History
London first came into being as a Celtic village near a ford across the River Thames, but the city only really took off after the Roman conquest in AD 43. The invaders enclosed their ‘Londinium’ in walls that still find refrain in the shape of the City (with a capital ‘C’) of London today.
By the end of the 3rd century AD, Londinium was home to some 30,000 people. Internal strife and relentless barbarian attacks wore the Romans down, however, and they abandoned Britain in the 5th century, reducing the settlement to a sparsely populated backwater. The Saxons moved in next, their ‘Lundenwic’ prospering and becoming a large, well-organised town.
As the city grew in importance, it caught the eye of Danish Vikings who launched numerous invasions. In 1016 the Saxons, finally beaten down, were forced to accept the Danish leader Knut (Canute) as King of England, after which London replaced Winchester as capital. In 1042, the throne reverted to the Saxon Edward the Confessor, who built Westminster Abbey.
The Norman Conquest of 1066 saw William the Conqueror march into London, where he was crowned king. He built the White Tower (the core of the Tower of London), negotiated taxes with the merchants, and affirmed the city’s right to self-government. From then until the late 15th century, London politics were largely taken up by a three-way power struggle between the monarchy, the Church and city guilds.
An uneasy political compromise was reached between the factions, and the city expanded rapidly in the 16th century under the House of Tudor. In a rerun of the disease that wiped out half of London’s population between 1348 and 1350, the Great Plague struck in 1665, and by the time the winter cold arrested the epidemic, 100,000 Londoners had perished.
The cataclysm was followed by further devastation when the Great Fire of 1666 sent the city skywards. One upshot of the conflagration was a blank canvas for master architect Sir Christopher Wren to build his magnificent churches. Despite these setbacks, London continued to grow, and by 1700 it was Europe’s largest city, with 600,000 people. An influx of foreign workers brought expansion to the east and south, while those who could afford it headed to the more salubrious environs of the north and west.
Georgian London saw a surge in artistic creativity, with the likes of Dr Johnson, Handel, Gainsborough and Reynolds enriching the city’s culture, while architects fashioned an elegant new metropolis. In 1837, 18-year-old Victoria began her epic reign, as London became the fulcrum of the British Empire. The Industrial Revolution saw the building of new docks and railways (including the first underground line in 1863), while the Great Exhibition of 1851 showcased London to the world. During the Victorian era, the city’s population mushroomed from just over two million to 6.6 million.
Although London suffered a relatively minor bruising during WWI, it was devastated by the Luftwaffe in WWII, when huge swaths of the centre and East End were flattened and 32,000 people were killed. Ugly housing and low-cost developments followed, but prosperity gradually returned to the city. In the ‘Swinging Sixties’, London became the capital of cool in fashion and music – a party followed morosely by the austere 1970s.
Since then the city has surfed up and down the waves of global fortunes, hanging on to its position as the world’s leading financial centre. In 2000, the modern metropolis won its first mayor of London, an elected role covering the City and all 32 urban boroughs. Boris Johnson was elected in 2008, and retained his post in the 2012 mayoral election. In August 2011, numerous London boroughs were rocked by riots characterised by looting and arson, triggered by the controversial shooting of a man by police in Tottenham.
Both the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concocted a splendid display of pageantry for London in 2012. New overground train lines opened, a cable car was flung across the Thames and a once rundown and polluted area of East London was regenerated for the Olympic Park.
Since the Olympics, the city has changed leadership, with Labour politician Sadiq Khan taking over as mayor from Boris Johnson. Scores of new high-rise buildings have transformed the London skyline. Another key development has been the Crossrail, the capital’s largest and costliest construction project, which has added a new east–west train line that promises to ease congestion for commuters. In addition, the Underground’s new 24-hour schedule at weekends has been warmly welcomed – but quite what effect Brexit will have on this great city’s future remains to be seen.
1Sights
1The West End
oWestminster AbbeyCHURCH
(map Google map; 
%020-7222 5152; www.westminster-abbey.org; 20 Dean’s Yard, SW1; adult/child £22/9, cloister & gardens free; 
h9.30am-3.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 6pm Wed, to 1.30pm Sat; 
tWestminster)
A splendid mixture of architectural styles, Westminster Abbey is considered the finest example of Early English Gothic (1190–1300). It’s not merely a beautiful place of worship – the Abbey also serves up the country’s history cold on slabs of stone. For centuries, the country’s greatest have been interred here, including 17 monarchs from Henry III (died 1272) to George II (1760). Never a cathedral (the seat of a bishop), Westminster Abbey is what is called a ‘royal peculiar’, administered by the Crown.
Every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned here, with the exception of a couple of unlucky Eds who were either murdered (Edward V) or abdicated (Edward VIII) before the magic moment.
At the heart of the Abbey is the beautifully tiled sanctuary (sacrarium), a stage for coronations, royal weddings and funerals. George Gilbert Scott designed the ornate high altar in 1873. In front of the altar is the Cosmati marble pavement dating to 1268. It has intricate designs of small pieces of marble inlaid into plain marble, which predict the end of the world (in AD 19,693!). At the entrance to the lovely Chapel of St John the Baptist is a sublime alabaster Virgin and Child bathed in candlelight.
The most sacred spot in the Abbey, the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, lies behind the main altar; access is restricted to several prayer meetings daily to protect the 13th-century flooring. St Edward was the founder of the Abbey and the original building was consecrated a few weeks before his death. His tomb was slightly altered after the original was destroyed during the Reformation but still contains Edward’s remains – the only complete saint’s body in Britain. Ninety-minute verger-led tours (£5 plus admission) of the Abbey include a visit to the shrine.
The quire (choir), a space of gold, blue and red Victorian Gothic by Edward Blore, dates back to the mid-19th century. It sits where the original choir for the monks’ worship would have been but bears little resemblance to the original. Nowadays, the quire is still used for singing, but its regular occupants are the Westminster Choir – 22 boys and 12 ‘lay vicars’ (men) who sing the daily services and evensong (5pm weekdays, 3pm weekends).
Henry III began work on the new building in 1245 but didn’t complete it; the Gothic nave was finished under Richard II in 1388. Henry VII’s magnificent Perpendicular Gothic-style Lady Chapel was consecrated in 1519 after 16 years of construction.
At the west end of the nave near the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, killed in WWI in northern France and laid to rest here in 1920, is St George’s Chapel, which contains the rather ordinary-looking Coronation Chair, upon which every monarch since the early 14th century has been crowned (apart from joint-monarchs Mary II and William III, who had their own chairs fashioned for the event).
Apart from the royal graves, keep an eye out for the many famous commoners interred here, especially in Poets’ Corner, where you’ll find the resting places of Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, Tennyson, Dr Johnson and Kipling, as well as memorials to the other greats (Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Brontës etc). Nearby you’ll find the graves of Handel and Sir Isaac Newton.
The octagonal Chapter House dates from the 1250s and was where the monks would meet for daily prayer and their job assignments before Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries some three centuries later. To the right of the entrance to Chapter House is what is claimed to be the oldest door in Britain – it’s been there since the 1050s. Used as a treasury and ‘Royal Wardrobe’, the cryptlike Pyx Chamber dates from about 1070, though the Altar of St Dunstan within it is even older.
Parts of the Abbey complex are free to visitors. This includes the Cloister and the 900-year-old College Garden (map Google map; h10am-6pm Tue-Thu Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Mar). Adjacent to the abbey is St Margaret’s Church (map Google map; %020-7654 4840; www.westminster-abbey.org/st-margarets-church; h9.30am-3.30pm Mon-Fri, to 1.30pm Sat, 2-4.30pm Sun), the House of Commons’ place of worship since 1614, where windows commemorate churchgoers Caxton and Milton, and Sir Walter Raleigh is buried by the altar.
Completed in 2018, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries are a new museum and gallery space located in the medieval triforium, the arched gallery above the nave. Among its exhibits are the death masks of generations of royalty, wax effigies representing Charles II and William III (who is on a stool to make him as tall as his wife, Mary II), armour and stained glass. Highlights are the graffiti-inscribed Mary Chair (used for the coronation of Mary II) and the Westminster Retable, England’s oldest altarpiece, from the 13th century.
