London Travel Guide

Address: Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA

Buckingham Palace is the British royal family's primary residence and, like many royal residences the world over, only parts of the palace are open to visitors and only during part of the year. Even when it's not open, however, tourists usually make a point of going to see it.

The first royal to live here was Queen Victoria in 1837, though a smaller royal residence has been on this site since 1703. Buckingham Palace today has more than 770 rooms and the largest private garden in London. It also houses many of the original 19th century decorations and furniture. The palace and all its art, however, does not belong to the royal family - they are all property of the United Kingdom.

Because getting inside Buckingham Palace can be tricky in the high season, you might want to just enjoy the exterior view and a popular attraction to many tourists - the Changing of the Guard. This takes place at 11:30 each morning from April to June, and the rest of the year it's every other morning (weather permitting). There's a notice board outside the palace which says whether the ceremony is on for the day.

Hours: late July through late September - 09:45-18:00 (last admission 15:45)

Admission:
State Rooms:
£15 adults, £13.50 students (with valid ID)/over 60, £8.50 children 5-17 (under five - free), £38.50 family (2 adults and 3 children under 17)

Royal Mews, Queen's Gallery:
£27 adults, £24 students (with valid ID)/over 60, £15.50 children 5-17 (under five - free), £69.50 family (2 adults and 3 children under 17)

Address: 1 The Piazza, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8HB

Dating back to the 17th Century when it was called Convent Garden - named after a plot of land cultivated by Middle Age monks - Covent Garden is one of the liveliest public places in London today. Built around a piazza in the English capital?s bustling West End district, Covent Garden is a magnet for tourists and trendy locals alike.

The Royal Opera House is on one edge and the small St. Paul?s Covent Garden church on another, while the center is dominated by the large market building that anchors the area. For centuries Covent Garden operated as a local fresh food market, and was originally an open-air affair, but the food vendors were moved elsewhere in 1974. The newish market buildings now are home to various trendy retailers in addition to restaurants and cafes.

The neighborhood itself is also referred to as Covent Garden, and it?s a major center for nightlife as well as cutting-edge and upscale fashion stores. A number of popular bars and clubs are on the edge of the market building area, and a never-ending stream of buskers and street performers entertain crowds of tourists in all but the worst weather.

Hours: The market building is open Monday ? Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the restaurants and bars on the edges are open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.

Admission: Free

Address: Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London

London's Houses of Parliament are in the Palace of Westminster, also known as Westminster Palace. Both the House of Lords and the House of Commons meet here. The building is one of the largest Parliament buildings on earth, but began as a royal palace and the present-day building dates from as early as the late 11th century. A fire in 1834 destroyed most of the palace, so much of the current Westminster Palace is much more recent. Although the Palace of Westminster was still technically a royal palace in the 1500s, it was used for the Houses of Parliament from 1530.

Perhaps the most recognizable exterior feature of the Houses of Parliament is that giant clock, Big Ben, but the entire building is a World Heritage Site. When Parliament is in session (late September through mid-July), the only public access is in the viewing chamber on weekday afternoons. When Parliament is not in session, there are guided tours of most of the palace, including many areas which are inaccessible otherwise. Because the period in which these tours are given is limited, tickets can sell out quickly. Even when Parliament is meeting, the line to get into the viewing gallery can be extensive. You're advised to book in advance whenever possible.

Access: The line to get in is outside St. Stephen's Entrance. When Parliament is sitting, it tends to be easiest to visit the House of Commons between 18:00-22:30 Monday, after 13:30 Tuesday-Thursday and 09:00 on Friday. Visits to the viewing galleries are free.

Hours: From late July through late September: generally open from 09:15-16:30 (except Wednesday-Thursday when they open at 13:15).

Admission: For the out-of-session tours - £12 adults, £30 family (maximum two adults), £8 students, £5 children 5-15 years (children under 5 - free)

Address: Exhibition Rd., Westminster, London, UK

The most famous and centrally located of the many large green areas in London, Hyde Park is almost unavoidable for tourist, and that?s a good thing. Officially, Hyde Park is only the eastern half of the large area that also includes neighboring Kensington Gardens (the setting of the book Peter Pan), but most people refer to the whole thing as Hyde Park anyway. The Hyde Park side is more open, while the Kensington Gardens side on the west is gated and more formal.

The areas rimming the park are overloaded with important neighborhoods and sights, but the park itself has many notable features as well. The northeast corner of the park is one end of the major retail zone of Oxford Street, and on that corner stands the famous Marble Arch, which has been a local landmark and meeting spot since it was moved here in 1851. Just next to that is Speakers? Corner, a small area where anyone with anything thing at all to say in encouraged ? or at least allowed ? to announce anything they?d like, no matter how little sense it might make. Nearer the center of Hyde Park is the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial that opened in 2004.

Hours: Always open

Admission: Free

Address: British Airways London Eye, Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7PB, UK

Some people call it the London Eye-sore, although Millennium Wheel is a more popular nickname for this giant observation wheel conspicuously stationed on the south bank of the River Thames in the heart of London. Opened to the public in March, 2000 to mixed reviews as part of the Millennium Celebration, the London Eye has become the most popular paid visitor attraction in this tourist-filled city.

Towering 135 meters high, it?s not the largest Ferris wheel in the world, but it is the largest of the unique design known as observation wheels. The London Eye is made up of 32 sealed and air-conditioned capsules, each able to hold about 25 people.

