LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN
Westminster Abbey
British Museum
Buckingham Palace
Tower of London
A Northern Point of View
Sights
Tours
Shopping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Information
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
London, Great Britain
One of the world’s most visited cities, London has something for everyone: from history and culture to fine food and good times. Britain may have voted for Brexit (although the majority of Londoners didn’t), but for now London remains one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, and diversity infuses daily life, food, music and fashion. It even penetrates intrinsically British institutions; the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum have collections as varied as they are magnificent, while the flavours at centuries-old Borough Market run the full global gourmet spectrum.
Four Days in London
Have a royally good time checking out the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, followed by some retail therapy at Leadenhall Market and a visit to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Dedicate the fourth day to the V&A, Natural History Museum and Hyde Park. End the day with a show at Royal Albert Hall.
After London catch the Eurostar to Paris or Amsterdam.
Two Days in London
First stop, Westminster Abbey for an easy intro to the city’s (and nation’s) history and then to Buckingham Palace. Walk up the Mall to Trafalgar Square for its architectural grandeur and photo-op views of Big Ben down Whitehall. Art lovers will make a beeline for the National Gallery.
On day two, visit the British Museum and Tate Modern, followed by Tate Britain and dinner at Claridge’s Foyer & Reading Room.
Arriving in London
Heathrow Airport Trains, the tube and buses to London cost £5.10–27, taxis £48–90. From 2020, express trains will run along the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail).
Gatwick Airport Trains to London (4.30am–1.35am) cost £10–20; hourly buses to London 24/7 from £8; taxis £100.
Stansted Airport Trains to London (5.30am–12.30am) cost £17; 24/7 buses to London from £10; taxis £130.
St Pancras International Train Station In central London (for Eurostar train arrivals from Europe); connected by many Underground lines to other parts of the city.
Where to Stay
Hanging your hat in London can be painfully expensive and you’ll need to book well in advance. Decent hostels are easy to find, but aren’t as cheap as you might hope for. Hotels range from no-frills chains through to ultra-ritzy establishments, such as the Ritz itself. B&Bs are often better value and more atmospheric than hotels.
For information on what each London neighbourhood has to offer, see the table.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is such an important commemoration site that it’s hard to overstate its symbolic value or imagine its equivalent anywhere else in the world. With a couple of exceptions, every English sovereign has been crowned here since William the Conqueror in 1066; many were married here and a total of 17 are buried here.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
Poet’s Corner, the Coronation Chair, the 14th-century cloisters, the oldest door in the UK, a 900-year-old garden, the royal sarcophagi and much, much more.
8Need to Know
map Google map; 
%020-7222 5152; www.westminster-abbey.org; 20 Dean’s Yard, SW1; adult/child £22/9; 
h9.30am-3.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 6pm Wed, to 3pm Sat May-Aug, to 1pm Sat Sep-Apr; 
XWestminster
5Take a Break
The only option for food inside the Abbey complex is Cellarium (map Google map; %020-7222 0516; www.benugo.com/restaurants/cellarium-cafe-terrace; mains £9.50-13.50; h8am-6pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 8pm Wed, 9am-5pm Sat, 10am-4pm Sun; 
W; XWestminster), which was part of the original 14th-century Benedictine monastery.
oTop Tip
The Abbey gets incredibly busy, even at opening, so come armed with patience.
There is an extraordinary amount to see at the Abbey. The interior is chock-a-block with ornate chapels, elaborate tombs of monarchs and grandiose monuments to sundry luminaries throughout the ages. First and foremost, however, it is a sacred place of worship.
A Regal History
Though a mixture of architectural styles, the Abbey is considered the finest example of Early English Gothic. The original church was built in the 11th century by King Edward the Confessor (later a saint), who is buried in an elaborate tomb behind the High Altar. King Henry III (r 1216–72) began work on the new building but didn’t complete it; the Gothic nave was finished by King Richard II in 1388. Henry VII’s huge and magnificent Lady Chapel was added in 1516.
The Abbey was initially a monastery for a dozen Benedictine monks, and many of the building’s features attest to this collegial past, including the octagonal Chapter House, the Quire and the College Garden. In the 1530s, King Henry VIII separated the church in England from Rome and dissolved the monasteries. The king became head of the Church of England and the Abbey acquired its ‘royal peculiar’ status, meaning it is administered directly by the Crown and exempt from any ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
North Transept, Sanctuary & Quire
Entrance to the Abbey is via the Great North Door. The North Transept is often referred to as Statesmen’s Aisle: politicians and eminent public figures are commemorated by large marble statues and imposing marble plaques.
At the heart of the Abbey is the beautifully tiled sanctuary (or 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 back to 1268. It has intricate designs of small pieces of marble inlaid into plain marble, which predicts the end of the world in AD 19,693! At the entrance to the lovely Chapel of St John the Baptist is a sublime Virgin and Child bathed in candlelight.
The Quire, a magnificent structure 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 no 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.
Chapels & Chair
The sanctuary is surrounded by chapels. Henry VII’s Lady Chapel, in the easternmost part of the Abbey, is the most spectacular, with its fan vaulting on the ceiling, colourful banners of the Order of the Bath and dramatic oak stalls. Behind the chapel’s altar is the elaborate sarcophagus of Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth of York.
Beyond the chapel’s altar is the Royal Air Force Chapel, with a stained-glass window commemorating the force’s finest hour, the Battle of Britain (1940), and the 1500 RAF pilots who died. A stone plaque on the floor marks the spot where Oliver Cromwell’s body lay for two years (1658) until the Restoration, when it was disinterred, hanged and beheaded. Two bodies, believed to be those of the child princes allegedly murdered in the Tower of London in 1483, were buried here almost two centuries later in 1674.
There are two small chapels either side of Lady Chapel with the tombs of famous monarchs: on the left (north) is where Elizabeth I and her half-sister Mary I (aka Bloody Mary) rest. On the right (south) is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots, beheaded on the orders of her cousin Elizabeth.
The vestibule of the Lady Chapel is the usual place for the rather ordinary-looking Coronation Chair, upon which every monarch since the early 14th century has been crowned.
Shrine of St Edward the Confessor
The most sacred spot in the Abbey lies behind the high altar; access is generally restricted 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.
South Transept & Nave
The south transept contains Poets’ Corner, where many of England’s finest writers are buried and/or commemorated by monuments or memorials.
In the nave’s north aisle is Scientists’ Corner, where you will find Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb. Newton lies alongside fellow greats, including Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking; the latter’s ashes were placed here in 2018. Just ahead of it is the north aisle of the Quire, known as Musicians’ Aisle, where baroque composer Henry Purcell is buried, as well as more modern music makers such as Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar.
The two towers above the west door are the ones through which you exit. These were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and completed in 1745. Just above the door, perched in 15th-century niches, are the additions to the Abbey unveiled in 1998: 10 stone statues of international 20th-century martyrs who died for their Christian faith. These include US pacifist Dr Martin Luther King, the Polish priest St Maximilian Kolbe, who was murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz, and Wang Zhiming, publicly executed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Outer Buildings & Gardens
The oldest part of the cloister is the East Cloister (or East Walk), dating to the 13th century. Off the cloister is the octagonal Chapter House, with one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval tile floors and religious murals on the walls. It was used as a meeting place by the House of Commons in the second half of the 14th century. To the right of the entrance to Chapter House is what is claimed to be the oldest door in Britain – it’s been there for 950 years.
