Hotels-Base.com

For the London traveler looking for variety, the West End is the place to be. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops mix with the latest restaurants and Covent Garden is not far. And, then of course, there’s the world-renowned theater - the rival (some would say tutor) of Broadway.

Soho is a short walk away. For those interested in the red-light district in the home of the Puritans, that’s here - and has been for over a century.

But Soho is much more than strip bars and prostitutes. As the area, along with many parts of London, undergoes a rejuvenation, there are also expensive restaurants and shops to enjoy. Soho Square has places to sit and watch the city go buy in safety and comfort.

Leicester Square has cinemas for the movie-goer and street performers for live, impromptu entertainment. And, as expected, there are crowds of people and distinctive architecture for those who just want to take in the spontaneous sights that uniquely define any metropolis.

Picture by: Ian Britton - FreeFoto.com

To see ground zero of ‘mod’ 60s fashions, visit Carnaby Street where you can still pick up an Austin Powers-style vest or a pair of bell-bottomed jeans.

Shopping galore can be found along Oxford Street, which stretches 3km (1.8mi) through the West end. At one end is the Marble Arch (relocated from Buckingham Palace in the 19th century) to Tottenham Court Road.

The street’s origins date back to Roman times, but now holds over 300 shops with five million square feet of shopping space. There’s everything from large department stores to little specialty shops for that unique gift to take back home. Where else can you get a genuine British Army Officer’s swagger stick than James Smith & Sons?

Selfridge’s (founded in 1909 by the American Henry Gordon Selfridge) is alone worth a visit. It has an elaborate, ornate facade and features a clock known as the Queen of Time.

While you’re in the neighborhood, check out another interesting clock: the Liberty Clock, just outside the Liberty store. Very popular with the tourists, there are figures of St. George and the Dragon on the lower part. Close to Regents Street and Great Malborough Street. Exit at the Oxford Circus tube stop.

But, the piece de resistance has to be the theaters.

The Palace Theater, for example, is a sight to see even from the outside. An ornate terracotta building, first opened as an opera house, it stands at Cambridge Circus and is still a venue for musicals 80 years later. The Roman columns in the black marble foyer will draw you in and up the arched stairway.

With over a dozen major musicals and plays being performed at any time, there’s a wide array of choices. Not least of which is the flagship Royal National Theatre with three auditoriums.

There’s also the re-created Globe Theatre, a favorite since the time of Shakespeare. Open to the elements, with no stage lighting or microphones used, it sits near its original Bankside location.

Be prepared for all sorts of weather and all kinds of people. You’ll see both in London’s West End.

Picture by: Ian Britton - FreeFoto.com

If you have five years for a vacation you might be able to see about half of what London has to offer. No matter your tastes - whether modern or classical art, monuments and museums, zoos and gardens, nightclubs, theater, music, and on and on - it’s here in abundance.

A perfect blend of ancient and modern, London has over 200 galleries and 300 museums, and 150 events a day to interest the traveler. One could see the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels in the morning and the Tate art museums in the afternoon. Or visit Parliament early then shop at Harrods later.

Westminster Abbey is the burial place of kings, poets and scientists, and a short distance from the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Cathedrals and churches that rival the best of France or Italy are here, especially the must-see St. Paul’s Cathedral.

For those who might have enjoyed Wall Street in New York, London has its own - and much older - version in The City. This hub actually has roots that go back thousands of years, since before money was even invented.

There are Inns galore also dating back a thousand years or more and several outstanding parks, such as St James, Hyde Park or Regents with the famous gardens and the even more famous zoo. Holland park has an opera house and Japanese gardens and Kensington the amazing gardens and the Royal costume collection.

Speaking of gardens, be sure not to overlook Covent Garden. Not really gardens at all, the area is a spectacular array of theaters, shops and more where the street performers compete with restaurants, bars, clubs and shops for tourists’ attention. The Royal Opera house is here, for those who prefer a different style of entertainment.

London’s famous outdoor markets also go back centuries, where the antique hunting at Portobello Road is unmatched anywhere. Borough Market has been thriving here for over a thousand years. The atmosphere in some is almost like a Moroccan bazarre. And, for those who like their burgers bizarre, you can get an ostrich patty cooked to taste.

But after all that shopping one is bound to be hungry and tired. The West End offers a variety of pubs at a range of prices and quality of cuisine. Then after a meal, the weary traveler can see a show that rivals the best of Broadway. Many actually begin in London and only later travel to New York.

Museums abound. The Victoria & Albert, named for the famous 19th century queen and her consort, the Natural History and Science museums, and the world-renowned British Museum could each form a day’s excursion.

