1)The British Museum

About The British Museum

The British Museum, Europe’s most famous museum, and London’s most popular attraction
is a must see for any visitor to London. Ninety four galleries of archaelogical finds, prints,
coins, antiquities and more. Disabled facilities available

Address

British Museum

Great Russell Street 

London 

Travel

The British Museum is located on Great Russell Street, just off Tottenham Court Road in
central London.

The nearest tube stations are each about 6 minutes away

Tottenham Court Road (Northern and Central lines)

Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines)

Russell Square (Piccadilly line)

The Museum is also within easy walking distance of Euston station (10 minutes)

Some of the most direct bus routes are

New Oxford Street: 7, 8, 19, 22b, 25, 38, 55, 98

Tottenham Court Road, northbound and Gower Street, southbound 10, 24, 29, 73, 134 

Southampton Row: 68, 91, 188 

ACCESS

Wheelchairs: 

Main Entrance Great Russell Street 

Access (stairs and lifts)

The Main entrance (South side, via Great Russell Street) has 12 steps with handrails at
each side. There is a self-operable lift to the left of the steps where a bell is available for
visitors requiring assistance.

Montague Place/ North Entrance 

The Montague Place entrance (North side) provides a level entrance to the Museum and a
lift taking you to levels in the Museum building. Please note that access from the North lift
to the main floor of the Museum is on level 0.

Hearing Impaired: 

A Sound Enhancement System with portable induction loops is available for most gallery
talks and to support sign-interpreted tours.

Guide, hearing and assistance dogs are welcome. Dog bowls are available from the
Information Desk 

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2) Buckingham Palace
About Buckingham Palace

This is the official London residence of HM Queen Elizabeth II. After being developed from
a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, the palace eventually
became the official royal palace of the British monarch in 1837 and is now the world’s
largest "working" royal palace.

It is also a venue for state occasions and royal entertaining, as well as a base for all Heads
of State who are officially visiting London. The palace consists of 19 state rooms, 52
principal bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, and the state rooms
were made open to the public in the 1990s.

Other public attractions include the Royal Collection (priceless furnishings, paintings,
fittings and other artifacts, which can be viewed at certain times of year), the Queen’s
Gallery (open all year round) and the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony. 
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3) City of London
About City of London

Not to be confused with London as a whole, or Greater London, the City of London is in
fact a very small area of central London, from which along with the City of Westminster,
London as we now know it sprung.

The oldest part of London and yet with its towering sky scrapers the most modern, the City
of London also known as ’The City’ and ’The Square Mile’ is now London’s chief financial
district and along with Tokyo and New York City forms the world’s three most important
financial centres. London is by far the largest foreign exchange trading centre in the world,
handling around one third of all forex trading.

Historically the City of London is ancient, founded in AD43-50 by the Romans. Throughout
its colourful history, London has seen at least fifteen major fires. The worst of all, and the
most famous - the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed many historic buildings, but in
fact enabled a new better planned London to be rebuilt with superior buildings and wider
streets. Nearly three hundred years later during the Second World War, more of London
was again destroyed in the Blitz, but the number of buildings that survived both
catastrophes is impressive.

As London expanded through the centuries, so people moved out of the City and the City is
now almost exclusively given over to business. Though some 300,000 people work there
each week day, its resident population is a tiny 8,000. 

St Pauls Cathedral (St Pauls tube) is the most visited spot in the City. Built after the Great
Fire to replace the Church that had previously stood there, it’s galleries (with the infamous
Whispering gallery) and crypt are legendary.

Leadenhall Market (Bank tube) is a Victorian glass and iron covered marketplace
interspersed with numerous cafe’s, bars and shops.

The Lloyds of London building (Bank tube) designed by Richard Rogers is worth a visit.
Resembling a space rocket ready to lauch, the building is a marked contrast to the
classically designed buildings next door. (Rogers also designed an equally controversial
complex in Paris, the Pompidou centre) You’ll either love or hate it’s garish construction,
but there’s no denying it’s impact.