West End
1Top Sights
1Sights
4Sleeping
5Eating
6Drinking & Nightlife
3Entertainment
7Shopping
oBritish MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7323 8299; www.britishmuseum.org; Great Russell St & Montague Pl, WC1; h10am-5.30pm Sat-Thu, to 8.30pm Fri; tRussell Sq, Tottenham Court Rd) 
F
The country’s largest museum and one of the oldest and finest in the world, this famous museum boasts vast Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, European and Middle Eastern galleries, among others. It is frequently London’s most-visited attraction, drawing 6.5 million visitors annually.
Don’t miss the Rosetta Stone, the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics, discovered in 1799; the controversial Parthenon Sculptures, taken from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin (then the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire); and the large collection of Egyptian mummies.
Other must-see items include the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo burial relics and the Winged Bulls from Khorsabad.
Begun in 1753 with a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ sold to the nation by royal physician Sir Hans Sloane, the collection mushroomed over the ensuing years partly through acquisitions, bequests and plundering the empire. The grand Enlightenment Gallery was the first section of the redesigned museum to be built in 1823.
The Great Court, restored and augmented by Norman Foster in 2000, has a spectacular glass-and-steel roof, making it one of the most impressive architectural spaces in the capital. In the centre is the Reading Room, with its stunning blue-and-gold domed ceiling made of papier mâché, where Karl Marx researched and wrote Das Kapital, and Mahatma Gandhi was a cardholder.
The British Museum’s extension, the £135 million World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre in its northwestern corner, opened in 2014, in the same year as the Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, which hosts high-profile exhibitions.
The museum is huge, so make a few focused visits if you have time, and consider taking one of the free tours. There are up to 15 free 30- to 40-minute Eye-opener tours of individual galleries each day. The museum also has free 45-minute lunchtime gallery talks (1.15pm Tuesday to Friday), a 1½-hour highlights tour (£14; 11.30am and 2pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and free 20-minute spotlight tours on Friday evenings. Audio and family guides (adult/child £7/6) in 10 languages are available from the audio-guide desk in the Great Court.
oTrafalgar SquareSQUARE
(map Google map; tCharing Cross)
Trafalgar Sq is the true centre of London, where rallies and marches take place, tens of thousands of revellers usher in the New Year and locals congregate for anything from communal open-air cinema and Christmas celebrations to political protests. It is dominated by the 52m-high Nelson’s Column and ringed by many splendid buildings, including the National Gallery and the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (map Google map; %020-7766 1100; www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org; h8.30am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, 8.30am-1pm & 2-5pm Wed, 9.30am-6pm Sat, 3.30-5pm Sun).
oNational GalleryGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7747 2885; www.nationalgallery.org.uk; Trafalgar Sq, WC2; h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, to 9pm Fri; tCharing Cross) F
With some 2300 European masterpieces on display, this is one of the world’s great art collections, with seminal works from every important period in the history of art – from the mid-13th to the early 20th century, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Van Gogh and Renoir.
Many visitors flock to the East Wing (1700–1900), where works by 18th-century British artists such as Gainsborough, Constable and Turner, and seminal Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by Van Gogh, Renoir and Monet await.
LONDON IN 2/4/7 DAYS
2 Days
Begin with the West End’s big-draw sights: Westminster Abbey, then Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. Walk up the Mall to Trafalgar Square for its architectural grandeur and photo-op views of Big Ben down Whitehall, then take a spin round the National Gallery. In the afternoon, hop over to the South Bank for a ride on the London Eye and a visit to the Tate Modern, followed by an evening performance at Shakespeare’s Globe.
On day two, spend the day wandering around the marvellous British Museum, followed by a spot of shopping around Covent Garden and Oxford St, and a night on the tiles in Soho.
4 Days
On day three, head for London’s finance-driven heart in the City, home to the sprawling and ancient Tower of London. Spend the morning watching the Beefeaters and resident ravens preen and strut, and then marvel at the Crown Jewels. When you’re finished, admire the iconic Tower Bridge from the banks of the Thames or through the glass floors of the walkways connecting the two towers. While away the rest of the day exploring the vibrant East End, with visits to Brick Lane (map Google map; tShoreditch High St, Liverpool St) and Spitalfields Market.
On day four, hop on a boat from any central London pier and make your way down to Greenwich with its world-renowned architecture and links to time, the stars and space. Start your visit at the legendary Cutty Sark, a star clipper during the tea-trade years, and have a look into the National Maritime Museum. Stroll up through Greenwich Park all the way to the Royal Observatory. The views of Canary Wharf, the business district across the river, are stunning. Spend the evening exploring the local bars and bistros.
7 Days
With a few extra days, you’ll have time to explore some of London’s other neighbourhoods. On day five, head for North London, with a morning at Camden Market, a visit to Highgate Cemetery and a walk over Hampstead Heath. On day six, explore the famous Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill, then spend the rest of the day with chic shopping in Knightsbridge, or visiting the museums of South Kensington, such as the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. On day seven, head out to West London, where you’ll discover the delightful green spaces of Kew Gardens and Richmond Park, and the grand palace of Hampton Court.
oHouses of ParliamentHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; Palace of Westminster; map; www.parliament.uk; Parliament Sq, SW1; tWestminster) F
A visit here is a journey to the heart of UK democracy. Officially called the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament’s oldest part is 11th-century Westminster Hall, one of only a few sections that survived a catastrophic fire in 1834. Its roof, added between 1394 and 1401, is the earliest known example of a hammerbeam roof. The rest is mostly a neo-Gothic confection built by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin over 20 years from 1840. The palace’s most famous feature is its clock tower, officially the Elizabeth Tower but better known as Big Ben (map Google map).
Big Ben is actually the 13.5-tonne bell, named after Benjamin Hall, who was First Commissioner of Works when the tower was completed in 1858.
At the business end, parliament is split into two houses. The green-hued House of Commons (map Google map; www.parliament.uk/business/commons; h2.30-10pm Mon & Tue, 11.30am-7.30pm Wed, 10.30am-6.30pm Thu, 9.30am-3pm Fri) is the lower house, where the 650 elected Members of Parliament sit. Traditionally the home of hereditary blue bloods, the scarlet-decorated House of Lords (map Google map; www.parliament.uk/business/lords; h2.30-10pm Mon & Tue, 3-10pm Wed, 11am-7.30pm Thu, 10am-close of session Fri), with over 800 members, now has peers appointed through various means. Both houses debate and vote on legislation, which is then presented to the Queen for her Royal Assent (in practice, this is a formality; the last time Royal Assent was denied was in 1708). At the annual State Opening of Parliament, which now takes place in May, the Queen takes her throne in the House of Lords, having arrived in the gold-trimmed Irish State Coach from Buckingham Palace (her crown travels alone with equerries in Queen Alexandra’s State Coach).
Visitors are welcome on Saturday year-round and on most weekdays during parliamentary recesses (which includes Easter, summer and Christmas). They can choose either a self-guided audio tour (adult £18.50, one free child with each adult) in one of eight languages lasting about 75 minutes or a much more comprehensive 1½-hour guided tour (map Google map; %020-7219 4114; www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours; adult/child £28/12) of both chambers, Westminster Hall and other historic buildings conducted by qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guides in a myriad of tongues (adult/child £25.50/11). Afternoon tea (£29) in the Terrace Pavilion overlooking the River Thames is a popular add-on to the tours. Buy tickets from the office in Portcullis House on Victoria Embankment. Tour schedules change with every recess and are occasionally subject to variation or cancellation due to the State Opening of Parliament and other parliamentary business, so check ahead and book. UK residents can approach their MPs to arrange a free tour. The Elizabeth Tower, housing Big Ben, is undergoing conservation works until 2021.
Public access to the Houses of Parliament is via the Cromwell Green Entrance, next to St Stephen’s Entrance. If you wish to eat here, the Palace of Westminster’s principal dining rooms are open to the public on select dates (see the website for details).
LONDON TOP TIPS
A London is huge – organise your visit by neighbourhood to avoid wasting time (and money) on transport.
A An Oyster Card is a cheaper and convenient way to use public transport, but you can also pay by credit or debit card provided it has a contactless function indicated by a wi-fi-like symbol.
A Walk – it’s cheaper than transport and the best way to discover central London.
A For West End performances at bargain prices, opt for standby tickets (which you buy on the day at the venue) or last-minute tickets from the booths on Leicester Sq.