But newer attractions are also worthwhile. The London Eye, build at the turn of the millennium, continues to attract visitors as if 2000 weren’t years earlier. It touts the world’s largest ferris wheel and a 30-minute boat ride in a glass gondola that offers views of Big Ben and the River Thames. And the Tate Modern, opened in the same year features Picasso, Matisse and other famous names of 20th century art.

So, once you’ve explored all those venues thoroughly, come back and we’ll lay out another five years of places to see and things to do.

Hotels in London

Trafalgar Square is the center of England in more ways than one. At its south end lies what used to be Charing Cross, the point from which all distances to London are measured. Long since, the cross erected by Edward I in 1290 (as a tribute to his wife, Eleanor) has been replaced by a statue of Charles I atop a horse.

The major construction was completed in 1845 and has enjoyed continual popularity since - sometimes to the regret of its sponsors. The large open piazza-style area is often the preferred site of political demonstrations, and has been from its beginning.

The centerpiece of the center of England is unquestionably the 185-foot column, with the 17-foot statue of Lord Nelson at its peak. This is fitting since the square itself was designed as a tribute to Nelson’s military victory of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

At the base of the column are four large bronze lions sculpted by Landseer, sitting atop huge granite plinths. (A plinth is a block of stone that serves as a base for a column or statue.) Bronze reliefs at the base depict four of Admiral Nelson’s famous battles.

Once home to large flocks of pigeons, the tower and other structures have been rejuvenated after a program to radically decrease the bird population. A program not without controversy, as they were popular with many of the tourists.

The square, apart from being the intersection for several major roadways, holds a dozen things to do and see. All around are working fountains designed in the Neo-Classical style that formed the ‘look’ of public squares for centuries.

On the north side of the square sits the National Gallery, one of the world’s premier art museums. Along with one of the richest collections of paintings, the building itself is a work of art.

East of there is St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields church. On the south is Whitehall, where a visitor can see The Cenotaph (built to memorialize the Armistice in 1919).

To the west is Canada House. Visiting Canadians can use the facility to read Canadian newspapers and send or receive emails, but the classical exterior is worth a look for anyone.

On the east side is South Africa House with a delightful display of African animals featured on its stone arches.

Picture by: Ian Britton - FreeFoto.com

If visiting during Christmas, be sure to bundle up and come at night to see the tree lighting ceremony. A tradition since 1947, every year Norway - as an expression of gratitude for British support during WWII - sends a giant spruce or fir to London. The tree is erected and decorated and the Mayor of Oslo joins the Lord Mayor of Westminster to illuminate the tree.

Less than a mile away are several other great sights, such as the Churchill Museum and 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister since 1732. Dr. Johnson’s house (creator of the first English dictionary and a writer) is about a mile away as is the British Museum, one of the world’s largest collections of artifacts.

Hotels in London

Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding.

In many respects the architecture is common. There’s the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction.

For, here lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.

Here lie many of the kings of English history. Henry III, for example, who reigned from the age of nine for 56 years, is buried in the Abbey. Much of the current structure owes its origins to his efforts.

New discoveries are still being made within its walls. As recently as 2005 the burial tomb of its founder, Edward the Confessor (Edward I) was discovered beneath a 1268 AD Cosmati mosaic. A number of other royal tombs dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries were also found using ground penetrating radar.

But far from being merely about the dead, here the centuries of history come alive. Still an active church, Westminster Abbey is the site of services and events for all denominations. Used for every coronation since William the Conqueror’s in 1066, pageantry combines with austerity to create an atmosphere of grandeur.

That grandeur can be seen in the enormous vaulted ceilings, typical of early Gothic design. But the artistic grandeur combines with technological brilliance. Just as one example, the support arches are not the ornate visible ones, but are actually enclosed within the thick stone roof.

The art housed by the Abbey makes the site worth visiting. Inside the west entrance is a portrait of Richard II, painted in 1390, making it one of the oldest known contemporary portraits of a British monarch.

There are several outstanding monuments in the nave, including those depicting Winston Churchill and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior of WWI. This last was the last full-body interment in the abbey. Only containers of ashes are allowed now.

From the cloister, walk to the octagonal Chapter House near Poet’s Corner, one of the earliest constructed sections, built at the time of Henry III. Here you can see the mixture of architectural styles forming the Abbey, as the result of additions made over the centuries.

Stroll over to the south transept to view the original rose window with its nearby rare medieval sculpture. Three dimensional art was often considered sinful during the period.

Then stand near the center where the various architectural elements join and take in a 360 degree view. Almost 1,000 years of history in a brief glance, still alive and still being made.

The Abbey is easily reached by the tube (the London Underground subway system). Exit at the St James Park stop.

Hotels in London