London is a city with a lot of monuments, museums, galleries, even the facades of the buildings are beautifull and awesome.
-Monuments:
Big Ben:Is not open to the public. Possibly the most famous
clock face and chimes in the world, Big Ben is actually
the name of the biggest bell (13.5 tons)
inside The Clock Tower (320ft) which forms part of the Houses of Parliament.
1858/9 the bell was named after
one Sir Benjamin Hall and when it was cast it was Britain’s heaviest bell.
The clock’s four dials each have a diameter of 23ft, the minute hands are 14ft long and the numerals on each face are nearly 2ft high.The placing of old pennies in the mechanism controls the accuracy of the clock movement, yet it is incredibly accurate.The tower which houses Big Ben has been called by many names, one of the most popular is St Stephen’s Tower.
The official line, from the Head of Public Information at the Palace is that the Clock Tower is simply called The Clock Tower.
However, the name Big Ben has now passed into every day use and the locals call it Big Ben so we’ll go along with that too.
Buckingham Palace:
Has been the official London residence of Britain'
s sovereigns since 1837 and evolved from a town house that was owned, from the beginning of the eighteenth century, by the Dukes of Buckingham. Buckingham Palace is the London home of The Queen and Prince Philip. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to take up residence here after the architect John Nash transformed it from Buckingham House into a palace. In 1845 Queen Victoria asked for the Palace to be extended to make more room for her growing family of four children. As part of the alterations, Marble Arch, which was originally the entr
ance to the palace, was moved to a new position at the corner of Hyde Park.The Palace is also the administrative headquarters of the monarchy. The Queen receives visiting heads of state at the palace and it is here that the Queen holds garden parties and bestows knighthoods and other honours. Foot Guards from the Household Division, in their distinctive red tunics and black bearskins, can be seen on guard duty outside the palace daily. The Changing The Guard ceremony now takes place only every other day in the winter but it is still daily in the summer months.After a serious fire damaged Windsor Castle in 1993 the Queen allowed the Palace State rooms to be opened to the public for the first time, to help pay the Windsor Castle repair bill. When not away, The Queen and Prince Philip spend most weekends at Windsor Castle, where they enjoy horse riding.
s sovereigns since 1837 and evolved from a town house that was owned, from the beginning of the eighteenth century, by the Dukes of Buckingham. Buckingham Palace is the London home of The Queen and Prince Philip. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to take up residence here after the architect John Nash transformed it from Buckingham House into a palace. In 1845 Queen Victoria asked for the Palace to be extended to make more room for her growing family of four children. As part of the alterations, Marble Arch, which was originally the entr
ance to the palace, was moved to a new position at the corner of Hyde Park.The Palace is also the administrative headquarters of the monarchy. The Queen receives visiting heads of state at the palace and it is here that the Queen holds garden parties and bestows knighthoods and other honours. Foot Guards from the Household Division, in their distinctive red tunics and black bearskins, can be seen on guard duty outside the palace daily. The Changing The Guard ceremony now takes place only every other day in the winter but it is still daily in the summer months.After a serious fire damaged Windsor Castle in 1993 the Queen allowed the Palace State rooms to be opened to the public for the first time, to help pay the Windsor Castle repair bill. When not away, The Queen and Prince Philip spend most weekends at Windsor Castle, where they enjoy horse riding.Westminster Abbey:
Is one of Europe's finest Gothic buildings and the scene of coronations, marriages and burials of British m
onarchs. It dates back to the 11th century, and highlights include the Coronation Chair made in 1300, Poets' Corner and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. An architectural masterpiece of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British history - the Confessor’s Shrine, the tombs of Kings and Queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other Royal occasions. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a “royal peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign.The Coronation chair is here. Coronations, marriages and burials of English Monarchs have taken place at this church which was originally built by Edward the Confessor in 1065, rebuilt and added to in the 13th to 18th centuries.Open for sightseeing Monday-Friday and Saturday morning, Sundays for worship only.
