Visit London

First impressions of London

London is one of the truly great world cities — a sprawling metropolis of around 9 million people wrapped along the Thames, with 2,000 years of layered history (Roman Londinium, Saxon, Norman, medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian, Modernist, contemporary) all visible within a 30-minute walk of the central river. The headline royal sights cluster on the river: the Tower of London (William the Conqueror's 1078 White Tower, the Crown Jewels, and the Yeoman Warder beefeater tours), Westminster Abbey (where every English monarch has been crowned since 1066, and most are buried), the Houses of Parliament with the dramatic Elizabeth Tower (everyone calls it Big Ben — actually the bell, not the clock or tower), and Buckingham Palace with the daily Changing of the Guard. The free museum scene is unmatched anywhere: the British Museum (the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon marbles, Egyptian mummies), the National Gallery (Turner, Vermeer, Van Gogh's sunflowers), the Tate Modern (the Turbine Hall installations), the Natural History Museum's dinosaurs, the Victoria & Albert's design collection — all free to enter. Beyond, explore the regenerated King's Cross neighbourhood, the canal-side market at Camden, the Sunday morning Columbia Road flower market, an evening at the Globe or the National Theatre, a long lazy afternoon in one of the 8 Royal Parks, and pubs absolutely everywhere. Heathrow is the main international airport (5 terminals, 80km to many destinations); Gatwick, Stansted, and Luton serve mostly budget and European routes.