In 8 words: A capital of the world, fun and happening. For your first visit you need no less than 5 days to be able to fully appreciate the city and all of its major sights while keeping pleasantly unhurried pace. Distances are walkable in many cases, but the city is vast – you will certainly need to use public transport for traveling between “clusters” of attractions. Don’t miss: Lingering on Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square; strolling along the Thames Path; (reputedly) taking an afternoon tea at a posh salon; immersing in theater-and-pubs scene in the West End; relaxing in Green Park or St James Park. On the other hand: The narrow twisting streets aren’t intimate enough to invite idle perambulation, but they do make driving through the city a lengthy and confusing exercise; not that you would care if you were visiting as a tourist.		Destination appeal   Our verdict
Worthy attractions: Westminster Abbey with memorials to world-famous Brits; London Tower with its ravens and Beefeaters; St Paul’s Cathedral with Whispering Gallery under the dome and viewpoints on upper levels; National Gallery, one of the foremost painting collections in the world; British Museum, home to many treasures from around the world; Buckingham Palace (open to visitors only in summer); Victoria and Albert Museum; Natural History Museum with its famous dinosaur display; Science Museum; National Portrait Gallery; London Eye; Shakespeare’s Globe. Left unexplored so far: Museum of London (on partial refurbishment until 2009); Transport Museum; a number of churches. Wise to skip: Madame Tussaud’s – overpriced, overcrowded and unimpressive; Kensington Palace – not worth the entry price even if you absolutely have to see Princess Diana’s former digs. Resided: 2006 through present.

For the sheer number of museums, galleries and various attractions, London can contend with any other city. It also has a unique feature: Most of the major museums are free for anyone to enter (although special exhibitions are always for a special fee).

The Westminster Abbey ♥♥♥ is a very impressive architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries. It also presents a unique pageant of British history, including the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has also been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions.

There are several nice stained-glass windows, and some impressive chapels and altars. Royal tombs are often lavishly decorated. Kids of all ages engage in recognize-the-famous activity, moving from monument to monument around the cathedral’s chapels.

The Abbey closes much earlier than other sights, at 3:30pm.

The Tower of London ♥♥♥ is surely one of the top attractions in the city. Onetime fort, onetime royal castle, onetime infamous prison, it is bursting with history at every step.

I have last been to the Tower prior to relocation and promise to write a better overview upon my next visit. But among many points of interest inside the complex, there are several fascinating armory and history displays in the White tower, the magnificent royal jewels collection, prisoner dwellings and always entertaining Beefeaters and ravens.

The nearby Tower Bridge, arguably the most emblematic of London sights, offers an interesting Experience tour ♥♥, which starts with a short movie on the history of its construction, and follows that with a walk on the bridge’s upper level, at 45 meters high, with fantastic views over the river and the city. Along the way, one can try a hand in various Victorian games. There is also a treasure-hunt-like “What Victorians did for us” activity that goes well with children.

St Paul’s Cathedral ♥♥ is one of the greatest Christian cathedrals in the world. It is in fact the fourth cathedral to occupy the site, the earliest dating from 640 AD. The present building was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.

The imposing building’s interior is far from luxurious, but ceiling mosaics around the choir are nothing short of amazing, marking the departure from the usual frescoes depicting biblical scenes. St Paul’s mosaics are instead colorful, ornamental and gilded.

Several hundreds of narrow, twisting steps lead up to three levels of galleries. The first one, Whispering, gets its name from a curious acoustic effect: A whisper into the wall on one side of the gallery is clearly heard if you put your ear to the wall on another side. Two upper galleries provide sweeping views of the city; the view from uppermost is completely unobstructed.

The National Gallery ♥♥ has a very nice collection of European paintings dating back to the 13th century. It probably cannot compete with Louvre or Hermitage, but it does boast a nice assemblage, including Rembrandt, van Dyck, many other Dutch and Flemish painters, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Boticelli, Claude, Caravaggio, Canaletto, three rooms of Rubens…

Not sure how good the permanent impressionist collection at the gallery is (somehow we never spent enough time at the gallery to find it), but there are frequent temporary exhibitions that we visited over years.

There are a few scheduled drawing activities for the kids on weekends.

The British Museum ♥♥♥ is simply an incredible collection of exhibits from all over the world. Impressive open-space galleries contain unparalleled collection of artifacts from ancient and not-so-ancient civilizations. One of the most famous objects, for instance, is the Rosetta Stone that enabled Champollion to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. An entire gallery is filled with statues from Greek Parthenon – makes you wonder whether any are left at the Parthenon itself.