onarchs. It dates back to the 11th century, and highlights include the Coronation Chair made in 1300, Poets' Corner and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. An architectural masterpiece of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British history - the Confessor’s Shrine, the tombs of Kings and Queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other Royal occasions. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a “royal peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign.The Coronation chair is here. Coronations, marriages and burials of English Monarchs have taken place at this church which was originally built by Edward the Confessor in 1065, rebuilt and added to in the 13th to 18th centuries.Open for sightseeing Monday-Friday and Saturday morning, Sundays for worship only. St Paul's Cathedral :
Is one of the world's most famous cathedrals, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. This classical cathedral represents inspiration and craftsmanship on a grand scale. The Light of the World by Holman Hunt is its most famous work of art, but it also contains fabulous carvings, statues and mosaics. It's open for sightseeing Monday-Saturday but for services only on Sundays. Work on this, the most impressive church in London began in 1675 to a design by Sir Christopher Wren. It was built to replace old St Paul's which was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present building has been luckier. It survived the World War II bombings which flattened a great many of the surrounding buildings. It took 35 years to
complete the building. The imaginative Wren had to fight to get his plans accepted. Wren actually wanted to build the Cathedral just North of where it stands and he wanted the dome to be of copper, double gilded with gold. Unfortunately he was overruled on both counts. At the time not everyone liked Wren's design. This is the fourth Cathedral to stand on this site. The first, a Saxon building, was built in AD 604. The 360ft high dome which dominates the city's skyline is the second largest in the world. The church itself is the largest Protestant church in England. From inside too, the dome is stunning and it is well worth climbing, up to the galleries. The whispering gallery is so named because of the way a whisper will echo there.Higher still, there is access to the stone gallery on the exterior of the cathedral. At the very top is the Golden Gallery which has arguably the best view in London. The cathedral is packed with fine statues and interior detail. The beautiful woodcarvings are the work of Grinling Gibbons and the exquisite ironwork is by Jean Tijou. The mosaic work is mainly Byzantine and created by Victorian craftsmen to designs by Wren. Many of the rich or great are buried here.Although in many ways a piece of history and a tourist attraction, the cathedral is still very much in use today. It is a national and international religious focus, a masterpiece of architecture and a centre of musical excellence. It was centre stage world-wide, through television, in 1981 for the fairytale marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
complete the building. The imaginative Wren had to fight to get his plans accepted. Wren actually wanted to build the Cathedral just North of where it stands and he wanted the dome to be of copper, double gilded with gold. Unfortunately he was overruled on both counts. At the time not everyone liked Wren's design. This is the fourth Cathedral to stand on this site. The first, a Saxon building, was built in AD 604. The 360ft high dome which dominates the city's skyline is the second largest in the world. The church itself is the largest Protestant church in England. From inside too, the dome is stunning and it is well worth climbing, up to the galleries. The whispering gallery is so named because of the way a whisper will echo there.Higher still, there is access to the stone gallery on the exterior of the cathedral. At the very top is the Golden Gallery which has arguably the best view in London. The cathedral is packed with fine statues and interior detail. The beautiful woodcarvings are the work of Grinling Gibbons and the exquisite ironwork is by Jean Tijou. The mosaic work is mainly Byzantine and created by Victorian craftsmen to designs by Wren. Many of the rich or great are buried here.Although in many ways a piece of history and a tourist attraction, the cathedral is still very much in use today. It is a national and international religious focus, a masterpiece of architecture and a centre of musical excellence. It was centre stage world-wide, through television, in 1981 for the fairytale marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.Piccadilly Circus :
An unholy coming-together of traffic and commerce, all overseen by some flashy neon advertising hoardings (first erected in 1910), Piccadilly Circus is one of central London's pivotal points. The name derives from the speciality of a tailor, Robert Baker, who made his fortune selling stiff collars known as 'picadils' and lived nearby in the early 17th century. The connection is apposite
, for the posh shops of Mayfair, Piccadilly and Regent Street have long been a fixture of the area.But like many of central London's pivotal points, Piccadilly Circus is a mess. Traffic pours in from all directions with little apparent rhyme or reason. Its main feature, a 'statue' of Eros - it's actually a memorial fountain (not a statue) to the philanthropic Lord Shaftesbury, representing the Angel of Christian Charity (not the god of love) - loses much of its grandeur and appeal due to its cramped location on a traffic island. Even the neon signs seem less impressive in the 21st century than they did two decades ago, while the only other defining feature of the square is the inedible pizza served by the slice from cafés on every corner.The best thing you can say about P
iccadilly Circus is that it's unapologetically urban, and that its dirty, slightly seedy hustle and bustle offers up the quintessence of London urban life. However, short of stopping by the late-opening Tower Records or passing through it at 3am in order to flag a black cab on Piccadilly itself, few locals ever feel the need to pass through it, let alone pay it a visit, while tourists are invariably disappointed by the charmless chaos they find upon making its acquaintance.Two big tourist attractions lie just to the east of the Circus: the bafflingly popular Rock Circus and the Trocadero. Leading south from here, Haymarket's associations are with older forms of fun. The market, after which the street is named, traded until 1830; by then, Haymarket was already famed for its theatres (the Theatre Royal opened in 1720, Her Majesty's Theatre in 1705) and notorious for its prostitutes. Today, it's short on charm of any variety
Trafalgar Square:
, for the posh shops of Mayfair, Piccadilly and Regent Street have long been a fixture of the area.But like many of central London's pivotal points, Piccadilly Circus is a mess. Traffic pours in from all directions with little apparent rhyme or reason. Its main feature, a 'statue' of Eros - it's actually a memorial fountain (not a statue) to the philanthropic Lord Shaftesbury, representing the Angel of Christian Charity (not the god of love) - loses much of its grandeur and appeal due to its cramped location on a traffic island. Even the neon signs seem less impressive in the 21st century than they did two decades ago, while the only other defining feature of the square is the inedible pizza served by the slice from cafés on every corner.The best thing you can say about P
iccadilly Circus is that it's unapologetically urban, and that its dirty, slightly seedy hustle and bustle offers up the quintessence of London urban life. However, short of stopping by the late-opening Tower Records or passing through it at 3am in order to flag a black cab on Piccadilly itself, few locals ever feel the need to pass through it, let alone pay it a visit, while tourists are invariably disappointed by the charmless chaos they find upon making its acquaintance.Two big tourist attractions lie just to the east of the Circus: the bafflingly popular Rock Circus and the Trocadero. Leading south from here, Haymarket's associations are with older forms of fun. The market, after which the street is named, traded until 1830; by then, Haymarket was already famed for its theatres (the Theatre Royal opened in 1720, Her Majesty's Theatre in 1705) and notorious for its prostitutes. Today, it's short on charm of any varietyTrafalgar Square:
It would seem all roads lead to Trafalgar Square, and most cars seem to end up there, in a perpetual traffic jam. So if Nelson's column is on the agenda, get the tube (Charing Cross) and leave the car behind.The statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson,buried at St Pauls Cathedral, stands high above the traffic at Trafalgar square.