Unlike the typical amusement park Ferris wheel, this one inches along at one revolution every 30 minutes or so. The rotation is so slow that the wheel rarely needs to stop to change passengers, since, with few exceptions, people can unload and load while it?s moving. The views (on clear days) are as amazing as you?d expect, but riding the thing is anything but cheap. Prices are slightly higher for a rotation with a tour guide in your capsule called Discovery Flights.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from June to September, until 8 p.m. the rest of the year

Admission: Adults - £15, ages 60+ - £11, ages 5-15 - £7.50. Slight discounts are available for booking on the phone or on the official London Eye website.

Address: 24-36 Regent Street, Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QF

Often thought of as the Times Square of London, Piccadilly Circus is really just a famous intersection in the city?s West End entertainment district where a maze of streets come together with a large aluminum fountain of Eros in the center of its wide pedestrian area. Don?t look for any clowns or elephants, in this case ?circus? is the literal Latin word that means circle, even though the intersection lost its circular shape in the late 19th Century.

Piccadilly Circus has been the site of giant outdoor advertising since the early 1900s, but now only one building has its upper floors covered with huge neon signs facing the intersection. They are impressive during the day and even more so after dark. The area is a major retail center with a couple of large music stores as well as Lillywhite?s sporting goods, which has been in the same location for almost a century, and the 600-seat Criterion Theatre continually hosting West End plays and musicals.

The area seems to be packed with people during the day and into the night. Dozens of nearby bars and clubs funnel patrons down into the center for a late night bite to eat before catching the night buses back home. There is a tube station beneath the entire intersection ? on the Piccadilly Line ? making it easy to reach from nearly everywhere, including directly from Heathrow Airport.

Hours: Always open

Admission: Free

Address: St Paul's Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, UK

There has been a church of some sort on this site for more than 1,400 years, but the current St. Paul?s Cathedral only dates back to the late 17th Century. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames, this is one of the largest churches in the world and the most important church in England. The list of notable events to be held here is endless, but a recent one that sticks in most people?s minds is the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. The list of people buried in the cathedral?s crypt is a who?s who of English history, including Winston Churchill and Lord Byron.

The cathedral is extremely popular among visitors and the general public is welcome. The 530-step spiral staircase leading up to the Golden Gallery is a highlight for those in good shape. On the way, one can experience the Whispering Gallery where perfect acoustics project even a whisper for almost 40 meters around the curve. Tickets can be purchased online from St. Paul?s official website.

Hours: For sightseers, from Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Admission: Adults - £9.50, ages 7 ? 16 - £3.50, with discounts for groups and families

Address: Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2UP

The Tower Bridge's proximity to the famous Tower of London is where this bridge gets its name. It's one of the more recognizable symbols of London, with its two distinct towers. It's not just an historical monument, however, as the A100 Tower Bridge Road runs across it carrying automobile traffic as well as pedestrians. The neighborhood of Bankside is at the west of the bridge, and the Butler's Wharf area is to the east.

This famous drawbridge was built in the 1890s, and today you can not only walk across it (and, from either bank of the river, get great pictures of it), you can also visit the inner workings of the Tower Bridge. The upper walkways are open to the public via the Tower Bridge Exhibition, as are the Victorian Engine Rooms where you can see the original steam engines that made the drawbridge go up and down when it was first built.

Access: Ticket office is on NW side of the Tower Bridge. Entrance to Victorian Engine Rooms is on south side of bridge.

Hours:
April 1-September 30 - 10:00-18:30 (last admission 17:30)
October 1-March 31 - 09:30-18:00 (last admission 17:00)
Closed - December 24-26

Admission: £6 adults, £3 child 5-15, £4.50 students with ID/seniors over 60, £10 1 adult + 1 child, £12 2 adults + 1 child, £14 2 adults + 2 children; children under five and disabled visitors with a caregiver are free

Address: The Tower of London, London, England, EC3N 4AB

The Tower of London's full name is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, but thankfully it's usually known as just "The Tower." Its purpose was that of a palace for the royals, a fortress against invaders and a prison (mainly for royal prisoners), and it has also seen quite a few instances of execution and torture as well. These days, it's an interesting historical monument on the River Thames, with a few gory details thrown in for good measure.

Famous prisoners in the Tower of London (which is actually several towers) have included kings and queens of England, Scotland and France, and the last person held in The Tower was released as recently as 1952. Among those executed in The Tower were Queen Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey. Boleyn is said to haunt the grounds to this day.

There are several museums inside the various buildings on The Tower grounds, and you'll enjoy seeing the Beefeaters who staff the area today. Just be careful of those giant ravens they tend - they're carnivores, and not afraid of tourists.

Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, 09:00-18:00
Sunday-Monday, 10:00-18:00
Last admission 17:00

Admission:
Adult £16.00
Child (under 16) £9.50
Child (under 5) Free
Discounts (student with ID, disabled visitors, senior citizens over 60) £13.00
Family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) £45.00
Advance booking rates are the same as listed above, group rates are slightly less for all but the family rate (there is no group discount for the family price)

Address: Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, UK

In several ways, Trafalgar Square is considered the heart and center of London. This concrete public space across from the National Gallery museum has been an important gathering place for Londoners for centuries. Political protests have been common in the square since the mid 19th Century and even today this is the first place groups typically meet when a cause arises.

A giant statue called Nelson?s Column is the focal point of the square, alongside a large fountain. Trafalgar Square had been famous for many decades for its massive pigeon population as locals and visitors alike would buy feed in order to be swamped by the birds moments later. Due to the damage their waste was causing, as well as other health concerns, pigeon feeding here was phased out and then banned completely in 2003.

That same year a major redevelopment took place in order to modernize things as well as make reaching the square less dangerous by adding staircases from the National Gallery so visitors don?t have to cross the busy streets.

London?s official Christmas tree has been donated from Norway and placed in Trafalgar Square since 1947 and the lighting of the tree is a major holiday event.

Hours: Always open

Admission: Free