One visit is clearly not enough to see all of the great stuff in this museum.

Kids activity backpacks are available for different ages, each providing of up to two hours of tasks to occupy inquisitive minds.

A vast collection of objéts d’art from the last two millennia, the Victoria & Albert Museum ♥♥ has something of interest for everybody. Sculptures, paintings (not many of the latter, though), masonry, ironwork, and literally every other type of craft are presented in over a hundred galleries. There are many hands-on side exhibits and quite a number of kid-friendly activities.

The museum is organized a bit along lines of different cultures and eras. It can hardly be covered in a day, but it also does not apply any pressure in terms of must-see exhibits. You can simply wander galleries, literally stumbling upon masterpieces of craftsmanship.

Museum cafe is surprisingly good, if overpriced.

The Natural History Museum ♥♥ is one of the South Kensington Big Three (together with V&A and Science museums). Located in an palatial building, it has an unrivaled collection that promotes discovery of the natural world. Dinosaurs’ skeletons, models of animals, birds and fishes, exhibitions on natural resources and phenomena – it all comes together to provide enjoyment for kids of all ages.

Small kids can equip themselves with explorer kits and embark on treasure hunts and various educational activities. This is one of the most children-friendly museums. Each gallery, even when filling a huge hall, is not overwhelming as far as the number of exhibits. Plus, each gallery has something specific for kids to do.

The Science Museum ♥♥♥ is another one of the major attractions in South Kensington. Its galleries are devoted to scientific discoveries, technological progress and various aspects of human innovation. Displays range from models to historical exhibits to computerized interactive activities.

A fantastic model ship exhibition displays hundreds of different types of ships and boats grouped by culture and region.

The Launch Pad gallery is a hands-on children activity center, with several dozen scientifically-minded and simply fascinating things to do. The museum also houses an IMAX theatre, a computer-games arcade, and a 3D Simulator, none of which we had a chance to visit yet (somewhat on the account of extra fees required to get in).

Even though I am not a big fan of portraiture as a genre, the National Portrait Gallery ♥ is certainly an interesting place to visit.

The main interest is in an engrossing excursus into British history that it provides. All portraits on display are well annotated with short bios and descriptions of occasions for which they were painted. Putting famous names with faces is quite enlightening.

The most “ancient” figures (Middle Ages) are housed on the upper floor, and the most modern ones on the ground floor. I personally find contemporary section a bit too artsy.

A separate room is dedicated to various portraits of Princess Diana.

The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum ♥♥ is nearly a must-see for anyone fascinated with the subject of the second World War. The War Rooms convey their claustrophobic nature from the very first steps and illustrate living accommodations of the top politicians and the military personnel rather vividly. The audioguide, included in the price of admission, provides excellent narration and many captivating facts and tidbits about the Blitz and the wartime operations.

The wing of the Churchill Museum, collocated with the War Rooms, is an excellent tribute to the great statesman, with dozens of interactive displays charting Churchill’s biography and hundreds of artefacts.

Adults £12, children under 16 free.

The Imperial War Museum ♥ has enough tanks and planes on display to satisfy any fan of military craft. There are also thorough exhibitions on the First and Second World Wars, complete with a simulated trench (for the former) and a simulated Blitz experience (for the latter; not visited on account of a sufficiently long line).

There is also a powerful and bone-chilling exhibition on Holocaust. As much as I believe that every person should know about Holocaust and appreciate its magnitude, this exposition is not for those weak of heart and certainly not for children under 15. The display chronologically follows the catastrophic events from Hitler’s rise to power through the end of the World War II. The exhibits, of which fair share are the photos with factual descriptions and the survivor testimony, will fill you with contempt for the perpetrators and the unbearable sadness for the victims, no matter how well you are familiar with the subject from before.

The museum offers an audioguide, which I do not believe is necessary. There is plentiful labeling everywhere.

Another attraction for weaponry buffs is the HMS Belfast, a naval cruiser moored between the London and Tower Bridges on the South Bank of the Thames. You can visit various rooms and sections, climb upon guns (always popular with the kids), and learn a wealth of stuff about life on a warship. [I did not visit the Belfast personally; other people found their visit quite interesting]

Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is one of the most popular destinations in London, but you would be wise to skip it. It is terribly overpriced and invariably takes queuing for at least an hour in order to get in (tickets bought online or via a pre-paid voucher from a hotel concierge will allow you to skip the queue).

