Priceless sights of London.
No true global traveler can go a lifetime without a trip to London. It has enough sights to fill an entire month of your time, never mind a few hours on a flying visit. London Nights can sort you out with a place to stay; all you need to do is remember to bring your eyes.
Here are a few icons that you can’t allow them to miss:
Westminster Abbey
This remarkable cathedral became the place where everybody wants to tie the knot yet again when it played host to the recent Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Unfortunately, that will never happen for most of us, but you can always pretend during a tour of the Abbey. It has always been one of the most photographed buildings in London (well, at least for the latter, camera-filled part of its 700-year-history) and will continue to draw visitors from every continent for hundreds of years to come.
The Houses of Parliament
London just wouldn’t be London without the Houses of Parliament. Sitting on the banks of the Thames between Parliament Square and the London Eye, the heart of British politics stands proud as one of the country’s most famous landmarks. The striking Clock Tower, better known as Big Ben, is undoubtedly the main reason for this. No matter when or from where you first see this elegant building, it will leave you picking your jaw back up off the floor.
Buckingham Palace
This is perhaps the most recognisable and elegant building in the whole of London. The Queen’s Royal Guard make for an impressive picture with the palace as the backdrop, especially during the Changing of the Guard. The Changing begins in St James’ Park, which is only a short distance away, and culminates at the palace where most of the tourists gather. You can’t freely take a stroll around inside, but you can do your best to spot Her Majesty the Queen in one of the 775 rooms of this quite amazing British landmark.
Trafalgar Square
London’s biggest public square sits at the opposite end of the Mall to Buckingham Palace. It is completely free to sit and watch the world go by under the watchful eye of Admiral Nelson, who stands atop a column by the same name. Nelson’s Column is flanked by four bronze lions, which have proved to be popular climbing frames amongst tourists looking for that clichéd but must-get photograph. The National Gallery, the most striking building on the square, has over seven centuries’ worth of European art on display and is, of course, free.
Tower Bridge
This bridge would look impressive on any populated river in the world. Its pure Britishness is exemplified by the fact that it has been red, white and blue since 1977 as a permanent marker for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, having previously sported a shade of chocolate brown since its 1894 opening. Tourists often mistake Tower Bridge for London Bridge, which is actually the next (distinctly less impressive) bridge down the Thames. There is no doubt that you will be impressed with this one – it will be one of your enduring images of London.
*Today’s post was provided by one of our readers.
*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers & Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!
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(11) awesome folk have had something to say...
Amanda Kendle -
June 25, 2011 at 6:07 am
Good summary, there is so much to see in London and I’ve always passed through as a stopover to somewhere else (feeling it is too expensive to stay too long there!) and have grabbed one or two of these sights at a time. I also love the Tate galleries.
Bethany -
June 25, 2011 at 11:06 am
That’s a great suggestion Amanda! Thanks for commenting 🙂@Amanda Kendle,
Kaitlin -
June 25, 2011 at 9:17 am
We are heading to London for the first time next weekend, so this post is appropriately timed for us! Thanks for the tips!
Bethany -
June 25, 2011 at 11:07 am
Oh that’s great! I’m so glad it will be helpful for you! 🙂@Kaitlin,
Emily -
June 26, 2011 at 8:14 am
Ohhh how I love London. Everything there just feels so historic and important. I LOVE seeing palaces…I really enjoyed touring Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace. The Tower of London was pretty cool, too. It’s fun trying to imagine what life was like back then!
Bethany -
June 29, 2011 at 10:10 am
Hi Emily! I’m the same way. I love walking in old historical spots and imagining what it was like there hundreds of years ago. @Emily,
Car Hire UK -
June 27, 2011 at 1:02 am
You may take a tour with Tower of London, one of the world’s most famous buildings, world famous British Museum and glorious National Gallery with a huge space filled to the rafters with Western European paintings.
Amber@premiermarketingtools.com -
June 28, 2011 at 2:03 am
Those are great photos! The Buckingham Palace look very beautiful at night! Thank you for this great review of London! It inspired me to take a visit in London!
Vi -
June 28, 2011 at 11:17 pm
The photos are fantastic. I have been in London four times. It is not the city I would like to live, but definitely I will visit it again.
Eurotrip Tips -
June 30, 2011 at 3:25 am
Superb photos as always. I just got back from London, which was very emotional for me because I never wanted to leave it in the first place when I used to live there. Thank you for making me smile with these pictures 🙂
LuxuryHolidaysDirect -
July 8, 2011 at 7:01 am
London is full of beautiful sits and it is always hard to cover all these site in a day. I have been most of these place more than once and always enjoying these beautiful sights of beautiful city London