London has the greatest concentration of major attractions in Britain and offers an amazing variety of places to visit.

Buckingham Palace -

     Popularly known as "Buck House", has served as the monarch`s permanent London residence only since the accession of Victoria. It began its days in 1702 as the Duke of Buckingham`s city residence, built on the site of a notorious brothel, and was sold by the duke`s son to George III in 1762.
     The building was overhauled by Nash in the late 1820s for the Prince Regent, and again by Aston Webb in time for George V`s coronation in 1913. It is the largest private house in London - it has more than 660 rooms. The palace is actually back-to-front: the side you look at from the Mall is the back of the building.

Chinatown -

     Chinatown in London comes alive every year during the Chinese New Year celebration in February. Located between Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square, and mainly concentrated around Lisle and Gerard streets, Chinatown boasts of a number of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, souvenir shops, and other Chinese run-businesses. This makes the place one of London’s most distinct and popular ethnic enclaves. Chinatown prides itself in the telephone kiosks dressed up as pagodas and fake oriental gates are sure to attract you. The town is a mini China where around 80,000 Chinese live in the three small blocks.
     The Chinese New Year is celebrated with much fanfare in Chinatown. It is a community –based affair with thousands of Chinese participating in the Lantern festival and traditional dragon dance are a must see- the bamboo and silk dragons bobbing and weaving through the streets will make you feel you are actually in China and not in London.

Changing the Guard -

     Changing the Guard is a ceremony where the regular hand-over of the Queen guards takes place. There are two ceremonies which take place at two separate venues, the more popular being at the Buckingham Palace, and the other at Horse Guards Parade. The Queen’s Guard is accompanied by a band with music that ranges from traditional military marches to songs from the shows and even familiar pop songs. The Guard arrives at the Buckingham Palace from Wellington Barracks having marched via Bird Cage Walk to the Palace and the ceremony takes place at 11.30 am on most of the days.
     The ceremony lasts for about 40 min. which takes place inside the railings of the Palace. However, Changing of the Guard ceremony also takes place at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall at 11am Mon-Sat and 10am on Sun daily throughout the year and lasts for about an hour. The Guards arrive here via Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill and The Mall. To witness the ceremony of the Changing of the Guards, take tube to Victoria, St James’s Park or Green Park tube station.

Covent Garden -

     What started out in the seventeenth century as London`s first luxury neighbourhood is once more a highly desirable place to live, work and shop. Based around Inigo Jones`s piazza - London`s oldest planned square - the area had for years been a market centre for fruit and vegetables.
     That was closed in 1974 and for a while it looked as if the developers would move in on this prime central real estate and demolish it all for unwanted new office blocks. These plans collapsed and now we have the elegant old market hall, and shops, restaurants and arts-and-crafts stalls. It has become one of London`s major tourist attractions, which now boast some of the trendiest clothes shops, cafes and restaurants in London.

Greenwich area -

The most famous thing about London Greenwich is the Old Royal Observatory from where time all over the world is measured. Another delight for your eyes is the world`s last surviving tea clipper, Cutty Sark. Among the historical sights that await you are Sailors` bunks, old cutlery, and dolls dressed as people. The tourist information office, at 46 Greenwich Church St, (open daily: April - Oct 10am - 5pm; Oct - March 11am - 4pm; Tel:0208 858 6376) should be your first place of call; they can answer most queries and supply maps and guides.

Kenwood House -

     Hampstead Heath NW3 - is the most enjoyably approached via the winding path from the Highgate Ponds. Set in its own magnificently landscaped grounds, the house is seventeenth-century, but was later remodelled by Robert Adam for the Earl of Mansfield, Attorney-General, Lord Chief Justice and the most powerful jurist in the country.
     Mansfield, who sent 102 people to the gallows and sentenced another 448 to transportation, was a deeply unpopular character and one of the prime targets of the Gordon rioters in 1780, who ransacked his Bloomsbury house. The house is now open to the public and home to the Iveagh Bequest, a collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century art from the English, Dutch and French schools.

London Dungeon - London Bridge -

     The vaults beneath the railway arches of London Bridge train station, on the south side of Tooley Street, are now occupied by the Gothic horrors of the London Dungeon, one of the city`s major crowd-pleasers.
The life-sized waxwork tableaux include a hanging at Tyburn gallows, a rack, a man being hung, drawn and quartered and one being boiled alive. The atmosphere of horror and terror is boosted by actors dressed as top-hatted Victorian vampires pouncing out of the darkness.

