GUIDES

London Guide

London - Out and About

London, the capital city of England, originally occupied just the left bank of the river Thames. The city now boasts 32 districts and 7 million inhabitants. Its residents come from the four corners of the globe, speak a total of over 300 languages and represent all the world’s religions.

London is a city with many hearts, which the visitor can find both fascinating and at the same time disorientating. The city’s many centres are in a state of constant change, both architecturally and socially.

London is a busy and complex city, an intricate web of buildings, spaces and people; where there is the ever present risk for the visitor of getting lost.

London is vast and would require years in order to explore it in-depth. A list of things to see could also be misleading, given the richness and diversity of what the city has to offer. Therefore it is advisable for each person to choose those things in which he is most interested.

A possible solution may be for the visitor to limit himself to the five zones which contain the highest concentration of London’s major sights: Whitehall, Westminster, The City, Soho, Trafalgar Square, South Kensington and Knightsbridge.

The City, located on the left bank of the Thames, is the heart of London. This area was the original site of the Roman city, which over a period of 2000 years, has become the present day London. An open-space in the centre of The City, marks the point where eight roads converge. This space is the site of the Bank of England, the Old Stock Exchange and the residence of the Mayor of London. The City of Westminster, a short distance up-river, began to develop in the 11th Century, shortly after the Norman conquest. Home to Westminster Abbey, the coronation site and the final resting place for England’s Kings and Queens, which today functions both as an official church and a national museum. Westminster Hall, now incorporated in the Houses of Parliament ,is all that remains from the period of reign of the Norman kings.

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Queen, stands at one end of St James’ Park. The park’s grounds stretch from Parliament to Trafalgar Square, home to the tall column, which commemorates Lord Nelson.

Number 10 Downing Street, is located a short distance away and is the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

The road which, runs along the river from Westminster to The City, is the most important in London. This road bears two names, at its starting point, it is referred to as the Strand, whilst in The City it has the name Fleet Street. In order to protect the city and its port, the Norman kings built the Tower of London. The building, which also served as a prison, and home to the English kings from William the Conqueror to James 1st , now houses the crown jewels.

The elegant districts of West End, Mayfair, Belgravia, Marylebone and Kensington stretch to the north and west of Westminster, and contain numerous spacious parks: St James, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Soho and Bloomsbury.

These districts are criss-crossed by large busy streets including: Piccadilly, Bond Street, Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Regent’s Street, Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road and Haymarket. In the eastern part of the city, in the boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark, the area of the old docks serves as a reminder of the poverty of this zone of the city. The residential districts stretch throughout the city towards the green slopes of Hampstead, Highgate and St John’s Wood and onwards to Wimbledon and Richmond parks; ideal for those who love long walks. The public transport network is enormous. London is divided into five circular zones and tickets are valid for individual travel within each zone. Visitors usually limit themselves to travelling within the first three zones. It is recommended to purchase a travelcard, available from station ticket-booths. Once purchased, the travelcard permits the holder to travel anywhere within the chosen zone on all means of public transport, including the Docklands Light Railway and the British Rail trains within that zone. The travelcard is not valid during public holidays, for night-time bus journeys or before 9:30 am. The Weekly Travelcard is valid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for travel in the chosen zone.

It is possible to view the city from one of the famous red double-decker buses. The buses leave daily from Piccadilly Circus every half hour from 10am until 5pm. The faster, single-decker, red buses run from Westminster to Victoria (line C1) from Monday to Saturday and operate a fixed- rate fare.

The London Metropolitan, the Tube, is the oldest underground system in the world. The system operates every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day. From Monday to Saturday the first train is 5:30 am, the last 11.30; on Sunday 7.30am /12:30.

Each of the eleven lines has both a name and a colour. Taxis, called black cabs, charge high fares; minicabs, which can be pre-booked by phone, are less expensive and call directly to the door.

London - Not to be missed

Catch the Charing Cross line to Trafalgar Square in order to visit the National Gallery. It is advisable to divide the gallery tour into various different days, in order to see its vast quantity of European masterpieces. Entrance is free and the gallery houses a café, restaurant and a book and souvenir shop.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has galleries housing paintings, designs, sculptures and clothing. A café and self service restaurant are located in the gallery courtyard. Tube stop, Cromwell Road on the South Kensington line. A mid-week visit to the British Museum, in Great Russel Street, is highly recommended. Entrance is free and the museum houses two copies of the Magna Charta, the Parthenon Frieze, a watch and miniature collection and the world’s largest collection of antique art. The museum also has a large and well-stocked book and souvenir shop. Tube stop; Russell Square on the Holborn Line.

