London

Big Ben
Big Ben is the colloquial name of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster in London , and an informal name for the Great Bell of Westminster , the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster.

Nearest Tube: Westminster

Buckingham Palace
Besides being the official London residence of The Queen, Buckingham Palace is also the busy administrative headquarters of the monarchy and has probably the most famous and easily recognisable façade of any building in the world.

The Palace is a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household.

To book tickets call: +44 (0)20 7321 2233
Phone: +44 (0)20 7930 4832
Nearest Tube: St James's Park /Hyde Park Corner /Victoria

House of Parliament - Palace of Westminster
Now more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace of Westminster began life as a royal residence in 1042 under Edward the Confessor.

Members of the public can watch debates when parliament is in session. Tickets can be obtained from a member of parliament (British citizen) or from your consulate or High Commission. You need to plan this in advance. For more information call the Public Information Office on 020 7219 3000.
Alternatively, guided tours of the House of Lords and Commons and Westminster Hall are available between 6 Aug-29 Sep 09.15-16.30 Mon-Sat. Closed Bank Holidays. Parliamentary business may interrupt these tours. Call to check in advance. Tours last 1hour 15min.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7344 9966
Nearest Tube: Westminster

Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is the place of the coronation, marriage and burial of British monarchs, except Edward V and Edward VIII since 1066. Visitors can see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Royal Tombs and Shrine of Edward the Confessor, the Coronation Chair, Lady Chapel and Poets' Corner, the Royal Chapels etc. The current building dates largely from the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7222 7110
Nearest Tube: Westminster / St James's Park.

St. Paul's Cathedral
Sir Christopher Wren designed this wonderful building, which was started 9 years after the medieval St Pauls had been burnt down in the Fire of London. The cathedral has been extensively restored in recent years. The exterior has had the grime of the ages removed, and clear glass (as specified in Wren's original design) has replaced the wartime bomb damaged stained glass

The cathedral is packed with fine statues and interior detail. The beautiful woodcarvings are the work of Grinling Gibbons and the exquisite ironwork is by Jean Tijou. The mosaic work is mainly Byzantine and created by Victorian craftsmen to designs by Wren. Many of the rich or great are buried here.
Although in many ways a piece of history and a tourist attraction, the cathedral is still very much in use today. It is a national and international religious focus, a masterpiece of architecture and a centre of musical excellence. It was centre stage world-wide, through television, in 1981 for the fairytale marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7246 8348
Nearest Tube: St Paul's

Westminster Cathedral
The Byzantine architecture of Westminster Cathedral marks it in stark contrast to the more conventionally British architecture of England's Anglican cathedral's.

The Westminster Cathedral choir is regarded as one of the finest in the country. It specialises in plain chant and 16th century polyphony, although it also performs many other major works during the liturgy. The choir sings every day at 5.30pm and on Sunday at 10.30am and 3.30pm.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7798 9055
Nearest Tube: Victoria

Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. It is also sometimes referred to as "Covent Garden" after the London neighborhood in which it is located. The building serves as the home of the Royal Opera and of the Royal Ballet. The current edifice is the third theatre on the site. The facade, foyer and auditorium date from 1856, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from a reconstruction in the 1990s.

During the day, a programme of backstage tours and open ballet classes offers visitors the opportunity to experience the behind-the-scenes life of the theatre.

Box office: 020 7304 4000
Nearest Tube: Covent Garden

Hampton Court Palace
With its 500 years of royal history Hampton Court Palace has something to offer everyone. Set in sixty acres of world famous gardens the Palace is a living tapestry of history from Henry VIII to George II. From the elegance of the recently restored eighteenth century Privy Garden to the domestic reality of the Tudor Kitchens visitors are taken back through the centuries to experience the Palace as it was when royalty was in residence.

Phone: +44 (0)20 8781 9500
Train: Hampton Court from Waterloo.
River: Services run from Westminster, Richmond and Kingston.

Kensington Palace State Apartments
Kensington Palace in London is a working Royal residence. Of great historical importance, Kensington Palace was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns until 1760. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria. Today Kensington Palace accommodates the offices and private apartments of a number of members of the Royal Family. Although managed by Historic Royal Palaces, the Palace is furnished with items from the Royal Collection.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7937 9561.
Nearest Tube: Queensway / Notting Hill Gate / High Street Kensington.

Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. It is occasionally incorrectly referred to as London Bridge, which is in fact the next bridge upstream. Open daily.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7403 3761
Nearest Tube: Tower Hill

Tower of London
The Tower of London is officially Her Majesty's Palace and Fortress, The Tower of London, although the last ruler to reside in it as a palace was King James I (1566-1625). The White Tower, the square building with turrets on each corner that gave it its name, is actually in the middle of a complex of several buildings along the River Thames in London, which have served as fortress, armoury, treasury, mint, palace, place of execution, public records office, observatory, refuge, and prison, particularly for upper class prisoners. This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" meaning "imprisoned." Elizabeth I was imprisoned for a time in the Tower during her sister Mary's reign; the last known use of the Tower as a prison was during World War II, for Rudolf Hess.