A To treat yourself to fine dining without breaking the bank, opt for lunch rather than dinner, or try for pre- or post-theatre dinner deals.
A Book online for ticketed attractions to save money and skip queues.
oBuckingham PalacePALACE
(map Google map; %0303 123 7300; www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace; Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1; adult/child/under 5yr £24/13.50/free; h9.30am-7pm (to 6pm Sep) Jul-Sep only; tGreen Park, St James’s Park)
Built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, Buckingham Palace replaced St James’s Palace as the monarch’s official London residence in 1837. Queen Elizabeth II divides her time between here, Windsor Castle and, in summer, Balmoral Castle in Scotland. If she’s in residence, the square yellow, red and blue Royal Standard is flown; if not, it’s the Union Flag. Some 19 lavishly furnished State Rooms are open to visitors when Her Royal Highness (HRH) takes her holidays from late July to September.
Hung with artworks by the likes of Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Canaletto, Poussin and Vermeer, the State Rooms are open for self-guided tours that include the Throne Room, with his-and-her pink chairs monogrammed ‘ER’ and ‘P’. Access is by timed tickets with admission every 15 minutes (audio guide included) and visits take about two hours.
Admission includes entry to a themed special exhibition (eg royal couture during the Queen’s reign, growing up at the palace) in the enormous Ballroom, which changes each summer. It also allows access to part of the palace gardens as you exit, although you must join the three-hour State Rooms & Garden Highlights Tour (adult/child/under five years £33/19.70/free) to see the wisteria-clad Summer House and other famous features, and to get an idea of the garden’s full size (16 hectares).
Your ticket to Buckingham Palace is good for a return trip if bought direct from the palace ticket office (ask to have it stamped as you leave). You can even make your ticket purchase a donation and gain free access for a whole year (ask at the ticket office).
At 11am daily in June and July and on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, weather permitting, during the rest of the year, the Old Guard (Foot Guards of the Household Regiment) comes off duty to be replaced by the New Guard on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, an event known as the Changing of the Guard (map Google map; http://changing-guard.com). Highly popular, the ceremony lasts about 40 minutes (brace for crowds).
Originally designed by John Nash as a conservatory, the Queen’s Gallery (map Google map; www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace; South Wing, Buckingham Palace, Buckingham Gate, SW1; adult/child £10.30/5.30, incl Royal Mews £19/10; h10am-5.30pm) showcases some of the palace’s treasures on a rotating basis, through temporary exhibitions. Enter from Buckingham Gate.
Indulge your Cinderella fantasies while inspecting the exquisite state coaches in the Royal Mews (map Google map; www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/royalmews; adult/child £11/6.40, with Queen’s Gallery £19/10; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Mon-Sat Feb, Mar & Nov; tVictoria), a working stable looking after the royals’ immaculately groomed horses and the opulent vehicles they use for getting from A to B. Highlights include the magnificent Gold State Coach of 1762 and the 1911 Glass Coach.
A Royal Day Out (adult/child/under five years £42.30/23.30/free) is a combined ticket including entry to the State Rooms, Queen’s Gallery and Royal Mews.
oTate BritainGALLERY
(%020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain; Millbank, SW1; h10am-6pm, to 9.30pm on selected Fri; tPimlico) F
The older and more venerable of the two Tate siblings celebrates British works from 1500 to the present, including those from Blake, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Whistler, Constable and Turner, as well as vibrant modern and contemporary pieces from Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, Francis Bacon and Henry Moore. Join a free 45-minute thematic tour (h11am, noon, 2pm & 3pm daily) and 15-minute Art in Focus (h1.15pm Tue, Thu & Sat) talks.
The stars of the show at Tate Britain are, undoubtedly, the light infused visions of JMW Turner in the Clore Gallery. After he died in 1851, his estate was settled by a decree declaring that whatever had been found in his studio – 300 oil paintings and about 30,000 sketches and drawings – would be bequeathed to the nation. The collection at the Tate Britain constitutes a grand and sweeping display of his work, including classics such as The Scarlet Sunset and Norham Castle, Sunrise.
There are also seminal works from Constable, Gainsborough and Reynolds, as well as the pre-Raphaelites, including William Holman Hunt’s The Awakening Conscience, John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott, Ophelia by John Everett Millais and Edward Burne-Jones’s The Golden Stairs. Look out also for Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. Tate Britain hosts the prestigious and often controversial Turner Prize for Contemporary Art from October to early December every year.
The Tate Britain also has a program of ticketed exhibitions that changes every few months; consult the website for details of the latest exhibition.
oWallace CollectionGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7563 9500; www.wallacecollection.org; Hertford House, Manchester Sq, W1; h10am-5pm; tBond St) F
Arguably London’s finest smaller gallery, the Wallace Collection is an enthralling glimpse into 18th-century aristocratic life. The sumptuously restored Italianate mansion houses a treasure trove of 17th- and 18th-century paintings, porcelain, artefacts and furniture collected by generations of the same family and bequeathed to the nation by the widow of Sir Richard Wallace (1818–90) on the condition it remain displayed in the same fashion.
oChurchill War RoomsMUSEUM
(map Google map; www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms; Clive Steps, King Charles St, SW1; adult/child £21/10.50; h9.30am-6pm; tWestminster)
Winston Churchill helped coordinate the Allied resistance against Nazi Germany on a Bakelite telephone from this underground complex during WWII. The Cabinet War Rooms remain much as they were when the lights were switched off in 1945, capturing the drama and dogged spirit of the time, while the multimedia Churchill Museum affords intriguing insights into the life and times of the resolute, cigar-smoking wartime leader.
oNational Portrait GalleryGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7321 0055; www.npg.org.uk; St Martin’s Pl, WC2; h10am-6pm Sat-Wed, to 9pm Thu & Fri; tCharing Cross, Leicester Sq) F
What makes the National Portrait Gallery so compelling is its familiarity; in many cases, you’ll have heard of the subject (royals, scientists, politicians, celebrities) or the artist (Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Lucian Freud) but not necessarily recognise the face. Highlights include the famous ‘Chandos portrait’ of William Shakespeare, the first artwork the gallery acquired (in 1856) and believed to be the only likeness made during the playwright’s lifetime, and a touching sketch of novelist Jane Austen by her sister.
oRoyal Academy of ArtsGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7300 8000; www.royalacademy.org.uk; Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1; adult/child from £13.50/free, exhibition prices vary; h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, to 10pm Fri; tGreen Park)
Britain’s oldest society devoted to fine arts was founded in 1768 and moved to Burlington House exactly a century later. The collection contains drawings, paintings, architectural designs, photographs and sculptures by past and present academicians, such as Joshua Reynolds, John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, David Hockney and Norman Foster.
No 10 Downing StreetHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; www.number10.gov.uk; 10 Downing St, SW1; tWestminster)
The official office of British leaders since 1732, when George II presented No 10 to ‘First Lord of the Treasury’ Robert Walpole, this has also been the prime minister’s London residence since refurbishment in 1902. For such a famous address, No 10 is a small-looking Georgian building on a plain-looking street, hardly warranting comparison with the White House, for example. Yet it is actually three houses joined into one and boasts roughly 100 rooms plus a 2000-sq-metre garden.
oMadame TussaudsMUSEUM
(map Google map; %0870 400 3000; www.madame-tussauds.com/london; Marylebone Rd, NW1; adult/child 4-15yr £35/30; h10am-6pm; tBaker St)
It may be kitschy and pricey, but Madame Tussauds makes for a fun-filled day. There are photo ops with your dream celebrity (be it Daniel Craig, Lady Gaga, Benedict Cumberbatch, Audrey Hepburn or the Beckhams), the Bollywood gathering (sparring studs Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan) and the Royal Appointment (the Queen, Harry and Meghan, William and Kate). Book online for much cheaper rates and check the website for seasonal opening hours.
oSomerset HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; %020-7845 4600; www.somersethouse.org.uk; The Strand, WC2; hgalleries 10am-6pm, courtyard 7.30am-11pm, terrace 8am-11pm; tTemple, Covent Garden)
Designed by William Chambers in 1775 for government departments and royal societies – in fact, the world’s first office block – Somerset House now contains several fabulous galleries. In the North Wing near the Strand entrance, the Courtauld Gallery (map Google map; http://courtauld.ac.uk; adult/child £8/free, temporary exhibitions vary; h10am-6pm) displays a wealth of 14th- to 20th-century art, including masterpieces by Rubens, Botticelli, Cézanne, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Manet, Monet, Leger and others. The Embankment Galleries in the South Wing are devoted to temporary (mostly photographic, design and fashion) exhibitions; prices and hours vary.
oSir John Soane’s MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7405 2107; www.soane.org; 12 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2; h10am-5pm Wed-Sun; tHolborn) F
This little museum is one of the most atmospheric and fascinating in London. The building was the beautiful, bewitching home of architect Sir John Soane (1753–1837), which he left brimming with his vast architectural and archaeological collection, as well as intriguing personal effects and curiosities. The museum represents his exquisite and eccentric tastes, persuasions and proclivities.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
SOHO
London’s most bohemian neighbourhood was once pastureland; the name Soho is thought to have evolved from a hunting cry. While the centre of London nightlife has shifted east, and Soho has recently seen landmark clubs and music venues shut down, the neighbourhood definitely comes into its own in the evenings and remains a proud gay district. During the day you’ll be charmed by the area’s bohemian side and its sheer vitality.