The adjacent Pyx Chamber is one of the few remaining relics of the original Abbey, including the 10th-century Altar of St Dunstan. The chamber contains the pyx, a chest with standard gold and silver pieces for testing coinage weights in a ceremony called the Trial of the Pyx, which nowadays takes place in Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London.
To reach the 900-year-old College Garden (map Google map; %020-7222 5152; www.westminster-abbey.org; off Great College St, SW1; h10am-4pm Tue-Thu; XWestminster) 
F, enter Dean’s Yard and the Little Cloisters off Great College St.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries
Opened in 2018, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries (an additional £5) 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 and wax effigies of generations of royalty, armour and stained glass. Highlights are the graffiti-inscribed chair used for the coronation of Mary II, the beautifully illustrated manuscripts of the Litlyngton Missal from 1380 and the 13th-century Westminster Retable, England’s oldest surviving altarpiece.
Rising above the bustle of the Abbey below, these galleries are much quieter and less visited than the central nave and very much worth the extra ticket price, as they boast the best views of the Abbey.
yDon’t Miss
Views from Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries are the best in the building.
oTop Tip
Crowds are almost as solid as the Abbey’s stonework, so buy tickets online in advance (which also nets a slight discount) or get in the queue first thing in the morning.
TOP EXPERIENCE
British Museum
Britain’s most visited attraction – founded in 1753 when royal physician Hans Sloane sold his ‘cabinet of curiosities’– is an exhaustive and exhilarating stampede through millennia of human civilisation.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
The Rosetta Stone, the Mummy of Katebet and the marble Parthenon Sculptures.
8Need to Know
map Google map; %020-7323 8000; www.britishmuseum.org; Great Russell St, WC1; h10am-5.30pm Sat-Thu, to 8.30pm Fri; XTottenham Court Rd or Russell Sq F
5Take a Break
Just around the corner from the museum in a quiet, picturesque square is one of London’s most atmospheric pubs, the Queen’s Larder (map Google map; %020-7837 5627; www.queenslarder.co.uk; 1 Queen Sq, WC1; h11.30am-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-11pm Sat, noon-10.30pm Sun; XRussell Sq).
oTop Tip
The museum is huge, so pick your interests and consider the free tours.
The British Museum offers a stupendous selection of tours, many of them free. There are 14 free 30-minute Eye-opener tours of individual galleries per day. The museum also has free daily gallery talks, a 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 desk in the Great Court.
Great Court
Past the entry hall is the gasp-worthy Great Court, covered with a spectacular glass-and-steel roof designed by architect Norman Foster in 2000. In its centre is the Reading Room, currently closed, which was once part of the British Library and frequented by the big brains of history, from Mahatma Gandhi to Karl Marx.
Ancient Egypt, Middle East & Greece
The star of the show here is the Ancient Egypt collection. It comprises sculptures, fine jewellery, papyrus texts, coffins and mummies, including the beautiful and intriguing Mummy of Katebet (room 63). The most prized item in the collection (and the most popular postcard in the shop) is the Rosetta Stone (room 4), the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. In the same gallery is the enormous bust of the pharaoh Ramesses the Great (room 4).
Assyrian treasures from ancient Mesopotamia include the 16-tonne Winged Bulls from Khorsabad (room 10), the heaviest object in the museum. Behind it are the exquisite Lion Hunt Reliefs from Nineveh (room 10) from the 7th century BC, which influenced Greek sculpture. Such antiquities are all the more significant after the Islamic State’s bulldozing of Nimrud in 2015.
A major highlight of the museum is the Parthenon sculptures (room 18). The marble frieze is thought to be the Great Panathenaea, a blow-out version of an annual festival in honour of Athena.
Roman & Medieval Britain
Also on Level 3 are finds from Britain and Europe (rooms 40 to 51). Many go back to Roman times, when the empire spread across much of the continent, including the Mildenhall Treasure (room 49), a collection of almost three dozen pieces of 4th-century-AD Roman silverware unearthed in Suffolk in the east of England, which display both pagan and early Christian motifs.
Lindow Man (room 50) is the well-preserved remains of a 1st-century man discovered in a bog near Manchester in northern England in 1984. Equally fascinating are artefacts from the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (room 41), an elaborate 7th-century Anglo-Saxon burial site from Suffolk.
Perennial favourites are the lovely Lewis Chessmen (room 40), some 82 12th-century game pieces carved from walrus tusk and whale teeth that were found on a remote Scottish island in the early 19th century. They served as models for the game of Wizard Chess in the first Harry Potter film.
Enlightenment Galleries
Formerly known as the King’s Library, this stunning neoclassical space (room 1) just off the Great Court was built between 1823 and 1827 and was the first part of the new museum building as it is seen today. Through a fascinating collection of artefacts, the collection traces how such disciplines as biology, archaeology, linguistics and geography emerged during the Enlightenment of the 18th century.
What’s Nearby?
Sir John Soane’s MuseumMuseum
(map Google map; %020-7405 2107; www.soane.org; 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2; h10am-5pm Wed-Sun; XHolborn) F
This little museum is one of the most atmospheric and fascinating in London. The building is the beautiful, bewitching home of architect Sir John Soane (1753–1837), which he left brimming with surprising personal effects and curiosities; the museum represents his exquisite and eccentric taste.
Soane, a country bricklayer’s son, is most famous for designing the Bank of England.
The heritage-listed house is largely as it was when Soane died and is itself a main part of the attraction. It has a canopy dome that brings light right down to the crypt, a colonnade filled with statuary and a picture gallery where paintings are stowed behind each other on folding wooden panes. This is where Soane’s choicest artwork is displayed, including Riva degli Schiavoni, looking West by Canaletto, architectural drawings by Christopher Wren and Robert Adam, and the original Rake’s Progress, William Hogarth’s set of satirical cartoons of late-18th-century London low life. Among Soane’s more unusual acquisitions are an Egyptian hieroglyphic sarcophagus, a mock-up of a monk’s cell and slaves’ chains.
Charles Dickens MuseumMuseum
(map Google map; %020-7405 2127; www.dickensmuseum.com; 48-49 Doughty St, WC1; adult/child £9.50/4.50; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun; XRussell Sq or Chancery Lane)
The prolific writer Charles Dickens lived with his growing family in this handsome four-storey Georgian terraced house for a mere 2½ years (1837–39), but this is where his work really flourished, as he completed The Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist here. Each of the dozen rooms, some restored to their original condition, contains various memorabilia, including the study where you’ll find the desk at which Dickens wrote Great Expectations.
The Squares of BloomsburySquares
The Bloomsbury Group, they used to say, lived in squares, moved in circles and loved in triangles. Russell Square (map Google map; XRussell Sq) sits at the very heart of the district. Originally laid out in 1800, a striking facelift at the start of the new millennium spruced it up and gave the square a 10m-high fountain. The centre of literary Bloomsbury was Gordon Square (map Google map; XRussell Sq or Euston Sq), where some of the buildings are marked with blue plaques. Lovely Bedford Square (map Google map; XTottenham Court Rd) is the only completely Georgian square still surviving in Bloomsbury.
