England’s capital city, London, is one of the most interesting cities in the United Kingdom and offers something of interest to virtually everybody. Of course there are a great many tourist attractions and London relies heavily on it’s past, the Queen and the Royal  Family, and the general pomp and ceremony that visitors find so appealing. The city is, obviously, very large and to many getting around can be somewhat problematic. The Tube (London Underground) is your best bet and you can be certain that there is a tube station near to whichever attraction you wish to visit. However many people like to sit back and enjoy the comfort of a London tour.

London tours are great for packing in as many of the sights as possible within the shortest space of time. There are a number of tours to choose from with such topics as the usual historic tours, ghost tours, red bus tours, educational tours and walking tours.  For the fun loving and lively there are tours of the London pubs and taverns, rock ‘n’ roll tours and others more geared towards the youth.

If you are looking for something a little more cultural then you are in for a treat as London is one of the most culturally rich cities in Europe (and  the world). With a population of over seven million it will not surprise you to hear that there is a massive selection of different cultures which vary according to ethnic backgrounds and faith, country of origin. You may be surprised to learn that there are over 300 languages regularly spoken, within the boundaries of the city, with Bengali, Cantonese, Gujarati, Hokkien, Mandarin and Punjabi being some of the most common (besides English). One of the best ways in which to enjoy the diversity of each is to walk between them.

An exhilarating experience can be had by browsing some of the many markets to be found in London. While Camden Town offers plenty of shops in a lively and vibrant atmosphere there are many other places to shop such as Walthamstowe Market, which at 1.61 km (just over a mile) is the longest street market in the UK, and Billingsgate fish market (which began in 500 BC and moved to the Isle of Dogs in 1962.

London has a long and rich association with the literary and some for the finest writers spent at least some time in the city. The famous playwright, actor and poet, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) has an immensely strong association with several London tours taking in the most important Shakespearian locations. One of the best ways to indulge your interest in this area is to take in one of his plays at the modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre which is very near to the site of the original at Bear Gardens, Bankside SE1.

The original Globe was built 1598-1609 but was only used during the summer months. In 1613 Shakespeare was both an actor and a shareholder when disaster struck, a canon had been fired during a performance which had set alight the Globe’s thatch, and it burnt to the ground. Although it was quickly rebuilt, opening again in 1614, the Puritans forced it’s closure in 1642 and it was eventually demolished in 1644.

Another literary giant associated with London that must be mentioned here is Charles Dickens. As a boy Dickens had lived in Camden at 16 Bayham Street, not at 141 where you will find his plaque which was placed there because 16 no longer exists. The only buildings still standing in which Charles Dickens lived is at 48 Doughty Street and is now the Dickens House Museum. Although many buildings associated with Dickens still stand his other homes are long gone, replaced by other buildings such as the office block at 15-17 Marylebone Road which stands where 1 Devonshire Terrace once stood (Dickens moved there in 1839). There are many London tours which take in places associated with Dickens.

If you are looking to buy books then you really must visit the South Bank Book Market which can be found on Riverside Walk SE1 outside the National Film Theatre.. The market is held on Saturdays and Sundays from around 10.30am in the summer (12pm in the winter) to between 6.30-7pm (5.30pm in the winter). Consisting of numerous stalls selling secondhand books the book market has existed since 1982 and where you are likely to find a few bargains.

If you are planning to spend some time in London you may wish to take a look at the listings of cheap hotels in London and boutique hotels in London and London apartments.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Visiting London. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.