At Soho’s northern end, leafy Soho Sq (map; tTottenham Court Rd, Leicester Sq) is the area’s back garden. It was laid out in 1681 and originally called King’s Sq; a statue of Charles II stands in its northern half. In the centre is a tiny half-timbered mock-Tudor cottage built as a gardener’s shed in the 1870s. The space below it was used as an underground bomb shelter during WWII.
South of the square is Dean St, lined with bars and restaurants. No 28 was the home of Karl Marx and his family from 1851 to 1856; they lived here in extreme poverty as Marx researched and wrote Das Kapital in the Reading Room of the British Museum.
Old Compton St is the epicentre of Soho’s gay village. It’s a street loved by all, gay or other, for its great bars, risqué shops and general good vibes.
Seducer and heart-breaker Casanova and opium-addicted writer Thomas de Quincey lived on nearby Greek St, while the parallel Frith St housed Mozart at No 20 for a year from 1764.
London Transport MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7379 6344; www.ltmuseum.co.uk; Covent Garden Piazza, WC2; adult/child £17.50/free; h10am-6pm; tCovent Garden)
This entertaining and informative museum looks at how London developed as a result of better transport and contains horse-drawn omnibuses, early taxis, underground trains you can drive yourself, a detailed look at Crossrail (a new high-frequency 75-mile rail service linking Reading with Essex), and everything in between, including signage. Start on Level 2 and don’t miss the museum shop for imaginative souvenirs, including historical tube posters, ‘Mind the Gap’ socks and ‘Way Out’ T-shirts.
Charles Dickens MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7405 2127; www.dickensmuseum.com; 48 Doughty St, WC1; adult/child £9/4; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun; tChancery Lane, Russell Sq)
A £3.5 million renovation funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund has made this museum – located in a handsome four-storey house that is the beloved Victorian novelist’s sole surviving residence in London – bigger and better than ever. A period kitchen in the basement and a nursery in the attic were added, and the acquisition of 49 Doughty St increased the exhibition space substantially.
St James’s ParkPARK
(map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park; The Mall, SW1; h5am-midnight; tSt James’s Park, Green Park)
At just 23 hectares, St James’s is the second smallest of the eight royal parks after Green Park (map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/green-park; h5am-midnight; tGreen Park). But what it lacks in size it makes up for in grooming as it is the most manicured green space in London. It has brilliant views of the London Eye, Westminster, St James’s Palace, Carlton Tce and the Horse Guards Parade; the photo-perfect sight of Buckingham Palace from the footbridge spanning the central lake is the best you’ll find.
2City Walk
A Taste of the City
START ST BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT
END 30 ST MARY AXE (THE GHERKIN)
LENGTH 1.5 MILES; THREE HOURS
The City of London has as much history in its square mile as the rest of London put together, and this walk picks out just a few of its many highlights.
Start by exploring the wonderful 12th-century 1St Bartholomew-the-Great, whose atmospheric interior has been used frequently as a film set. Head through the Tudor gatehouse and turn right towards the colourful Victorian arches of 2Smithfield Market, (map Google map) London’s last surviving meat market.
Head northeast along Long Lane and take a right at Aldersgate St. Follow the roundabout to the right and nip up the stairs (or take the lift) to the 3Museum of London. After exploring the museum’s excellent free galleries turn left onto the highwalk and pause to examine the ruins of the 4Roman city walls and behind them the distinctive towers of the 5Barbican.
Descend from the highwalk and cross over to Wood St to find the 6tower of St Alban (1698), all that’s left of a Wren-designed church destroyed in WWII bombing in 1940. Turn left into Love Lane and right into Aldermanbury – the impressive 15th-century 7Guildhall (map Google map) is on your left, behind a modern extension. Crossing its courtyard – note the black outline of the Roman amphitheatre – continue east onto Gresham St, taking a right into Prince’s St and emerging onto the busy Bank intersection lined with neoclassical temples to commerce.
From the 8Royal Exchange, (map Google map) follow Cornhill and take a right down Gracechurch St. Turn left into wonderful 9Leadenhall Market, (map Google map) roughly where the Roman forum once stood. As you leave the market’s far end, aLloyd’s of London (map Google map) displays its innards for all to see. Once you turn left onto Lime St, b30 St Mary Axe. Built nearly 900 years after St Bartholomew-the-Great, it’s a tangible testimony to the city’s ability to constantly reinvent itself.
1The City
oSt Paul’s CathedralCATHEDRAL
(map Google map; %020-7246 8357; www.stpauls.co.uk; St Paul’s Churchyard, EC4; adult/child £18/8; h8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat; tSt Paul’s)
Towering over diminutive Ludgate Hill in a superb position that’s been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years (and pagan before that), St Paul’s is one of London’s most magnificent buildings. For Londoners, the vast dome is a symbol of resilience and pride, standing tall for more than 300 years. Viewing Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece from the inside and climbing to the top for sweeping views of the capital is an exhilarating experience.
The cathedral was designed by Wren after the Great Fire and built between 1675 and 1710; it opened the following year. The site is ancient hallowed ground, with four other cathedrals preceding Wren’s English baroque masterpiece here, the first dating from 604.
The world’s second-largest cathedral dome is famed for surviving Luftwaffe incendiary bombs in the ‘Second Great Fire of London’ of December 1940, becoming an icon of London resilience during the Blitz. Outside in the churchyard, north of the church, is a simple and elegant monument to the people of London, honouring the 32,000 Londoners killed.
Inside, rising 68m above the floor, is the dome, supported by eight huge columns. It actually consists of three parts: a plastered brick inner dome, a nonstructural lead outer dome visible on the skyline and a brick cone between them holding it all together. The walkway around its base, accessed via 257 steps from a staircase on the western side of the southern transept, is called the Whispering Gallery, because if you talk close to the wall, your words will carry to the opposite side, 32m away. A further 119 steps brings you to the exterior Stone Gallery, 152 iron steps above which is the Golden Gallery at the very top, with unforgettable views of London.
The crypt has memorials to around 300 of the great and the good, including Wellington and Nelson, whose body lies directly below the dome. But the most poignant is to Wren himself. On a simple slab bearing his name, part of a Latin inscription translates as: ‘If you seek his memorial, look around you’.
As part of its 300th anniversary celebrations in 2011, St Paul’s underwent a £40 million renovation project that gave the church a deep clean. It’s not looked this good since they cut the blue ribbon opening the cathedral in 1711.
There’s no charge to attend a service. To hear the cathedral choir, attend the 11.30am Sunday Eucharist or Evensong (5pm Monday to Saturday and 3.15pm Sunday), but check the website as a visiting choir may appear for the latter.
Otherwise, the standard admission price includes a free video- and audio guide. Free 1½-hour guided tours depart four times a day (10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm); reserve a place at the tour desk, just past the entrance. Around twice a month, 60-minute tours (£8) also visit the astonishing Library, Geometric Staircase and Great Model, and include impressive views down the nave from above the Great West Doors; check the website for dates and hours and book well ahead. Filming and photography is not permitted within the cathedral. Book online for cheaper rates.