The Old Bailey (St Pauls Tube) is England’s most infamous court house, and has witnessed
most of London’s most serious criminal cases. Trials taking place are open to the public.

Tower Bridge (Tower Hill tube), built in 1894 is one of the finest, most recognisable
bridges in the World and enjoys breathtaking views over London.

The Tower of London (Tower Hill tube), founded nearly a millennium ago has transmuted
from castle to prison to palace, and for many was their last sight on Earth. The history of
the Tower of London is both fascinating and diverse and today houses the Crown Jewels,
William the Conqueror’s White Tower, the Traitor Gate and the Bloody Tower. Allow the
best part of a morning or an afternoon to take it all in. 
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4) Covent Garden
About Covent Garden

Covent Garden is one of the top shopping and entertainment areas in London. Filled with
exquisite restaurants and big fashion labels, it has become a popular venue for tourists to
visit. It is also the home for the Royal Opera House and the London Transport Museum.

Its history can be traced back to the reign of King John where the monks of the Convent of
St. Peter maintained 40 acres of land in the then Middlesex countryside, for their daily food
supplies. It then became the primary source of food for London to be maintained over the
next few centuries by a succession of leaseholders under contract to the Abbot of
Westminster.

During the 17th century it was redeveloped by Italian architect, Inigo Jones, to which
there is currently a restaurant which bears his name. After the Great Fire on London had
destroyed other markets, its strategic importance increased and exotic crops from all over
the world were brought up the Thames to be sold here. The main covered square then
became known as the ’long acre’, surrounded by architecture which could otherwise be
found in Rome or Florence.
Samuel Pepys recorded one of the first Punch and Judy shows to be performed there in
1662.

Right up to the 1960s, Covent Garden was the main fruit and vegetable market for London
where grocers and caterers arrived at the crack of dawn to purchase their daily stock.
Unfortunately it became a victim to increasing traffic congestion and the market was
forced to move to its current site in Nine Elms, Vauxhall.

After a public outcry at the future of the site, the Home Secretary stepped in to give the
Italian piazza-style buildings a listed status to save them from demolition.
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5) Houses of Parliament
About Houses of Parliament

For nearly 1000 years The Palace of Westminster, also known as The Houses of
Parliament, is where new laws have been debated and agreed by the Chambers of the
House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Not to be confused with Government, though Members of the Government are usually
members of Parliament too, the responsibilities of Parliament are to:

o to examine proposals for new laws;

o to scrutinise government policy and administration;

o to debate the major issues of the day

So while the Government use Parliament to bring new laws into force, Parliament also acts
as a platform to scrutinise what the Government does.

The Palace itself is one of London’s most spectacular buildings, especially when lit up at
night and is well worth a visit. It has over 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases and over 2 miles of
passages. Though most of the Palace had to be reconstructed after a fire on 16th October
1834, some of the original rooms are still present, the oldest and most notable of which is
the Westminster Hall, which dates back to 1097.

The Palace has several towers including the famous Clock Tower, more commonly known
as Big Ben. This is in fact a misnomer - in fact Big Ben is the informal name of the largest
of the bells in the tower (officially, the Great Bell of Westminster), which weighs 13 tons
and strikes every hour.
Visitors can enroll on a tour of the House of Lords or the House of Commons by joining the
queue at the public entrance to the Palace, leading back from the visitors gallery through
St Stephen’s entrance in Old Palace Yard.

Opening times can vary, so you are advised to call the Houses of Parliament switchboard -
020 7219 3000 - to avoid dissapointment.

Also don’t leave the area before witnessing Westminster Abbey (Every King and Queen has
been crowned here since William the Conqueror in 1066) and the Cathedral (the principal
Roman Catholic church in England)

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6) The London Dungeon

About The London Dungeon

Extremely popular and, again, you’ll be queuing, the London Dungeon, based in Tooley
Street, is a bloody, gruesome display of the less attractive side of London history.

