London Things to Do Tips by Travelchili

Tower Bridge is surely another big tourist attraction in London, but this one I wouln't miss in a million years. I love the views of the Tower Bridge from a distance - it is especially beautiful on a sunny day.

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Phone: 0 20 7626 3065
Address: Tower Bridge Road, EC3/SE1
Directions: Tower Hill or London Bridge tubes
Website: http://www.towerbridge.org.uk

One should not miss Tower of London even if the place is often called a tourist trap or there are too many people around. I was lucky to pick a perfect time for the visit - a cold, dark December morning with almost no tourists who were willing to stand in the cold and wind:) I was cold, too, of course!!, but the place was magical. For a moment I wished I could have been a Beefeater because their clothes seemed very warm.. While the Beefeater was giving us some juicy stories from the past and the big ravens were flying around, it started to feel very spooky. A really, really fun experience:)

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Phone: 0 20 7709 0765
Address: Tower Hill, EC3
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.armouries.org.uk/tower/

People probably think about a whole variety of things when they try to explain the place called "Piccadilli". If you speak Estonian, however, your first *connection* with the place will be a rather funny one. Why? Because the word "Piccadilli" (spelled a little differently, but pronounced in the same way in Estonian) means *long willie*. Imagine now my very first trip to London when my father and I had to take the Piccadilli tube line every day... and for me it was *a long willie* tube line. Blush!!

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Address: Piccadilly Circus, SW1
Directions: Piccadilly Circus tube

If you are going to London for the first time, Trafalgar Square is worth a visit. However, once you have already seen it, I am not sure why to go back. In the middle of the square you can see a beautiful fountain and during the warm summerday you can see many people taking advantage of the foutain water. I found it rather funny - like a swimming pool in the middle of London:)

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Address: Trafalgar Square, WC2
Directions: Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes

It is nice to see the Palace and walk around, although the whole place gets very crowded and you feel like you have arrived to the biggest tourist trap. If you want to see the change of guards, you better get there very early or you won't see much.

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Address: The Mall, SW1
Directions: Green Park tube

The current St. Paul's Cathedral is the fourth to occupy the site and it is dedicated to St. Paul. It was first built in 604AD and burned down already in 675. The current Cathedral was built after the Great Fire between 1675 and 1710 by Sir Christopher Wren. Today the Cathedral is one of the spiritual centers in the UK - it is used to celebrate events that are very big and have a lot of importance.

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Phone: 0 20 7236 4128
Address: St Pauls Churchyard, EC4
Directions: St Pauls tube
Website: http://www.stpauls.co.uk

I've been able to visit many National History Museums in different countries and this one was by far the best one. First all the building itself - so beautiful and majestetic; designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1881. When you enter the museum, you will right away see a big hall with a giant dinosaur sceleton - very impressive!! What amazed me (and what I didn't know beforehand) was the fact that the museum entrance was free!! Most of the entrance fees in London were rather expensive, so it was wonderful to experience something for free, too. There are, however, entrance fees for some special exhibitions, but don't worry because you can see most of the things without lightening your pocket.

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Phone: 0 20 7942 5011
Address: Cromwell Road, SW7
Directions: South Kensington tube
Website: http://www.nhm.ac.uk

Earth from the Air exhibition took place right outside of the Natural History Museum in London. Unfortunately it has ended in Fall 2004. However, they have many other exhibitions coming up in different locations, so check with the following site to find out if you might be able to attend one of the next ones:
http://www.yannarthusbertrand.com/

Just to convice you: it was simply amazing!!

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Phone: 0 20 7942 5011
Address: Cromwell Road, SW7
Directions: South Kensington tube
Website: http://www.nhm.ac.uk

Marble Arch was designed by John Nash and built in 1828 as the main entrance to the Buckingham Palace. However, later in 1851 it was moved to be an entrance to the Hyde Park as it became too narrow for Buckingham Palace.

The Marble Arch is made of white Carrara Marble, it has three archways with columns in between.

John Nash is also famous for designing other well-known landmarks in London:
* the reworking of Buckingham Palace
* Carlton House Terrace
* the layout of Regent Street
* the layout of Trafalgar Square and St James's Park
* All Souls' in Langham Place and Park Crescent

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Address: Oxford Street/Hyde Park, W1
Directions: Marble Arch is situated at the western end of Oxford Street. The tube station Marble Arch can be found on the Central Line.

Big Ben is a 316ft clock tower, weighs over 13 tons and was completed in 1858.

The origin of the name "Big Ben" is not fully clear, however, it is believed that most likely the clock got its name after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was the first Commissioner of Works.

The first broadcast of Big Ben was made on the 31st of December 1923 to welcome the new year.

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Address: Parliament Square, SW1
Directions: Westminster tube
Website: http://www.parliament.uk