Travel Tips When Visiting London

Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0

London has been called a ‘world in one city’ and that’s not just empty rhetoric. The brilliant feat carried off here is that while immigrants, the city’s life blood, continue to flow in and contribute their energy and cultures to the capital’s already spicy melting pot, London nevertheless feels quintessentially British, whether it’s those boxy black cabs, the red double deckers or those grand symbols of Britain – the mother of all parliaments at Westminster, the silhouette of Tower bridge above the muddy Thames or the already world-famous London Eye, barely a decade old.

England's royal family has, over the centuries, added much to the London scene for today's traveller: the Albert Memorial, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Tower of London, Kew Palace and Westminster Abbey being prominent examples.

Don’t miss these essential sights of course, but equally ensure you partake in what really makes London great: a pint and a plate of fish n’ chips by the river, a day in the park or a night out in Soho or Shoreditch. Take a deep breath and prepare to fall in love with the British capital.

While summer is a great time to visit, spring and autumn are also good times to come. The crowds are far thinner and sights less crowded. Winter’s all cold, wet and dark, although if you’re after outdoor pleasures, you’ll have them largely to yourself.

The black London taxicab is as much a feature of the cityscape as the red bus. Licensed black-cab drivers have know London better than almost anyone else.  They undergo rigorous training and exams, and are supposed to know every central London street. London’s iconic double-decker Routemaster was phased out a couple of years ago, only to be brought back to serve the more scenic routes.  Even getting on the modern double-deckers and single-decker ‘bendy’ buses, you see more of the city than while underground on the tube. Just beware that the going can be slow, thanks to traffic jams and the nearly four million commuters that get on and off the buses every day.

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