Tourism in London
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
attracts 30 million international visitors per year, making it the world's most visited in terms of international visits. The Tourist Board for London is called Visit London. The Britain and London Visitor Centre is located on Lower Regent Street, near Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
.
Economics of tourism in London
Gross value added
Gross Value Added ' is a measure in economics of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy...
and contributes to the employment of up to 13 per cent of London's workforce.
According to the London Development Agency
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
, visitors to London spend around £15bn each year.
Weather
Although London is a beautiful city with many indoor attractions, it is sometimes rainy or cold during the autumn and winter months (October to April). In summer the average high temperatures are around 23°C (73°F). Winter months are cold with highs around 7°C (45°F). September and October are especially wet and rainy.Places to stay
Since London is a big city and tourist destination there are many places for someone to stay during their trip. There are many hotels (luxury and tourist), Bed and Breakfast hotels and flats (hotels apartments). Many of these accommodations are located within walking distance of many tourist attractions. Prices vary depending on the type of hotel you choose. Luxury and tourist hotels tend to be more expensive. Bed and Breakfast homes are usually on the more affordable side and include breakfast in the morning. Flats are apartments rented out to tourists. These are ideal for stays longer than one week in length.Getting around
There are many ways to move around the city of London, such as walking or taking the Tube (the subway) or bus. Many of London's attractions are within walking distance of each other. Obtain a good tourist map or guide book to see which can be managed on foot. These will also have an Underground map.Underground
The London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
is a popular way to travel around London. It is considered the easiest and quickest way to move around. The Underground has 12 lines that run from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 5 am to midnight. Although it also runs on Sunday, the hours of operation are reduced.
Bus
Another very popular way to move about the city is to take the bus. This mode of transportation provides 24-hour service all week. Some buses even offer tours to point out historical landmarks and tourist attractions. Taking the bus requires that you have already purchased a ticket. These are easy to obtain at any ticket machine near major stops. Prices of a bus pass vary depending on the number of days with a one-day pass at £3.80 and a weekly pass at £13.80.There are also open-top tourist buses where you can buy an all-day ticket and get on and off the bus at various tourist attractions of your choice. Alternatively, you can stay on the bus and enjoy the guided tour. These buses can be found in Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden with a fine garden.-Public art:The centre-piece of the gardens is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was installed in 1968....
, half-way between the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
.
Tickets
There are two types of prepaid tickets used for various modes of transportation around the city. The first type of ticket is the contactless smartcard- the Oyster CardOyster card
The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...
. The holder loads the card with credit which can then be used to ride on the Underground, bus, tramlink and most National Rail Service lines. These tickets are can be used at anytime, but are charged differently depending on peak and off-peak times. Daytime off-peak and reduced fares on the Tube are from 9.30am to 4.00pm and after 7pm Monday to Friday.
| Zone | Peak Price | Off-peak Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | £2.50 | £1.90 |
| 1-6 | £4.50 | £2.70 |
The second type of ticket is the Travel Card. This allows for the same travel privileges as the Oyster Card but includes all National Rail Service lines. The prices of the tickets are shown below.
| Days | Zone | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-6 | £7.50 |
| 3 | 1-6 | £22.50 |
| 7 | 1-6 | £47.60 |
Central London
London is home to many tourist attractions that are known worldwide. Some of the most popular include the many museums located in the city, many of which offer free entry. The British MuseumBritish Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
holds seven million exhibits that not only have to do with London, but Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, etc. Popular exhibits include the Elgin Marbles
Elgin Marbles
The Parthenon Marbles, forming a part of the collection known as the Elgin Marbles , are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures , inscriptions and architectural members that originally were part of the Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens...
, the Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
, 'Ginger'
Ginger (mummy)
The Gebelein predynastic mummies are six naturally mummified bodies, dating to approximately 3400 BC from the Late Predynastic period of Egypt, and were the first complete pre-dynastic bodies to be discovered...
, the world's oldest mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, Lindow Man
Lindow man
Lindow Man, also known as Lindow II and as Pete Marsh, is the preserved bog body of a man discovered in a peat bog at Lindow Moss near Wilmslow in Cheshire, North West England. The body was found on 1 August 1984 by commercial peat-cutters...
