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London
City Guide
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London City Guide
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Official name: London
- Capital: London
- Language: English
- Religion: Christian (58.2%), No Religion (15.8%), Muslim (7.2%), Hindu (4.1%), Jewish (2.1%), and Sikh (1.5%).
London Sights and Museums
WHAT TO SEE - London Eye: The colossal London Eye (the Millennium Wheel). At 135m (443ft) tall, it's the world's largest Ferris wheel and London's fourth-tallest structure. It's a thrilling experience to sit in one of the 32 enclosed glass gondolas, enjoying views of some 40km (25mi) on clear days across the capital. The Eye is at the south-western corner of Jubilee Gardens, site of the 1951 Festival of Britain, which now extends northwards to Hungerford Bridge. The Millennium Wheel takes a full 30 minutes to rotate completely and each capsule holds 25 passengers.
- The National Gallery: The National Gallery is to the north of Trafalgar Square and was founded in 1824. Counting some 2100 paintings on display at any one time, it is one of the world’s largest and richest art galleries. The gallery's paintings are hung in a continuous timeline so you can gaze your way through the ages.
- Tate Modern: Housed in the Bank side Power Station, which was decommissioned in 1986, the vastly popular Tate Modern contains Britain's collection of international 20th-century and modern art. On display are high-quality works by Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Pollock, Rothko, Warhol and many more, arranged by theme rather than chronologically or by artist. The building itself - with its two upper floors shrouded in glass and brightly lit at night, and its landmark central chimney - is quite dramatic, especially when viewed from the opposite bank. Designed by Herzog & De Meuron (1999), it won the Pritzker award, architecture's Nobel Prize, in 2000.
- Highgate cemetery: Highgate Cemetery can't be beaten for Victorian-Gothic atmosphere and downright eeriness. Its overgrown grounds include Egyptian-style catacombs, enough chipped angels to please the most discerning Joy Division fan, Karl the more serious Marx brother and personalised tombs reflecting their eccentric inhabitants.
London Entertainment
EVENTS There are countless festivals and events in London. It all kicks off with the New Year's Eve fireworks and street party in Trafalgar Square, followed by the New Year's Day Parade. On Shrove Tuesday pancake races are held in Covent Garden, and in early May more serious racers take part in the London Marathon. All London gets its colours on for the FA Cup Final in mid-May. There's even more colour at the Chelsea Flower Show, held in the last week of May. Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday parade, is held in June; Wimbledon runs for two weeks in the same month and London Pride, Europe's biggest gay and lesbian festival, also hits the streets. The raucous Notting Hill Carnival takes over the West End streets in August ardently followed up by the East End's Brick Lane Festival in September. Things wind down as the weather gets colder, though there are plenty of bonfires on Guy Fawkes Night, on the 5th of November. The Lord Mayor's Show is held in late November, complete with floats, bands and fireworks. Trafalgar Square lights up in December with the Lighting of the Christmas tree.
London Transports
HOW TO GET THERE - By ferry: There is a bewildering choice of ferries travelling between Britain and Ireland and mainland Europe. Ferries will carry your car, motorcycle or bike, and they can be a cheap option - but book early.
- By bus: You can get to Europe by bus, and unless you use the Channel Tunnel, there's a short ferry/hovercraft ride thrown in as part of the deal. Bus travellers arrive and depart from Victoria Coach Station; about 10 minutes walk south of the Victoria railway and Tube station.
- By plane: Heathrow Airport is accessible by bus, London Underground (Piccadilly line) and the Heathrow Express, which makes the journey from Paddington Station to Terminals 1-3 in 15 minutes and to Terminal 4 in 20. The Gatwick Express runs between Gatwick Airport and Victoria Station in 30 minutes or you can take Airbus No 5 to Victoria Coach Station. The Stansted Express will get you to Stansted Airport from Liverpool Street Station in 45 minutes. Cabs to all the airports are only an option for the seriously loaded.
- By train: For the first time since the ice ages, Britain has a land link (albeit a tunnel) with mainland Europe. Two services operate through the Tunnel: Eurotunnel operates a rail shuttle service (Le Shuttle) for motorbikes, cars, buses and freight vehicles between terminals at Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France; and the railway companies of Britain, France and Belgium operate a high-speed passenger service, known as Eurostar, between London (mainly Waterloo Station), Paris, Lille and Brussels. Within the UK, fast InterCity trains whisk you to destinations from 10 mainline terminals around London.
TRANSPORT The London bus network caters for most local journeys and carries even more passengers than the Underground. Although the vast majority of journeys involving central London are made by public transport, travel in outer London is car-dominated.
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