Madame Tussaund`s wax museum and the London Planetarium -

     You have been warned before about the dangers of queuing at other places and trust us, Madame Tussaund`s museum is the place where you will need comfortable shoes and a lot of patience especially during school holidays.
     People have shown great interest in her work ever since she arrived in 1802. Presidents, pop stars, actors, serial killers, musicians and many others are all represented here. It includes sections such as a Garden party with politicians and TV personalities, 200 Years section with exhibits from people from past , Chambers of Horrors, and the Spirit of London. For tickets and opening time call: 0870 400 3000
     The London Planetarium has on offer permanent displays featuring a giant revolving Earth circled by satellites, live weather, touch-screen computers and information on the rest of the planets in the solar system. The strength of this place is shown in 30 minute virtual-reality presentation, Planetary Quest projected onto a vast dome in the auditorium upstairs. Call: 0870 400 3000 for further information.

     Moving on to a more modern structure for a moment, if you can spare some time waiting in a queue, you can experience the Millennium Wheel which is also known as the London Eye. Based on the bank of the river Thames near Waterloo Station this is spectacle well worth visit. Basically it is the biggest observation wheel in the world hence its name which will in matter of 30 minutes make a full circle and thus give you a splendid view of London. It towers 135 meters over the Thames River and weighs 2,100 tonnes. If the sky is clear you will have a 25-mile panoramic view. Open: daily (until Sept 9) from 10am-10:30pm. Tel: 0870 5000 600.
     Nearby attractions like Big Ben, Houses of Parliament on the other bank and Thames River with bridges will satisfy your hunger for taking photos.

London Zoo -

     The north-eastern corner of Regent`s Park is occupied by London Zoo, founded way back in 1826. Over the last decade, the zoo has sought to redefine itself as an environmentally aware venue whose prime purpose is to save species which are under threat of extinction.
     The zoo boasts some striking architectural features, such as the 1930s modernist, spiral-ramped, concrete penguin pool, designed by the Tecton partnership, led by Russian emigre Berthold Lubetkin, who also made the zoo`s Round House. The Giraffe House, by contrast, was designed in Neoclassical style by Decimus Burton, who is also responsible for the mock-Tudor Clock Tower.

Monument -

     Monument Yard, Fish St Hill, EC2. Monument or Cannon St tube station. Sir Christopher Wren`s spectacular column symbolising the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666 (its 202ft height is equal to the distance it stands from Pudding Lane where the fire started). Magnificent views over London are offered to those brave enough to conquer the column`s 311 steps. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5.40pm, Sat/Sun 2pm-5.40pm.

Neasden Temple -

     Just off the North Circular Road in Neasden is truly one of the best places in London. We have to admit that it is awkward to reach it by public transport, but if you have a car or a minicab service is not expensive - please go there. You can go by tube to Neasden or Stonebridge park tube stations but from there it is a fair walk. It is worth the effort though because you will be mesmerised by this exotic building.
     Just looking at the outside facade of the temple is enough to leave you speechless. Visiting this place men and women have to dress decently, i.e. No short skirts, shorts, see through garments etc. Admission is free.
     The whole process of building this temple is astonishing; five thousands of tons of limestone and marble from different parts of Europe was shipped out to India, carved there and brought back to London. This is truly a place that you have to visit. Open from: daily 9am-6:30pm; free. Tel: 020 8965 2651.

Nelson's Column -

     Raised in 1843 and now one of London's best-loved monuments, commemorates the one-armed, one-eyed admiral who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but paid for it with his life. The statue which surmounts the granite column is more than triple life-size but still manages to appear minuscule, and is coated in anti-pigeon gel to try and stem the build-up of guano.
     The acanthus leaves of the capital are cast from British cannons, while bas-reliefs around the base - depicting three of Nelson's earlier victories as well as his death aboard HMS Victory - are from captured French armaments. Edwin Landseer's four gargantuan bronze lions guard the column and provide a climbing frame for kids to clamber over. 14 stonemasons held a dinner on top of Nelson's Column before the statue was placed there. Every year, London receives as a gift huge Christmas tree from Norwegian city of Oslo.

     In the City of London you will come upon St Paul's Cathedral. The present structure is the fifth cathedral to be built on the site. The weddings of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill and many other occasions have graced this spiritual centre. Built of Portland stone with a Dome that rises to 365 feet and with Great Paul, the largest bell in England, this has to be one of THE MUST SEE sights in London. After four years obscured by scaffolding the interior of St Paul’s Cathedral will be fully revealed on Thursday, 9 June at 9.30am after a £10.8 million programme of cleaning and repair. Work began in May 2001 and has seen the dome, stonework, gilding, mosaics and sculptures painstakingly restored. During the monumental project over 1,000 containers of dust (each containing around a cubic foot of dust) were removed and over 11,000 square metres of plain stone and 4,500 square metres of carved stone cleaned. Amazingly, the Cathedral has remained fully functional throughout. Open from: Mon-Sat 8:30am-4pm. Tel: 0207 236 4128.