The venue is suitably atmospheric, situated under arches at London Bridge Station. It is
imaginatively lit with an ’atmospheric’ sound track. There are dozens of themed areas
relating to different historical events and places. Look out for ’The Great Fire of London’,
’Jack the Ripper’, ’The Torture Chamber’ and ’The Tower of London’.

There is also a newly opened Labyrinth Maze of Mirrors, the largest of its kind in the world.

Disabled facilities available.

Address

The London Dungeon

28/34 Tooley Street

London SE1 2SZ

Travel

Nearest Underground: London Bridge (Northern/Jubilee Lines)

Nearest Rail: London Bridge

NOTES

Opening Times: 10.30am - 5.30pm November to March, 10am - 5.30pm April to

October, Late Night opening throughout July & August 10am - 7.30pm 
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7) The London Eye
About The London Eye

The London Eye is one of London’s newest landmarks specially-built to open the 21st
century, although it was not open for the New Millennium celebrations as planned.

At 135 metres, it is the tallest wheel of its kind and sits on the South Bank of the

River Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament.

Rotating at a speed of 1 mph, it takes 30 minutes to go through a complete 360°.

People ride the Eye in one of 32 oval-shaped glass bubbles. Famous landmarks visible in
the panorama include The Embankment, Charings Cross and Waterloo stations, the Palace
of Westminster and Big Ben, Whitehall and many more!

The Eye has provoked other countries to challenge its size. There are plans to build a
175m wheel on the Las Vegas Strip and the Chinese have countered this bid with plans for
a 200m wheel in Shanghai.

Address

London Eye

nr County Hall

Belvedere Road

London SE1 7PB

Travel

London Eye is situated on the Southbank of the river Thames between Hungerford and
Westminster Bridges.

Nearest Rail: Waterloo/Charing Cross

Nearest Tube: Westminster(Jubilee/Circle & District lines - Exit 1 Westminster

Pier)/Waterloo (Jubilee/Bakerloo/Circle & District/Waterloo & City lines - Exit 6
Southbank) 
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8) Madame Tussauds
About Madame Tussauds

A long wait to get in, and lots of visitors inside make this one of Europe’s busiest
attractions. Madame Tussaud, she of the French Revolution who, in 1802, brought her
collection of waxworks over from Paris and the fascination with wax dummies has
continued ever since.

The collection is regularly updated, with new pop stars, politicians and those in the
limelight getting the full make over. The highlight is a fantastic ride called ’The Spirit of
London’ which takes visitors on an animated ride through London’s history, the model
architecture evolving through the centuries, finishing up with a snapshot of Carnaby Street
in the 60’s followed by modern London and some paparazzi wax models taking your photo
(which you can collect for a fee).

Arrive early. Disabled facilities available, but ring to make arrangements.

Address

Madame Tussaud’s and The Auditorium

Marylebone Road

London NW1 5LR

Travel

Nearest Tube: Baker Street (Bakerloo/ Jubilee/ Metropolitan/ Circle/ Hammersmith & City
lines)

Leave via Marylebone Road exit and turn left (east) to Madame Tussaud’s and the
Planetarium.

ACCESS

Wheelchairs: Access possible - due to limited capacity please contact Madame Tussauds
directly.

Hearing Impaired: Induction loop facilities.

NOTES

Opening Times: Open every day (except Christmas Day). 10am weekdays, 9,30am
weekends, last admission 5.30pm. Earlier opening during the Summer. 
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9) The Millenium Dome

Situated in Docklands, the Millenium Dome is one of London’s most recognisable and
controversial landmarks. Designed by Richard Rogers and funded by successive UK
governments, the Dome was constructed as part of London’s Millenium celebrations, along
with the Millenium Bridge and the London Eye.