There are probably 100+ models of celebrities and historical figures in the current collection. Some are very lifelike, others look nothing like themselves. Throngs of tourists incessantly photograph themselves with Brad and Angelina, Bush and Blair and especially David and Victoria Beckham. There are also thematic displays, such as Pirates of the Caribbean.

Additional attractions include Chamber of Horrors (serial killers and guillotine victims), Chamber Live (with live actors mixed with wax figures, all trying to scare the bejesus out of you), Spirit of London (amusement-park-like ride through centuries of London history) and, as grand finale, an animated movie with funny aliens discoursing on the subject of earthling celebrities (the movie is played in an observatory-like hall projected onto the dome).

Teens and celebrity-chasers undoubtedly come away impressed. Except to please my teen daughter, I fail to see the point of going.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum ♥, at – where else? – 221b Baker Street, will certainly resonate with the fans of the famous detective, even though the recreated dwelling of a fictional character sounds like a less-than-sophisticated destination on balance.

But it is very nicely done, with three levels of a tiny building chock-full of furniture and exhibits representing all that we know of Holmes’ and Watson’s abode, from chemistry equipment to insect collection to smoking pipes. It is faithfully maintained, which makes it appear more authentic than a lot of less-fictitious quarters. There is even a rather phlegmatic fellow, dressed as Watson, who greets you and allows you to take pictures with him. If you are so inclined, you can engage him in a conversation related to the nature of the exhibits.

The entry fee of £6 may feel like too much for a tourist trap if you are not a true Holmes aficionado.

The Tate Modern gallery occupies a converted power station building in the hip Bankside area on the south bank of the Thames. It is certainly worth a visit for any admirer of the modern art, but I will admit that it is not exactly my cup of tea. Even though I recognize many famous names (among them Picasso, Miro, Rodin, Matisse) whose works are on display, I do not get the big idea of the post-expressionist art in general. Especially when it comes to installations. Or paintings that consist of solid colors that seemingly do not depict anything. Or grotesque distortions of human shapes and proportions.

There are a few expressionist works as well, but not enough to improve on my overall lack of appreciation for the collection. Hence, the absence of hearts; were I more attuned to the modern art in general, I might have placed a couple of hearts next to the gallery name.

There are, however, several interesting children’s activities, so if you are looking to expose your offspring to unorthodox concepts and keep them engaged in the process, you might find just the right things at Tate.

Shakespeare’s Globe ♥♥ is an awesome open-air theater, where performances are held from April to September. At other times, you can go on a guided tour that starts every half-hour and lasts for about 45 minutes. You’ll hear about the storied history of the place and will be able to appreciate many of its fun attributes. If you manage to see a play in addition to taking a tour, the experience may be even grander, but we so far have not managed that. [I did not visit the Globe personally; this paragraph paraphrases what I heard from members of my family.]

Courtauld Gallery at the Somerset House houses a comparatively small collection of paintings, among them a couple of dozen expressionists, including works by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Pisarro and others. Not exactly enough to warrant a targeted visit, but as an add-on diversion to doing some other staff in the West End theater district, it can be a nice stop. Children free, adults £5.

Covent Garden ♥♥ can be overcrowded and noisy (especially on Saturday nights), but it is a fun place to walk around, with a small market, many interesting shops and plethora of good places to eat. It is probably one of the best places in all of London for people-watching. There are always several street performances happening in its various corners. Note: Stay away from the Covent Garden tube station – it easily gets congested at busy times, and there are no escalators – only slowly running lifts, – so you may need to schlep up 180 steps to get to the ground.

The State Rooms of the Buckingham Palace ♥♥ are as impressive as in any other royal palace. Equipped with a complimentary audio guide, you will stroll through several drawing rooms, galleries and especially splendid Royal Dining Room and Music Room. The fact that all of the rooms are in continuous use by the royalty and their guests, gives them some additional allure.

There is a number of outstanding sculptures and paintings throughout the State Rooms, including several works by my favorite Canaletto. The displayed furniture and ornaments are fascinating in their own right.

Every year, a side room on the viewing route is given for a different special exhibition (no extra cost). In 2006, the ceremonial dresses of the Queen throughout her reign were on display. In 2007, the special exhibition was devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

The palace is open for only 7 weeks each year, from late July through late September.

