Take a stroll along the canals through Little Venice, with peaceful surroundings leading to lively…read moredining and entertainment as you wind toward Paddington. Enjoy the eclectic boats parked along the way; maybe the On Air sign will be lit on the radio boat. Be sure to visit Rembrandt Gardens at the canal fork, then decide if you"ll head left toward Regent's. Of course we'll return.

A wonderful part of the city near Paddington Station where you can walk along and around the canal…read morearea and just take in the scenery. It was nice and quiet in the morning, there were a few cafes close by in the area as well. While on the path keep an eye out for bike riders going by as they use the canal path too.

Tip: I recommend riding the tube to get here. Piccadilly Circus tube station is conveniently…read moreunderground and it's affordable. Piccadilly Circus was an area that I frequented a lot during my visit to London in December 2013. It is a touristy place. I liked it for a number of reasons. Piccadilly Circus tub station is under Piccadilly Circus. I took the underground to get to this touristy site. It was a cheap, efficient means to get to and from the area. The area feels like Times Square (New York), or Yonge and Dundas (Toronto) with brightly lit screens and signs. You then realize that Piccadilly Circus established illuminated, giant advertisements since the early 20th century. What's special about Piccadilly Circus is that it's a junction where Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street, and Glasshouse Street meet. Circus in the name doesn't mean seeing clowns and acrobats. Rather, it means a circle or roundabout. It makes sense when you see the statue of Anteros, which is also known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It gives you a good look at how the streets comprise this junction. Piccadilly Circus is close to these touristy spots: - M&M's World - Chinatown - Soho - Theatre district - Oxford Street (shopping) - Hop-on, hop-off stops Gone are these places that I enjoyed visiting: - Ripley's Believe It or Not - Angus Steak House I'm an M&M's fan, so I visited this place three times. I loved it so much! Shopping was great. You can find everything from phone accessories (I still travel with a USB cable with three different charging tips that I bought in London) to weed edibles. I liked the eclectic variety that was eye-opening at the time. I remember that there was a small winter fair at a park that I had visited nearby. I don't remember the name of the park or the fair. What I do remember is enjoying banoffee fudge for the first time. So good! It was fun being in this area. I'd love to go back and see how things have changed. If you've never been to Piccadilly Circus before, I recommend going at least once. (44)

Right in the hub of the city where you're pretty much close to everything. There's a tub station…read morethat has a stop. Right when you walk up, it's like coming out to time square but instead you're in London. The lights and shops make the experiences more fun. You're pretty much near Chinatown, theatre district, Oxford Street, new bond street where amazing shopping is. Also the hop on hop off bus stop here. As it's one of the tourist spot, you have your usual tourist places for food and shopping. Loads of souvenirs stalls everywhere. It was nice to be here for the holidays as the places tends to be covered in holidays lights and decorations. When they say it gets busy, they were not lying. It was beautiful walking around and just taking it in. Compared to the last time I was here, the holidays just makes it more cozy but freezing for an Angeleno. Traffic is busy so be cautious when you're crossing the street. Cars were pretty much all over the place. We tended to just followed everyone whenever we crossed the road. You can't come to London and not check this place out. Even though I've been loads of times, it's still always a must stop for me.

This is London's highest public garden that has 3 restaurants,2 bars and a gift shop…read more There is no admission fee but you must get a free ticket online.Tickets are available up to 3 weeks in advance of your visit and available time slots are listed. Arrive about 15 minutes early as you have to go thru security screening. Once thru security you take the elevator to the 35th floor. The views are amazing as are the gardens. Plenty of seating is available and there are public restrooms.

We snagged sunset tickets to Sky Garden. I logged in shortly after tickets were made available…read moreonline three weeks prior and was able to book tickets for one of the nights of our trip. I would have preferred an earlier evening time slot, but they were not available. They are quite strict about going in at your designated time slot and they let people up in the elevator only when its your time. We were actually waiting in the lobby of an adjacent building where there was lots of seating, not realizing that the line formed on the *other side* of the building so beware. We lined up, went through security, went up the elevators, and then had an unlimited time up in Sky Garden. Since we already ate dinner, we didn't buy any food or drinks. The enclosed rooftop space is really quite breathtaking. There are all walls on all four sides which makes the views just unbelievable. There is a balcony as well, but it was closed at the time of our visit (at night?) From the "front" lower side, you can see River Thames and the Tower Bridge/Tower of London. From the back, there are amazing views of The Gherkin. Up at the higher side, there is more space and some platforms to sit. However, it was really hard to be on the stairs going up and down because it was so congested. As you can imagine, the photos out the windows are amazing because the views are amazing. However, it's impossible to get photos of your party because there will be tons of people around you. The whole space is just packed with tourists. I was glad to have experienced it once, but I don't ever plan on returning and would try a viewing area that is less touristy. It's worth a stop but not worth taking a huge chunk of time from your day if it doesn't slot in naturally.

