Introducing London
London assumes the mantle of one of the world’s great cities with ease, crowning itself Napoleon-style by hosting its third Olympic games in 2012. It’s safe to say that London has not exuded so much confidence since the heady days of empire in the late 19th century, even despite the economic crisis that has seen the city’s status as the world’s pre-eminent financial centre take a wobble.
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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.
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..
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Last updated: May 24, 2010
Tips & articles
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Perfect season and place combinations
27 August 2010
A city can be dramatically transformed depending on what time you visit. In this excerpt from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate...
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Common people: London’s green spaces
25 August 2010
London is the most verdant city of its size in the world. Green spaces cover nearly 40% of Greater London:...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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scotland
by gonacworld 1 reply, last post 06 September 2010
Hi, I'm planning to visit Scotland in the last 2wks of Oct. Will this period be dull n miserable? As in rainy n cold? Will it flood…
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I thought Air.Bg's price of €22 from Sofia to Varna was good, until I looked at Wizzair's fare for the same route on the same day. An…
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Hello All We are heading in Jan next year, we will be away for just the 12 months. Before I book the flights I want to check out a couple…
London
Recommended things to do & see
- Entertainment (255)
- Restaurants (262)
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- Sights (218)
- Hotels & hostels
Our Top Picks For London
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1 Camp out at the Science Museum
Take the kids camping at the Science Museum. Science Night is packed full of activities for the kids, ending with a sleepover.
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2 Sundays at Spitalfields Market
Sift through the stalls of clothes and accessories from independent designers, find new and vintage homewares, vinyl, old turntables...
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3 Cruise the Thames
From the river, the skyline offers the classics: Houses of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge; and the modern masters: the London Eye, Tate Modern, the Millennium Bridge, City Hall and the 'Gherkin'
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4 Lose time in Greenwich
Find out what it all means at the Royal Observatory, and lose time in its beautifully landscaped surroundings
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5 Sky high London Eye
The bird's-eye view from the world's tallest Ferris wheel makes London look like Toy Town. You can see 25 miles in every direction from the top (weather permitting).
Fast Facts about London
- The Great Frost In 1683 the Thames froze solid for eight weeks. A frost fair was held on the ice, with market stalls and buffoonery aplenty.
- Game, set, sweetness More than 27 tonnes of strawberries and 7000L of cream are consumed every year during the two weeks of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
- London characters - Harold Shand Cockney gangster played by Bob Hoskins in the 1980 film The Long Good Friday. Self-made brute-in-a-suit guvnor type done so well by on-screen Brits.
- London Characters - Ellen Bulfield During WW1, over 18,000 male bus conductors marched off to war. Ellen was one of thousands of women who replaced them and was the very last female 'clippy' to hand back the job at war's end.
- Wild animals of London If lucky you may spy such critters as hedgehogs, stag beetles, slow worms, dormice, great crested newts, badgers, bats and water voles. Rumours of werewolves abound.
Our favourite London Blogs (beta)
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Lady in Shoreditch
Blog: A Lady in London - 2 September 2010
Tell someone you’re going to east London and you’ll get a wide variety of reactions. Some people frown and ask “why?”, others get a glazed-over look and admit that they’ve never been there, and still more people peer excitedly through their hipster glasses and ask you where exactly you’re going. On Sunday my answer was “Shoreditch,” [...]
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Notting Hill Carnival 2010 in London – Photo Essay
Blog: The Travel Tart - Offbeat Tales From A Travel Addict - 31 August 2010
Notting Hill Carnival – a day of awesome carnage! The Notting Hill Carnival has been an annual event in London since 1964. It’s one of the world’s largest street festivals and over a million people descend on one small location in London to party up a storm for two whole days. To read more about [...]Notting Hill Carnival 2010 in London – Photo Essay is a post from: Funny Travel, Offbeat Travel, Weird Travel - The Travel Tart
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Lady at the Notting Hill Carnival
Blog: A Lady in London - 30 August 2010
Every August Bank Holiday weekend since 1966 London’s Notting Hill neighborhood has turned into a giant Caribbean extravaganza. The Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street festival, and I always miss it because I’m traveling. But this year my plans to leave London for the long weekend never materialized. I found myself enjoying a bit of [...]
