Sightseeing
Overview
Walking the streets of London, or strolling through its parks, one
realises that the past is, however, never far away: there are four
world heritage sites in London (the Palace of Westminster,
the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwhich and Kew Gardens)
and some 40,000 listed buildings and structures. Three of Britain's
top 10 paying attractions and six of the top ten free ones can be
found in London. The London Eye, since it made
its appearance has become the most popular attraction for visitors
to the capital.
Tourist Information
London Tourist Board Tourist Information Centre
Victoria station forecourt, SW1
Telephone: (0906) 133 7799 (24-hour general tourist information).
Email: enquiries@londontouristboard.co.uk
Web site: www.visitlondon.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 08:00-19:00, Sun 08:00-18:00.
There is one other major London Visitor Centre at Waterloo International
Terminal, SE1 (open daily 08:30-22:30), as well as various London
Tourist Information Centres (TIC) situated throughout the city,
including one at Pepys House, 2 Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich, SE10
(open 10:00-17:00) and one at Vinopolis, 1 Bank End, SE1 (telephone:
(0)20 7357 9168)
Passes
The London Pass
allows free access for one child or adult to more than 50 attractions
(including the London Aquarium, London Zoo, Tower of London,
Hampton Court Palace and Buckingham Palace in summer).
The ‘with transport’ option also includes free transport
on all London buses, Tubes and trains. The price varies depending
on whether or not you take the ‘with transport’ option.
Key Attractions
British Airways London Eye and
County Hall
Towering 135m or 444ft into the heavens, right in the heart of London,
the BA London Eye is an unmissable attraction. The world’s
tallest observation wheel has become one of London’s most
popular attractions, which usually means a ‘flight’
requires booking in advance and often queuing as well. However,
the experience (one revolution of the wheel, lasting approximately
30 minutes) is absolutely worth it – the unparalleled views
of the city reach as far away as 40km or 25 miles.
Although the London Eye is the focus of the area, sitting right
next door and directly across the River Thames from the Houses
of Parliament, County Hall, the former home of the Greater
London Council (abolished by Margaret Thatcher in 1986), comes a
close second. The enormous building is home to the London
Aquarium, the Dalí Universe and,
most recently, The Saatchi Gallery, situated on
the first floor above the rabble. Here, Charles Saatchi’s
extensive collection of modern British art is displayed, with a
permanent exhibition and a changing temporary exhibition.
For sharks in tanks, visitors should go to the London Aquarium,
home to over 350 different aquatic species from around the world,
including a touch area where visitors can stroke the friendly rays.
The Dalí Universe meanwhile contains over
500 works of art by the famous surrealist, including the painting,
Spellbound, which was created specially for the set of the 1945
Hitchcock thriller, and the sofa in the shape of Mae West’s
lips.
South Bank, SE1
Transport: London Underground Waterloo, Westminster or Embankment.
BA London Eye
Jubilee Gardens, South Bank, SE1
Telephone: (0870) 500 0600 (booking line).
Web site: www.ba-londoneye.com
London Aquarium
County Hall, Riverside Building, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7967 8000. Fax: (020) 7967 8029.
Email: info@londonaquarium.co.uk
Web site: www.londonaquarium.co.uk
Dalí Universe
County Hall, Riverside Building, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7620 2720 or (0870) 060 2319 (tickets). Fax: (020)
7620 3120.
The Saatchi Gallery
County Hall, Riverside Building, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7823 2363 or (0870) 1160 278 (advance tickets).
Web site: www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
Namco Station
County Hall, Riverside Building, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7967 1067. Fax: (020) 7967 1060.
Email: countyhall@namco.co.uk
Web site: www.namcostation.co.uk
Tate Gallery of Modern Art and Bankside
Tate Modern
Bankside, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7887 8000 or 8008 (recorded information line).
Email: boxoffice@tate.org.uk
Web site: www.tate.org.uk
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
& Exhibition
21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, SE1
Telephone: (020) 7902 1400.
Web site: www.shakespeares-globe.org
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster contains the Houses of Parliament, part
of which is one of the city’s most famous landmarks- Big Ben.
Big Ben is actually the name of the huge bell, whose tune is instantly
recognisable, while the clock tower itself, which rises above the
seat of British government, is called St Stephen’s. The most
ancient part of the Palace, Westminster Hall, is 900 years old.
After almost total destruction by fire, the rest of the palace was
rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, during the 19th century, to designs
by Charles Barry.
All year round, free tours of the Palace of Westminster are available
to UK residents, if they contact their MP who can arrange them.
It is no longer possible to provide overseas visitors with small
group tours.
Parliament Square,
SW1
Telephone: (020) 7219 4272. Fax: (020) 7219 5839.
Web site: www.parliament.uk
Transport: London Underground Westminster.
Summer Opening of the Palace of Westminster
Telephone: (0870) 906 3773 (Firstcall).
Web site: www.firstcalltickets.com
Westminster Abbey
Across Parliament Square is Westminster Abbey – a magnificent
Gothic structure where innumerable members of the British royal
family have been christened, married, crowned and interred. Consecrated
under Edward the Confessor, in the 11th century, it was rebuilt
over the next four centuries in Gothic style. Highlights include
Henry VII’s Chapel, Poet’s Corner and the Coronation
Chair.
Parliament Square, SW1
Telephone: (020) 7654 4900. Fax: (020) 7654 4894.
Web site: www.westminster-abbey.org
Transport: London Underground Westminster.