Everyone has heard of Buckingham Palace as it is known to the home of the monarch,Royal…read morecelebrations and the Changing of the Guard. We did the State Room Tour which is only available from July-Sept. Breathtaking! So many priceless treasures. You definitely want to book your tickets in advance as it gets sold out. The checkin process was very easy as was going thru their security checkpoint. The only thing that was disappointing is No Photos are allowed in The Palace or on the Tour. The tour is a self guided tour with a head site that is provided. Small bags similar to what fits under an airline seat are allowed. After the tour you can visit the Garden Cafe or gift shop. Definitely a must stop in London!

We were exited about visiting the palace. The checkpoint and entrance is rather quick when you have…read morethe ticket online. The security is tight. The visit includes 14 rooms in the palace. We like the audio guide is included. We also like the opportunity to take the picture with the royal preset picture. What we don't like which the Royal collection and trust can improve are below. 1. No picture allow in the palace is kind of step back to ruin the interest of the visitors. Second the exit is a ten minute walks to the entrance if you decide to go back to front. Third the garden on the general admission is kind of let down. There are no flowers at all. Even the king bees hive cannot be seen because is block from view. Fourth the ice cream parlor blocks the possibility view to the palace from a distance view. I think the visit compare to many attractions in the London is not the best. Not sure to recommend this visit.

Fitzroy Square is the pearl in the crown of Adam,architect& this was his house. Now the film…read moremaker,Guy Ritchie,livesalmost next door. All houses on the south side of the squareare the only ones built

Great looking square. Makes me proud to be a Londoner. There are better squares though, hence just…read morethe 4 stars which was marginal. Couple of decent bars nearby and super easy to get to via overground or underground.

I loved this place. It was a church where now a lot of…read moreparties take on. We have on similar building in milan (il gattopardo) which looks exactly like the one. I have been there thanks to Gp's party. Wow, what a party! The food was amazing and the music was nice. Purple lights where nice and the cocktails pretty good. There were many stabds for every hotel associated but still the space was enough to walk around. The first floor was really nice even if i felt in love with the ground floor where you can admire the paintings on the walls. So pictoresque. I hope some of our suppliers will cemebrate something again there because i want the opportunity of going another time to one!

Wowzers. This place…read morereally blew me away when I walked it the door. One Marylebone has great bones! It's a great example of a old church conversion and has been transformed into an absolutely beautiful event space. The floors, the lighting, the stained glass, the very classy altar (is that what it's called?) -- everything here looks and feels special. The ground floor is definitely the most impressive, but there's an upstairs space as well. At the press event I attended yesterday they were serving food and drinks upstairs whilst displaying brands and products on the lower floor. The church-turned-elegant-venue is located a stone's throw away from Great Portland Street underground station and is really easy to reach.

Bit of maybe useless information but it is still thereif you are an ardent fan..maybe?…read more The ground floor and basement maisonette was leased to Ringo Starr from early 1965, though he was to live here for only a short time before marrying Maureen Cox and finding a proper house ('Sunny Heights' in Weybridge). Ringo chose to keep the lease and sublet the flat to friends. This was the flat where John Lennon and Yoko Ono first lived together, and at the time it was owned by Ringo Starr after he had moved out. McCartney wrote several Beatles songs here including Eleanor Rigby. It was the location of their nude Two Virgins album cover and also the scene of their October 1968 drugs bust.During their time living at the flat, John and Yoko shot the controversial nude cover photographs. Apple employee Tony Bramwell having set up the camera for them and rushing away before any clothes were shed. Jimi Hendrix also rented it for a short while afterwards but was evicted after painting all the walls black. After the police raid, the landlord sought an injunction against Starr, forbidding anyone but Starr or his family to live there, and for no music or instruments to be played. Starr appealed, and a compromise was reached; only Starr or a family member would live in the flat. Nonetheless, Starr never used the place again, and sold his lease during 1969.

This is a building on the main campus of the University College London. Take a look at this…read morepicture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/castrovalva/748293060/ During World War II it housed the British Ministry of Information, and the story is that it inspired his "Ministry of Truth" in 1984. The buildling is quite accesible from the tube- located just off Oxford Ave shopping area, and def. worth a picture or two.