Tavistock Square (map Google map; XRussell Sq or Euston Sq), the ‘square of peace’, has a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a memorial to wartime conscientious objectors and a cherry tree recalling the WWII bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Many writers and artists made their home in Gordon Square, including Bertrand Russell (No 57), Lytton Strachey (No 51) and Vanessa and Clive Bell, Maynard Keynes and the Woolf family (No 46). Strachey, Dora Carrington and Lydia Lopokova (the future wife of Maynard Keynes) all took turns living at No 41.
oTop Tip
Check out the outstanding A History of the World in 100 Objects radio series (www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/ahow), which retraces two million years of history through 100 objects from the museum’s collections.
oDid You Know?
Charles Dickens only spent 2½ years in the house that is now the Charles Dickens Museum, but it was here that he wrote many of his most famous works.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Buckingham Palace
The palace has been the Royal Family’s London lodgings since 1837, when Queen Victoria moved in from Kensington Palace as St James’s Palace was deemed too old-fashioned.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
Peering through the gates, going on a tour of the interior (summer only) or catching the Changing of the Guard.
8Need to Know
map Google map; %0303 123 7300; www.rct.uk/visit/the-state-rooms-buckingham-palace; Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1; adult/child/under 5yr £25/14/free, incl Royal Mews & Queen’s Gallery £45/24.50/free; h9.30am-7pm mid-Jul–Aug, to 6pm Sep; XGreen Park or St James’s Park
5Take a Break
During the summer months, you can enjoy light refreshments in the Garden Café on the Palace’s West Terrace.
oTop Tip
Come early for front-row views of the Changing of the Guard.
The State Rooms are only open in August and September, when Her Majesty is holidaying in Scotland. The Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews are open year-round, however.
State Rooms
The tour starts in the Grand Hall at the foot of the monumental Grand Staircase, commissioned by King George IV in 1828. It takes in architect John Nash’s Italianate Green Drawing Room, the State Dining Room (all red damask and Regency furnishings), the Blue Drawing Room (which has a gorgeous fluted ceiling by Nash) and the White Drawing Room, where foreign ambassadors are received.
Admission includes entry to a themed special exhibition (royal couture during the Queen’s reign, growing up at the palace etc) in the enormous Ballroom, built between 1853 and 1855, and these displays are often the main reason for a visit. The Throne Room is rather anticlimactic, with his-and-her pink chairs monogrammed ‘ER’ and ‘P’.
Picture Gallery & Garden
The most interesting part of the tour is the 47m-long Picture Gallery, featuring splendid works by such artists as Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Canaletto, Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Rubens, Canova and Vermeer.
Wandering the 18 hectares of gardens is another highlight – as well as admiring some of the 350 or so species of flowers and plants and listening to the many birds, you’ll get beautiful views of the palace and a peek of its famous lake.
Changing of the Guard
At 11am, weather permitting, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday (daily in June and July), 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.
Crowds come to watch (map; www.royal.uk/changing-guard; h11am Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri Aug-May, 11am daily Jun & Jul) F the carefully choreographed marching and shouting of the guards in their bright-red uniforms and bearskin hats. It lasts about 45 minutes and is very popular, so arrive early if you want to get a good spot.
Queen’s Gallery
Since the reign of King Charles I, the Royal Family has amassed a priceless collection of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and jewellery. The small Queen’s Gallery (map Google map; www.rct.uk/visit/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace; South Wing; adult/child £12/6, incl Royal Mews £20.70/11.20; h10am-5.30pm, from 9.30am mid-Jul–Sep) showcases some of the palace’s treasures on a rotating basis.
Originally on the site of the gallery, in the South Wing of Buckingham Palace, was a conservatory designed by Welsh architect John Nash. It was converted into a chapel for Queen Victoria in 1843, destroyed in a 1940 air raid and reopened as a gallery in 1962. A £20-million renovation for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 added three times more display space.
Royal Mews
Southwest of the palace, the Royal Mews (map Google map; www.rct.uk/visit/royalmews; Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1; adult/child £12/6.80, with Queen’s Gallery £20.70/11.20; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Mon-Sat Feb, Mar & Nov; XVictoria) started life as a falconry but is now a working stable looking after the Royal Family’s immaculately groomed horses, along with the opulent vehicles the monarch uses for transport. The Queen is well known for her passion for horses; she names every steed that resides at the mews.
Highlights include the enormous and opulent Gold State Coach of 1762, which has been used for every coronation since that of King George IV in 1821; the 2014 Diamond Jubilee State Coach (the newest in the fleet); and the stunning 1820s stables where you might spot some of the Windsor Greys or Cleveland Bays.
What’s Nearby?
St James’s ParkPark
(map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/st-jamess-park; The Mall, SW1; h5am-midnight; XSt James’s Park or Green Park)
At 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; XGreen 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 House Terrace and Horse Guards Parade; the picture-perfect sight of Buckingham Palace from the Blue Bridge spanning the central lake is the best you’ll find.
Royal Academy of ArtsGallery
(map Google map; %020-7300 8000; www.royalacademy.org.uk; Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1; h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, to 10pm Fri; XGreen Park) F
Britain’s oldest society devoted to fine arts was founded in 1768 and moved here to Burlington House a century later. For its 250th birthday in 2018, the RA gave itself a £56-million makeover, opening up 70% more public space. It also made it free to visit its historic collection, which includes drawings, paintings, architectural designs, photographs and sculptures by past and present Royal Academicians, such as Joshua Reynolds, John Constable, Thomas Gainsborough, JMW Turner, David Hockney and Norman Foster.
Horse Guards ParadeHistoric Site
(map Google map; off Whitehall, SW1; XWestminster or Charing Cross)
In a more accessible version of Buckingham Palace’s Changing of the Guard, the horse-mounted troops of the Household Cavalry swap soldiers here at 11am from Monday to Saturday and at 10am on Sunday. A slightly less ceremonial version takes place at 4pm when the dismounted guards are changed. On the Queen’s official birthday in June, the Trooping the Colour (www.householddivision.org.uk/trooping-the-colour; Horse Guards Parade, SW1; hJun; XWestminster or Charing Cross) takes place here.
oDid You Know?
The State Rooms represent a mere 19 of the palace’s 775 rooms.
o Local Knowledge
At the centre of Royal Family life is the Music Room, where four royal babies have been christened – the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles), the Princess Royal (Princess Anne), the Duke of York (Prince Andrew) and the Duke of Cambridge (Prince William) – with water brought from the River Jordan.
TOP EXPERIENCE
Tower of London
With a history as bleak as it is fascinating, the Tower of London is now one of the city’s top attractions, thanks in part to the Crown Jewels.
Great For…
yDon’t Miss
The colourful Yeoman Warders (or Beefeaters), the spectacular Crown Jewels, the soothsaying ravens and armour fit for a king.
8Need to Know
map Google map; %020-3166 6000; www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london; Petty Wales, EC3; adult/child £26.80/12.70, audio guide £4; h9am-4.30pm Tue-Sat, from 10am Sun & Mon; XTower Hill
5Take a Break
The Wine Library (map Google map; %020-7481 0415; www.winelibrary.co.uk; 43 Trinity Sq, EC3; buffet £18; hbuffet 11.30am-3pm Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat, shop 10am-6pm Mon, to 8pm Tue-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat; XTower Hill) is a great place for a light but boozy lunch opposite the Tower.
oTop Tip
Book online for cheaper rates for the Tower.