The Tower of London opens daily 0900-1700 Mon-Sat 1000-1700 Sun (Mar-Oct). 0900-1600 Tues-Sat 1000-1600 Sun-Mon (Nov-Feb). Closed 24-26 Dec and 1 Jan. Open daily.
Enquiries: 020 7709 0765.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7680 9004
Nearest Tube: Tower Hill

Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is one of Britain's most famous places, and an important nodal point of London. The junction of [the Strand]?, the Mall, Whitehall and Charing Cross Road has at its centre Nelson's Column, an 185 feet high column supporting a 17 foot high statue of Admiral Nelson, designed by Nash in the 1830s to commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. On the periphery of the square you find the National Gallery and the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. It is also home to the famous/notorious Trafalgar Square pigeons, which Ken Livingstone is trying to eradicate.

Nearest tube: Charing Cross

Piccadilly Circus
For many years, Piccadilly Circus - at the junction of five busy streets - has been a famous London Landmark. At its heart and backlit by colorful electric displays is a bronze fountain topped by a figure of a winged archer. The statue is popularly called EROS, the pagan god of love, but it was in fact designed in the 19th century as a symbol of Christian charity - a monument to Lord Shaftesbury, a philanthropist.

The famous statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus is one of the symbols of London. It was originally called the Shaftesbury Monument, having been erected as a memorial to the philanthropist Lord Shaftesbury. The actual figure rises above a fountain, which is made in bronze, but Eros is made out of aluminum, at that time a rare and novel material.

Nearest tube: Piccadilly Circus

Covent Garden
Covent Garden is one of London's biggest tourist hotspots, and also the home of one of the most congested tube stations in town.

Because Covent Garden isn't just a tourist trap. Floral Street is packed full of some of the best menswear shops in London. Neal Street is awash with cool shopping opportunities, and there are decent restaurants and bars all over the place. The Royal Opera House is one of the finest venues in the world, and regularly hosts opera and ballet with incredibly iconic stars.

Covent Garden is a bit like a clean, commercial version of Soho. Some people might dismiss it as Soho-lite, but that would be unfair. Although it's only 30 years since the eponymous fruit and veg market moved elsewhere, it feels like Covent Garden has been an entertainment centre for hundreds of years.

Amazing as it might seem, Covent Garden has a reasonable amount of residential property too, although it's certainly very expensive. Despite the number of restaurants, the area feels amazingly quiet at night - probably because the lack of tourist crowds make the square (sorry Charlie, piazza) feel somewhat deserted.

Most Londoners end up in Covent Garden from time to time, but hopefully our history, highlights and Top 10s might encourage you to look at the area in a new light.

Nearest tube: Covent Garden

Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is one of three official residences of The Queen and has been home to the Sovereign for over 900 years. The Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world and the oldest in continuous occupation. No other royal residence has played such an important role in the nation's history.

Between 1 October 2005 and March 2006, the semi-state rooms will be open to the public. George IV created these in the 1820s as part of a new series of Royal Apartments for his personal occupation. They continue in use by The Queen for official entertaining. Damaged in the 1992 fire, they have been restored to their original appearance and contain furniture and works of art chosen by George IV. When the Queen is in residence the Royal Standard flies from the Round Tower. At all other times you will see the Union Flag.

Train: Windsor from Waterloo or Paddington (Train info. 0345 484950)
Enquires: 01753 869898.

Banqueting House
Situated in Whitehall, at the back of Horse Guards Parade, stands the splendid Banqueting House, the only complete building of the old Whitehall Palace to have survived. Whitehall Palace was built on the site of the London residence of the Archbishops of York, and was acquired by Henry VIII from Cardinal Wolsey in 1530.
Originally built for occasions of state, the Banqueting House saw many plays performed within, grand balls and masques staged, as well as traditional banquets laid out for important guests. With the installation of the ceiling panels, the primary function of the building changed, and it became a reception hall to receive foreign ambassadors and visiting dignitaries. This culture continues in the present day, with the Banqueting House remaining as one of the finest venues in London for both royal and high society functions.
In 1893 Queen Victoria granted the Banqueting House to the United States Services Institute for use as a museum. This arrangement continued until 1962, at which time the building reverted back to its original function as a grand reception hall.

Phone: +44 (0)20 7839 3787
Nearest Tube: Westminster or Embankment

Eltham Palace
Take a step back in time to the glamour of the 1930s in this magnificent example of Art Deco style. Built by millionaire Stephen Courtauld, as a lavish venue in which to host the fashionable parties of the era, it is home to many fascinating creative design ideas and painstakingly recreated interiors. Surrounded by stunning moated gardens it is also linked to the Great Hall of a medieval royal palace - built for Edward IV and Henry VIII's home as a child.

Visitors can enjoy the fascinating blend of medieval and modern design in the 1930s house and the Great Hall; explore the gardens and moated area and have tea in the 1930s kitchens.

Phone: +44 (0)20 8294 2548
Train: Eltham or Mottingham from Charing Cross or Victoria (20mins).

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