The City
1Top Sights
4Sleeping
5Eating
6Drinking & Nightlife
3Entertainment
7Shopping
oTower of LondonCASTLE
(map Google map; %0844 482 7777; www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london; Petty Wales, EC3; adult/child £24.80/11.50, audio guide £4/3; h9am-4.30pm Tue-Sat, from 10am Sun & Mon; tTower Hill)
The unmissable Tower of London (actually a castle of 22 towers) offers a window into a gruesome and compelling history. A former royal residence, treasury, mint, armoury and zoo, it’s perhaps now most remembered as the prison where a king, three queens and many nobles met their deaths. Come here to see the colourful Yeoman Warders (or Beefeaters), the spectacular Crown Jewels, the soothsaying ravens and armour fit for a very large king.
In the 1070s, William the Conqueror started work on the White Tower to replace the stronghold he’d previously built here, in the southeast corner of the Roman walls, shortly after the Norman invasion. By 1285, two walls with towers and a moat were built around it and the defences have barely been altered since.
The most striking building is the central White Tower, with its solid Norman architecture and four turrets. On the entrance floor it houses a collection from the Royal Armouries, including Henry VIII’s commodious suit of armour. On the middle floor is St John’s Chapel, dating from 1080 and therefore the oldest place of Christian worship still standing in London.
To the north stands Waterloo Barracks, which now contains the spectacular Crown Jewels, including the platinum crown of the late Queen Mother, set with the 106-carat Koh-i-Nûr (Mountain of Light) diamond, and the Imperial State Crown, worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament. Slow-moving travelators shunt wide-eyed visitors past the collection. On the other side of the White Tower is the Bloody Tower, where the 12-year-old Edward V and his little brother Richard were held ‘for their own safety’ and later murdered, perhaps by their uncle, the future Richard III. Sir Walter Raleigh did a 13-year stretch here too under James I, where he wrote his Historie of the World.
In front of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula stood Henry VIII’s scaffold, where nobles such as Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard (Henry’s second and fifth wives) were beheaded. Look out for the latest in the Tower’s long line of famous ravens, which legend says could cause the White Tower to collapse should they leave (their wing feathers are clipped in case they get any ideas).
To get your bearings, take one of the entertaining (and free) guided tours offered by the Beefeaters. Hour-long tours leave every 30 minutes from the bridge near the main entrance; the last tour is an hour before closing.
Book online for cheaper rates for the Tower.
oTower BridgeBRIDGE
(map Google map; tTower Hill)
One of London’s most recognisable sights, familiar from dozens of movies, Tower Bridge doesn’t disappoint in real life. Its neo-Gothic towers and sky-blue suspension struts add extraordinary elegance to what is a supremely functional structure. London was a thriving port in 1894 when it was built as a much-needed crossing point in the east, equipped with a then-revolutionary steam-driven bascule (counter-balance) mechanism that could raise the roadway to make way for oncoming ships in just three minutes.
A lift leads up from the northern tower to the Tower Bridge Exhibition (map Google map; %020-7403 3761; www.towerbridge.org.uk; adult/child £9.80/4.20, incl the Monument £12/5.50; h10am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar), where the story of building the bridge is recounted. Tower Bridge was designed by architect Horace Jones, who was also responsible for Smithfield and Leadenhall markets, and completed by engineer John Wolfe Barry.
The bridge is still operational, although these days it’s electrically powered and rises mainly for pleasure craft. It does so around 1000 times a year and as often as 10 times a day in summer; consult the Exhibition website for times to watch it in action.
oMuseum of LondonMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7001 9844; www.museumoflondon.org.uk; 150 London Wall, EC2; h10am-6pm; tBarbican) F
As entertaining as it is educational, the Museum of London meanders through the various incarnations of the city, stopping off in Roman Londinium and Saxon Ludenwic before eventually ending up in the 21st-century metropolis. Interesting objects and interactive displays work together to bring each era to life, without ever getting too whiz-bang, making this one of the capital’s best museums. Free themed tours take place throughout the day; check the signs by the entrance for times.
oMonumentMONUMENT
(map Google map; %020-7403 3761; www.themonument.org.uk; Fish St Hill, EC3; adult/child £5/2.50, incl Tower Bridge Exhibition £12/5.50; h9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Mar; tMonument)
Sir Christopher Wren’s 1677 column, known simply as the Monument, is a memorial to the Great Fire of London of 1666, whose impact on London’s history cannot be overstated. An immense Doric column made of Portland stone, the Monument is 4.5m wide and 60.6m tall – the exact distance it stands from the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire is thought to have started.
Note, tickets can only be purchased with cash.
oSky GardenVIEWPOINT
(map Google map; %020-7337 2344; www.skygarden.london; L35-37, 20 Fenchurch St, EC3; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 11am-9pm Sat & Sun; tMonument) F
The City’s sixth-tallest building didn’t get off to a good start when it opened in 2014. Officially called 20 Fenchurch St it was quickly dubbed the ‘Walkie Talkie’ by unimpressed Londoners, and its highly reflective windows melted the bodywork of several cars parked below. However, the opening of this 155m-high, three-storey, public garden in the glass dome at the top has helped win naysayers over. Entry is free, but you’ll need to book a slot in advance.
St Bartholomew-the-GreatCHURCH
(map Google map; %020-7600 0440; www.greatstbarts.com; West Smithfield, EC1; adult/child £5/3; h8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-4pm Sat, 8.30am-8pm Sun; tBarbican)
Dating to 1123 and adjoining one of London’s oldest hospitals, St Bartholomew-the-Great is one of London’s most ancient churches. The Norman arches and profound sense of history lend this holy space an ancient calm, while approaching from nearby Smithfield Market through the restored 13th-century half-timbered archway is like walking back in time. The church was originally part of an Augustinian priory, but became the parish church of Smithfield in 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
BarbicanARCHITECTURE
(map Google map; %020-7638 4141; www.barbican.org.uk; Silk St, EC2; tours adult/child £12.50/10; h9am-11pm Mon-Sat, 11am-11pm Sun; tBarbican)
Londoners remain fairly divided about the architectural value of this vast complex built after WWII, but the Barbican remains the City’s pre-eminent cultural centre, with the main Barbican Hall, two theatres, a state-of-the-art cinema complex and two well-regarded art galleries: the 3rd-floor Barbican Art Gallery (map Google map; www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery; L3 Barbican Centre; h10am-6pm Sat-Wed, to 9pm Thu & Fri) and the Curve (map Google map; L1 Barbican Centre; h11am-8pm) F on the ground floor. There’s also a large conservatory (map Google map; L3 Barbican Centre, Upper Frobisher Cres, EC2; hnoon-5pm Sun), filled with tropical plants.
30 St Mary AxeNOTABLE BUILDING
(map Google map; www.30stmaryaxe.info; 30 St Mary Axe, EC3; tAldgate)
Nicknamed ‘the Gherkin’ for its unusual shape, 30 St Mary Axe is the City’s most distinctive skyscraper, dominating its skyline despite actually being only the fourth tallest. Built in 2003 by award-winning architect Norman Foster, the Gherkin’s futuristic exterior has become an emblem of modern London – as recognisable as Big Ben. The building is closed to the public, though in the past it has opened its doors over the Open House London (%020-7383 2131; www.openhouselondon.org.uk) weekend in September.
1South Bank
oTate ModernGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.uk; Bankside, SE1; h10am-6pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat; 
c; tBlackfriars, Southwark, London Bridge) F
One of London’s most amazing attractions, this outstanding modern- and contemporary-art gallery is housed in the creatively revamped Bankside Power Station south of the Millennium Bridge. A spellbinding synthesis of modern art and capacious industrial brick design, Tate Modern has been extraordinarily successful in bringing challenging work to the masses, both through its free permanent collection and fee-paying big-name temporary exhibitions. The stunning Switch House extension opened in 2016, increasing the available exhibition space by 60%.
The 4.2 million bricks of the 200m-long former power house (now called Boiler House) is an imposing sight, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, who scooped the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2001 for their transformation of the empty power station. Significant achievements include leaving the building’s central 99m-high chimney, adding a two-storey glass box onto the roof and employing the cavernous Turbine Hall as a dramatic entrance space. Herzog and de Meuron also designed the new 10-storey extension.
As a supreme collection of modern art, the contents of the museum are, nevertheless, the main draw. At their disposal the Tate Modern curators have works by Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock, as well as pieces by Joseph Beuys, Damien Hirst, Claes Oldenburg and Auguste Rodin.