Begun during the reign of William the Conqueror (1066–87), the Tower is in fact a castle containing 22 towers.
Tower Green
The buildings to the west and the south of this verdant patch have always accommodated Tower officials. Indeed, the current constable has a flat in Queen’s House built in 1540. But what looks at first glance like a peaceful, almost village-like slice of the Tower’s inner ward is actually one of its bloodiest.
Scaffold Site & Beauchamp Tower
Those ‘lucky’ enough to meet their fate here (rather than suffering the embarrassment of execution on Tower Hill, observed by tens of thousands of jeering and cheering onlookers) numbered but a handful and included two of Henry VIII’s wives (and alleged adulterers), Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard; 16-year-old Lady Jane Grey, who fell foul of Henry’s daughter Mary I by attempting to have herself crowned queen; and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, once a favourite of Elizabeth I.
Just west of the scaffold site is brick-faced Beauchamp Tower, where high-ranking prisoners left behind unhappy inscriptions and other graffiti.
Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula
Just north of the scaffold site is the 16th-century Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula (St Peter in Chains), a rare example of ecclesiastical Tudor architecture. The church can be visited on a Yeoman Warder tour, or during the first and last hour of normal opening times.
Crown Jewels
To the east of the Chapel Royal and north of the White Tower is Waterloo Barracks, the home of the Crown Jewels, which are, in a very real sense, priceless. Visitors to the barracks file past film clips of the jewels and their role through history (including fascinating footage of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953) before reaching the vault itself.
Once inside you’ll be dazzled by lavishly bejewelled sceptres, orbs and crowns. Two moving walkways take you past eight crowns and other coronation regalia, including the platinum crown of the late Queen Mother, Elizabeth, which is set with the 106-carat Koh-i-Nûr (Persian for ‘Mountain of Light’) diamond, and the State Sceptre with Cross topped with the 530-carat First Star of Africa (or Cullinan I) diamond. Photography is prohibited, so if you want a second (or third) peek, double back to the beginning of the walkways. A bit further on, exhibited on its own, is the centrepiece: the Imperial State Crown, set with 2868 diamonds (including the 317-carat Second Star of Africa, or Cullinan II), sapphires, emeralds, rubies and pearls. It’s worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament in May/June.
White Tower
Built in stone as a fortress in 1078, this was the original ‘Tower’ of London – its current name came after Henry III whitewashed it in the 13th century. Standing just 30m high, it’s not exactly a skyscraper by modern standards, but in the Middle Ages it would have dwarfed the wooden huts surrounding the castle walls and intimidated the peasantry.
Most of its interior is given over to a Royal Armouries collection of cannon, guns, and suits of mail and armour for men and horses. Among the most remarkable exhibits on the entrance floor are Henry VIII’s two suits of armour, one made for him when he was a dashing 24-year-old and the other when he was a bloated 50-year-old with a waist measuring 129cm. You won’t miss the oversize codpiece. Also here is the fabulous Line of Kings, a late-17th-century parade of carved wooden horses and heads of historic kings. On the 1st floor, check out the 2m suit of armour once thought to have been made for the giant-like John of Gaunt and, alongside it, a tiny child’s suit of armour designed for James I’s young son, the future Charles I. Up on the 2nd floor you’ll find the block and axe used to execute Simon Fraser at the last public execution on Tower Hill in 1747.
Medieval Palace & the Bloody Tower
The Medieval Palace is composed of three towers: St Thomas’s, Wakefield and Langthorn. Inside St Thomas’s Tower (1279) you can look at what the hall and bedchamber of Edward I might once have been like. Here, archaeologists have peeled back the layers of newer buildings to find what went before. Opposite St Thomas’s Tower is Wakefield Tower, built by Edward’s father, Henry III, between 1220 and 1240. Its upper floor is entered from St Thomas’s Tower and has been even more enticingly furnished with a replica throne and other decor to give an impression of how it might have looked as an anteroom in a medieval palace. During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster, King Henry VI was murdered as (it is said) he knelt in prayer in this tower. A plaque on the chapel floor commemorates this Lancastrian king. The Langthorn Tower, residence of medieval queens, is to the east.
Below St Thomas’s Tower along Water Lane is the famous Traitors’ Gate, the portal through which prisoners transported by boat entered the Tower. Opposite Traitors’ Gate is the huge portcullis of the Bloody Tower, taking its nickname from the ‘princes in the Tower’ – Edward V and his younger brother, Richard – who were held here ‘for their own safety’ and later murdered to annul their claims to the throne. An exhibition inside looks at the life and times of Elizabethan adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, who was imprisoned here three times by the capricious Elizabeth I and her successor James I.
oLocal Knowledge
Those beheaded on the scaffold outside the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula – notably Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey – were reburied in the chapel in the 19th century.
East Wall Walk
The huge inner wall of the Tower was added to the fortress in 1220 by Henry III to improve the castle’s defences. It is 36m wide and is dotted with towers along its length. The East Wall Walk allows you to climb up and tour its eastern edge, beginning in the 13th-century Salt Tower, probably used to store saltpetre for gunpowder. The walk also takes in Broad Arrow Tower and Constable Tower, each containing small exhibits. It ends at the Martin Tower, which houses an exhibition about the original coronation regalia. Here you can see some of the older crowns, with their precious stones removed. It was from this tower that Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels in 1671 disguised as a clergyman. He was caught but – surprisingly – Charles II gave him a full pardon.
Yeoman Warders
A true icon of the Tower, the Yeoman Warders have been guarding the fortress since the 15th century. There can be up to 40 and, in order to qualify for the job, they must have served a minimum of 22 years in any branch of the British Armed Forces. In 2007 the first woman was appointed to the post. While officially they guard the Tower, their main role these days is as tour guides. Free 45-minute-long tours leave from the bridge near the main entrance every 30 minutes until 3.30pm (2.30pm in winter).
oDid You Know?
Over the years, the tower has served as a palace, an observatory, an armoury, a mint and even a zoo.
What’s Nearby?
Tower BridgeBridge
(map Google map; %020-7403 3761; www.towerbridge.org.uk; Tower Bridge, SE1; h24hr; XTower 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 (counterbalance) 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; Tower Bridge, SE1; adult/child £9.80/4.20, incl the Monument £12/5.50; h10am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar; XTower Hill), 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; check the Exhibition website for times to see it in action.
MonumentMonument
(map Google map; %020-7621 0285; 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; XMonument)
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 the city’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.
Although Lilliputian by today’s standards, the Monument towered over London when it was built. Climbing up the column’s 311 spiral steps still rewards you with great views, due as much to its central location as to its height.
It’s topped with a gilded bronze urn of flames that some think resembles a big gold pincushion. An earlier Wren design had in its place a phoenix rising from the ashes, while another substituted that for a large statue of Charles II, before the current appearance was selected. If you’re wondering about the chiselled-out section of the Latin inscription on the side, text erroneously blaming Catholics for the fire was erased in 1830.
