London
is full of interesting places to go and see. To help you plan your
visit we've compiled a list of useful links.
Attractions
To make your stay as enjoyable and memorable as possible, the
London Apartments team have collated some of our favourite London
links to give you the full flavour of our great city.
Bring the children
There's so much for children to do in London. For an interactive
idea try the BBC
Tours where you can learn all about how television and radio
works. Of course, if you're children are misbehaving you can always
threaten them with a trip to
The London
Dungeons!
Here's some more of our favourite places to go with children of all
ages
The
National History
Museum - roar your way around the
Dinosaurs Room!
London Zoo -
go see the bears, lions and tigers
When your feet get tired of walking jump on a bus -
Open Top Red Bus
Tour
Tower of London and
Tower Bridge
next door
There's lots to do at
Funland from
ten pin bowling to arcade games. It's also free to enter and indoors
if it's raining
Wonder at the history of the stars and planets at the
Planetarium
Madame Tussauds - the world famous wax works
If your into ships don't miss
HMS Belfast
- An
historic WWII Battleship
Hamleys Toy Store
There's more Lego than you've ever seen before at
Lego Land Windsor
London Eye -
See the whole of London in one go!
The
Sherlock Holmes Museum - It's elementary my dear Watson!
There are also lots of
Royal Parks
and Gardens
all over London to have a good run around. For a fun eating
experience, try
Planet
Hollywood (Britney Spears's is a fan) or
The Hard Rock Cafe.
A
sports fan's dream
Goal!! London has some huge football clubs. For starters try
Arsenal,
Tottenham Hotspurs,
Fulham United
and the
Wimbledon's Crazy Gang. For
MCC members and cricket fans alike there's all the history of a
trip to
Lords or the
Oval, even if there's isn't a game on.
New
balls please!
Tennis at Wimbledon - also see their
museum site
If rugby's your game
then don't miss a visit to Twickenham
Athletic at
Crystal Palace - for both clubs and international meetings
American Style Ten
Pin Bowling
The very English game of
Bowls
Peddle this way to
hire a Bicycle
For the budding Michael Schumacher's amongst you, get into gear at
Playscape Karting
To find
informational on a wider variety of sports visit the
British Sports
website. For tickets and corporate hospitality at most of London's
sporting events go to
Ticket Master
London landmarks
Just about on every corner of central London youll find a piece of
history. From Big Ben to the
Houses of
Parliament, there's so much to
see
10 Downing Street - Britain's
Prime Minister's Official Residence. You can't go in so have a
look
here
Don't miss
Sir Christopher Wren's magnificent master piece
St
Paul's Cathedral
Westminster Abbey
WWII
Cabinet War Office -
Churchill's War Time Head Quarters
The tallest building London is
Canary Wharf - Take the
DLR through
Docklands for a vision of the past and the future
Don't miss out on
London's Historic Markets, but brush up on your
Cockney Rhyming Slang before you go!
Looking down over
Trafalgar Square Nelson's Coulmn stands testatment to one of our
great naval heroes
Wander along the Thames and around
South Bank Centre
and enjoy the restaurants, arts and 1950s architecture
Built by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband Albert
the Royal
Albert Hall is one of London's most impressive concert halls and
the setting for the yearly London Proms
Enjoy the daily craft markets and buskers at
Covent
Garden
Soho - famous for its pavement cafes, restaurants, coffee bars,
gay bars, late bars, the buzz, the theatres, strip joints,
leatherwear... no trip to London is complete without a wander through
Soho
Royalty and Pageantry
The informative official website of the
British Monarchy and
The Royal Site are really worth a visit.
Buckingham Palace - open to the public during the summer months.
Don't miss the
dramatic Trooping of the Guard - it takes place at 11.30am every
other day
Kensington Palace - the former residence of
HRH Diana
Princess of Wales
Windsor Palace
Hampton Court and Maze
Kew Palace - and the
Kew Botanical
Gardens
The Banqueting House
The Tower of London is steeped in London's bloody history
Also try
English Heritage for a wealth of useful London and UK information.
Museums
For a wealth of information on London's many museums try the
24 Hour
Museum. However, if you're in a hurry just click on our favourites
below. Nearly all of London's museums now have FREE entry.
British
Museum
Museum of
London
Science
Museum
National History
Museum
Victoria and Albert
(V&A)
Imperial War Museum
Design Museum
Mad about boats? Don't miss a visit to the
Golden Hinde
and the Cutty
Sark Museums
London Transport
Museum
The British Library
Greenwich Maritime Museum and the
Royal Observatory
UK
Exhibitions
Art
Some of greatest artworks in the world are on display in London's
Free Art Galleries. If we haven't list what your looking for below try
this
guide.
The
National Gallery
The
National Portrait Gallery
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
The Institute of
Contemporary Arts
The Whitechapel
Gallery
The
Queens Gallery
The Serpentine Gallery
UK Art
Festivals
National Art Fund
Collection
Shopping, shopping, shopping!