The Tate Gallery hosts important contemporary art exhibitions. Entrance is free. The gallery is located on the Pimlico tube- line. Visit Kew gardens: its historic green-houses, allow the visitor to admire the vast assortment of flora gathered from around the world. Tube stop: Kew Bridge.

London - Walks and tours

One of the most evocative walks in the city, is a stroll along the banks of the River Thames, best undertaken either early in the morning or late in the evening, when the light reflects off the water, the bridges and the fronts of buildings. Depart from Waterloo Station on the south bank of the river, an ideal view point to appreciate the city’s myriad of colours.

A visit to the South Bank Centre is a must. This complex houses cinemas, museums, galleries of art and the Bramah Museum: a museum dedicated to coffee and tea, which has a shop with the same theme, located below Tower Bridge.

Exploring the English countryside, especially along the West Coast, is possible either by car, boat, on foot or using public transport.

London - The traveller's notebook

Currency : English pound, sub-divided into 100 pence Electricity supply: 240 volts. The plugs require the use of an adaptor.

Climate : May and June can be both cold and sunny. July and August are the only months when fine weather is guaranteed, with temperatures which vary from 25°C to 28°C. The temperture drops below freezing in winter with strong winds and rain. The wettest months are April, September and November.

Opening hours : The banks are open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Post offices are open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30 pm. Shops are open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm; some open until 10pm and others close at 5:30pm Supermarkets close around 8pm with late night-shopping one day during the week, usually Thursday. Sunday opening is allowed,but only for a six- hour period, either 10am to 4pm or 12:00 to 6pm. Museums and galleries are open Monday to Saturday, from10am to 6pm and Sunday from 2pm to 6pm.

Telephones : To call to London dial 0044, followed by the area code without the initial zero.

London - A pocket guide

London can satisfy the shopping tastes of everyone. Naturally it helps to know where the best places to shop are located. There are shops which offer end of line and designer sales; articles of fashion from past collections and second hand shops, which are now very much in vogue.

The various flea markets are a veritable treasure trove: Bermondey Market( Tower Hill tube-stop, bus route 78) Portobello market in Portobello Road ( Notting hill Gate or Ladbroke Grove tube-stop),Camden Lock( Camden tube-stop). For Victorian Antiques. Camden Passage (Angel tube-stop). For fashion shops and boutiques: Sloane Street.. Marks and Spencer is located in Oxford Street. Marble Arch is home to Virgin, HMV, H&M, Top Shop, Borders, Next, Gap and Muji.

Burberry, Aquascutum,Church’s, Jaeger, Country Casuals, Dickins and Jones and Hamleys are all located in Regent Street. Covent Garden is the place to go to find oriental handcrafts and food.

The Charing Cross book stores offer rare and antique books covering all topics: Foyles and Bell, book and Radmall (Leicester Square tube-stop). The large department stores are original but the visitor can find the size of these shops a little disorientating: Harrods, Harvey Nichols( Knightsbridge tube-stop) and Liberty’s in Regent street. Most districts have their own fruit and flower markets. Brixton ( Brixton tube-stop) is is the most interesting and exotic in the south of London, with Afro-Carribean food, fashion and music.The Leadenhall Market has a medieval theme( Bank tube-stop).

London offers international cuisine from around the world. With the creative and refined high-quality of its chefs, London has become the Mecca of gastronomy. Global Food, modern European and Cal – Ital ( a mix of Italian and Californian) are the terms used to describe this phenomenon. The majority of the restaurants serve lunch from 12.30 to 2.30 and dinner from 7pm to 11pm. The pubs open from 11am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and from 12 to 3pm and 7pm to 11pm on Sunday. London has a very active night life and going out in the evening is part of any London holiday. Every evening there are is a wide choice of entertainment from drag acts to comedy from dance clubs to classical music. Choosing is made easier by the publication of the magazines Time Out, Evening standard and Melody Maker, which give detailed information on what the city has to offer. Tickets for exhibitions and shows are bought well in advance from the ticket booths located at Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue. An evening in the dischoteque usually follows a pre-chosen theme, with the show starting around 11pm. London is second to none in offering classical music concerts. Its world famous theatres include Covent Garden and the English National Theatre.

Disclaimer: the above information is provided 'as is' and Hostelsclub accepts no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information.

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