The Tower of London was founded in 1066 due to the Norman Conquest of England. The Duke of…read moreNormandy, William the Conqueror, had amassed thousands of troops and hundreds of ships and landed in southern England. In October 1066, the reigning Harold II died during the Battle of Hastings and was succeeded by William the Conqueror as king. A series of further victories had cut London's supply lines, and its leaders had surrendered the city. William then initiated an extensive program to fortify the city, which included the construction of the Tower of London in 1066. From then, the Tower had continued to play a significant role in England's regal history. For centuries, monarchs would begin processions at the Tower to Westminster Abbey for their coronations. However, during the Tudor period, the Tower declined in its use as a royal residence. The castle would also serve as a prison for those considered politically undesirable. Under the order of King Henry VIII, the execution of Anne Boleyn occurred at the Tower in 1536. Her daughter, Elizabeth I, was also imprisoned there before she became queen under the order of Queen Mary I. Today, the Tower of London is a popular tourist attraction in the country. Its proximity to Tower Bridge and other attractions along the Circle and District Underground lines help in bringing in many visitors. There is no need to purchase admission if one is walking beside it to view its walls. Fortunately, there are outdoor signs available to learn a little about the history of what you're looking at.

When I visited London earlier this month, it was the first I'd been in London for almost 20 years…read more I don't remember if I went to the Tower of London when I was in London in 2007, but I do remember that I went on my very first trip to London when I was a little girl. I was heavily into my King Henry VIII phase then, and I wanted to see the site where two of his queens lost their lives. Visiting as an adult was interesting. Some things I remembered and some things I didn't. There's no question that this is an incredibly historic site. The site dates back to 1066, and then William the Conqueror built his castle, the White Tower, in 1078. Then the site was expanded by the kings that followed. The purpose of the site changed over the centuries: armory, treasury, menagerie, Royal Mint, public record office, home of the Crown Jewels... For a few centuries, it was the place the next king would spend a few nights leading up to their coronation. And under the Tudors, it became what I knew it as when I was in my Tudor history phase - a prison. Guy Fawkes was tortured at the Tower in 1605. Anne Boleyn was held and executed at the Tower in 1536. Henry VIII's fifth wife was executed at the Tower in 1542. Lady Jane Grey was executed at the Tower in 1554. Queen Mary I imprisoned her sister Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I, in the Tower for two months in 1554. It's a large site with several different buildings that explain and cover different eras and aspects of the Tower's history. Although I suspect the Crown Jewels are the highlight of many people's visit to the Tower, I really enjoyed and learned the most from the Medieval Palace (which has been preserved/reconstructed to demonstrate the palace where Henry III, Edward I, Eleanor of Provence, and Eleanor of Castile lived); the Chapel Royal of St Peter and Vincula (the final resting place of many prominent prisoners who were executed at the Tower); the Tower Hill Execution Memorial; the Bloody Tower (the tower tied to the imprisonment and disappearance of two young princes in 1483 and Sir Walter Raleigh); St John's Chapel inside the White Tower; and the Tower's ravens (legend says that the kingdom will fall if the resident ravens ever leave the Tower). It's a large property, and the map they provide is pretty terrible. So we just wandered and wandered. You need some time to do this, because there are towers and nooks and crannies - and every little corner of the property has something to teach visitors. I might be a little past my Tudor phase, but a visit to the Tower of London can still thrill this history nerd. A must include on an itinerary for a trip to London.

Dear reader, Big Ben…read moreis one of those London landmarks that you have seen countless times in photographs, yet somehow remains magnificent when you are actually standing beneath it. The Elizabeth Tower is enormous, beautifully detailed, and every bit as grand as one expects from an icon that has spent generations casually dominating the London skyline. The entire Westminster setting adds to the experience. With the Houses of Parliament, the Thames, and Westminster Bridge surrounding you, there are fantastic views from nearly every direction. Hearing the famous bells while standing nearby only adds a little British theatre to the occasion. My tip: do not simply stand directly underneath it and leave. Walk across Westminster Bridge for one of the best views back toward Big Ben and Parliament, especially if you want photos that capture the whole scene. Go early in the morning if you can, before Westminster reaches peak human traffic. If you want the ultimate experience, you can actually tour inside Elizabeth Tower and climb 334 steps to the belfry. Tickets are released three months ahead, so planning in advance is essential. A magnificent London landmark and absolutely deserving of its reputation.

I'm not going to try and add on anything else as most here have spelled it out. Big Ben is historic…read moreand no trip to London is complete without seeing it. I've had the opportunity to run the London Marathon a few times, as most recent as 2025, and running by Big Ben along the race course is a thrill, and makes for a terrific photo op. A great memory! It's iconic, period.