Top 11 places you shouldn’t miss if you visit London

London is a great city. I think this is obvious. It is a city which is rich in almost everything. It is also, one of the largest cities in the world. With a population of more than seven million people, it is known as the global metropolitan and cosmopolitan city for fashion, culture, finance, trade and politics. But we can’t forget that London is one of the best tourist places in the world.  People from everywhere simply love visiting London. The city has quite a few landmarks and it is also easy to move around.  Here are 11 places you shouldn’t miss if you are visiting the city on a weekend.

1.              London Eye

The London Eye is a large metal structure known as a Ferris wheel. It is also called the Millennium Wheel and is one of the largest observation wheels in the world.  It was opened in 2000.  It is 135 metres high. The London Eye is a popular tourist destination.  More than three million people visited it last year.  A ride takes approximately 30 minutes.  You can reserve a private capsule with champagne and chocolates to make your experience in the air extra romantic.

2.              London bridge is falling down

London Bridge is the iconic bridge over the River Thames. It is in central London, and connects the City of London with Southwark.  It is between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge.  It is famous not only for the lullaby (“London Bridge is falling down”), but also for its role in the opening moments of the 2012 Summer Olympics hosted by London.  It’s a landmark that every tourist wants to see, and is sure to satisfy once you are there!

3.              Buckingham Palace in the heart of Victoria Area

Buckingham Palace is the London residence and principal workplace of the monarchy of the United Kingdom.  Located in the City of Westminster, in the heart of Victoria, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It is the main meeting point for all the British in big occasions.

4.              Hyde Park Corner

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers’ Corner. The park is divided in two by the Serpentine Lake. Hyde Park occupies 350 acres (1.4 km²). Together with Kensington Gardens, which is in the immediate neighbourhood, the parks have an overall area of 625 acres (2.5 km²).  Hyde Park has become a traditional place for mass demonstrations and open-air concerts.  There is sure to be something of interest during your visit.

5.              Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is in the heart of London.  It is a large pedestrian square.  It serves as a refuge and a major traffic intersection.  Important roads lead out from the square: Whitehall goes to Parliament, The Mall goes to Buckingham Palace, and Strand goes to the City of London.

More than 15 million people go to visit there every year. It contains a large statue of Admiral Lord Nelson. The square celebrates the Battle of Trafalgar, fought in 1805. It contains Nelson’s Column, a statue of Nelson mounted on a tall column, with four statues of lions around it. The column is 56 meters tall while the statue is 5 meters tall. The National Art Gallery is one of several important buildings facing the square. But the real main characters are the pigeons.

       6.  British Museum

The British Museum in London is one of the world’s largest and most important museums of human history and culture. It has more than seven million objects from all continents. They illustrate and document the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. As with all other national museums and art galleries in Britain, the Museum charges no admission fee. Just one advice! Don’t try to see it all! It’s impossible!

7.              London Shopping center: Oxford street and street markets.

The shopping in London is surely among the best in the world with something to suit every budget and style.  Oxford Street is the obvious place to go if you want to visit all the high street shops in one day.  Alternatively, stroll around the London markets – Portobello, Old Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane and Camden Market are among best for fashion – to find out where real Londoners shop on the weekend. Big brands or boutiques, whatever your style, London shopping has it all.

8.  Saint Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London.  It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the city. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren.  Its construction, completed within Wren’s lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London.

9.              Picadilly Circus and west End for night life.

 Piccadilly Circus is not a circus.  Rather, it is a road junction and public space of London’s West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly.  Piccadilly Circus is a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus, as it is also referred to, is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of Eros (Anteros).  In addition to the shopping, form many people, night life starts here.

 10.  London Pubs: Visit the oldest one.

If you are thirsty and looking for a good ‘ole traditional watering hole, you’ll find one of London’s most traditional on the street, St Martin’s Le Grand:  the Lord Raglan. It’s one of the oldest taverns in the city.  The house was originally known as The Bush.  It became the Lord Raglan in 1852.  You are guaranteed to find some lovely drinks and good atmosphere that you shouldn’t miss!

11.  Big Ben .

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.  The tower is officially known as the Elizabeth Tower (renamed as such to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II) or simply as “Clock Tower”.  The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.  The tower was completed in 1858 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May of 2009. The tower has become one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and is often in the “establishing shot” of films set in London.

Answer these questions about the text

Which landmark…

a)…is a free museum?

b)…is famous because of a lullaby?

c)…is famous for being a meeting point to go out at night?

d)…is also known as a Ferries Wheel?

e)…is named after a bell?

f)…is used to celebrate important events?

g)…is divided by a lake?

h)…is one of the oldest pubs in London?

i)…is at the highest points of London?

j)…is famous for its animals?

k)…is fifteen years old?

KEY
a) British Museum

b) Tower Bridge

c) Piccadilly Circus

d) London Eye

e)Big Ben

f) Buckingham Palace

g)Hyde Park

h)The Lord Raglan

i)St Paul’s Cathedral

j)Trafalgar Square

k)London Eye