Tate Modern’s permanent collection is arranged by both theme and chronology on levels 2 and 4 of Boiler House and levels 0, 2, 3 and 4 of Switch House. The emphasis in the latter is on art from the 1960s onwards. More than 60,000 works are on constant rotation, so if there’s a particular work you would like to see, check the website to see if (and where) it’s hanging.
The museum’s location is also supreme, made the most of by popular balconies on level 3 of Boiler House and the level 10 viewing gallery in Switch House. The magnificent view is elegantly conveyed by the Millennium Bridge (map Google map; tSt Paul’s, Blackfriars) directly to St Paul’s Cathedral in the City on the far bank of the river.
Free guided highlights tours depart at 11am, noon, 2pm and 3pm daily. Audio guides (in five languages) are available for £4; these contain information about 50 artworks across the gallery and offer suggested tours for adults or children.
To visit the sister museum Tate Britain, hop on the Tate Boat (map; www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-boat; one-way adult/child £8.30/4.15) from Bankside Pier.
oShakespeare’s GlobeHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; %020-7902 1500; www.shakespearesglobe.com; 21 New Globe Walk, SE1; adult/child £17/10; h9.30am-5pm; c; tBlackfriars, London Bridge)
Unlike other venues for Shakespearean plays, the new Globe was designed to resemble the original as closely as possible, which means having the arena open to the fickle London skies, leaving the 700 ‘groundlings’ (standing spectators) to weather London’s spectacular downpours. Visits to the Globe include tours of the theatre (half hourly) as well as access to the exhibition space, which has fascinating exhibits on Shakespeare and theatre in the 17th century.
oLondon EyeVIEWPOINT
(map Google map; %0871 222 4002; www.londoneye.com; adult/child £27/22; h11am-6pm Sep-May, 10am-8.30pm Jun-Aug; tWaterloo, Westminster)
Standing 135m high in a fairly flat city, the London Eye affords views 25 miles in every direction, weather permitting. Interactive tablets provide great information (in six languages) about landmarks as they appear in the skyline. Each rotation – or ‘flight’ – takes a gracefully slow 30 minutes. At peak times (July, August and school holidays) it can feel like you’ll spend more time in the queue than in the capsule; book premium fast-track tickets to jump the queue.
Tickets are cheaper if purchased online, especially if you book in advance or combine the London Eye with other attractions. Feeling romantic? Hire a capsule for two (£425), with a bottle of champers (though for health and safety reasons, a ‘host’ needs to tag along).
The London Eye has also been the focal point of the capital’s celebrated and dramatic midnight New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
oSouthbank CentreARTS CENTRE
(map Google map; %020-3879 9555; www.southbankcentre.co.uk; Belvedere Rd, SE1; c; tWaterloo, Embankment)
The flagship venue of the Southbank Centre, Europe’s largest centre for performing and visual arts, is the Royal Festival Hall map Google map. Its gently curved facade of glass and Portland stone is more humane than its 1970s brutalist neighbours. It is one of London’s leading music venues and the epicentre of life on this part of the South Bank, hosting cafes, restaurants, shops and bars.
Just north, the austere Queen Elizabeth Hall is a brutalist icon, the second-largest concert venue in the centre, hosting chamber orchestras, quartets, choirs, dance performances and sometimes opera. Underneath its elevated floor is a graffiti-decorated skateboarders’ hang-out.
The opinion-dividing 1968 Hayward Gallery (£14 to £16.50; h11am-7pm Mon & Wed, to 9pm Thu, 11am-7pm Sat & Sun), another brutalist beauty, is a leading contemporary-art exhibition space.
The QEH recently underwent a 21st-century facelift, while the Hayward Gallery reopened after a similar restoration in January 2018.
oLondon DungeonHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; www.thedungeons.com/london; County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1; adult/child £30/24; h10am-4pm Mon-Wed & Fri, 11am-4pm Thu, 10am-6pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; c; tWaterloo, Westminster)
Older kids tend to love the London Dungeon, as the terrifying queues during school holidays and weekends testify. It’s all spooky music, ghostly boat rides, macabre hangman’s drop-rides, fake blood and actors dressed up as torturers and gory criminals (including Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd), with interactive scares galore.
oSouthwark CathedralCHURCH
(map Google map; %020-7367 6700; www.cathedral.southwark.anglican.org; Montague Cl, SE1; h8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm Sat & Sun; tLondon Bridge)
The earliest surviving parts of this relatively small cathedral are the retrochoir at the eastern end, which contains four chapels and was part of the 13th-century Priory of St Mary Overie, some ancient arcading by the southwest door and an arch that dates to the original Norman church. But most of the cathedral is Victorian. Inside there are monuments galore, including a Shakespeare memorial. Catch evensong at 5.30pm on four weekdays a week, 4pm on Saturdays and 3pm on Sundays.
National TheatreTHEATRE
(map Google map; %020-7452 3000; www.nationaltheatre.org.uk; South Bank, SE1; c; tWaterloo)
The nation’s flagship theatre complex comprises three auditoriums for performances. Likened by Prince Charles to a nuclear power station, the theatre’s purpose-designed architecture is considered an icon of the brutalist school. Fantastic backstage tours lasting 1¼ hours (adult/child £9.50/8.25) are available. Every tour is different but you’re likely to see rehearsals and changes of sets or bump into actors in the corridors. There is at least one tour per day, and often more. Consult the website for exact times and make sure you book.
The ShardNOTABLE BUILDING
(map Google map; www.theviewfromtheshard.com; 32 London Bridge St, SE1; adult/child £30.95/24.95; h10am-10pm; tLondon Bridge)
Puncturing the skies above London, the dramatic splinter-like form of the Shard has rapidly become an icon of London. The viewing platforms on floors 69 and 72 are open to the public and the views are, as you’d expect from a 244m vantage point, sweeping, but they come at a hefty price – book online at least a day in advance to make a big saving.
HMS BelfastSHIP
(map Google map; www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast; Queen’s Walk, SE1; adult/child £15.45/7.70; h10am-5pm; tLondon Bridge)
HMS Belfast is a magnet for kids of all ages. This large, light cruiser – launched in 1938 – served in WWII, helping to sink the German battleship Scharnhorst, shelling the Normandy coast on D-Day and later participating in the Korean War. Its 6in guns could bombard a target 14 land miles distant. Displays offer a great insight into what life on board was like, in peacetimes and during military engagements.
GETTING HIGH IN LONDON
Not so long ago, getting a good view of London was a near-impossible endeavour. There was the London Eye, to be sure, but been-there-done-that, yeah? And Vertigo 42 (map; %020-7877 7703; www.citysociallondon.com; L24, 25 Old Broad St, EC2; mains £26-38; hnoon-3.30pm & 6-11.30pm Mon-Fri, 5-11.30pm Sat; tBank) involved a lot of forward planning.
Now things are a lot more democratic and, well, the sky’s the limit. The 72nd-floor open-air platform of the Shard is as high as you’ll get in the EU. For nibbles and views head for the 40th-floor location of Duck & Waffle or to Madison. For drinks we love Sky Pod and the Radio Rooftop Bar (map Google map; %020-7395 3440; ME London, 10th fl, 336-337 The Strand, WC2; hnoon-1am Mon-Wed, to 2am Thu-Sat, noon-midnight Sun; tTemple, Covent Garden). The 5th View (map Google map; %020-7851 2433; www.5thview.co.uk; 5th fl, Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly, W1; mains from £8.50; h9am-9.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun; tPiccadilly Circus) atop Waterstones bookshop in Piccadilly is admittedly low on the totem pole but, having taken afternoon tea there, you can legitimately use the ultimate intellectual’s chat-up line: ‘I get high on books’.
1Kensington & Hyde Park
oNatural History MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; www.nhm.ac.uk; Cromwell Rd, SW7; h10am-5.50pm; tSouth Kensington) F
This colossal and magnificent-looking building is infused with the irrepressible Victorian spirit of collecting, cataloguing and interpreting the natural world. The Dinosaurs Gallery (Blue Zone) is a must for children, who gawp at the animatronic T-Rex, fossils and excellent displays. Adults for their part will love the intriguing Treasures exhibition in the Cadogan Gallery (Green Zone), which houses a host of unrelated objects each telling its own unique story, from a chunk of moon rock to a dodo skeleton.