Next to the palace, the Royal Mews is both a working royal stables and an interesting collection of State vehicles (read, carriages). [I did not visit the Royal Mews personally; other people told me that they liked their visit there, especially with the kids.]

The ceremony of changing guard at the palace has some colorful and interesting components, but, on balance, is quite disappointing. The problem is that for the most part the ceremony happens behind the gates, in the palace courtyard. And the only people who see something are those lucky ones standing right against the gates. But to get a spot there, you need to stake the ground an hour or more prior to the ceremony. And then just wait there, with nothing to do except making sure that you do not get elbowed out.

The rest of the spectators – and there are dozens of thousands of them – line the sidewalks of the square and the steps of the Queen Victoria Monument. They get to see marching bands and guard companies and flaneuring cuirassiers, but there is very little that is discernible between companies marching in and – in 25 minutes or so – companies marching out.

In that interval, the bands play music heavily slanted to cinematic themes, from 007 to Star Wars. The guards are performing some maneuvers, but they are largely shielded by the bands, so even the people in the nearest rows can hardly understand what is going on. And after a while, it’s over.

To summarize, the marching and the riding is cool, but there is hardly anything to see, there are tremendous crowds, and you certainly would not go there for the music. Come only if you must.

St James’s Park ♥♥ and Green Park ♥♥ are two very nice patches of greenery in the heart of Westminster. Maybe not attractions in themselves, they give you a perfect respite from the city and its traffic on your wanderings in the area.

Kensington Gardens ♥♥ is a large, pleasant park in West London. We walked through it a couple of times, fed hungry obnoxious geese by the pond, and spent some time at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The latter is a gated marine-themed playing area, dominated by a tall ship. There are swings, jungle gyms and other implements to make every kid happy.

In the summertime, the park is a great place to relax and kick back, or rollerskate, cycle or run, if that is your preference.

Kensington Palace, at the edge of the park, is quite overpriced and only slightly curious, with several sequential exhibitions. First few rooms are dedicated to Victorian dressmaking and royal court presentations. They are followed by a photo tribute to Princess Diana. Afterwards, you walk through a few empty rooms where Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, used to reside; there are picture-and-text displays in each room, but hardly anything exciting. Finally, the state rooms – some of them are imposing, but only a few decorated with furniture

The audio guide is not great; certain commentary was okay, but it was too lengthy in some cases or ended too abruptly in others.

Looking out on the Gardens is The Royal Albert Hall ♥. You will certainly be driven by it if you take a bus tour around the city, and you may come in for a tour of the building. While an awesome sight in itself, the Royal Albert is first and foremost a magnificent performance arena, so if you have an opportunity to attend a classical music concert ♥♥♥ there, I highly recommend it. There is a scheme for very cheap (£5) standing-room-only tickets available a couple of hours before performances, but buying a regular ticket, coming in with some time to spare, and taking in the grandeur of the place, capped with a great acoustic experience of the performance itself, will not leave you disappointed.

Regent’s Park ♥♥ is another large park, north of the central London area. Its boating lake is very popular with visitors, and it has everything that a park should offer, namely, plenty of picnic space and various snack stands. There are also a couple of semi-formal gated garden areas within the park confines, open to public, but not well-known, that are ideal for a quieter relaxation.

The British Airways London Eye ♥ is a huge Ferris wheel located on the South Bank – you can’t miss it.

Large glass capsules, each accommodating up to 25 people, accomplish full circle in a bit over 30 minutes, providing excellent views of London and its major landmarks. The highest point is at 135 meters. The movement of the wheel is quite slow, which affords ample time to take in the views. On the other hand, the movement is constant, so there is a limit to how much you can linger (unlike, say, some high tower viewpoint) and your fellow “travellers” are likely to attempt to take a hundred snapshots each, constantly interrupting your reverie.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations, often requiring long queuing time. Late afternoons tend to be less busy, but it is fairly impossible in-season to just walk up, buy tickets and get on.

If you are interested in the gruesome bits of history, you might fancy the London Dungeon. Located on the South Bank within walking distance of the Tower Bridge, it is one of the more expensive attractions in town. Contrary to common misconceptions, it goes for history lessons a lot more than for simple “boo” effects. The rooms, rides and displays are themed around executions, epidemics and famous murderers, but while the experience is certainly aimed at making you uneasy, it is not at all like Disney’s “Haunted Mansion”. I’m told that some kids especially enjoy petting live rats at the Dungeon. [I did not visit the Dungeon personally; this paragraph paraphrases what I heard from other people]

The London Aquarium is located by the Westminster Bridge, near the London Eye. It is neither large nor fancy, providing samples of various marine ecosystems. The touching tank is the biggest attraction, and there are several lectures at specific times. Kids activity station – arts and crafts on marine themes – was closed when we were there. An hour and a half is more than enough to cover everything.