Leadenhall MarketMarket
(map Google map; www.leadenhallmarket.co.uk; Whittington Ave, EC3; hpublic areas 24hr; XBank)
The Romans had their Forum on this site, but this covered shopping strip off Gracechurch St harks back to the Victorian era, with cobblestones underfoot and late-19th-century ironwork linking its shops and bars. The market appears as Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, while the optician’s shop with a blue door on Bull’s Head Passage was used as the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
30 St Mary AxeNotable Building
(map Google map; www.thegherkinlondon.com; 30 St Mary Axe, EC3; XAldgate)
Nicknamed ‘the Gherkin’ for its distinctive shape and emerald hue, 30 St Mary Axe remains the City’s most intriguing skyscraper, despite the best efforts of the engineering individualism that now surrounds it. It was built in 2003 by award-winning architect Norman Foster, with a futuristic exterior that has become an emblem of modern London – as recognisable as Big Ben. While the building is generally only open to those working in it, HELIX, a 39th-floor restaurant with panoramic views, is open to everyone (booking essential).
o Local Knowledge
Common ravens, which once feasted on the corpses of beheaded traitors, have been here for centuries. Nowadays, they feed on raw beef and biscuits.
oDid You Know?
Yeoman Warders are nicknamed Beefeaters. It’s thought to be due to the rations of beef – then a luxury food – given to them in the past.
1Sights
1The West End
National GalleryGallery
(map Google map; %020-7747 2885; www.nationalgallery.org.uk; Trafalgar Sq, WC2; h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, to 9pm Fri; XCharing Cross) F
With more than 2300 European masterpieces in its collection, this is one of the world’s great galleries, with seminal works from the 13th to the mid-20th century, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Vincent van Gogh and Auguste Renoir. Many visitors flock to the eastern rooms on the main floor (1700–1930), where works by British artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable and JMW Turner, and Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by Van Gogh, Renoir and Claude Monet await.
National Portrait GalleryGallery
(map Google map; %020-7306 0055; www.npg.org.uk; St Martin’s Pl, WC2; h10am-6pm Sat-Thu, to 9pm Fri; XCharing Cross or 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’, thought to be of William Shakespeare (room 4), the first artwork the gallery acquired (in 1856), and a touching sketch of novelist Jane Austen by her sister (room 18).
Houses of ParliamentHistoric Building
(map Google map; %tours 020-7219 4114; www.parliament.uk; Parliament Sq, SW1; guided tour adult/child/under 5yr £28/12/free, audio guide tour £20.50/8.50/free; XWestminster)
A visit here is a journey to the heart of UK democracy. The Houses of Parliament are officially called the Palace of Westminster, and its oldest part is 11th-century Westminster Hall, one of only a few sections that survived a catastrophic 1834 fire. The rest is mostly a neo-Gothic confection built over 36 years from 1840. The palace’s most famous feature is its clock tower, Elizabeth Tower – but better known as Big Ben (map Google map; www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/bigben; Bridge St; XWestminster) – covered in scaffolding until restoration works are finished in 2021.
Trafalgar SquareSquare
(map Google map; XCharing Cross or Embankment)
Opened to the public in 1844, 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, guarded by four bronze lion statues, 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; Trafalgar Sq, WC2; h8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun; XCharing Cross).
Churchill War RoomsMuseum
(map Google map; %020-7416 5000; www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms; Clive Steps, King Charles St, SW1; adult/child £21/10.50; h9.30am-6pm; XWestminster)
Former Prime Minister 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 modern multimedia Churchill Museum affords intriguing insights into the life and times of the resolute, cigar-smoking wartime leader.
Tate BritainGallery
(map Google map; %020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain; Millbank, SW1; h10am-6pm; XPimlico) F
On the site of the former Millbank Penitentiary, the older and more venerable of the two Tate siblings opened in 1892 and celebrates British art from 1500 to the present, including pieces from William Blake, William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable, as well as vibrant modern and contemporary pieces from Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, Francis Bacon and Henry Moore. The stars of the show are, undoubtedly, the light-infused visions of JMW Turner in the Clore Gallery.
Camden Market
Although – or perhaps because – it stopped being cutting-edge several thousand cheap leather jackets ago, Camden Market (map Google map; www.camdenmarket.com; Camden High St, NW1; h10am-late; XCamden Town or Chalk Farm) attracts millions of visitors each year and is one of London’s most popular attractions. What started out as a collection of attractive craft stalls beside Camden Lock on the Regent’s Canal now extends most of the way from Camden Town tube station to Chalk Farm tube station.
The City, the South Bank & East London
1Sights
2Activities, Courses & Tours
5Eating
6Drinking & Nightlife
3Entertainment
1The City
St 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; XSt 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 a celestial experience.
Museum of LondonMuseum
(map Google map; %020-7001 9844; www.museumoflondon.org.uk; 150 London Wall, EC2; h10am-6pm; XBarbican) F
Set aside two hours to romp through 450,000 years of London history at this entertaining and educational museum, one of the capital’s finest. It exhibits everything from a mammoth’s jaw found in Ilford to Oliver Cromwell’s death mask via the desperate scrawls of convicts on a cell from Wellclose Prison. Interactive displays and reconstructed scenes transport visitors from Roman Londinium and Saxon Ludenwic right up to the 21st-century metropolis. Free themed tours offered daily; times displayed by the entrance.
1The South Bank
Tate ModernGallery
(map Google map; %020-7887 8888; www.tate.org.uk; Bankside, SE1; h10am-6pm Sun-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat; 
c; XBlackfriars, Southwark or 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 (map Google map; XSt Paul’s or Blackfriars). 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 Blavatnik Building opened in 2016, increasing the available exhibition space by 60%.
London EyeViewpoint
(map Google map; www.londoneye.com; near County Hall; adult/child £28/23; h11am-6pm Sep-May, 10am-8.30pm Jun-Aug; XWaterloo or 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 line.
Borough MarketMarket
(map Google map; www.boroughmarket.org.uk; 8 Southwark St, SE1; hfull market 10am-5pm Wed & Thu, 10am-6pm Fri, 8am-5pm Sat; XLondon Bridge)
Located in this spot in some form or another since at least the 13th century (and possibly since 1014), this fantastic market is a sight in its own right. Expect it to be crowded – even on days with limited traders (Monday and Tuesday) it always seems to be overflowing with food lovers, wide-eyed visitors and Londoners in search of inspiration for their meals. The market specialises in high-end fresh products; there are also plenty of takeaway stalls and lots of dessert options.
1Kensington & Hyde Park
Hyde ParkPark
(map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde-park; h5am-midnight; XMarble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Knightsbridge or Queensway)
Hyde Park is central London’s largest green 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, it’s a place to stroll and picnic, boat on the Serpentine lake (map Google map; %020-7262 1330; XLancaster Gate or Knightsbridge), or to catch a summer concert or outdoor film during the warmer months.
Natural History MuseumMuseum
(map Google map; www.nhm.ac.uk; Cromwell Rd, SW7; h10am-5.50pm; c; XSouth 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 will love the intriguing Treasures exhibition in the Cadogan Gallery (Green Zone), which houses a host of unrelated objects, from a chunk of moon rock to a dodo skeleton, each telling its own unique story.
Victoria & Albert MuseumMuseum
(V&A; map Google map; %020-7942 2000; www.vam.ac.uk; Cromwell Rd, SW7; h10am-5.45pm Sat-Thu, to 10pm Fri; XSouth 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.