Also in the Green Zone, the Mineral Gallery is a breathtaking display of architectural perspective leading to the Vault, where you’ll find the Aurora Collection of almost 300 coloured diamonds. In the Orange Zone, the vast Darwin Centre focuses on taxonomy, showcasing 28 million insects and six million plants in a giant cocoon; glass windows allow you to watch scientists at work.
At the centre of the museum is Hintze Hall, which resembles a cathedral nave – quite fitting, as it was built in a time when the natural sciences were challenging the biblical tenets of Christian orthodoxy. After 81 years in the Mammals Hall, in 2017 the Blue Whale skeleton was relocated here, with the famous cast of a diplodocus skeleton (nicknamed Dippy) making way for the colossal mammal. The transfer itself was a mammoth and painstaking engineering project, disassembling and preparing the 4.5-tonne bones for reconstruction in a dramatic diving posture that greet visitors to the museum. Dippy himself will go walkabout on a long tour of the UK.
The museum hosts regular exhibitions (admission fees apply), some of them on a recurrent basis. Wildlife Photographer of the Year (map Google map; adult/child £13.50/8, family £28-38; hOct-Sep), with its show-stopping images, is now in its 50th year, and Sensational Butterflies (map Google map; per person £5.85, family £19.80; hApr-Sep), a tunnel tent on the East Lawn that swarms with what must originally have been called ‘flutter-bys’, has become a firm summer favourite.
A slice of English countryside in SW7 and due to be hugely expanded, the beautiful Wildlife Garden next to the West Lawn encompasses a range of British lowland habitats, including a meadow with farm gates and a bee tree where a colony of honey bees fills the air.
The museum is transforming its outdoor spaces, tripling the Wildlife Garden in size, creating a piazza in the eastern grounds and adding a geological and palaeontological timeline walk.
From Halloween to January, a section by the East Lawn of the museum is transformed into a glittering and highly popular ice rink, complete with a hot drinks stall. Our advice: book your slot well ahead, browse the museum and skate later.
The entire museum and its gardens cover a huge 5.7 hectares and contain 80 million specimens from across the natural world. More than five million visitors come each year, so queues can sometimes get long, especially during the school holidays.
oVictoria & Albert MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; V&A; map; %020-7942 2000; www.vam.ac.uk; Cromwell Rd, SW7; h10am-5.45pm Sat-Thu, to 10pm Fri; tSouth Kensington) F
The Museum of Manufactures, as the V&A was known when it opened in 1852, was part of Prince Albert’s legacy to the nation in the aftermath of the successful Great Exhibition of 1851. It houses the world’s largest collection of decorative arts, from Asian ceramics to Middle Eastern rugs, Chinese paintings, Western furniture, fashion from all ages and modern-day domestic appliances. The (ticketed) temporary exhibitions are another highlight, covering anything from David Bowie retrospectives to designer Alexander McQueen, special materials and trends.
oScience MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7942 4000; www.sciencemuseum.org.uk; Exhibition Rd, SW7; h10am-6pm; tSouth Kensington) F
With seven floors of interactive and educational exhibits, this scientifically spellbinding museum will mesmerise adults and children alike, covering everything from early technology to space travel. A perennial favourite is Exploring Space, a gallery featuring genuine rockets and satellites and a full-size replica of the Eagle, the lander that took Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in 1969. The Making the Modern World Gallery next door is a visual feast of locomotives, planes, cars and other revolutionary inventions.
oHyde ParkPARK
(map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park; h5am-midnight; tMarble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Queensway)
At 145 hectares, Hyde Park is central London’s largest open space, expropriated from the Church in 1536 by Henry VIII and turned into a hunting ground and later a venue for duels, executions and horse racing. The 1851 Great Exhibition was held here, and during WWII the park became an enormous potato field. These days, there’s boating on the Serpentine, summer concerts (Bruce Springsteen, Florence + The Machine, Patti Smith), film nights and other warm-weather events.
oKensington PalacePALACE
(map Google map; www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace; Kensington Gardens, W8; adult/child £15.50/free (when booked online); h10am-4pm Nov-Feb, to 6pm Mar-Oct; tHigh St Kensington)
Built in 1605, the palace became the favourite royal residence under William and Mary of Orange in 1689, and remained so until George III became king and moved out. Today, it is still a royal residence, with the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and his wife Catherine) and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and Meghan) living there. A large part of the palace is open to the public, however, including the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments.
oApsley HouseHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; %020-7499 5676; www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/apsley-house; 149 Piccadilly, Hyde Park Corner, W1; adult/child £9.30/5.60, with Wellington Arch £11.20/6.70; h11am-5pm Wed-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar; tHyde Park Corner)
This stunning house, containing exhibits about the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo, was once the first building to appear when entering London from the west and was therefore known as ‘No 1 London’. Wellington memorabilia, including the Duke’s death mask, fills the basement gallery, while an astonishing collection of china and silver, and paintings by Velasquez, Rubens, Van Dyck, Brueghel, Murillo and Goya awaits in the 1st-floor Waterloo Gallery.
Kensington GardensPARK
(map Google map; %0300 061 2000; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens; h6am-dusk; tQueensway, Lancaster Gate)
A gorgeous collection of manicured lawns, tree-shaded avenues and basins immediately west of Hyde Park, the picturesque 107-hectare expanse of Kensington Gardens is technically part of Kensington Palace, located in the far west of the gardens. The large Round Pond is enjoyable to amble around and also worth a look are the lovely fountains in the Italian Gardens (map Google map; Kensington Gardens; tLancaster Gate), believed to be a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria; they are now the venue of a handy new cafe.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground (map Google map; tQueensway), in the northwest corner of the gardens, has some pretty ambitious attractions for children. Next to the playground stands the delightful Elfin Oak (map Google map), a 900-year-old tree stump carved with elves, gnomes, witches and small creatures. George Frampton’s celebrated Peter Pan statue (map Google map; tLancaster Gate) is close to the lake, while the astonishing Albert Memorial (map Google map; %tours 020-8969 0104; tours adult/concession £9/8; htours 2pm & 3pm 1st Sun of month Mar-Dec; tKnightsbridge, Gloucester Rd) is in the south of Kensington Gardens, facing the Royal Albert Hall.
Royal Albert HallHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; %0845 401 5034, box office 020-7589 8212; www.royalalberthall.com; Kensington Gore, SW7; tours £10.75-16.75; tSouth Kensington)
Built in 1871, thanks in part to the proceeds of the 1851 Great Exhibition organised by Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s husband), this huge, domed, red-brick amphitheatre, adorned with a frieze of Minton tiles, is Britain’s most famous concert venue and home to the BBC’s Promenade Concerts (the Proms) every summer. To find out about the hall’s intriguing history and royal connections, and to gaze out from the Gallery, book an informative one-hour front-of-house grand tour (map; %020-7589 8212; adult/child £14/7; hhourly 9.30am-4.30pm), operating most days.
Chelsea Physic GardenGARDENS
(map Google map; %020-7352 5646; www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk; 66 Royal Hospital Rd, SW3; adult/child £6.10/4.40; h11am-5pm Mon, to 6pm Tue-Fri & Sun Apr-Oct, 9.30am-4pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar; tSloane Sq)
You may bump into a wandering duck or two as you enter this walled pocket of botanical enchantment, established by the Apothecaries’ Society in 1673 for students working on medicinal plants and healing. One of Europe’s oldest of its kind, the small grounds are a compendium of botany, from carnivorous pitcher plants to rich yellow flag irises, a cork oak from Portugal, the largest outdoor fruiting olive tree in the British Isles, rare trees and shrubs.
Royal Hospital ChelseaMUSEUM
(map Google map; www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk; Royal Hospital Rd, SW3; hgrounds 10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat, Great Hall shuts daily noon-2pm, museum 10am-4pm Mon-Fri; tSloane Sq) F
Designed by Christopher Wren, this superb structure was built in 1692 to provide shelter for ex-servicemen. Since the reign of Charles II, it has housed hundreds of war veterans, known as Chelsea Pensioners. They’re fondly regarded as national treasures, and cut striking figures in the dark-blue greatcoats (in winter) or scarlet frock coats (in summer) that they wear on ceremonial occasions.