As the name suggests, it is a dome-shaped white marquee supported by twelve towers

and is the world’s largest single-roof structure. 

When the Dome opened to the public in the year 2000 it was divided into zones which
included ’Faith’, ’Body’, ’Money’, ’Mind’ and ’Learning’ as well as a central staging area.
Here the Millenium was welcomed by the music of Peter Gabriel backed by a team of more
than 150 acrobats, and a specially made short film about a time-travelling Blackadder was
shown throughout the year in an on-site cinema.

The Dome also makes a cameo appearance in The World Is Not Enough and may even
appear as one of the event venues should London be selected to host the 2012 Olympics. 
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10) The Museum of London

About The Museum of London

The Museum of London documents the history of London from the Pilaelithic period to the
Present day. Opened in the 1970s, it is just a short ten minute walk from St. Pauls.

The museum contains chronological galleries, artifacts, models, pictures and diagrams.
There are currently projects in progress to develop interactive exhibits.

The most famous exhibit is the Lord Mayor’s stage coach. 

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11) The National Gallery

About The National Gallery

Situated on the north side of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery has been the home for the
National Collection of Art from the thirteenth to the twentieth century. All art after 1900 is kept in
the Tate Modern on the South Bank.

The gallery contains more than 2,300 paintings - all of which are owned by the British public. There
is no admission charge to the main collection, although there is a collection box to allow donations
to support the upkeep of the gallery. There are special exhibitions from time to time which do
charge an admission fee. One of the three mainstream ’must-see’ galleries for any visitor to London.

Address

The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

London

Travel

Nearest Underground: Charing Cross (Northern/Bakerloo lines)/Leicester Square (Northern/Piccadilly

lines)

From Charing Cross take the Trafalgar Square exit. The National Gallery is on the north side of
Trafalgar Square.

From Leicester Square take the Charing Cross Road west exit. Turn Left down Charing Cross Road.
The National Gallery is on Trafalgar Square at the south end of Charing Cross Road.

Nearest Rail: Charing Cross

See above.
Parking: Whitcomb Street. Limited on-street parking nearby. Please note that parking in Central
London can be expensive. Please use public transport if at all possible.

ACCESS

Wheelchair Access: Ground floor entrance/exit through the Sainsbury Wing. Level access through
Education Centre at rear of Gallery on Orange Street. The main Trafalgar Sq entrance is not
recommended for those with mobility problems. All areas of the Gallery are accessible via lift.

Hearing Impaired: Induction loop.

Visitors with a Blue, Orange or White disabled parking badge can book a parking space at the rear of
the National Gallery. Please contact the Gallery directly for more information.

The Gallery also runs special tours for the visually impaired. Please contact the Gallery directly for
more information.

CONCESSIONS

Available to Seniors, Unemployed, Disabled people (accompanying escort free), members of the Art
Fund (AF).
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12) Oxford Street

About Oxford Street

In the heart of central London’s busiest shopping district lies Oxford Street, which runs from Marble
Arch to St Giles’ Circus, crossing Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road on the way.

For 500 years up until the late 18th century Oxford Street was known as Tyburn Street, a name that
struck fear into the hearts of condemned prisoners of the time. This was the final road for men on
their way to the gallows at Tyburn from the nearby Newgate Prison.

The street’s present name comes from the Earl of Oxford who, in the 18th century, bought up much
of the surrounding land in order to develop it. This development continued until the early 20th
century and resulted in the thriving shopping area we see now.

Oxford Street also takes it’s place on the Monopoly board as part of a set with Bond Street and
Regent Street.
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13) Piccadilly Circus

About Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is London’s answer to New York’s Times Square. Ablaze with neon advertisments,
noise and traffic, Piccadilly Circus is a popular meeting place for all and sundry. Traffic swirls around
the Statue of Eros, oblivious to passing pedestrians - be advised to use the subways where possible.

With neon excess abounding the area is a commericial hive of activity and there are plenty of
establishments ready to take your hard earned cash off you.

