London - Part One - In General

LONDON! Part One - In General

Big Ben

One of the world’s most visited cities, London has something for everyone, from history to culture, art, grand museums, dazzling architecture, royalty, diversity, fashion, shopping and so on. London impressed me in 15 minutes and I think the same is happening with everyone.

London is one of the major capitals of Europe. The city is steeped in history with tourist spots that offer a view of life from centuries past. A vast spectrum of different ethnicities from around the world lives in London, creating a diverse culture. All types of travelers can look forward to a wide range of entertainment options and a host of popular attractions in the city.

Tower Bridge

London is one of the world's leading tourism destinations, and the city is home to an array of famous tourist attractions. London attracts 30 million international visitors per year, making it the world's most visited in terms of international visits.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster 

Abbey and St. Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and GMT). Other famous landmarks include Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Wembley Stadium. London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library, Wimbledon and 40 theaters.

View of the City from Tate Modern

The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.

The 'green lungs' of London are the many parks, great and small, scattered throughout the city including Hyde Park, St. James Park and Regent's Park. Most of the larger parks have their origins in royal estates and hunting grounds and are still owned by the Crown, despite their public access.

Trafalgar Square

London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. In July 2010 Greater London had an official population of 7,825,200, making it the most populous municipality in the EU, and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population. The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the European Union with a population of 8,278,251, while London's metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with an estimated total population of between 12 million and 14 million. London had the largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to 1925.

London has been described as a world cultural capital. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games 3 times.

TRAVELER TIPS

- Remember that the UK has left-hand traffic in which traffic keeps to left side of the road. So, when you cross the road LOOK RIGHT!  

- Remember that the UK in not member of Euro agreement. So, you can't use Euro. All payments are made in British Pond (average exchange rate is 1 GBP = 1.2 Euro; 1 GBP = 1.6 US Dollar).

- Mind the gap!  As it was mentioned above, the London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. Because some platforms on the Underground are curved and the rolling stock that uses them are straight, an unsafe gap is created when a straight car stops at a curved platform. In the absence of a device to automatically fill the gap some form of visual and auditory warning was needed to prevent passengers from being caught unaware and suffering injury by stepping into the wide gap.