CURIOSITY SHOP     OldCuriosityLINK
  
Charles Dickens famous shop-- a place for a quick photo.

SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE     ShakespeareGLINK
 
Take in a play, tour the Globe

LONDON'S BRIDGES

For thousands of years, Britons have crossed the Thames. Many of today's bridges are historic monuments. I've photographed a few, but there are more to explore.

Battersea Bridge   BatterseaBridgeLink
  
A five-span historic bridge near Battersea Park.

London Millennium Footbridge     MillenniumLink
  
The steel footbridge opened in 2000 located near St Paul's Cathedral

Tower Bridge    TowerBridgeLink
  London's iconic bridge often panned in movies about London.

Westminster Bridge  WminsterBridgeLink
 
A popular photo spot for pictures of Westminster Palace (Houses of Parliament) and the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) as well as the Thames River.


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About London, England
------------------------------------

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city. People have lived in this area for thousands of years. Named Londinium by the Romans, it has been a major city on the island of Great Britain ever since. Today, London is also an English county, which is sometimes called Greater London and consists of 32 boroughs plus the old City of London, which is only 1.12 square miles. The total population of Greater London is about 9 million inhabitants.

London was the capital of the Kings of England before it became the capital city for the other nations forming the United Kingdom. The history of the UK is too long to review here; however, let me identify the capital cities of the other UK countries: Cardiff is the capital of Wales,  Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and Belfast is the capital of the territory of Northern Ireland.

UK nation note. The long title of the nation is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain is the large island where the nations of England, Wales, and Scotland united centuries ago. Northern Ireland is a UK district on the north of the island of Ireland. Most of the people of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the UK when the Republic of Ireland became independent of the UK.

I hope to add to this page as time and travels permit.


Travel Notes for London











Following are some links to help visitors to London. I have included more links in the individual posts listed above.

CITY OF LONDON  Visit the City   cityoflondon.gov.uk

VISIT LONDON   visitlondon.com

TRANSPORTATION:    tfl.gov.uk (tfl = Transportation for London)
    TFL is the official website for London's public transportation. I typically use an Oyster Card, which allows me to use the underground (Tube) and busses. The tfl site can help you plan a journey, view maps, and learn about fares and fare cards. There are other ways to see London from tour providers and private bus companies. Those options can be suitable for visitors with a limited time to explore on their own.

The Tube or London Underground   TubeLink

LONDON MAPS      https://tfl.gov.uk/maps
  The maps from tfl are handy. I have an A-Z map on my device and I use google maps on my phone.


MONEY: The currency is the pound sterling. Link for exchange rate calculators.

PHONE SERVICE:  I use a Google Pixel phone and get good service through GoogleFi with unlimited text and data and low rates on voice calls. In the past I purchased sim cards, which also worked well. You can get very good free internet service at many places throughout the city.

RESTROOMS / WC / TOILETS: Many of the large stores in London have free toilets for shoppers. Public Museums have toilets. Pubs and restaurants usually have toilets for customers-ask. There are toilets at some railway stations but be prepared to pay. Use this link to London's public toilets.

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