You can never go too far wrong with shopping - even if its only
window shopping. For posh togs try
Knightsbridge, where
Harrods and
Harvey Nichols
reign supreme.
Alternatively, lose yourself amongst the beautiful boutiques that
adorn the
Kings Road. (Blending in with the locals is easy - just look
stylish and immaculate!) For designer labels head straight for
Bond Street. And for a truly Great British shopping experience
(and a spot of celebrity spotting) lose yourself in
Selfridges.
Last,
but certainly not least, no London shopping trip is complete without
some bargain hunting in the city's celebrated markets such as
Camden and
Islington markets. Most famous of all, of course, is
Portobello
Road market in Notting Hill on Sunday mornings for some uniquely
beautiful clothes, antiques and more.
Check
out the UK Government page on
VAT Refunds for travellers and
Duty Free shopping in the UK. Know your rights with regard to
shopping and
Consumer Protection in the UK.
Something special
To impress a loved one or to treat yourself to something really
special, experiment with exotic lingerie at specialists
Agent
Provocateur, for both him and her. Alternatively, go to
Rigby and
Peller, the Queens Corsetieres -
by Appointment
to Her Majesty.
If
shopping's been just all too much! then have a day of undisturbed
relaxation at
The Sanctuary. (Sorry gentlemen, it's ladies only).
To rest
your legs, do the quintissentially English thing by having
Tea at the Ritz. (Gentleman are advised to wear a tie). Not quite
as refined, but equally unmissable is some light refreshment at the
British
Museum restaurant which is enclosed under the
most magnificent glass panelled ceiling you'll ever see.
Shows, theatre and cinema
Once you arrive in London you'll find a mind-blowing variety of
entertainment on offer. Here is a selection of starting points to find
your way to some of the best cultural experiences in the world:
London
Theatre Guide
The National Theatre
Saddlers Wells
Pub Theatre
Shakespeare Globe Theatre
Cinema guide
The Prince Charles cinema just of Leicester Square great if you're on
a tight budget. Not so much more expensive but oh-so-much more opulent
is the Electric cinema in Notting Hill. For details of these and all
other cinemas, go to
A to Z of London cinemas.
Men
only
Stringfellows - the infamous nightclub
BMW Park Lane
- big boys toys
Gieves and
Hawkes - Savile Row's premier address has the largest choice for
the gentleman
Alfred Dunhill -
famous for lighters, leather goods and now, beautiful suits
The Party Bus-
for when you really shouldn't drive!
Stretched Limo Hire - be a VIP for a night
Brick
Lane Curryhouses - a man's got to do what a man's got to do when
he's hungry!
London pubs and bars
You can legally buy alcohol in a British pub when you are 18 or
older. However, you may be asked for ID if you look a little young.
Our pubs and bars generally close at 11pm, except on Sundays when they
cloe at 10.30pm. Britons rarely tip in pubs, but may do so in bars if
the drinks have been brought to their table.
Here
are a few London watering holes we've frequnted for you! For
inespensive, popular and lively bars, take a look around
LateNightLondon.
Hakkasan - astunning subterreanean cocktail bar best kept for
special occasions
The Dove - areal quaint Ol’ English pub nestled on the bank of the
Thames at Hammersmith
Blues Bar - live music in an intimate setting every night of the
week
Duke
of Cambridge - an organic gastropub
115 at Hodgsons - retro style of faux-Seventies bar
Long Bar - Clean and serene bar off the lobby of the hip 'n'
trendy Sanderson hotel
Also, check out the
London Bars Guide for reviews and more.
London restaurants
As you'd expect London has vast range of excellent restaraunts and
fast food outlets. Take your pick from the
London Eats Guide
or poach yourself a discount dining experience from
Top Table.co.uk.
Transport essentials
Here's all you need to know to get around London on public
transport. If you take a taxi try to use the
London
Black Cabs which are cleaner and safer than unlicensed minicabs,
which tend to overcharge and not know the way!
London Buses Routes and
Fare Information
Dockland Light Railway
River Services on the Thames
Get London transport information direct on your
WAP phone
Interactive Journey Planner
London
Map
If you
need further help finding your way around London then telephone the
London Transport Information Line on: +44 (0) 207 7222 1234. If you're
driving in London, be careful and patient
there's a lot of traffic.
Click here
for additional UK Transport links.
Useful
telephone numbers
In ALL emergencies dial 999, for free
Police
- Tel. 999
Fire - Tel. 999
Ambulance
- Tel. 999
Directory Enquires - Tel. 192
International Operator - Tel. 155
Online Directory Enquiries
The
Online
Doctor Service
Worldwide Search Engine List
Google
Other Global
Search Engines
Please
take the time to view our web site where you will find tourist
information and links relevant to the country which you are
visiting.
Add URL
Please
do not hesitate to contact our webmaster if you have a web site you
feel should be listed on this page or a 'country specific' page.
harry@guardmail.co.uk