, etc. The British Museum is open seven days a week and is free.
The British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
holds many literary exhibits and displays the original manuscripts of such classics as Alice in Wonderland, the notebook of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
's manuscript of Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
, Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile either in Berneval or in Dieppe, France, after his release from Reading Gaol on or about 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading, after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard...
, Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
, a Gutenberg Bible
Gutenberg Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed with a movable type printing press, and marked the start of the "Gutenberg Revolution" and the age of the printed book. Widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities, the book has an iconic status...
, Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Sinaiticus is one of the four great uncial codices, an ancient, handwritten copy of the Greek Bible. It is an Alexandrian text-type manuscript written in the 4th century in uncial letters on parchment. Current scholarship considers the Codex Sinaiticus to be one of the best Greek texts of...
, the autograph of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, original music scores by Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
in a permanent exhibition of over 200 exhibits in The Sir John Ritblat Gallery. This gallery is open to the public seven days a week and is free.
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, the museum was founded in 1852, and has since grown to now cover some 12.5 acres (0.05 km2) and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. Admission is also free.
There are also historic or cultural attractions, the most popular of which include Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. This royal palace is still in use today. Here, visitors (approximately 15 million tourists every year) can witness the "Changing of the Guard" when a member of the royal family is in residence. During the summer months, some rooms are open to the public for tours. Other sights include The Tower of London, an historic royal fortress that holds the Crown Jewels of England. Nearby is the famous Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name...
, which is often mistaken by tourists for London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
.
Other attractions include Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London Eye
London Eye
The London Eye is a tall giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England.It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually...
, London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
, the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, the Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
, the London Bridge Experience
The London Bridge Experience
The London Bridge Experience is a popular tourist attraction located on Tooley Street, in vaults below the southern abutment of London Bridge, immediately outside London Bridge Station and rival attraction London Dungeon. It is also opposite The Shard a london skyscraper currently under construction...
, the Charles Dickens Museum and Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
. There are many more attractions in the city itself, and in the surrounding areas. It is recommended that the visitor buy a good guide book to London and plan what he or she wants to see in advance. The larger museums, such as the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
will take several days to get around. It is best to select a few objects that one particularly wants to see and concentrate on them.
London's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
is the city's theatre district. Here the latest stage shows and musicals can be seen. However, these are usually very popular and it is advised to book your tickets as far in advance as possible. All London's theatres have their own websites for booking tickets. These can be picked up at the Box Office on the day or sent by post.
Outer London
Outer London is very accessible from Central London by London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
, or London Taxi. Chessington World Of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
is a theme park within the Greater London boundary.
Outer London offers attractions such as farms, golf courses, horse riding, Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
, and attractions similar to those in Central London such as museums and gardens, but not as high capacity.
See also
- Culture of LondonCulture of LondonThe Culture of London concerns the arts, music, museums, festivals and other entertainment in London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. The city is particularly renowned for its theatre quarter, and its West End theatre district has given the name to "West End theatre", the strand of...
- History of LondonHistory of LondonLondon, the capital of the United Kingdom , has a recorded history that goes back over 2,000 years. During this time, it has grown to become one of the most significant financial and cultural capitals of the world. It has experienced plague, devastating fire, civil war, aerial bombardment and...
- Media in LondonMedia in LondonLondon is a major international communications centre with a virtually unrivalled number of media outlets. Almost all of the major media organisations in the UK are based in London. Much of the British media is concentrated in London and is sometimes accused of having a "London bias"...
- Religion in LondonReligion in LondonLondon has centres of worship for a multitude of faiths. According to the 2001 Census, the largest religious groupings are Christians , followed by those of no religion , no response , Muslims , Hindus , Jews , Sikhs , Buddhists and other...
- Transport in LondonTransport in LondonLondon's transport forms the hub of the road, rail and air networks in the United Kingdom. It has its own dense and extensive internal private and public transport networks, as well as providing a focal point for the national road and railway networks...