Getting Around
Major Tourist attractions are clustered in the center and can be explored on foot. Taxis are expensive, buses are good over short distances and tube (underground) is good for longer distances. The best value is a day travel card which you can use for tube and bus rides. Guided bus tours are a good introduction to London.
Highlights
Major attractions: Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, with Nelson's Column, The Tower of London with the Tower Bridge near by, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Millennium Wheel and much more.
Major museums: British Museum - the world's oldest and most important museum. Museum of the City of London is the world's largest urban history museum and Europe's largest archaeological archive.
The Natural History Museum, the Victoria & Albert and the Science Museum. Most of London's Major Museums and Major Art Galleries are free.
Galleries: Tate Britain, Tate Modern, National, Royal Academy, Hayward, Serpentine and ICA.
Madame Tussaud's waxworks and adjacent London Planetarium are fascinating and popular with everybody, as is the Museum of the Moving Image, near Waterloo.
An then there's Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and Exhibition, a faithful rendering of the 400 year old theatre, with performances in the summer. Book in advance!
More information about London can be found on Visit Britain , the British Tourist Authority Web Site, London visitors web guide, Timeout.com/london/ as well as The City of London visitors web site visitthecity.co.uk
London Arts/Culture
Dance/Opera: Try the restored Royal Opera House, the Coliseum, the South Bank Centre, Sadler's Wells + ICA + Riverside for more avant-garde stuff.
Theatre: the city is packed with big shows as well as little fringe things, mainly in 'theatre land' area. Try SOLT in Leicester Square for half price same day tickets, or call Ticketmaster/First Call.
Live Music: Mega-shows at Wembley and good performances at Astoria, Brixton Academy, Forum, Hackney Empire, Shepherd's Bush Empire. Check excellent 'Time Out' magazine for event info/listings.
Shopping
Classy: Bond Street, Knightsbridge, Kensington, Harrods, Regent Street.
Wacky: The Kings Road, Covent Garden, Neal Street, Camden Lock market and Portobello market (weekends)
Short trip to London by Eurostar
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London is one of the most interesting capital cities on earth. It's innovative, dynamic, and outrageous, with history and culture leaking from every brick, and individual style around every corner.
London is supremely cosmopolitan, with excellent restaurants, quirky pubs, interesting shops, unparalleled museums, superb theatre and attractions and a blitzing nightlife.
London, close to being Europe's coolest city, offer top class arts and culture scenes with superb museums, galleries and theaters.
Best Time to Visit
From May-Sept. It’s extremely crowded in July and August, but you can get few sunny days.
Major Festivals and Events in London
May: Chelsea Flower Show
June
Trooping the Color - Queen's birthday parade,
Horse races at Royal Ascot Racecourse; www.ascot.co.uk,
June – July: Wimbledon Tennis Championship www.wimbledon.org
Aug: Fringe Festival - offbeat theatre and comedy; www.edfringe.com
Aug: Notting Hill Carnival – costumes and Caribbean music
Sept: London Fashion Week www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
Sept: Jane Austen Festival www.janeausten.co.uk
For specifics list of festivals, Visit Britain website. NOTE: Before planning a trip around a festival, make sure that you verify the festival dates at the festival website.
Save Time - Book in Advance
Transfers & Ground Transport in London
London Eye: Skip the Line Tickets
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Special offers in London
Restaurants
www.opentable.co.uk/restaurant-offers.
www.groupon.co.uk/vouchers/london/restaurant
www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/restaurants/
www.bookatable.com/uk/offers/star-deals-uk
Other Special offers
www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theatre/theatre-dinner.html
Theater offers
www.allinlondon.co.uk/browse-tickets.php
Health and beauty offers
www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/healthandbeauty/
Senior discounts
www.senior-railcard.co.uk/?source=portal
www.senior-railcard.co.uk/travel-inspiration-tips/days-out/
More about London
Getting to London
The best and fastest way to reach London from Paris is by Eurostar. To save the money purchase tickets 2-3 months in advance. Website: www.eurostar.com
Accommodation
London is notoriously pricey so make sure you book hotels more cheaply via the internet before you arrive.
Bed and breakfast or self catering can be a great alternative to hotels, where you can experience the local charm and hosts in Paris.
Several big sites offer many private rooms and whole apartments and my favorite is Airbnb. The site is easy to navigate, have the lowest commission rates and excellent customer service.
If my apartment is available you can book it on Airbnb.com. You can use my airbnb discount coupon to book any apartment on their site.
Just click on the Discount coupon photo, create a new Airbnb account and receive future travel credits on any apartment you wish to book on their site. You will see your travel credit automatically appear as a coupon on the checkout page when you book a qualifying reservation on Airbnb
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Recommended movies to see before visiting London
Romantic Favorites Collection
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
It’s been six wonderful weeks with one flawless boyfriend, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) couldn’t be happier. But when the devilishly charming Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) turns up, she must choose between temptation and true love.
Love Actually
An all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson portray friends and lovers comically struggling to cope with the ups and downs of relationships during the hectic run up to Christmas in London.
Notting Hill
For Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), being the world’s most famous movie star makes dating touch. But when she falls for low-key bookstore owner William Thacker (Hugh Grant), the couple must learn how to deal with having their entire love life out in the limelight.
About a Boy
Will Lightman (Hugh Grant) is a good-looking, smooth-talking bachelor whose world is turned upside down when he befriends nerdy 12-year-old Marcus. As Will struggles to make Marcus cool, his young protégé teaches him that you’re never too old to grow up - or meet the right woman
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The champagne is flowing and so is the fun in this "delightful and sly" (Roger Ebert) romantic comedy about two people who belong together but just can't seem to tie the knot.
Starring Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell and Kristin Scott Thomas,.
"Elegant, festive and very, very funny" (The New York Times).
My Fair Lady
Outside Covent Garden on a rainy evening in 1912, disheveled cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) meets linguistic expert Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison). After delivering a musical tirade against "verbal class distinction," Higgins tells his companion Colonel Pickering (Wilfred Hyde-White) that, within six months, he could transform Eliza into a proper lady, simply by teaching her proper English. The next morning, face and hands freshly scrubbed, Eliza presents herself on Higgins' doorstep, offering to pay him to teach her to be a lady. "It's almost irresistible," clucks Higgins. "She's so deliciously low. So horribly dirty." He turns his mission into a sporting proposition, making a bet with Pickering that he can accomplish his six-month miracle to turn Eliza into a lady. This is one of the all-time great movie musicals, featuring classic songs and the legendary performances of Harrison,
It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Harrison, and five other Oscars, and it remains one of the all-time best movie musicals.
Mary Poppins
Winner of five Academy Awards(R), including Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”) and Best Visual Effects, Mary Poppins is a movie experience your family will enjoy over and over again.
“Practically Perfect In Every Way” Mary Poppins flies out of the windy London skies and into the home of two mischievous children. With the help of a carefree chimney sweep named Bert (Dick Van Dyke), the spirited nanny turns every chore into a game and every day into a “Jolly Holiday.” Share the music, share the magic, share the joy of Mary Poppins
With the songs sung by one of most beautiful voices of all time, the great Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins is entertainment at it's best.
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