Speaker’s Corner

A royal decree of 1855 guaranteed the right of free speech at the corner of Hyde Park near Marble Arch, and today that right is still exercised. If you go on a Sunday morning you can enjoy listening to people lecture on just about anything they like, including those two taboo subjects, religion, and politics. The hecklers in the crowd are all part of the fun. Several famous names have addressed the crowd here in the past, including Karl Marx and George Orwell.

London’s churches

There are dozens of historic churches hidden away all over London, many designed by the two famous architects Wren and Hawksmoor. Some churches offer free lunchtime concerts, or put on art exhibitions. Two of the most famous are St. Martin’s in the Fields, in Trafalgar Square, which was the model for many colonial churches in the United States; and St. Paul’s Church in Covent Garden. This church is known as the actor’s church and has memorials to many great names associated with the screen and stage, including Noel Coward and Vivien Leigh.

Highgate Cemetery

This is the most famous and picturesque of London’s several well-known Victorian cemeteries. The eastern cemetery, which contains the grave of Karl Marx is free to visit; the atmospheric and overgrown western cemetery can be visited only on a guided tour. The cemetery is known for its ornate and spectacular Victorian tombs, and two of the most interesting areas are the sections of tombs built into the side of a hill, known as the Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon.

The Old Bailey

Anybody can come in here to listen to the proceedings at what is probably the most famous court in the world. Admission is on a first come, first served basis, and although you may not witness a notorious trial, many visitors find the experience fascinating. The building stands on the site of London’s infamous Newgate Prison and has featured in many books and movies, including A Tale of Two Cities and V for Vendetta.

Burlington Arcade

This beautiful Victorian shopping arcade located just off Piccadilly is home to some of London’s most fascinating specialist shops. Burlington Arcade is also well known for having its own quirky rules, which include no running or whistling in the arcade. You can also watch members of the oldest police force in London, the Beadles, ceremoniously ring a bell to close the stores at 530pm every day.

Changing of the Guard

This famous ceremony takes place outside Buckingham Palace, daily from April to July at 1130 am, and on alternate days at other times during the year. The 40-minute ceremony includes marching music and complex maneuvers. You have to arrive really early for a good vantage point, although one of the best places to enjoy the ceremony from is on nearby Horseguard’s Parade, where there are fewer crowds.

The ceremony of the Keys, Tower of London

A centuries-old tradition is the nightly and ceremonial locking up of the tower by the Warder of the Tower. The Warder walks around the Tower, making sure that all the gates are locked, before handing the keys over to the Queen’s House. To obtain free tickets for this event, you must apply in writing to the Tower several months ahead of time.

Hampstead Heath

This huge expanse of parkland located a few miles to the north of central London is popular with locals and tourists alike. The heath offers miles of walking trails, kite flying, picnic spots, and a small boating pond, as well as excellent views over London. It is also a good place to see local celebrities, as many famous people choose to live in Hampstead. Several of London’s best pubs are nearby, including the Spaniards Inn, once the haunt of the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin.

London’s Canals

At one time, London’s canals were an important way to transport goods in and out of the capital. Today, many miles of canals and towpaths have been restored, and provide an unusual way to see the capital. One of the best walks is the Regent’s Canal walk, which takes in Little Venice, Primrose Hill, the zoo in Regent’s Park and Camden Lock, home to one of London’s biggest and best street markets.

London’s Royal Parks

London is one of the greenest capitals in the world, and several Royal parks make up an almost continuous open space in the heart of the city. All are ideal havens from the noise of the city, although Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens also contain several attractions for children, including a boating lake, the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and a much-loved statue of Peter Pan.

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Take, for example, the number of tourists who tramp through the hallowed grounds each year. On average, more than two million people cross through the gate each year to witness the history, tradition, and spectacle provided by The Tower.

What do visitors see? Well, The Crown Jewels, for one. The jewels, which are worth more than $32 billion, have been housed in the Tower of London for almost 700 years. They were first displayed to the public in the 1660s, and today the jewels exhibit has a separate ticket office to handle the number of tourists who want to see them.