1Greenwich
Royal ObservatoryHistoric Building
(map Google map; %020-8312 6565; www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory; Greenwich Park, Blackheath Ave, SE10; adult/child £10/6.50, incl Cutty Sark £20/11.50; h10am-5pm Sep-Jun, to 6pm Jul & Aug; XGreenwich or Cutty Sark)
Rising like a beacon of time atop Greenwich Park (map Google map; www.royalparks.org.uk; King George St, SE10; h6am-around sunset; XGreenwich, Maze Hill or Cutty Sark), the Royal Observatory is home to the prime meridian (longitude 0° 0’ 0’’). Tickets include access to the Christopher Wren–designed Flamsteed House (named for the first Royal Astronomer) and the Meridian Courtyard, where you can stand with your feet straddling the eastern and western hemispheres. You can also see the Great Equatorial Telescope (1893) inside the onion-domed observatory and explore space and time in the Weller Astronomy Galleries.
Old Royal Naval CollegeHistoric Building
(map Google map; www.ornc.org; 2 Cutty Sark Gardens, SE10; h10am-5pm, grounds 8am-11pm; XCutty Sark) F
Sir Christopher Wren’s baroque masterpiece in Greenwich and indeed Britain’s largest ensemble of baroque architecture, the Old Royal Naval College contains the neoclassical Chapel of St Peter and St Paul (map Google map; www.ornc.org/chapel; SE10; h10am-5pm; XCutty Sark) and the extraordinary Painted Hall (map Google map; %020-8269 4799; www.ornc.org; Old Royal Naval College, SE10; adult/child £12/free; h10am-5pm; XCutty Sark) F. The entire Old Royal Naval College, including the chapel, the visitor centre (map; www.ornc.org/visitor-centre; Pepys Bldg, King William Walk, SE10; h10am-5pm; XCutty Sark) F, and the grounds, can be visited for free. Volunteers lead free 45-minute tours throughout the day from the visitor centre.
National Maritime MuseumMuseum
(map Google map; %020-8312 6565; www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum; Romney Rd, SE10; h10am-5pm; XCutty Sark) F
Narrating the long, briny and eventful history of seafaring Britain, this excellent museum’s exhibits are arranged thematically, with highlights including Miss Britain III (the first boat to top 100mph on open water) from 1933, the 19m-long golden state barge built in 1732 for Frederick, Prince of Wales, the huge ship’s propeller and the colourful figureheads installed on the ground floor. Families will love these, as well as the ship simulator and the ‘All Hands’ children’s gallery on the 2nd floor.
1Kew & Hampton Court
Hampton Court PalacePalace
(www.hrp.org.uk/hamptoncourtpalace; Hampton Court Palace, KT8; adult/child/family £22.70/11.35/40.40; h10am-4.30pm Nov-Mar, to 6pm Apr-Oct; 
fHampton Court Palace, 
dHampton Court)
Built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1515 but coaxed from him by Henry VIII just before Wolsey (as chancellor) fell from favour, Hampton Court Palace is England’s largest and grandest Tudor structure. It was already one of Europe’s most sophisticated palaces when, in the 17th century, Christopher Wren designed an extension. The result is a beautiful blend of Tudor and ‘restrained baroque’ architecture. You could easily spend a day exploring the palace and its 24 hectares of riverside gardens, including a 300-year-old maze (adult/child/family £4.40/2.70/12.80; h10am-5.15pm Apr-Oct, to 3.45pm Nov-Mar; fHampton Court Palace, dHampton Court).
Kew GardensGardens
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; www.kew.org; Kew Rd, TW9; adult/child £13.50/4.50; h10am-6pm Sep, to 5pm Oct, to 3pm Nov-Jan, closes later Feb-Aug; fKew Pier, dKew Bridge, XKew Gardens)
In 1759 botanists began rummaging around the world for specimens to plant in the 3-hectare Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. They never stopped collecting, and the gardens, which have bloomed to 121 hectares, provide the most comprehensive botanical collection on earth (including the world’s largest collection of orchids). A Unesco World Heritage Site, the gardens can easily devour a day’s exploration; for those pressed for time, the Kew Explorer (%020-8332 5648; www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/kew-explorer-land-train; Kew Gardens, TW9; adult/child £5/2; dKew Gardens, XKew Gardens) hop-on/hop-off road train takes in the main sights.
TTours
Guide LondonTours
(Association of Professional Tourist Guides; %020-7611 2545; www.guidelondon.org.uk; half-/full day £165/270)
Hire a prestigious Blue Badge Tourist Guide, know-it-all guides who have studied for two years and passed a dozen written and practical exams to do their job. They can tell you stories behind the sights that you’d only hear from them or whisk you on a themed tour (eg royalty, the Beatles, parks, shopping). Go by car, public transport, bike or on foot.
Hidden LondonTours
(%020-7565 7298; www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/hidden-london; tours £35-85)
Get under the skin of London on an incredible insider-access tour run by the London Transport Museum (map Google map; %020-7379 6344; www.ltmuseum.co.uk; Covent Garden Piazza, WC2; adult/child £17.50/free; h10am-6pm; c; XCovent Garden). Excursions take you to the depths of the city’s abandoned tube stations, which have been film sets for a number of flicks including Skyfall and V for Vendetta, and to the heights of London’s first skyscraper at 55 Broadway, Transport for London’s art-deco HQ.
Shoreditch Street Art ToursWalking
(map Google map; %07834 088533; www.shoreditchstreetarttours.co.uk; tours start at Goat Statue, Brushfield St, E1; adult/child under 16 £15/10; htours usually 10am or 1.30pm Fri-Sun; XLiverpool St)
The walls of Brick Lane and Shoreditch are an ever-changing open-air gallery of street art, moonlighting as the canvas for legends such as Banksy and Eine as well as more obscure artists. Passionate guide Dave, who was bored of his job in the City, once spent his lunch breaks roaming these streets, but he now helps translate the stunning pieces to a rapt audience.
7Shopping
Fortnum & MasonDepartment Store
(map Google map; %020-7734 8040; www.fortnumandmason.com; 181 Piccadilly, W1; h10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-6pm Sun; XGreen Park or Piccadilly Circus)
With its classic eau-de-Nil (pale green) colour scheme, the ‘Queen’s grocery store’ established in 1707 refuses to yield to modern times. Its staff – men and women – still wear old-fashioned tailcoats, and its glamorous food hall is supplied with hampers, marmalade and speciality teas. Stop for a spot of afternoon tea at the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, visited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.
LibertyDepartment Store
(map Google map; %020-7734 1234; www.libertylondon.com; Regent St, entrance on Great Marlborough St, W1; h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-6pm Sun; W; XOxford Circus)
One of London’s most recognisable shops, Liberty department store has a white-and-wood-beam Tudor Revival facade that lures shoppers in to browse luxury contemporary fashion, homewares, cosmetics and accessories, all at sky-high prices. Liberty is known for its fabrics and has a full haberdashery department; a classic London gift or souvenir is a Liberty fabric print, especially in the form of a scarf.