Piccadilly Circus -

     During the weekend this place is absolutely packed with people. Nightlife is in abundance here, especially with nightclubs like the Hippodrome, MGM Cinema, local pubs and bars, people trying to draw your picture and the Trocadero centre. Inside the Trocadero is Segaworld the world's largest indoor theme park, spanning seven floors and offering you all kinds of 21st Century games.

     Rock and pop music are the subject of an exciting exhibition created by Madame Tussaund's - Rock Circus- in the old London Pavilion. Most of the waxen rock legends appear closely accompanied by their hits. Queuing is likely and if you do not like the buzz of the crowds avoid this area completely.
     Within strolling distance of Trafalgar Square stands the RSA, (The Royal Society of Art) one of London's hidden architectural treasures. The House was designed especially for the Society by Robert Adam in the early 1770s. Today the Georgian façade conceals many unexpected delights of both contemporary as well as traditional architecture including a series of intriguing interconnecting subterranean Vaults.
     The Library features a particularly interesting Adam ceiling incorporating panels by the school of Angelica Kaufman. The Great Room is famous for the renowned allegorical series of paintings by James Barry entitled `The Progress of Human Knowledge`. The House is now open to the public for free on the first Sunday of every month (except January). For pre-booked groups catering can be arranged.

The South Bank -

     In 1951, the South Bank Exhibition, held on derelict land south of the Thames, formed the centrepiece of the nationwide `Festival of Britain`, an attempt to revive postwar morale by celebrating the centenary of the Great Exhibition (when Britain really did rule over half the world). The most striking features of the site were the ferris wheel, the saucer-shaped Dome of Discovery and the cigar-shaped Skylon tower.
     The great success of the festival provided the impetus for the eventual creation of the South Bank Centre, though this has singularly failed to capture the imagination of the public in the same way. Instead, the South Bank has become London's much unloved culture bunker. On the plus side, the South Bank is currently under inspired artistic direction and stands very much at the heart of the capital's arts scene. The nearest tube is Waterloo.

Shakespeare`s Globe Theatre -

     The biggest crowds currently to be found along Bankside are milling around this place, a spectacular reconstruction of the polygonal playhouse where most of the Bard`s later works were first performed. (The original site of the Globe, marked by a blackened plaque on a brewery wall on Park Street, lies beneath a listed Georgian terrace.)
     The theatre, which boasts the first thatched roof in London since the Great Fire, uses only natural light and the minimum of scenery, and currently puts on shows from mid-May to mid-September. Also on site are a restaurant, cafe, cinema and, inevitably, a shop selling lots of Bard merchandise. Form more information please call: 0207 902 1500.

Trafalgar Square -

     Where the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson dominates the square 167 feet above it. Built to commemorate his naval victory in 1805 it is a central piece of this magnificent area. Trafalgar Square laid out around 1830 is a popular venue for political rallies and used to be a home ground for thousands of pigeons. Recent ruling in banning of the pigeon food sellers to be there is going to certainly clean that patch of London of health hazards and of its long history of feeding them and taking photos with them. Each year people from all parts of London concentrate there to celebrate New Year but it looks as if that is also going disappear as unruly behaviour and pollution of noise is endangering this occasion. Four majestic bronze lions, each 20 feet long and 11 feet high guard the base of column and the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields dating from 1721 makes it popular destination for tourists to come and see it all.

Tower Bridge -

     One of the most famous landmarks in London and just over a hundred years old, the Tower Bridge with its twin drawbridges, or bascules, each weighing about 1,000 tons have been raised more then half a million times since it was built. It takes only 90 seconds for the bascules to be raised with electric motors which replaced the old steam engines. From Tower Bridge you can view HMS Belfast, an 11,500-ton cruiser that opened the bombardment of the Normandy coast on D-Day. The closest tube stations for those two are, Tower Hill and London Bridge. Open from: daily 10am-6:30pm; Nov-March 10am-5:15pm. Tel: 0207 403 3761.

The Tower of London -

     Overlooks the river at the eastern boundary of the old city walls. Chiefly famous as a place of imprisonment and death, it has variously been used as a royal residence, armoury, mint, menagerie, observatory and - function it still serves - a safe-deposit box for the Crown Jewels.
     Although you can explore the Tower complex independently, it is a good idea to get your bearings by joining up with one of the guided tours, g iven every thirty minutes by one of the forty-odd eminently photographable Beefeaters. These ex-servicemen are best known for their scarlet-and-gold Tudor costumes.