The Trocadero, a complex built on a lost eighties promise, continues to pull them in. Go inside if
video games, cinema and (mainly) noisy hi tech family entertainment is your thing, avoid like the
plague if it isn’t.
Appropriately Planet Hollywood stands next door. You’ll also find the Rock Circus (a musical Madame
Tussauds) in the locale. Beyond Piccadilly is Leicester Square, the epicentre of all things hollywood
in London. Click on ’Film’ in the listings panel for more information.
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14) Regent Street

About Regent Street

Famously part of the green set in Monopoly, along with Oxford Street and Bond Street, Regent
Street is a Mecca for shoppers. Home of Hamley’s, which once held the title of largest toy-shop in
the world, the street curves majestically away from Piccadilly Circus joining to Oxford Circus, playing
host to D H Evans and Liberty among others.

The street was originally created as part of John Nash’s town plan in 1811, and was named after the
then- Prince Regent.

Regent Street can be a draw for the crowds for a variety of reasons, from the switching-on of the
Christmas lights by the big-name celebrity of the time to the annual Regent Street Festival.

Last year, five hundred thousand people are thought to have turned out to see a selection of
Formula 1 cars drive the length of Regent Street, an event which has ignited interest in the idea of a
London Grand Prix.
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15) Soho
About Soho

In the midst of Piccadilly Circus to the south and Oxford Street to the north, and Regent Street to
the west and Charing Cross road to the east, lies Soho and Chinatown. Soho has always been an
area associated with controversy.

Sleazy strip joints nestle next to designer clothes shops. There’s a bohemian, buzzy atmosphere to
be found here; behind the scenes drug trafficking and prostitution.

Relatively safe to wander around at night, you’ll find good restaurants, nightclubs and cafes. Soho is
also home to London’s gay community, with Old Compton Street virtually given over to gay
businesses. Click on ’Gay’ in the listings panel for more information.
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16) St Pauls Cathedral

About St Pauls Cathedral

The site on Ludgate Hill has been the home of a cathedral to St

Paul since the seventh century. The present St Paul’s Cathedral
was completed in 1708 and was perhaps Sir Christopher Wren’s
most famous architectural gift to the city of London.

Built after it’s predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of

London, Wren’s St Paul’s was inspired by the Basilica of St
Peter in Rome with it’s trademark dome, which was specially
constructed to be 365 feet high, one foot for every day of the
year.
St Paul’s has played host to the funerals of some of Britain’s most influential historical figures:
Churchill, Nelson and the Duke of Wellington have all been commemorated there. 

During the Second World War, when much of London had been reduced to rubble, the cathedral
remained almost unscathed, a rallying point for Londoners.

More recently St Paul’s was used for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. 
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17) Tate Modern

About Tate Modern

Situated adjacent to the new Globe Theatre on the South Bank, Tate Modern is the national
repository for international modern art in the capital. The gallery, which is linked to St Paul’s
Cathedral by the Millenium Bridge, was converted to it’s present form by the Swiss architects Herzog
& de Meuron from the former Bankside Power Station.

The striking architecture of the building is reminiscent of one it’s original designer’s other works; as
well as Bankside, Sir Giles Englebert Scott also designed Battersea Power Station and the classic red
phone box.

The building contains three floors’ worth of galleries as well as it’s imposing turbine hall, fully four
storeys high, which is used for some of Tate Modern’s more sizable exhibits.

Contemporary artists have been specially commissioned to produce a piece for the hall for the last
five years (since the gallery opened) and this looks set to continue. 
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18) Tower Bridge

About Tower Bridge

An archetypal icon of London, especially when illuminated at night, Tower Bridge was opened after 8
years of construction in 1894 by the then Prince of Wales, following a massive industrialisation of
East London.