Below him, 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.
Tower Bridge:
At the Tower Bridge Experience visitors can see one of the most famous bridges in the world and spectacular views from the high level walkways 140ft above the Thames. In the two towers, there's an exhibition which explains the history of Tower Bridge. Open daily.
Royal Opera House:
The Royal Opera House re-opened in December 1999as a theatre at the heart of the nation's artistic and cultural life.
It is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 10am,
allowing visitors to take advantage of a wide range of daily free eventswhile in the evenings, there is a programme of world class opera and ballet.
During the day, a programme of backstage tours and open balletclasses offers visitors the opportunity to experience the behind-the-scenes life of the theatre.
Hampton Court Palace:
Hampton Court Palace is the oldest Tudor palace in England and was where King Henry VIII courted his queens. Visitors can see the State Apartments, Tudor kitchens and the famous maze. The sumptuous interiors are brought alive by costumed guides. Outside there's over 60 acres of riverside gardens and surrounding parkland. Hampton Court Palace opens daily.
Kensington Palace State Apartments:
The birthplace of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace was also home to Princess Diana between 1981-1997. Originally a private country house, it was adapted substantially by Willia
m III and Mary II (1689) who chose to spend winters there to escape the damp of Whitehall. Over the next 70 years it was to become the focal point of the life and government of the country. George I and George II spent vast sums of money on ornate and lavish furnishings to adorn Kensington House (as it was then known), including elaborate ceiling decorations by William Kent. The sudden death of George II in 1760 marked the end of an era. Kensington Palace was never again to serve a reigning monarch. Early one morning in J
une 1837 Princess Victoria, who was occupying apartments in Kensington Palace, awoke to the news that she was Queen of England. She immediately moved to Buckingham Palace.Kensington Palace first opened to the public in 1912 with a display of relics and objects relating to the City of London. It attracted 13,000 visitors in just one day! The museum pieces now form part of the collection at the Museum of London. Visitors today can see the State Apartments, the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection that includes outfits from the eighteenth-century to the present day, the Orangery and sunken gardens. Kensington Palace opens daily.Tower of London:
At The Tower of London,guarded by the celebrated Beefeaters, visitors can
see Traitors' Gate, the priceless Crown Jewels and the famous ravens.Over the centuries, this amazing building has been fortress, prison, palace - and even a zoo. The carefully-restored medieval part of the Tower is brought alive by costumed guides.There is also exhibitions ofarmour and swords and you can see the spot where Henry VIII's Queen, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded.Covent Garden:
No visit to London is complete to London without a visit to Covent Garden, a most atmospheric London institution.In addition to an arts and crafts market, outdoor street performers who would do the Royal Albert Hall proud, perform on the sidewalks for free (Well there is always a hat passed around at the end!). Covent Garden's restaurants, bars, shops and street entertainers make it the ideal location for a great day or night out. Covent Garden is world famous for its jugglers, musicians and mime artists.In the Arts and Crafts Market hall, you will find 120 craftsmen selling their original handmade Arts and Crafts, Ceramics, Knit-wear, Pottery, Silk Screen Printing, Etching, Chinese Art, Hand Painted House Plaques & House Signs, Heraldry, Coats of Arms, Hand Painted Crests & Shields, Board Games, Enameling, Jewellery, Wooden Toys, Goldsmiths, Doll Houses, Silversmiths, Glassware, Hobo Dolls, Calligraphy, Lace-ware, Mohair Sweaters, Cardigans and Coats, Soft Toys and Dolls, Luxury Bathrobes, Wood Turning, Karum game boards and lots more.
