Despite the Tower of London’s grim reputation as a place of torture and death, within these walls you will also discover the history of a royal palace, an armoury and a powerful fortress. Don’t miss Royal Beasts and learn about the wild and wonderous animals that have inhabited the Tower, making it the first London Zoo. Discover the priceless Crown Jewels newly displayed in 2012, join an iconic Beefeater on a tour and hear their bloody tales, stand where famous heads have rolled, learn the legend of the Tower’s ravens, storm the battlements and get to grips with swords and armour and much more!
Enter St Paul’s and enjoy the cathedral’s awe-inspiring interior. Take advantage of a new touch-screen multimedia guide or join a guided tour to explore this iconic building, both now included with the sightseeing admission charge. St Paul’s Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London. Venture down to the crypt and discover the tombs and memorials of some of the nation’s greatest heroes such as Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. Also visit Oculus, an award winning 270° immersive film experience.
Watch Tower Bridge live with our webcam that streams continuous images of the iconic 19th-century London landmark designed by Sir Horace Jones. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames The river Thames is a hive of activity, with pleasure boats ferrying visitors, river bus services used by locals and high-speed RIB tours for thrill-seekers – it’s also a working river with all sorts of container vessels passing under the world’s most famous bridge on a daily basis. Follow all the action on our Tower Bridge webcam stream. Focus on the famous London bridge as red buses, London cabs and more than 40,000 people a day cross; and you can even keep a track of when Tower Bridge opens for larger ships that could not otherwise travel upstream.
Visitors can try out the acoustic quirks of the Whispering Gallery and continue their climb to the Golden Gallery to enjoy breathtaking panoramic views across The Olympic rings may have gone since London. the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but the event’s legacy lives on with a stunning lighting system illuminating one of the major landmarks in London come nightfall, that you can watch live on cam.
Whether you’re jetlagged, insomniac or wired, London at night is a mysterious place. People behave differently, the streets are sodium yellow and the parks are dark. As colours desaturate, familiar areas can turn dangerous. Curiocity has been strolling in the gloaming, pinpointing the best and most unusual experiences this wild shadow city has to offer. Like any city London can be dangerous, so make sure you take precautions and don’t walk alone at night. The highest point in central London, Hampstead Heath, is one of the best places for stargazing. Drop east from Heath House above the Vale of Health for a great viewing spot. For a closer look, head back along Lower Terrace to the Hampstead Observatory: the Hampstead Scientific Society (hampsteadscience.ac.uk) opens its telescopes for free from 8-10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, mid September to mid-April. There is also free access to the UCL Observatory in Mill Hill (ulo.ucl. ac.uk).
If it’s raining, find a werewolf with a Chinese menu and follow him to Lee Ho Fooks (now Golden Harvest) for a big dish of beef chow mein (Gerrard Street, closes 1am, restaurantprivilege.com/golden-harvest). If you miss it, try Mr Kong (Lisle Street, closes 2.45am, mrkongrestaurant.com). Either way, listen to Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London song in the clip above (and all will become clear). For more music go to Ronnie Scott’s Late Late Show (Frith Street, 12.45am, ronniescotts.co.uk) or Ain’t Nothin’ But (Kingly Street, closes 2.30am, aintnothinbut.co.uk). Afterwards drop into the legendary Bar Italia for a nightcap (Frith Street, open 24/7, baritaliasoho.co.uk) or Lick for a gelato (Greek Street, closes 12.30am, lick-gelato. com). It’s always breakfast time in Polo Bar. Nestled next to Liverpool Street Station (176 Bishopsgate, polo24hourbar.co.uk), this fine greasy spoon is open 24hrs a day and has been serving fry-ups for nigh on 50 years.
After spirits at the Black Lion Pub, Hammersmith (theblacklion-hammersmith. co.uk), try this closing time ghost tour. The pub itself is haunted by Thomas Millwood, shot in 1803 by an excise officer who mistook him, ironically, for the “Hammersmith Ghost”, an earlier spectre then terrorising the area. During the ensuing murder trial, John Graham, a shoemaker, revealed that he was the Hammersmith Ghost and had been dressing up in costume to protest against ghost stories. Walk to Margravine Cemetery (margravinecemetery.org.uk), the site of one of Graham’s attacks, and complete the tour by visiting Holland Park (rbkc.gov.uk), where the Earl of Holland still carries his severed head; the Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill (coronet.org), where a spectral cashier haunts the stalls; and Cambridge Gardens to catch a phantom bus. At sunrise every morning, a single Buddhist monk makes the short walk from his temple and home in Battersea Park (batterseapark. org/history/peace-pagoda) to the riverside Peace Pagoda, beating a drum and chanting the Daimoku. Join the Reverend Gyoro Nagase for prayers at dawn.
Canary Wharf is planned on a grand scale, yet with meticulous attention to detail. The estate extends to over 97 acres and is so called because when in use as a dock, many of the imports were from the Canary Islands.
If you’ve come to London to see the sights you’ve come to the right place. With LondonTown you can find discounts on tickets to top attractions, offers on guided tours, as well as information on out-of-town trips. Whether you want to enjoy panoramic views over the Houses of Parliament from the London Eye, see The Queen at Buckingham Palace, or visit Stonehenge you’ll find it all here. Discover the best way to see the city with our guide to all the top attractions and special offers on sightseeing.
Looking for the best places to dine in London? Our restaurant reviews are here to guide you through the unending choice of dining options in the city. London is a gastronomic powerhouse with a high concentration of top restaurants owned by world renowned chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay. From Caribbean curries to the classic British dish, fish and chips, whatever whets your appetite you can find a cuisine to tickle your taste buds in the city that has every culinary corner covered...
London’s vibrant club scene puts the city on the map as the capital of cool. Superclubs like Ministry of Sound, Fabric and Heaven are among the biggest and best known places to party. For those who prefer a more intimate experience the DJ bars are where it’s at. With our club listings you can find out what’s on in London, the best places to go, and where to hang out if you want to With our programme of music, film, theatre, party from dusk till dawn. dance, art, fashion and more throughout the year plus over 300 shops, bars and restaurants, Canary Wharf is the perfect destination for a great day out.
Save money and jump the queues by buying your tickets online for London’s royal palaces, cathedrals, museums, zoos and waxworks.
Approximately 16 million square feet of office and retail space has been constructed to date. The first tenants moved into Canary Wharf in August 1991 and now more than 105,000 people work here. Currently the development comprises over 35 completed buildings and over 280 shops, cafes, bars and restaurants within four retail malls. It also has a conference and banqueting centre, two Dockland Light Railway stations, a Jubilee Line station, car parks and approximately 20 acres of landscaped open spaces.