The bridge’s designer, Horace Jones, was the winner of a public competition to solve the problem of
crossing the Thames in 1876: a river crossing was needed but large ships would still need to pass to
the docks beyond, so the bridge was designed to be raised, incorporating two counterweighted
bascules powered by huge steam engines.

The bridge stands 800 feet high with a span of 200 feet and can be raised in less than a minute
despite the combined weight of over 2000 tons.

These days the bridge is electrically operated, although the original steam generators have been
retained as a tourist exhibit. Tower Bridge is raised as many as five hundred times in a year. 
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19) The Tower of London

About The Tower of London

More formally known as Her Majesty’s Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London is most
famously known as a prison and execution site for high-profile criminals, usually accused
of high treason. Enemies of the state were brought to it along the Thames, entering
through ’Traitor’s Gate’.

Key people to be executed here included William Hastings, Anne Boleyn, Catherine
Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Robert Devereux.

Recent executions included 11 German spies captured during WW1.

Elizabeth I was imprisoned in the White Tower during the reign of her sister Mary.

The most recent prisoner was Rudolf Hess was held here for 4 days during WW2.

William the Conqueror ordered it to be built from stone, imported from Normandy, so that
it would be able to withstand any attack on London.

Richard the Lionheart then upgraded its defences with a moat.

King John then decided to use it as a Royal Menagerie to house animals from home and
abroad. The menagerie was opened to the public in 1804 and thus became London’s first
zoo until being replaced by the current London Zoo at Regents Park in 1835.

Apart from being a tourist attraction, the Tower is used to guard the priceless Crown
Jewels, used to crown sovereigns on their Coronation Day. The guardians of the Tower are
famously recognised in their red tunics and black stockings and being known as the
’Beafeaters’.

The Tower is also the home to 7 black ravens which must be fed at the expense of the
government. If no ravens reside at the Tower, then the country is believed to be under
threat of invasion!

Address

HM Tower of London

London EC3N 4AB

Travel

Nearest Underground: Tower Hill (Circle & District line/DLR)

Please note - During the duration of the work to make Tower Hill a more accessible, safe
and traffic-free civic space, public access to the Tower of London will be diverted via the
Tower Moat. From Tower Hill Underground Station signs will direct the public down
temporary steps into the moat, where a specially-constructed path will lead them to
another set of temporary steps and from there up to the ticket kiosks.

NOTES

Opening hours

1 November - 28 February
Tuesday - Saturday: 09.00-17.00

Sunday - Monday: 10.00-17.00

Last admission: 16.00

1 March - 31 October

Monday - Saturday: 09.00-18.00

Sunday: 10.00-18.00

Last admission: 17.00

All internal buildings close 30 minutes after the last admission. The Tower closes one hour
after the last admission.

The Tower is closed 24-26 December and 1 January (inclusive). 

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20) Trafalgar Square

About Trafalgar Square

The statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was buried at St Pauls Cathedral, stands high
above the traffic at Trafalgar square. Originally created to commemorate Nelson’s famous
victory at the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic wars, the the statue is flanked by
four bronze lions said to have been cast from the metal of reclaimed cannons from the
French fleet.

Below Nelson, tourists gather to feed the frightening number of pidgeons who sweep in
and out of the crowds and accross to St Martin in the Fields, a church which has been
standing since the thirteenth century - worth a visit, especially for it’s stunning interior.
The square is also overlooked by the National Gallery and Admiralty Arch.

It would seem all roads lead to Trafalgar Square, and most cars seem to end up there, in a
perpetual traffic jam. Ironically Trafalgar Square is dead in the centre of London and the
square is the point from which all distances to locations in the UK are measured.

Trafalgar Square has over the decades been a site for protest; from anti-nuclear
demonstrations of the 1960’s to the infamous 1990 Poll Tax Riots; as well as national
celebration: a Christmas ceremony has been held annually since 1947.

If you are planning to visit Trafalgar Square, you are advised to get the tube (Charing
Cross) and leave the car behind.