Windsor Castle:
William the Conqueror chose to build a castle at Windsor more than 900 years ago to defend the western approach to the capital. As one of the Queen's official residences Windsor Castle still plays a formal role in State and official occasions. Visitors can marvel at St George's Chapel, which was founded by George IV and is one of the best examples of gothic architecture in the country. Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones were married there in June 1999. It is also the burial site for 10 sovereigns. Equally stunning is St George's Hall, which has been completely restored following a fire in 1992 and is still used by the Queen for state banquets and receptions. The State Apartments are also open to the public and are lavishly furnished with paintings by Rubens, 
Holbein and Rembrandt, sculpture and tapestries. In the Drawings Gallery, visitors have an opportunity to see artwork from the Royal Library and Queen Mary's Dolls' House will delight everyone with its perfect rooms and furnishings in miniature. Built on a scale of 1:12 the dolls' house was crafted in the 1920s.Windsor Castle is open throughout the year-Museums:
The museums in London are the envy of the world and there really is a museum for every taste. Let your London Pass take you on a journey of exploration that you will never forget!
Whilst many of the main London museums are free to enter, the London Pass will give you added value through free entry to charging exhibitions, free audio tours, free museum guidebooks or similar.
From the amazing Britain at War Experience to The Cartoon Museum, and from The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms to Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum the London Pass has something for everyone – whilst helping you control on your spending.
Whilst many of the main London museums are free to enter, the London Pass will give you added value through free entry to charging exhibitions, free audio tours, free museum guidebooks or similar.
From the amazing Britain at War Experience to The Cartoon Museum, and from The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms to Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum the London Pass has something for everyone – whilst helping you control on your spending.
Back from a substantial refit and better than ever, the best museum in the world where 4000 year 
old Pharoahs enjoy a busier afterlife than they planned for and where Karl Marx meets Buddha. Conveniently situated north of Covent Garden, on Great Russell Street, and just east of Oxford Street's main shopping drag. Just loads of everything you could think of, and free. The African collection is the world's largest (and the best in terms of range and quality) with over 200,000 objects, of which 600 pieces are on show to the public at any one time, though the Horniman is a very close rival. Just wander through the main galleries, and for maximum effeciency do it in several shorter trips than one big one, after all, it's free. However the much hyped special exhibitions are often boring and not worth the money and and we advise avoiding them. Saturday - Wednesday 10.00-17.30, Thursday - Friday 10.00-20.30. Free.
old Pharoahs enjoy a busier afterlife than they planned for and where Karl Marx meets Buddha. Conveniently situated north of Covent Garden, on Great Russell Street, and just east of Oxford Street's main shopping drag. Just loads of everything you could think of, and free. The African collection is the world's largest (and the best in terms of range and quality) with over 200,000 objects, of which 600 pieces are on show to the public at any one time, though the Horniman is a very close rival. Just wander through the main galleries, and for maximum effeciency do it in several shorter trips than one big one, after all, it's free. However the much hyped special exhibitions are often boring and not worth the money and and we advise avoiding them. Saturday - Wednesday 10.00-17.30, Thursday - Friday 10.00-20.30. Free.
The Natural History & Science Museums:
There's a high concentration of museums in South Kensington (well signposted from the tube) and these two are great for a rainy day. Kids love them. They celebrate the Victorian's love of Science and Nature - many of the machines that changed history are here - Britain has been the world's po
werhouse of science - the Computer, the Fax, the WWW, the jet engine, the train, the television, Penicillin, the list is endless. But Tyrannosaurus Rex puts man in his place. The Natural History Museum is a beautiful building in itself - if you had to visit one museum here it's a tough decision: either the animatronic dinosaur for Jurassic Park fans, or the bells and whistles of the Science museum - better to briefly visit both as they're free. The Science Museum's new Wellcome wing is good value. It's right up to the minute - if a breakthrough is made, they'll have an exhibit up and running in as little as 24 hours. There's a team of scientists on hand conducting real experiments in which you can be a subject, if you wish - the first team took swabs from people's mouths and a photo to match facial shape with their genes.
Madame Tussauds:
is a museum that contains wax models of famous people. There are numerous galleries such as Pirates of the Caribbean, World leaders, Warhol's women The Royal Family, the Culture zone and the History of London.
There are interactive tasks such as entering the Big Brother diary room, umpiring an Andy Murray tennis match or taking a penalty alongside David Beckham. 
You can have your picture taken alongside A – list celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Orlando Bloom, Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio.
For something a little scarier try visiting the Chamber gallery where serial killers lurk. The music zone represents legends of pop from Bob Maley through to current chart toppers Kylie and Justin Timberlake.
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