The famous Portobello Market ♥♥ in Notting Hill is a great place for those interested in antiques, jewelry, accessories and bric-a-brac. The eponymous street is made pedestrian by the market-goers, with both makeshift stalls and resident shops participating in the fair. The street is quite narrow, the people quite numerous. Movement along the succession of vendors is very slow, but you get a chance to take a look at all the different wares.

For food, there is Borough Market ♥♥, which sits by the Southwark Cathedral near London Bridge. All kinds of produce, delicacies, specialty foods and sweets can be found here, for quite reasonable prices. Cheeses and meats stalls offer tasters of their wares, and a large number of places are there to sell food for consumption on site, be it oysters, burgers or paellas. At the end of the market day (around 4pm), you may even be offered the remaining delicacies for free or at a big discount.

Two grand department stores merit a look regardless of whether shopping is your thing or not. Harrods ♥♥ on Knightsbridge is the world-famous one, selling anything and everything in “luxury goods” category across its million-plus square feet of commercial space. I especially like its food halls on the ground level (disclaimer: Never bought a single thing there). Fortnum & Mason ♥♥ is more widely known as the premium tea brand, but its store on Piccadilly is a lot more than a vast selection of teas. The domestic utensils department is entirely fascinating.

Further Afield

Various points of interest outside of Central London are discussed in the series of articles found here.

Places to Eat

For reasons of space, the article on London restaurants is found here.

Transportation

London transportation system is very extensive and can get you anywhere in the city.
Underground stations are within easy walking distance from virtually anywhere in the city center. The service is reasonably frequent (although disruptions happen now and then) and the stations and the trains are reasonably well-maintained. “Each line has its own track” principle necessitates occasional long walks between connecting stations, but there is ample signage and plenty of maps to lead you to your destination. A few older stations in the city center do not have escalators.

Several underground lines have branches. It is important not only to know the name of the line that you need, but also keep an eye that the final destination of the train that you are getting on is on the right branch of the line.

A vast network of commuter trains is integrated with the subway. The trains are collectively called the National Rail, but are operated by two dozen different companies and connect suburban areas with the city center.

Plus, there are over 800 municipal bus routes. Double-decker buses are fun to ride, but the bus network is not easy to navigate without certain local knowledge (each stop provides an outline of the route, but you’ll need to carry a map of bus routes and figure connections on your own).

On most subway stations, electronic signs display how many minutes are left until the next three trains. Very welcome practice! Central bus stops often have their own electronic signs, announcing when next buses are expected. Commuter train stations always have plenty of monitors displaying departures and stations served.

Fare structure is extremely complicated. There are six zones, concentrically extending from the city center. Trips within and between different zones cost different amounts of money. Single trip within central zone 1 on the underground costs £3, while a single bus ride costs £2. Nobody buys single trips anyway – the way to go is to use one of the following two main methods.

The first one is travel cards. They come in daily, 3-day, weekly, monthly and even yearly variety (the longer ones do not have to be Monday through Sunday or the 1st of the month through the 31st; they simply last for a week, month or year from the day you start them on). The card allows for unlimited trips on any public transportation (underground, buses, commuter trains) within proscribed zones. The cards make travel very cheap. For instance, off-peak day travel card for zones 1 through 4 costs only £5.70 – just two subway trips, and you already saved money.

The second main method is Oyster card (which, unfortunately, cannot yet be used on many commuter train routes). It works on a simple pre-paid balance basis and deducts fares for each trip. Not only Oyster-paid fares are much lower than basic ones, but if you happen to travel so much within a period of time as to reach an amount that an appropriate travel card would cost, your subsequent fares for that period will be zero.

Kids travel for free during school-days, and pay £1 or £2 for an unlimited day travel card, depending on the type of the card held by the accompanying adult.

Access control on all underground stations and central train stations is very strict. You either touch your Oyster on the reader or insert your travel card into a slot and retrieve it from another slot; the almost full-height swinging doors let you through. The procedure needs to be repeated at the exit, so that correct zone-based fare can be checked/deducted. If there is a problem with your card, there is always a gate agent on hand.

Posted in Britain, London.