Visitors also are able to take tours with one of the 37 Yeoman Warders, who are the ceremonial defender of The Tower. They’re also those people, known as the Beefeaters, who give tours and share the history with modern-day visitors, and they’re responsible for the ceremony of the keys. In order to become a Yeoman Warder, one must have put in at least 22 years of service in the British military and received a medal for good conduct. The Yeoman Warders live with their families in apartments in The Tower.

A minimum of six ravens also live within the tower walls, and tourists who are paying attention just might catch a glimpse of one of the birds. According to legend, ravens are kept within the tower walls because, if they leave, The Tower could fall and London would crumble. Today, eight Ravens (two spares) live on the tower grounds in order to keep the edifice standing strong. Those eight ravens all have names, and they go through more than a ton of meat each year. Most favor sheep hearts.

Despite the sight-seeing attraction present at The Tower of London today, it’s important to remember that the building was originally built by William the Conqueror as a defensive stronghold. It’s seen its share of prisoners, tortures, and even executions. The fortress represents more than 1,000 years of macabre history, which likely adds to the allure for tourists.

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1. British Museum

The British Museum is an amazing collection of exhibits ranging from prehistoric to modern times. Some of the main exhibits are the Parthenon sculptures, the Ancient Egyptian collection of mummies, and the Rosetta Stone. Admission is free, but if you want to attend a special exhibition you will need to purchase a ticket; it is best to purchase them in advance in order to avoid long lines at the door.

2. Tower of London

The Tower of London has an interesting history in itself. In the past, the Tower of London was used not only as a royal palace, but also as an arsenal, a prison, a site for executing rebels to the crown, a zoo, and to store royal jewels. In fact, many of the Crown Jewels on display there are still used today for coronations, royal funerals, and the State Opening of Parliament.

3. National Gallery

The National Gallery is located in Trafalgar Square. Here you will find paintings by da Vinci, Botticelli, Van Gogh, Renoir, and many other Western European artists from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The entrance is free, but for special exhibits, tickets are required.

4. London Eye

The London Eye is the best way to get a panoramic view of London. Each of the 32 capsules holds up to 25 people, so if you are traveling with a group, there will be plenty of room for each to share the incredible views together.

5. Tate Modern in London

The Tate Modern, located on the Thames River, focuses on modern and contemporary art. If your taste in art includes more modern forms, you will enjoy visiting the Tate Modern. It also has an excellent restaurant that has outstanding views of the city. There is no entrance fee.

6. Madam Tussauds in London

Madam Tussauds is a must-see for anyone visiting London. You will be awestruck by the lifelike wax sculptures of many famous people including Prince William and Princess Kate, Her Majesty the Queen, Lady Gaga, Shakespeare, and even One Direction.

7. Best Restaurants and Pubs In London

The city of London has a wide variety of restaurants to suit every taste. For traditional London cuisine in elegant settings, you can visit Bonds, Hix Oyster and Chop House, Chamberlain’s Restaurant, or Chiswell Street Dining Room. If you enjoy Italian cuisine, Caravaggio is the place to dine; or for Thailand cuisine, be sure to visit Thai Square Mineries. Experiencing one of London’s Pubs is a must. Ye Old Cheshire Cheese is the most popular by far, but The Blackfriar, The Magpie, and Rising Sun are also great places to get a pint of ale.

There is so much to see and experience in London, it is best to decide where you want to go before leaving home. By planning, making reservations, and purchasing tickets ahead of time, you can spend more time savoring the experiences you really desire.

8. Take a Hop-on-Hop-off-Bustour to London’s Sights

There are three companies in London that offer a hop-on hop-off bus tour. With stops in front of the most important sights, you can explore London up close. It is also worth ordering here in advance. Tickets are available for 24, 48 or 72 hours and cost between 24 and 52 pounds. Early bookers get up to 20% discount.
www.city-walks.info

9. Explore the historic Greenwich ans stay on the Nullmeridian-Line

Greenwich is a historic district in the southeast of London. The place on the Thames is world famous for the prime meridian that runs along here. A tourist attraction is the brass strip in the courtyard of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. In addition, the sculpture at its end is a popular photo motif.