Serpentine GalleryGALLERY
(map Google map; %020-7402 6075; www.serpentinegalleries.org; Kensington Gardens, W2; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; tLancaster Gate, Knightsbridge) F
This gallery, looking like a 1930s tearoom amid leafy Kensington Gardens, is one of London’s most important contemporary-art galleries. Damien Hirst, Andreas Gursky, Louise Bourgeois, Gabriel Orozco, Tomoko Takahashi and Jeff Koons have all exhibited here. A leading architect (who has never built in the UK) is annually commissioned to build a new ‘Summer Pavilion’ nearby, open from June to October. The galleries run a full program of readings, talks and open-air cinema screenings.
1Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
oGeffrye MuseumMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7739 9893; www.geffrye-museum.org.uk; 136 Kingsland Rd, E2; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun; tHoxton) F
If you like nosing around other people’s homes, you’ll love this museum devoted to middle-class domestic interiors. Built in 1714 as a home for poor pensioners, these beautiful ivy-clad brick almshouses have been converted into a series of living rooms dating from 1630 to the present day. The rear garden is also organised by era, mirroring the museum’s exploration of domesticity through the centuries. The Geffrye is closed until spring 2020 for major renovations.
oDennis Severs’ HouseMUSEUM
(map Google map; %020-7247 4013; www.dennissevershouse.co.uk; 18 Folgate St, E1; day/night £10/15; hnoon-2pm & 5-9pm Mon, 5-9pm Wed & Fri, noon-4pm Sun; tLiverpool St)
This extraordinary Georgian House is set up as if its occupants – a family of Huguenot silk weavers – had just walked out the door. There are half-drunk cups of tea and partially consumed food, lit candles and, in perhaps unnecessary attention to detail, a full chamber pot by the bed. More than a museum, it’s an opportunity to meditate on the minutiae of everyday Georgian life through silent exploration.
Old Truman BreweryHISTORIC BUILDING
(map Google map; www.trumanbrewery.com; 91 Brick Lane, E1; tShoreditch High St)
Founded here in the 17th century, Truman’s Black Eagle Brewery was, by the 1850s, the largest brewery in the world. Spread over a series of brick buildings and yards straddling both sides of Brick Lane, the complex is now completely given over to edgy markets, pop-up fashion stores, vintage clothes shops, indie record hunters, cafes, bars and live-music venues. Beer may not be brewed here any more, but it certainly is consumed.
1East London
oWhitechapel GalleryGALLERY
(%020-7522 7888; www.whitechapelgallery.org; 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1; h11am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9pm Thu; tAldgate East) F
A firm favourite of art students and the avant-garde cognoscenti, this ground-breaking gallery doesn’t have a permanent collection but is devoted to hosting edgy exhibitions of contemporary art. It made its name by staging exhibitions by both established and emerging artists, including the first UK shows by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo. The gallery’s ambitiously themed shows change every couple of months (check online) and there’s often also live music, talks and films on Thursday evenings.
oMuseum of London DocklandsMUSEUM
(%020-7001 9844; www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands; West India Quay, E14; h10am-6pm; 
jDLR West India Quay) F
Housed in an 1802 warehouse, this educational museum combines artefacts and multimedia displays to chart the history of the city through its river and docks. The best strategy is to begin on the 3rd floor and work your way down through the ages. Perhaps the most illuminating and certainly the most disturbing gallery is London, Sugar and Slavery, which examines the capital’s role in the transatlantic slave trade.
oColumbia Road Flower MarketMARKET
(map Google map; www.columbiaroad.info; Columbia Rd, E2; h8am-3pm Sun; tHoxton)
A wonderful explosion of colour and life, this weekly market sells a beautiful array of flowers, pot plants, bulbs, seeds and everything you might need for the garden. It’s a lot of fun and the best place to hear proper Cockney barrow-boy banter (‘We got flowers cheap enough for ya muvver-in-law’s grave’ etc). It gets really packed, so go as early as you can, or later on when the vendors sell off the cut flowers cheaply.
oQueen Elizabeth Olympic ParkPARK
(www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk; E20; tStratford)
The glittering centrepiece of London’s 2012 Olympic Games, this vast 227-hectare expanse includes the main Olympic venues as well as playgrounds, walking and cycling trails, gardens, and a diverse mix of wetland, woodland, meadow and other wildlife habitats as an environmentally fertile legacy for the future. The main focal point is London Stadium, with a Games capacity of 80,000, scaled back to 54,000 seats for its new role as the home ground for West Ham United FC.
LONDON’S LIDOS
The capital’s long-running love of outdoor bathing has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, and its lovely lidos (outdoor pools) are busier than ever. You’ll see Londoners taking to the water in pretty much all weathers – even, for the real diehards, the middle of winter.
Serpentine Lido (map Google map; %020-7706 3422; Hyde Park, W2; adult/child £4.80/1.80; h10am-6pm daily Jun-Aug, to 6pm Sat & Sun May; tHyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge) Perhaps the ultimate London pool is inside the Serpentine lake. This fabulous lido is open May to August.
Hampstead Heath Ponds (www.cityoflondon.gov.uk; Hampstead Heath, NW5; adult/child £2/1; tHampstead Heath) Set in the midst of the gorgeous heath, the brown waters of Hampstead’s three bathing ponds (men’s, women’s and mixed) offer a bracing dip. The water’s tested daily, so don’t be deterred by the colour.
London Fields Lido (%020-7254 9038; www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/london/hackney/london-fields-lido; London Fields West Side, E8; adult/child £4.85/2.85; h6.30am-9pm; tLondon Fields) Built in the 1930s but abandoned by the ’80s, this heated 50m Olympic-size outdoor pool reopened in 2006.
Porchester Spa (map Google map; %020-7313 3858; www.porchesterspatreatments.co.uk; Porchester Centre, Queensway, W2; admission £28.90; h10am-10pm; tBayswater, Royal Oak) Housed in a gorgeous, art deco building, the no-frills Porchester has a 30m swimming pool, a large Finnish-log sauna, two steam rooms, three Turkish hot rooms and a massive plunge pool.
London Aquatics Centre (%020-8536 3150; www.londonaquaticscentre.org; Carpenters Rd, E20; adult/child from £5.20/3; h6am-10.30pm; tStratford) Not strictly a lido as it’s inside, but Zaha Hadid’s award-winning Aquatics Centre, built for the 2012 Olympics, is worth mentioning for its fabulous, undulating architecture.
ArcelorMittal OrbitTOWER
(%0333 800 8099; www.arcelormittalorbit.com; 3 Thornton St, E20; adult/child £12.50/7.50, with slide £17.50/12.50; h11am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun; tStratford)
Love it or loathe it, Turner Prize–winner Anish Kapoor’s 115m-high, twisted-steel sculpture towers strikingly over the southern end of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In essence it’s an artwork, but at the 80m mark it also offers an impressive panorama from its mirrored viewing platform, which is accessed by a lift from the base of the sculpture (the tallest in the UK). A dramatic tunnel slide running down the tower is the world’s highest and longest, coiling 178m down to ground level.
Victoria ParkPARK
(www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/victoriapark; Grove Rd, E3; h7am-dusk; tHackney Wick)
The ‘Regent’s Park of the East End’, this 86-hectare leafy expanse of ornamental lakes, monuments, tennis courts, flower beds and lawns was opened in 1845. It was the first public park in the East End, given the go-ahead after a local MP presented Queen Victoria with a petition of 30,000 signatures. It quickly gained a reputation as the ‘People’s Park’ when many rallies were held here.
Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural HistoryMUSEUM
(%020-7998 3617; www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org; 11 Mare St, E8; £5; hnoon-11pm Wed-Sat, to 10.30pm Sun; tBethnal Green)
Museum? Art project? Cocktail bar? This is not a venue that’s easily classifiable. Inspired by Victorian-era cabinets of curiosities (wunderkabinnet), Wynd’s wilfully eccentric collection includes stuffed birds, pickled genitals, two-headed lambs, shrunken heads, a key to the Garden of Eden, dodo bones, celebrity excrement and a gilded hippo skull that belonged to Pablo Escobar. A self-confessed ‘incoherent vision of the world displayed through wonder’; make of it what you will. Or stop by for a cocktail at the bar upstairs.