London Attractions

London is a great city for tourists with plenty to see and do regardless of what the weather is like. W ehave listed the top attractions below together with the best parks for a stroll or lounging around in when the weather is good. We have also provided information on the main Tourist Information Centres  in London at the bottom of the page.

TOP TEN ATTRACTIONS IN LONDON

TATE MODERN – THAMES BANKSIDE

The Tate Modern in London is Britain's national museum of international modern art and is, with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St. Ives, and Tate Online, part of the group now known simply as Tate.

The galleries are housed in the former Bankside Power Station, which was originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of Battersea Power Station, and built in two stages between 1947 and 1963.

Since the museum's opening on 12 May 2000, it has become a very popular destination for Londoners and tourists. The Collection comprises the national collection of British art from the year 1500 to the present day, and of international modern art.

Entry to collection displays and some temporary exhibitions is free. Open: Sunday – Thursday 10.00–18.00; Friday and Saturday 10.00–22.00. Last admission into exhibitions 17.15 (Friday and Saturday 21.15).


BRITISH MUSEUM – GREAT RUSSELL STREET

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture. Its collections, which number more than 13 million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.

As with all other national museums and art galleries in Britain, the Museum charges no admission fee, although charges are levied for some temporary special exhibitions. Open every day 10.00-17.30,
Open late Thursdays and Fridays.


NATIONAL GALLERY – TRAFALGAR SQUARE

The National Gallery, founded in 1824, houses a rich collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900 in its home on Trafalgar Square.

The National Gallery's beginnings were modest, it came into being when the British government bought 36 paintings from the banker John Julius Angerstein in 1824. After that initial purchase the Gallery has been shaped mainly by its early directors, notably Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, and by private donations, which comprise two thirds of the collection. The resulting collection is small compared with the national galleries of continental Europe, but has a high concentration of important works across a broad art-historical scope, from the Early Renaissance to Post-impressionism, with relatively few weak areas.

The collection belongs to the British public and entry to the main collection is free, although there are charges for entry to special exhibitions. Opening hours:  Daily 10am-6pm (to 9pm Wednesday). Some areas of the Gallery may be closed for staff training on Monday mornings until 11am.


NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM – SOUTH KENSINGTON

The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum). Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road.

The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology.

The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, and ornate architecture - sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature - both exemplified by the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the vaulted central hall.

Entry is free - (there is a charge for temporary exhibitions)
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10:00 - 17:50


THE BA LONDON EYE – RIVER THAMES, SOUTH BANK

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is an observation wheel in London that has become the most popular paid visitor attraction in the UK, visited by over 3 million people a year.

It stands 135 metres (443 ft) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster and Hungerford Bridge. It offers passengers spectacular views of over 55 of London's most famous landmarks - all in just 30 minutes.

Opening times:    Winter Oct-May: 10.00am - 8.00pm Daily. Summer: June - September 10.00am - 9.00pm Daily.

Prices: Adult: £14.50 to £29.50 per ticket. Child: £7.25 to £9.00 per ticket. Concession: £11.00 per ticket. Under 5's free
10% discount to groups of 15 or more fare paying guests both for the London Eye and the London Eye river cruise experience


SCIENCE MUSEUM – SOUTH KENSINGTON

The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. It was founded in 1857 with objects shown at the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace. Today the Museum is world renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions.

The Science Museum now holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including such famous items as Stephenson's Rocket, Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive), the first jet engine, a reconstruction of Francis Crick and James Watson's model of DNA, some of the earliest remaining steam engines, a working example of Charles Babbage's Difference engine, and the first prototype of the 10,000-year Clock of the Long Now. It also contains hundreds of interactive exhibits.

A recent addition is the IMAX 3D Cinema showing science and nature documentaries, some of them in 3-D, and the Wellcome Wing which focuses on digital technology.

Entrance is free. Opening Times: Open 7 days a week from 10.00 to 18.00 except 24 to 26 December.


THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM – SOUTH KENSINGTON

The Victoria and Albert Museum together with other neighbouring institutions, including the Natural History Museum and Science Museum, is located in what is termed London's "Albertopolis", an area of immense cultural, scientific and educational importance.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.

Founded in 1852 as the South Kensington Museum, the V&A has since grown to now cover some 12.5 acres and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa.

Entrance is free. Opening Times: 10.00 to 17.45 daily;10.00 to 22.00 Fridays (selected galleries remain open after 18.00. ). Closed 24, 25 & 26 December.



THE TOWER OF LONDON – RIVER THAMES, NORTH BANK

The Tower of London is a historic monument in central London, on the north bank of the River Thames. The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned"). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. You can take a free guided tour with one of the Yeoman Warders around what is one of the most famous fortified buildings in the world.

Opening times:    Open all Year.

Summer: 1 March - 31 October: Tues - Sat 09.00-18.00 / Sun - Mon 10.00-18.00. Last admission 17.00.

Winter: 1 November - 28 February: Tues - Sat 09.00-17.00 / Sun - Mon 10.00-17.00. Last admission 16.00.

Prices:
Adult: From £16.00 full price; Child: £0.00 to £9.50 child; Family: From £45.00 per ticket; Concession: From £13.00. Under 5's are FREE


ST. PAULS CATHEDRAL – CITY OF LONDON

St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. With its world-famous dome, St Paul's is a major feature on the London skyline. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710. St. Paul’s Cathedral now houses famous works of art and intricate mosaics. Climb to the top of the spiral staircase for amazing panoramic views of the city.

The Cathedral is open to sightseers from Monday to Saturday between 08.30 - 16.00 (last admission). Special services or events may close all, or part, of the Cathedral at short notice.

Prices:    Individual (£)  Group Rates (£, 10+)

Adults    10            9

Seniors      9            8

Students     8.50            7.50

Family Ticket    23.50    n/a
(2 Adults + 2 Children)

Children (7-16yrs)    3.50        3.50


NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY – TRAFALGAR SQUARE AREA

The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery primarily located in St Martin's Place, off Trafalgar Square, but with various satellite outstations located elsewhere in the UK, it now gets in excess of 1.5 million visitors each year.

The National Portrait Gallery was established with the criteria that the Gallery was to be about history, not about art, and about the status of the sitter, rather than the quality or character of a particular image considered as a work of art. This criterion is still used by the Gallery today when deciding which works enter the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

Entry is free, with charges for some special exhibitions.

Opening Times:  Daily 10am - 6pm Late night opening Thursday and Friday until 9pm. Closed 24-26 December.

OTHER MUST SEE ATTRACTIONS IN LONDON

BUCKINGHAM PALACE – BUCKINGHAM PALACE ROAD SW1


Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official residence and serves as her office. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. The nineteen State Rooms of the Palace form the heart of the palace and are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September. These magnificent rooms are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Family.

Opening times:   
28 July - 28 September 2007 09:45 - 18:00 (last admission 15:45)
Under 5's free. Concession for students + over 60's. Prices will vary according to what/how much of the palace you choose to visit.

Prices:
Adult:     £15.00 to £27.00 per ticket
Child:     £0.00 to £15.50 per ticket
Family:     £38.50 to £69.50 per ticket
Concession:     £13.50 to £24.50 per ticket


TRAFALGAR SQUARE – CENTRAL LONDON

Trafalgar Square is a square in London that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. The original name was to have been "King William the Fourth's Square", but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name "Trafalgar Square".

The northern area of the square had been the site of the King's Mews since the time of Edward I, while the southern end was the original Charing Cross, where the Strand from the City met Whitehall, coming north from Westminster. As the midpoint between these twin cities, Charing Cross is to this day considered the heart of London, from which all distances today are measured.

In the 1820s the Prince Regent engaged the landscape architect John Nash to redevelop the area. Nash cleared the square as part of his Charing Cross Improvement Scheme. The present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845.

The square, a popular site for political demonstrations, is the site of Nelson's Column as well as other statues and sculptures of note.


MUSEUM OF LONDON – LONDON WALL

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Palaeolithic to the present day. The museum is located in a 1970s building close to the Barbican Centre, approximately 10 minutes' walk north of St Paul's Cathedral and admission is free. It is based on a modern idea of what a museum should be, and there are a lot of visual and audiovisual elements, many of them suitable for young people.

The museum comprises a series of chronological galleries containing original artefacts, models, pictures and diagrams. The museum covers principally social and economic history, with a strong emphasis on archaeological discoveries, the built city and urban development. As of 2004, the museum is engaged in a long term program to overhaul the galleries with contemporary interactive exhibits. Star exhibits include the Lord Mayor of London's state coach, and a reconstruction of a street from Victorian London.


HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT & BIG BEN - WESTMINSTER

Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, are home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords and the famous clock tower Big Ben. Guided tours are available during summer opening in the months of August and September, Big Ben does not for part of the tour.

Prices:
Adult:     From £12.00 full price
Child (5-15):     From £5.00 child
Student & Seniors:     From £8.00 concession

Big Ben is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock. The structure is situated at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament building in Westminster. It is often referred to as "Big Ben" — which is actually the main bell housed within the Clock Tower. The clock tower looks spectacular at night when the four clock faces are illuminated. Each dial is 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are two feet high. A special light above the clock faces is also illuminated, letting the public know when parliament is in session. The clock tower is not open to the general public. However, it is possible for UK residents to arrange a visit by writing to their MP. It is not possible for overseas visitors to tour the clock tower.



WESTMINSTER ABBEY – PARLIAMENT SQUARE

Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, (it served as a cathedral from 1546 - 1556), in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the finest gothic buildings in Britain and is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs. Westminster Abbey is one of the most visited churches in the Christian world, it's a beautiful building full of tombs and monuments.

Prices:
Adult:     From £10.00 full price
Family:     From £24.00 per ticket
Under 16, students and 60 plus:     From £7.00 concession

PARKS & GARDENS TO VISIT IN LONDON (*not central)

BATTERSEA PARK, SW11 *

Battersea Park is a 200 acre green space situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea. It was opened in 1858. The park occupies a mix of marshland reclaimed from the Thames, and land formerly used for market gardens serving the growing London population. It has sub-tropical and wildflower gardens, a deer park, a miniature railway for children, and a small zoo.


CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN

This botanic garden was founded in 1673 and the word ‘Physic’ refers to the science of healing as its purpose was to investigate the medicinal role of plants. It played a major role in the development of the sciences of botany and horticulture. It is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain, after the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1621.

Its rock garden is the oldest English garden devoted to alpine plants. The largest fruiting olive tree in Britain is there, protected by the garden’s heat-trapping high brick walls, along with what is doubtless the world’s northernmost grapefruit growing outdoors. Jealously guarded during the tenure of the Society of Apothecaries, in 1983 the Garden became a registered charity and was opened to the general public for the first time.

Opening times: Easter – 31st October; Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 12-5pm Sundays, Bank Holidays and Good Friday, 12-6pm. Last admission 30 minutes before closing.

Prices:

£7.00 for adults and senior citizens
£4.00 for students*, unemployed people* and children (5-15 years old)*
* Proof required


GREEN PARK

Green Park is one of the Royal Parks of London some others include Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Regent’s Park. Covering an area of about 53 acres, it was first enclosed in the 16th century by Henry VIII. In 1668 Charles II made it a Royal Park, laying out the park's main walks.

It lies between London's Hyde Park and St. James's Park. Together with Kensington Gardens and the gardens of Buckingham Palace, these parks form an almost unbroken stretch of open land reaching from Whitehall and Victoria station to Kensington and Notting Hill.

By contrast with its neighbours, Green Park has no lakes nor any statues or fountains and consists entirely of wooded meadows. The park is bounded on the south by Constitution Hill, on the east by the pedestrian Queen's Walk, and on the north by Piccadilly. It meets St. James's Park at Queen's Gardens with the Victoria Memorial at its centre, opposite the entrance to Buckingham Palace. To the south is the ceremonial avenue of The Mall, and the buildings of St James's Palace and Clarence House overlook the park to the east.


HAMPSTEAD HEATH*

Hampstead Heath is London's largest ancient parkland, covering 791 acres and was once home to highwaymen. This grassy public space is a rambling hilly place of ponds, ancient woodland, playgrounds, training track, a former stately home, and a well-known and legally-protected view of the London skyline from the Heath's focal point, Parliament Hill.

The Heath is a major place for Londoners to walk and has three open-air public swimming ponds which were originally reservoirs for drinking water.


HYDE PARK

Hyde Park park was the site of The Great Exhibition of 1851, for which the Crystal Palace was designed by Joseph Paxton and is one of the largest parks in central London and one of the Royal Parks. It is famous for its Speakers' Corner, by the Marble Arch entrance, where people stop to listen to orators on Sunday mornings.

Covering 350 acres and divided in two by the Serpentine Lake – home to many waterfowl and oarsmen - Hyde Park is contiguous with Kensington Gardens, which is widely assumed to be part of Hyde Park, but is technically separate.

Once a hunting ground for Henry VIII, the park has become a traditional location for mass demonstrations.


KENSINGTON GARDENS

Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. Most of it is in the City of Westminster, but a small section to the west is in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It covers 275 acres.

The surrounding land was predominantly rural and remained largely undeveloped until the Great Exhibition in 1851. Many of the original features survive along with the Palace, and now there are other public buildings such as the Albert Memorial, the Serpentine Gallery, and Speke's monument.

The Gardens are generally regarded as being part of the neighbouring Hyde Park from which they were originally taken, but Kensington Gardens is fenced, more formal, and was long regarded as the smarter of the two. Together with Green Park and St. James's Park, these parks form an almost continuous "green lung" in the heart of London between Kensington and Westminster


KEW GARDENS*

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive gardens and botanical glasshouses covering 300 acres between Richmond and Kew in southwest London. The gardens were once royal property, but opened to the public in 1841. The Palm House and other Victorian greenhouses are home to a vast variety of exotic plants from around the world.

Kew Gardens is an internationally important botanical research and education institution with 700 staff and an income of £44 million for the year ended 31 March 2006.


PRIMROSE HILL

62 acres on a high hill north of Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill was once part of the same royal forest as Regent's Park. The hill has a clear panoramic view of Central London to the south-east, as well as Belsize Park and Hampstead to the north-west.

The built up part of Primrose Hill consists mainly of Victorian terraces. It has always been one of the more fashionable districts in the urban belt that lies between the core of London and the outer suburbs, and remains expensive and prosperous.


REGENTS PARK

Regent's Park is mainly open parkland covering 487 acres and is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the northern part of central London partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden.

The park is mainly reserved for pedestrians and has a wealth of facilities and amenities including gardens, a lake with a heronry, waterfowl and a boating area, sports pitches, and children's playgrounds. The park is also home to London Zoo.

The inner ring road known as the Inner Circle now contains the most carefully tended section of the park, Queen Mary's Gardens, where the Open Air Theatre is also located. There are several other public gardens with flowers and specimen plants including the formal Italian Gardens and adjacent informal English Gardens in the south east corner of the park; and the gardens of St John's Lodge.

The south, east and most of the west sides of the park are lined with elegant white stucco terraces of houses designed by John Nash. Running through the northern end of the park is Regent's Canal which connects the Grand Union Canal to the former London Docks.


ST. JAMES’S PARK

St James's Park is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London  and provides an oasis of calm in the bustle of the West End. Covering 58 acres St James's Park is bounded by The Mall to the north while its westernmost end is Buckingham Palace. The area was a deer park under Henry VIII, a formal garden under Charles II, and was remodeled into its present relaxed air by John Nash in 1828.

The park has a small lake, St James's Park Lake, with two islands and a bridge across the lake affords a westward view of Buckingham Palace framed by trees and fountains, and a view of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, similarly framed, to the east.

The Park is the most easterly of an almost continuous chain of parks that also comprises (moving westward) Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The closest tube stations are St. James's Park, Victoria and Westminster.

LONDON TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES

LEICESTER SQUARE
London Information Centre
Leicester Square
London
Tel: +44 (0)20 729 22 333


PICCADILLY CIRCUS   
Britain and London Visitor Centre
1 Regent Street
Piccadilly Circus
London  SW1Y 4XT
Email: blvcinfo@visitbritain.org

GREENWICH
Tourist Information Centre
Pepys House
2 Cutty Sark Gardens
Greenwich
London  SE10 9LW
Email: tic@greenwich.gov.uk

SOUTHWARK
Tourist Information Centre
Level 2 Information Desk, Tate Modern
Bankside
Southwark
London SE1 9TG
Tel: +44 (0)20 7401 5266
Email: tourisminfo@southwark.gov.uk

WATERLOO
London Visitor Centre
Arrivals Hall
Waterloo Int Terminal
London SE1 7LT
Email: london.visitorcentre@iceplc.com