Visitors often enjoy jumping from one time zone to another. Maybe you could save an hour like that? A visit to the observatory is also worthwhile in the evening. Because since 1999 a north-facing green laser has been illuminating the course of the prime meridian. The laser beam can also be seen very clearly from the Thames.

Open: 10:00–17:00 Uhr

Food and drinks in London

Treat yourself to a classic English breakfast

Do you like it hearty and greasy for breakfast? Then try a full English breakfast. The English breakfast classic consists of sausages, beans, bacon and fried egg. A popular breakfast spot is the Breakfast Club in Soho. But you will also find cafés and restaurants that offer English breakfasts everywhere in the city. For more inspiration, check out Time Out.

Start the day with brunch

If you don’t like English Breakfast, you can brunch in London. There are of course countless possibilities for this. If you love viewpoints, you can go for brunch, for example, in the city’s highest restaurant, Duck & Waffel. You can find more recommendations here: CN Traveler or Time Out.

​​Celebrate an English tradition – afternoon tea

Afternoon tea has a long tradition in England. It originated in the 17th century and is still celebrated today. Small cakes and sandwiches are traditionally served with tea. As a London tourist, you can now take tea in a variety of ways. For example, there is an afternoon tea bus tour that takes you on an old double-decker through London’s streets, or boat trips across the Thames. There is afternoon tea at lofty heights in the tallest building in Western Europe (The Shard) or themed events such as Alice in Wonderland afternoon tea. You have a free choice.

Dine in a special atmosphere

Having Dinner in London is quite expensive, on more reason to make it special unforgettable. So how about a restaurant with a fantastic view or directly on the water?  There a wide variety of restaurants where you can have dinner in a special atmosphere. Good Examples would be the Rainforest Café, the five restaurants on Skygarden or the Northbank Restaurant with view of the Thames.

Places to eat with a view of the thames

Feast in London’s markets

London has such great markets and in my opinion a visit to the market when visiting London is a must. For foodies, London’s oldest weekly market, Borough Market, is a must. But actually almost all markets have delicious food stalls where you can get dishes from all over the world.

The best food markets in London

Have a picnic in the park

As already mentioned, London has many, and especially central, parks. Since the restaurants near the well-known sights are sometimes very expensive, a picnic in the park is possible in good weather. You can buy your food beforehand in the supermarket or at Pret. The fast food chain Pret is available on every corner in London. There you can get delicious sandwiches, salads, soups, sushi, fruit and much more.

Try England’s National Fish & Chips

Don’t you immediately think of fish and chips when eating English? For me, it’s the British classic. If you like fish (or fish fingers) you will love fish and chips. For this I can recommend the restaurants Poppies (Soho, Camden, Spitalfields) or Hook (Camden). But many pubs also have the classic on the menu.

Have a pint in a typical British pub

There are some historic pubs in London where you can have a pint of ale or lager in a cozy atmosphere. My personal favorite is the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese near St Paul’s. It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in London. Celebrities like Charles Dickens are also said to have enjoyed spending time in the winding pub.

Join a pub crawl

In the pub crawl, a local guide will take you through a series of pubs together with a small group. You will not only get to know pubs that you probably would not have discovered on your own, but also many people from all over the world. Of course there are different providers and therefore different concepts of pub crawls. On some tours you only go to pubs, others also go to one or the other club. With some you get a free shot in every shop, with others you get discounted drinks and others just show you around. The price range is correspondingly different.

Take a food tour through London

On a food tour you will get to know authentic London cuisine away from the tourist crowds. Locals take you to bakeries, markets, restaurants, bars or pubs. English cuisine may not have the best reputation, but the food in London is as international as the city. You will notice this at the latest on a food tour.

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