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Bookmark & shareLondon's contrasts and cacophonies both infuriate and seduce.
London - the grand resonance of its very name suggests history and might. Its opportunities for entertainment by day and night go on and on and on. It's a city that exhilarates and intimidates, stimulates and irritates in equal measure, a grubby Monopoly board studded with stellar sights.
It's a cosmopolitan mix of Third and First Worlds, chauffeurs and beggars, the stubbornly traditional and the proudly avant-garde. But somehow - between 'er Majesty and Pete Doherty, Bow Bells and Big Ben, the Tate Modern and the 2012 Olympics - it all hangs together.
Travel Warning: Security Warning - Cabin Luggage Restrictions
In the wake of 2005's bombings in London and Glasgow, the British Home Office still rates the UK's terrorism threat level as severe. Travellers should exercise caution, monitor the media for any developments in the situation and expect delays at airports due to increased security measures.
Restrictions on airline cabin luggage are in place throughout the UK, although some restrictions have recently been relaxed slightly. For details check the UK Department for Transport website .
severity: High-level alert
Fast Facts
Population
7,300,000
Currency
Name: Pound Sterling
Code: GBP
Symbol: £
Electrical Plugs
240V 50Hz
Languages Spoken
Official: English
Time Zones
GMT/UTC 0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
Country Dialing Code
+44
Weights & Measures
Metric
Related Travel Stories
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The London Sound
podcast by Kate Arkless Gray, May 2007
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Heathrow's Hard Summer
article by Tom Hall, September 2007
London's Heathrow Airport can be a frustrating trifecta of queues, delays and lost luggage. So where to from here? Read the full article ›
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Off-beat London
article by Abigail Hole, April 2008
Buckingham, Schmuckingham: go off-piste and explore London's eccentric secrets. Here are 10 of the best. Read the full article ›
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