"My Home away from Home" a London Travel Page by fishandchips

London is one of the best places in the world to visit if you are a Kiwi (except during Rugby World Cup year) except for its weather. No wonder the Brits need a stiff upper lip and like to comment on the weather frequently. They are a fantastic bunch of people and I have always felt very welcome.

There are many places to see and heaps of things to do. London is massive - you don't realise how big until you start walking and find that you have been on your feet for several hours.

What you see on your trip here will depend on how much time you have (obviously) but as a bare minimum I would recommend the following places to go to or at least just see;

Tower of London
National Gallery
Westminster Abby
Houses of Parliament & Big Ben
Trafalgar Square
Buckingham Palace
Covent Garden
Hyde Park
St James & Green Park

If you have the time then I would suggest that you add in;

British Museum - superb ancient civilisation collection
Tate Gallery - I prefer the Britian to the Modern
St Paul's Cathedral (if you really have to - it's a big, souless place as far as I'm concerned - have a look at the crypt & get a cuppa instead!!)
Primrose Hill - great view over London
Grenwich (via Docklands light rail)
Oxford Street shopping

There are some great websites and magazines available on London. My favourite site is Londonist and this has stories etc on topical issues.

There are lots of sites dedicated to London and the hugely cosmopolitan nature of this fantastic city (and some of the squillions of things that you can do while you are here).

If you are going to buy only one guide then I would suggest you look at the Top 10 London guide as a very good option. It's got info on all of the places you may want to visit plus top 10's by city area.

There are lots of ways to see London from the hop on hop off buses to using the tube. If you have never been to London and have really limited time then the HOHO buses are not a bad option unless it's wet. Once you know where you are going then the tube is a faster and cheaper option - unless there is a strike or something.........

London is home to the Royal family and its main home - Buckingham Palace. This is a great place to come to and has Green Park on its left with the very nice St James Park on the right.

There are other reminders of the royal family and its interesting (and somewhat dark) past at the Tower of London plus the smattering of palaces near to and around town.