SelfridgesDepartment Store
(map Google map; %0800 123 400; www.selfridges.com; 400 Oxford St, W1; h9am-10pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-6pm Sun; XBond St)
Set in a grandiose column-flanked Grade II–listed structure, Selfridges has been innovating since its doors opened in 1909. Its wacky, ever-changing window displays draw a crowd of its own, especially at Christmas. Inside, an unparalleled food hall, sprawling cosmetics stations and the usual department-store essentials are topped by a rooftop restaurant with delicious city views.
HarrodsDepartment Store
(map Google map; %020-7730 1234; www.harrods.com; 87-135 Brompton Rd, SW1; h10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11.30am-6pm Sun; XKnightsbridge)
Garish and stylish in equal measure, perennially crowded Harrods is an obligatory stop for visitors, from the cash-strapped to the big spenders. The stock is astonishing, as are many of the price tags. High on kitsch, the ‘Egyptian Elevator’ resembles something out of an Indiana Jones epic, while the memorial fountain to Dodi and Di (lower ground floor) merely adds surrealism.
London Markets
Perhaps the biggest draw for visitors is the capital’s famed markets. These treasure troves of small designers, unique jewellery pieces, original framed photographs and posters, colourful vintage pieces and bric-a-brac, are the antidote to impersonal, carbon-copy shopping centres.
The most popular markets are Camden, Old Spitalfields (map; www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com; Commercial St, E1; h10am-8pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat, to 5pm Sun; XLiverpool St, Shoreditch High St or Aldgate East) and Portobello Road (map; www.portobellomarket.org; Portobello Rd, W10; h8am-6.30pm Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat, to 1pm Thu; XNotting Hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove), which operate most days, but there are dozens of others, such as Brick Lane’s excellent Sunday Upmarket (map Google map; %020-7770 6028; www.sundayupmarket.co.uk; Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1; h11am-6pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; XShoreditch High St), which only pop up on the weekend. Camden and Old Spitalfields are both mainly covered, but even the outdoor markets are busy, rain or shine.
5Eating
Once the butt of many a culinary joke, London has transformed itself over the last few decades and today is a global dining destination. World-famous chefs can be found at the helm of several top-tier restaurants, but it is the sheer diversity on offer that is head-spinning: from Afghan to Zambian, London delivers an A to Z of world cuisine.
Hook Camden TownFish & Chips£
(map Google map; www.hookrestaurants.com; 63-65 Parkway, NW1; mains £8-12; hhours vary, usually noon-3pm & 5.30-9pm/10pm most days; c; XCamden Town) 
S
In addition to working entirely with sustainable small fisheries and local suppliers, Hook makes all its sauces on-site and wraps its fish in recycled materials, supplying diners with extraordinarily fine-tasting morsels. Totally fresh, the fish arrives in panko breadcrumbs or tempura batter, with seaweed salted chips. Wash it down with craft beer, wines and cocktails.
Watch HouseCafe£
(map Google map; %020-7407 6431; www.thewatchhouse.com; 199 Bermondsey St, SE1; mains from £4.95; h7am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat & Sun; 
v; XBorough or London Bridge)
Saying that the Watch House nails the sandwich wouldn’t really do justice to this tip-top cafe: the sandwiches really are delicious. There is also great coffee and treats for the sweet-toothed. The small but lovely setting is a renovated 19th-century watch-house from where guards watched over the next-door cemetery. No bathroom.
St JohnBritish££
(map Google map; %020-7251 0848; www.stjohnrestaurant.com; 26 St John St, EC1; mains £15.80-28; hnoon-3pm & 6-11pm Mon-Fri, 6-11pm Sat, 12.30-4pm Sun; XFarringdon)
Around the corner from London’s last remaining meat market, St John is the standard-bearer for nose-to-tail cuisine, which makes use of every part of the animal. With whitewashed brick walls, high ceilings and simple wooden furniture, it’s surely one of the most humble Michelin-starred restaurants anywhere. The menu changes daily but is likely to include the signature roast bone marrow and parsley salad.
Anchor & HopeGastropub££
(map Google map; %020-7928 9898; www.anchorandhopepub.co.uk; 36 The Cut, SE1; mains £12-20; h5-11pm Mon, 11am-11pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-3.15pm Sun; XSouthwark)
The Anchor & Hope is a quintessential gastropub: elegant but not formal, serving utterly delicious European fare with a British twist. The menu changes daily, but could include grilled sole served with spinach, or roast rabbit with green beans in a mustard and bacon sauce. Bookings taken for Sunday lunch only.
Corner RoomModern British££
(map Google map; %020-7871 0460; www.townhallhotel.com; Patriot Sq, E2; mains £13-14, 2-/3-course lunch £19/23; hnoon-4pm Mon-Fri, noon-2.30pm Sat & Sun, 6-9.45pm Sun-Wed, 6-10.15pm Thu-Sat; XBethnal Green)
Tucked away on the 1st floor of the Town Hall Hotel, this relaxed industrial-chic restaurant serves expertly crafted dishes with complex yet delicate flavours, highlighting the best of British seasonal produce, with a French touch.
Foyer & Reading Room at Claridge’sBritish£££
(map Google map; %020-7107 8886; www.claridges.co.uk; Brook St, W1; afternoon tea £65, with champagne £75-85; hafternoon tea 2.45-5.30pm; W; XBond St)
Extend that pinkie finger to partake in afternoon tea within the classic art deco foyer and Reading Room of the landmark hotel Claridge’s, where the gentle clink of fine porcelain and champagne glasses could be a defining memory of your trip to London. The setting is gorgeous and the dress code is smart casual to befit the surroundings.
Vanilla BlackVegetarian£££
(map Google map; %020-7242 2622; www.vanillablack.co.uk; 17-18 Took’s Ct; 3-/4-course £31/41.50; hnoon-2.30pm & 6-10pm Mon-Sat; v; XChancery Lane)
You’ll need a reservation (and perhaps a compass) to dine at this vegetarian institution, located along an empty backstreet behind Chancery Lane. But your efforts will be rewarded with one of the finest dining experiences in the City. An ever-changing menu of imaginative, deconstructed dishes elevates vegetables from sideshow to superstar; think vanilla-roasted celeriac profiteroles with dill and raisins.
Clove ClubGastronomy£££
(map Google map; %020-7729 6496; www.thecloveclub.com; Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old St, EC1; lunch £65, dinner £95-145; hnoon-1.45pm Tue-Sat, 6-10.30pm Mon-Sat; v; XOld St)
From humble origins as a supper club in a London flat, the Clove Club has transformed into this impressive Michelin-starred restaurant, named one of the world’s best in 2017. The menu is a mystery until dishes arrive at the table; expect intricately arranged plates with impeccably sourced ingredients from around the British Isles. Your wallet might feel empty, but you sure won’t.
Dinner by Heston BlumenthalModern British£££
(map Google map; %020-7201 3833; www.dinnerbyheston.com; Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, SW1; 3-course set lunch £45, mains £33-52; hnoon-2pm & 6-10.15pm Mon-Fri, noon-2.30pm & 6.30-10.30pm Sat & Sun; W; XKnightsbridge)
Sumptuously presented Dinner is a gastronomic tour de force, taking diners on a journey through British culinary history (with inventive modern inflections). Dishes carry historical dates to convey context, while the restaurant interior is a design triumph, from the glass-walled kitchen and its overhead clock mechanism to the large windows looking onto the park. Book ahead.
