London Travel Guide, United Kingdom

How to explore London on your own

London Travel Guide is created to help you discover what is there to see in London, and offer you information on how to get there. As far as possible, each article has details on what Underground train to take, so that you can explore London on your own. Have fun!

London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is a metropolis on the southeast of England. It is located on the banks of the river Thames, at a Latitude of 51°30'26.66"N and Longitude of 0°° 7'39.35"W (key this location on Google Earth to find it). When people talk about London, they usually mean Greater London, a metropolitan area that covers 609 square miles (1579 square kilometers). Right at the heart of Greater London is the City of London, the original city that traces its history back to Roman times. Today, the City of London, also called the Square Mile, is the financial centre for London. Along with 32 boroughs, it forms part of Greater London.

London is the most affluent region in the United Kingdom, enjoying the highest GDP per capita. It is the center for business, financial, politics, entertainment, fashion, education and cultural activities, among others, not only for the United Kingdom, but also has great influence globally. With a population of 7.5 million, Greater London is the most populous municipality in the European Union.

It is unclear how the name "London" came about. There are several possibilities. One source, Geoffrey of Monmouth, as documented in Historia Regum Britanniae, the name of the city was attributed to King Lud from the pre-Roman times, who named the place Kaerlud. Over time, the name Kaerlud became Kaerludein, and eventually became London. According to Richard Coates, a lingustics professor, the name London came from the pre-Celtic word "plowonida", which means "a river too wide to ford". The name Plowonida became Lundonjon, then Lundein. It was Latinised into Londinium, and from there, the Anglo-Saxons called in Lundene.

Originally located on the north bank of the river Thames, London has grown to encompass both banks of the river. The Thames enters London from the southwest and flows out from the east. It is surrounded by a few hills including Parliament Hill, Addington Hills and Primrose Hill.

London was one of the fastest growing city in the world during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was only overtaken by New York in 1925, though its population continued to grow, peaking at 8.6 million people in 1939. Today, there are about 7.5 million people living in Greater London, although the whole metropolitan area has as much as 14 to 15 million inhabitants in total. Not only is London the biggest city in the United Kingdom, it is 8 times bigger than the second largest British city, Birmingham, and 10 times larger than Glasgow, in No.3 spot.

Although London comprises 32 boroughs, to most visitors, the major sightseeing places are in Central London. The name Central London refers to a number of places in London including, in alphabetical order, Bloomsbury, (The) City of London, Clerkenwell, Holborn, Marylebone, Mayfair, South Bank, St. James's and West End (which comprises Soho, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Trafalgar Square). Together, the aforementioned places are within the boroughs of Westminster, Camden, Islington, Lambert, Southwark and the whole of the City of London.

With a history that stretches well before Roman time, London has many historical sites. Four are inscribed as Unesco World Heritage Sites, namely The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church; the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. For lovers of history, London has some of the best museums in the world, some of which are admission free. It has plenty of parks and theatres as well as state-of-the-art attractions such as the London Eye.

To cater to the number of visitors entering and leaving London, the city is served by at least five major airports of which Heathrow and Gatwick are the largest and second largest in the United Kingdom. One can also get to London by train, taking the Eurostar from Paris and Brussels. The journey takes about two hours and passes through the 22-mile (35-km) Channel Tunnel. A network of international and domestic long-distance bus services connects London with the rest of the United Kingdom and many cities in Europe. Most of these services serve the Victoria Coach Station or the Green Line Coach Station across the street.

How to find accommodation: London Hotels

Of course, the easiest way is to book online. But before you do that, it would be wise to check out how much the top Hotel Booking sites are offering for the room you have in mind. You will discover that different site actually offer a different price, and some times different room category, from the same hotel. It is therefore prudent to check and compare prices offered by different Hotel Booking sites before you actually do any booking. You can use our Hotel Room Search Engine. It helps you view prices offered by different hotel booking sites, and compare which is the lowest.

Arriving in London by Plane

If you are arriving in London by plane, find out which airport you will be landing. London is served by four major international airports namely Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. In addition, the London City Airport received business planes and chartered flights.

Information on London Heathrow

Information on London Gatwick

Information on London Stansted

Information on London Luton

Information on London City Airport

Arriving in London by Train

You can go to London by train from Brussels and Paris using the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar operates a high-speed train service between Paris, Brussels and the London terminus at St Pancras International station. The trains reach a speed of 300 kph (180 mph) Eurostar takes 2 hours 15 minutes from Paris and 1 hour 50 minutes from Brussels. It is faster to travel between these destinations by train than to take a plane, as the trains take you directly into the heart of London.

Paris - London

There are 17 services a day on Mondays to Thursdays, 19 on Fridays, of which 7 are non-stop. The fare is £45.00 for Standard Ticket, £67.00 for Leisure Select and £163.50 for Business Premier.

Brussels - London

The fare is £38.50 for Standard Ticket, £63.50 for Leisure Select and £125.00 for Business Premier.

Note for non-Europeran Economic Area citizens

If you are a national of a non-European Economic Area country, you must complete a landing card before arriving at Eurostar check-in. Landing cards are available from dedicated desks in front of the check-in area and from Eurostar staff. This card must then be handed to UK Immigration staff.

Check In

Check in 30 minutes before your train leaves the station. To check in, insert your ticket into the ticket machine. Once the ticket comes out, take it, and walk through the gate with your bags.

Baggages

There's no separate check-in for bags - this is not an aircraft - but they expect you to have not more than two bags and one hand luggage. Take everything straight into the train, yourself. If you are traveling with large and bulky items (a bicycle, for example), or weapons (knives, bows and arrows, etc.), register these items when you check in. Your registered baggage will go on the next available departure space permitting, with a guarantee that you can collect it within 24 hours after registration. You can also send your baggage in advance of your journey to collect when you arrive.

Seating Arrangements

They say their trains are bigger than a jumbo jets - longer perhaps, but not wider. Which isn't so bad, as there'll be more windows to look through. In the Business Premier seciton, the seating is two on the left of the aisle and one on the right. In the Standard section, it is two on the left of the aisle and two on the right. The seats face each other, so some passengers will be sitting backwards from the direction the train is moving.

Arriving in London by Bus

You can take a bus to London from various cities and town in the United Kingdom as well as in Europe. The three main bus operators are National Express, Eurolines and Megabus.

National Express

The largest coach operator in the United Kingdom, National Express has services between London and destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. The buses operate from the Victoria Coach Station - be aware that the arrivals and departures use different buildings. You can book your tickets online at the National Express website.

Eurolines

An associate company to National Express, Eurolines has services between London and destinations in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe. Most of its buses use the Victoria Coach Station. To book your tickets, go to the Eurolines website, Eurolines.

Megabus

Megabus is a low-cost coach operator. Its fare structure is staggered, and tickets can be obtained at a very low price if booked well in advance. Megabus operates routes in England, Wales and Scotland. Visit the Megabus website for details, Megabus.

Arriving in London by Car

All motorways in England lead to London. Having said that, if you are not familiar with London, it is not advisable to drive into the city. The ring roads are often congested and parking place almost non existent. Still, if you must drive to London, here's a list of petrol filling stations in London.

Getting around

The most convenient way to explore London is to take the London Underground train, popularly known as the Tube. Here's more details about taking the Tube.

Places of Interest in London

Compare Hotel Room Rates

Find the lowest price of hotel rooms from different Hotel Booking websites. Our free Hotel Search Engine lets you compare room rates from different booking sites. Just key in your visiting City. You'd be glad to do your homework!

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