Trafalgar
Square
The pedestrianisation links Nelson's Column in the centre with the
north side of the square, where one of the world’s greatest
galleries, the National Gallery, is to be found. It houses an incredible
collection of Western paintings from the 13th to the early 20th
century, as well as frequent special exhibitions.
Trafalgar Square, WC2
Transport: London Underground Charing Cross or Leicester Square
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, WC2
Telephone: (020) 7747 2885.
Web site: www.nationalgallery.org.uk
National Portrait Gallery
2 St Martin’s Place, WC2
Telephone: (020) 7312 2463 (recorded information) or 7306 0055.
Web site: www.npg.org.uk
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square, WC2
Telephone: (020) 7766 1100.
Web site: www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, the London home of the Queen, is hugely popular
with tourists. They come to the palace, to witness royal pageantry
dating back centuries at the Changing of the Guard ceremony, which
takes place daily at 11:30 from April to July and on alternate days
at other times of the year. There is also the rare chance of seeing
inside a royal residence (summer only). The building, by John Nash
and Edward Blore, was built around the shell of the older of the
older Buckingham House, in the 19th century. The rather drab façade
was added in 1913. The 19 State Rooms of the Palace, including the
Throne Room and the Picture Gallery, are only open to the public
during August and September, when the Queen moves to her Scottish
residence. The recently refurbished and expanded Queen's Gallery
is open to the public throughout the year. It displays a changing
exhibition of selected works from the Royal Collection, which covers
five centuries' worth of art collecting and treasures, now held
in trust by the Queen for the nation. The 17-hectare or 42-acre
garden, long hidden from view, is also now open to visitors touring
the palace.
Buckingham Palace Road, SW1
Telephone: (020) 7321 2233 or (020) 7766 7300 (credit card booking
line). Fax: (020) 7930 9625.
Web site: www.royal.gov.uk
Transport: London Underground Green Park, Victoria or Hyde Park
Corner.
Tower Hill
The royal fortress on Tower Hill, the Tower of London, was begun
by William the Conqueror in 1078 and remained a royal residence
until the mid-16th century. Today, it houses the priceless Crown
Jewels and the Royal Armouries collection. The history of the tower
is a catalogue of intrigue and bloodshed – key historical
figures, including members of the royal family, were imprisoned,
tortured and/or executed here.
Tower Hill, EC3
Transport: London Underground Tower Hill or London Bridge.
Tower of London
Telephone: (0870) 756 6060 (information) or (0870) 756 7070 (tickets).
Web site: www.tower-of-london.org.uk
Tower Bridge Experience
Tower Hill, EC3
Telephone: (020) 7403 3761. Fax: (020) 7357 7935.
Web site: www.towerbridge.org.uk
Design Museum
28 Shad Thames
Telephone: (020) 7940 8790.
Web site: www.designmuseum.org
St Paul’s Cathedral
The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral is the third largest in the
world and one of the most distinctive features of the London skyline.
The present building, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was completed
in 1710, on the site of the original cathedral that was destroyed
in the Great Fire of London in 1666. On the inside of the dome,
the Whispering Gallery, named for its incredible acoustics, offers
a close-up of the frescoes of the life of St Paul that decorate
the interior of the dome. From there, visitors can climb higher,
up to two further galleries, which are outdoors and which offer
magnificent views across the whole of London. Paternoster
Square, EC4
Telephone: (020) 7246 8348 (information line).
Web site: www.stpauls.co.uk
Transport: London Underground St Paul’s.
British Museum
The British Museum, the centrepiece of which is the construction
of Lord Foster’s glass-roofed Great Court, is one of the
world’s finest museums. Visitors must contend with a mind-boggling
six million artefacts from all corners of the globe, plucked (or
plundered) by collectors. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone,
a copy of the Magna Carta and the controversial Parthenon Sculptures,
known as the Elgin Marbles, taken from the Parthenon in Athens,
which Greece want back before the 2004 Olympic Games.
Great Russell Street, WC1
Telephone: (020) 7323 8299.
Web site: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Transport: London Underground Russell Square.
South Kensington Museums
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is one of three major
museums in South Kensington – the others being the Natural
History Museum and the Science Museum. Founded in the 19th century
as a museum of the decorative arts, the V&A’s 11km (seven
miles) of corridors trace a path through paintings, jewellery,
furniture and textiles dating from 3000BC to the present day.
The Science Museum has been voted London Visitor Attraction of
the Year in 2001 and 2002. It offers interactive exhibits on all
kinds of scientific topics.
The incredible Victorian building that is the Natural History
Museum is divided into Earth Galleries and Life Galleries. The
Earth Galleries explore our planet, while the Life Galleries explore
the creatures that have inhabited it, from the dinosaurs to creepy
crawlies.
V&A Museum
Cromwell Road, SW7
Telephone: (020) 7942 2000 or (0870) 442 0808.
Web site: www.vam.ac.uk
Science Museum
Exhibition Road, SW7
Telephone: (020) 7942 4000 or (0870) 870 4868.
Web site: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Natural History Museum
Telephone: (020) 7942 5000 or 7942 5011.
Web site: www.nhm.ac.uk
Tate Britain
The Gallery of Modern British Art opened in 1897, around the collection
of sugar merchant Henry Tate. It now holds an unrivalled collection
of English paintings from 1500 to the present day. Much 20th-century
art has moved to the Tate Modern (see above), however, some remains
on rotation here, from Gaudier Brzeska to Gilbert and George.
Millbank, SW1
Telephone: (020) 7887 8000 or 8008.
Web site: www.tate.org.uk
Transport: London Underground Pimlico. |