6Drinking & Nightlife
You need only glance at William Hogarth’s Gin Lane prints from 1751 to realise that Londoners and alcohol have had more than a passing acquaintance. The metropolis offers a huge variety of venues to wet your whistle in – from cosy neighbourhood pubs to glitzy all-night clubs, and everything in between.
Lamb & FlagPub
(map Google map; %020-7497 9504; www.lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk; 33 Rose St, WC2; h11am-11pm Mon-Sat, noon-10.30pm Sun; XCovent Garden)
Perpetually busy pint-sized Lamb & Flag is full of charm and history, and has been a public house since at least 1772. Rain or shine, you’ll have to elbow your way through the merry crowd drinking outside to get to the bar. The main entrance is at the top of tiny, cobbled Rose St.
Dukes LondonCocktail Bar
(map Google map; %020-7491 4840; www.dukeshotel.com/dukes-bar; Dukes Hotel, 35 St James’s Pl, SW1; h2-11pm Mon-Sat, 4-10.30pm Sun; W; XGreen Park)
Sip to-die-for martinis in a gentlemen’s-club-like ambience at this classic bar where white-jacketed masters mix up perfect preparations. James Bond fans in particular should make a pilgrimage here: author Ian Fleming used to frequent the place, where he undoubtedly ordered his drinks ‘shaken, not stirred’. Smokers can ease into the secluded Cognac and Cigar Garden to light up cigars purchased here.
George InnPub
(NT; map Google map; %020-7407 2056; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/george-inn; 77 Borough High St, SE1; h11am-11pm Mon-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat, noon-10.30pm Sun; XLondon Bridge)
This magnificent galleried coaching inn is the last of its kind in London. The present building, owned by the National Trust, dates from 1677 and is mentioned in Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit. The picnic benches in the huge cobbled courtyard fill up on balmy evenings (no reservations); otherwise you can find a spot in the labyrinth of dark rooms and corridors inside.
The Pub
The pub (public house) is at the heart of London life and is one of the capital’s great social levellers. Virtually every Londoner has a ‘local’ and looking for your own is a fun part of any visit to the capital.
Pubs in the City and other central areas are mostly after-work drinking dens, busy from 5pm onwards with the post-work crowd during the week. But in more residential areas, pubs come into their own at weekends, when long lunches turn into sloshy afternoons and groups of friends settle in for the night. Many also run popular quizzes on weeknights. Other pubs entice punters through the doors with live music or comedy. Some have developed such a reputation for the quality of their food that they’ve been dubbed gastropubs.
You can order almost any beverage you like in a pub: beer, wine, soft drinks, spirits and sometimes hot drinks too. Some specialise in craft beer, offering drinks from local microbreweries, including real ale, fruit beers, organic ciders and other rarer beverages. Others, particularly the gastropubs, invest in a good wine list.
In winter, some pubs offer mulled wine; in summer the must-have drink is Pimm’s and lemonade (if it’s properly done it should have fresh mint leaves, citrus, strawberries and cucumber).
3Entertainment
Shakespeare’s GlobeTheatre
(map Google map; %020-7401 9919; www.shakespearesglobe.com; 21 New Globe Walk, SE1; seats £20-45, standing £5; XBlackfriars or London Bridge)
If you love Shakespeare and the theatre, the Globe (map; %020-7902 1500; tours adult/child £17/10; h9am-5pm; c) will knock your theatrical socks off. This authentic Shakespearean theatre is a wooden ‘O’ without a roof over the central stage area, and although there are covered wooden bench seats in tiers around the stage, many people (there’s room for 700) do as 17th-century ‘groundlings’ did, and stand in front of the stage.
Royal Albert HallConcert Venue
(map Google map; %0845 401 5034; 020-7589 8212; www.royalalberthall.com; Kensington Gore, SW7; XSouth Kensington)
This splendid Victorian concert hall hosts classical music, rock and other performances, but is famously the venue for the BBC-sponsored Proms. Booking is possible, but from mid-July to mid-September Promenaders queue for £5 standing tickets that go on sale one hour before curtain-up. Otherwise, the box office and prepaid-ticket collection counter are through door 12 (south side of the hall).
8INFORMATION
Visit London (www.visitlondon.com) can fill you in on everything from tourist attractions and events (Changing the Guard, Chinese New Year parade etc) to river trips and tours, accommodation, eating, theatre, shopping, children’s activities and LGBT+ venues. Kiosks are dotted about the city and can provide maps and brochures; some branches book theatre tickets.
8GETTING THERE & AWAY
The city has five main airports: Heathrow, which is the largest, to the west; Gatwick to the south; Stansted to the northeast; Luton to the northwest; and London City in Docklands.
Most trans-Atlantic flights land at Heathrow (average flight time from the US East Coast is between 6½ and 7½ hours, 10 to 11 hours from the West Coast; slightly more on the return).
Visitors from Europe are more likely to arrive at Gatwick, Stansted or Luton (the last two are used exclusively by low-cost airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair). Most flights to Continental Europe last from one to three hours.
An increasingly popular form of transport is the Eurostar – the Channel Tunnel train – between London and Paris or Brussels. The journey takes 2¼ hours to Paris and less than two hours to Brussels. Travellers depart from and arrive in the centre of each city.
8GETTING AROUND
The cheapest way to get around London is with an Oyster Card or a UK contactless card (foreign cardholders should check for contactless charges first).
Tube (London Underground) The fastest and most efficient way of getting around town. First/last trains operate from around 5.30am to 12.30am and 24 hours on Friday and Saturday on five lines.
Train The DLR and Overground network are ideal for zooming across more distant parts of the city. Trains run from a number of stations to more distant destinations in and around London.
Bus The London bus network is very extensive and efficient; while bus lanes free up traffic, buses can still be slow going.
Taxis Black cabs are ubiquitous, but not cheap. Available around the clock.
Bicycle Santander Cycles are great for shorter journeys around central London.
iWhere to Stay
| Neighbourhood | Atmosphere |
|---|---|
| West End | Close to main sights; great transport links; wide range of accommodation in all budgets; good restaurants. Busy tourist areas. |
| The City | Near St Paul’s and Tower of London; good transport links; handy central location; quality hotels; some cheaper weekend rates. Very quiet at weekends; a business district so high prices during the week. |
| The South Bank | Near Tate Modern, London Eye and Southbank Centre; cheaper than West End; excellent pubs and views. Many chain hotels. |
| Kensington & Hyde Park | Excellent for South Kensington museums and shopping; great accommodation range; stylish area; good transport. Quite expensive; drinking and nightlife options limited. |
| Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields | Hip area with great bars and nightlife; excellent for boutique hotels. Few top sights. |
| East London | Markets, multicultural feel; great restaurants and traditional pubs. Limited sleeping options; some areas less safe at night. |
| North London | Leafy; vibrant nightlife; pockets of village charm; excellent boutique hotels and hostels; great gastropubs; quiet during the week. |
| West London | Good shopping, markets and pubs; excellent boutique hotels; good transport. Pricey; light on top sights. |
| Greenwich & South London | Great boutique options; leafy escapes; near top Greenwich sights. Sights spread out beyond Greenwich; transport limited. |
| Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court | Smart riverside hotels; semirural pockets; quiet; fantastic riverside pubs. Sights spread out; a long way from central London. |