The Crown Jewels -

     The castellated Waterloo Barracks, built to the north of the White Tower during the Duke of Wellington`s term as Constable of the Tower, now hold the Crown Jewels, perhaps the major reason so many visitors flock to the Tower. At least some of the Crown Jewels have been kept in the Tower since 1327, and have been on display since Charles II let the public have a look at them.
     The oldest piece of regalia is the twelfth-century `Anointing Spoon`; the most famous is the `Imperial State Crown`, sparkling with a 317-carat diamond, a sapphire from a ring said to have been buried with Edward the Confessor, and assorted emeralds, rubies and pearls.

Thames Barrier -

     The brief boat trip from Greenwich or Westminster passes drab industrial landscapes before gliding towards the gleaming fins of the Thames Barrier. London has been subject to flooding from surge tides since before 1236, when it was reported that in "the great Palace of Westminster men did row with wherries in the midst of the Hall".
     One of the worst recorded floods took place as recently as 1953, when more than three hundred people were drowned in the Thames Estuary alone. Finally it was agreed to build a barrier, and it was done between 1972 to 1984. It is a mind-blowing feat of engineering, with its ten moveable steel gates weighing from 400 to 3700 tones each.

Wimbledon -

     If you have missed the tournament itself (held every year in the last week of June and the first week of July), the next best thing for tennis fans is a quick spin around the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, situated by Gate 4, on the east side of the All England grounds, on Church Road. The museum traces the history of the game, which is descended from the `jeu de paume` played by the French clergy from the twelfth century onwards.

Vinopolis - City of Wine -

     1 Bank End, Bankside, SE1. Take tube to London Bridge. Dedicated to the pleasures of good food and drink, visitors can spend an afternoon sampling and learning about wine and spirits from around the world. Vinopolis Classic package includes a tour, 5 wine tasting tokens and the chance to sample a perfectly prepared Bombay Sapphire cocktail. Upgraded packages offer guests the chance to sample a variety of other unusual wines and spirits from around the world or have an introduction into the secrets of wine tasing. Tickets from £11 per person. Open from 1200 until 2100 - Monday, Friday and Saturday, 1200 until 1800 all other days (last entry 2 hours before closing time). Call 0870 241 4040 for further information and up to date opening hours.

     And now we have come upon one of the most famous sights in London, Westminster Abbey -

     It has been so closely connected with the Crown and the nations history. The coronation of every king and queen (apart from two) spanning 900 years has been held here. The magnificent Gothic building seen today dates from the 11th century.

1. National Gallery
   The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of European painting in the world. With paintings ranging from 1250 to 1900, the collection includes work by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Cezanne and Van Gogh.
2. British Museum
   The imposing British Museum exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times with collections drawn from all around the world. Famous objects include the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and the Portland Vase.
3. Tate Modern
   The impressive Tate Modern is Britain's national museum of modern art. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the River Thames, the gallery displays major works by Matisse and Picasso as well as contemporary work, exhibitions and installations.
4. The London Eye
   The British Airways London Eye forms a major feature of London's skyline. It is the world's highest observation wheel and offers passengers spectacular views of over 55 of London's most famous landmarks in just 30 minutes.
5. Natural History Museum
   As well as the permanent dinosaur exhibition, the gallery boasts a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. Don't miss the life size model of the Blue Whale, the 40 million year old spider, the earthquake simulator and an elephant bird egg.
6. Science Museum
   See, touch and experience the major scientific advances of the last 300 years at the largest museum of its kind in the world. With over 40 galleries and 2000 hands on exhibits, step into the future in the Wellcome Wing, visit the IMAX cinema and virtual reality simulator.
7. The Tower of London
   Take a free guided tour with one of the Yeoman Warders around one of the most famous fortified buildings in the world. Discover its 900 year history as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, mint, arsenal, menagerie and jewel house.
8. The Victoria & Albert Museum
   The V&A celebrates all things art and design, and is home to 3000 years worth of amazing artefacts from many of the world's richest cultures. See their amazing collection of ceramics, furniture, fashion, glass, jewellery, photographs, sculpture, textiles and paintings.
9. The National Portrait Gallery
   The gallery features portraits in all mediums depicting well known British people. In addition to historical portraits, it exhibits a rapidly changing collection of contemporary work with exhibitions by individual artists, and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition.
10. National Maritime Museum
    This is the largest maritime museum in the world with a collection of over two million objects relating to seafaring. Now a World Heritage Site, the historic landscape includes the 17th century Queen’s House and the home of the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory.