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Enjoying the Best of London’s Museum Scene

As the capital of the United Kingdom and the largest city in Europe, London is home to a number of world famous museums. On a trip to London, it’s easy to spend several days exploring all the different museums and galleries, but it can be difficult knowing which of the London museums are worthy of your time.

Chris Devers - flickr.com

Chris Devers - flickr.com

The British Museum located in Great Russell Street in London is one of the largest and most interesting of all London’s museums, making it an easy choice for one of the holiday’s outings. Founded by an act of Parliament in 1753, the British Museum originally housed just the collections of Sir Hans Sloane but has grown to include collections that draw from all over the world and from right across history.

A trip to the British Museum offers a chance to not only see a history of Britain but also a chance to see famous artefacts from around the world including the Rosetta stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and the Portland Vase.

Another museum which always features highly on the ‘must-see list’ is the Natural History Museum of London. The museum is home to hundreds if not thousands of exciting exhibitions which focus on dinosaurs, insects and human biology.

Other popular exhibitions include those on ecology, the blue whale and a must if visiting with children – the earthquake experience.

If history doesn’t appeal, art is something which can be found throughout London. Of all the galleries across London, probably the most famous is the Tate Modern Gallery.

Situated in Bankside, the Tate Modern is Britain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art housing not just pieces from the British Isles but a number of collections from around the world as well.

Art lovers will be pleased to be given the opportunity to see works from artists such as Dali, Picasso, Warhol and Matisse – among others – for free.

Another slightly more modern art gallery which is extremely popular in London is the Madame Tussaud’s gallery. Set up by famous wax sculptor Marie Tussaud, the museum is home to a collection of wax sculptures of many prominent celebrities including several sports stars, musicians and world leaders.

Those visiting Madame Tussauds can expect to see models of sporting legends such as David Beckham, Sven-Göran Eriksson and Wayne Rooney as well as musicians like Amy Winehouse, Beyonce and Britney Spears.

Finding the time to see everything is usually the biggest challenge on a trip to London. Thankfully most hotels in London or tourist information centres will be able to advice you on the amount of time you will need to allocate for each attraction, enabling you to plan your trip and allocate time for London’s best attractions.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.comEnjoying the Best of London’s Museum Scene

London Travel – Free Things To Do In London

London is my favorite city on this planet. I first went there after graduating high school and for the past 20 years I try and visit at least every couple of years. Unfortunately, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the British pound has made visiting nowadays quite a bit more expensive than it used to be, but there are still plenty of free things to do in London. Here’s a list of some of my favorites.

London Museum Hopping

Most of the big museums in London are free to visit. So on each of my trips to London, I usually visit a couple and spend a few hours wandering the galleries and exhibits. Some of my favorites are the National Portrait Gallery just on the edge of Trafalgar Square; the Victoria & Albert (V&A) in South Kensington; and the Tate Modern on Bankside near the London Bridge.

Window Shopping and the Street Markets

There are so many cool shops in London, that I like to stay away from the chain stores. It’s more fun to putter around shops that aren’t just like the ones back home. My favorite location for window shopping is Covent Garden and the streets that run off of it. I usually duck into Neal’s Yard on Neal St, just a few blocks from Covent Garden, to treat myslf to some nice cheese at the Neals Yard Dairy. Sorry, the cheese isn’t free!

Other favorite puttering spots are Kings Road (starting near Sloane Square), and Carnaby Street. Some of the side streets in Soho also have some interesting shops and if you like books, Charing Cross Road and the streets that run off of it are fun to wander around.

Also, be sure to check out some of London’s most popular street markets. My favorite is the one at Portobello Road in Notting Hill for lots of cool second hand goods and flea market finds. There’s a market here six days a week! Sunday is the only day there is no market.

lassi.kurkijarvi's - flickr.com

lassi.kurkijarvi's - flickr.com

If it’s Sunday though, you can always head over to Camden Market. That’s the best day to go there anyway. As you exit Camden Tube station, just head north, but you won’t have any problem with getting lost because the place will be mobbed with people.

People Watching

No matter what time of year you visit, London is always bustling with people. There are some great locations in the city to just spend a couple of hours soaking in the flavor of the place. Piccadilly Square and Trafalgar Square are the more obvious spots, but I also like Covent Garden because it tends to be a bit quieter and they usually have street performers too.

If you find yourself wandering around on a Sunday and you aren’t in the mood for Camden Market, why not head over to Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park and see who’s decided to give a speech. Watching the audience that gathers is as fun as watching some of the more entertaining speakers.

Hopefully, I’ve helped you out with a few ideas of some of the different free things you can do in London. The city is such a vibrant and ever-changing place to be that I find just wandering in whichever direction I feel like turning leads to some exciting new place to be discovered. All you really need is a comfortable pair of shoes and maybe a pass for the Underground.

If you’re planning a trip to London, be sure to take a look at Where to Stay in London before you make your hotels plans. Also, find out how to get cheap London theatre tickets how to use London Underground Transport

Article Source: ArticlesBase.comLondon Travel – Free Things To Do In London

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London Hotels – The City

The part of London referred to as “The City” is an area covering roughly one square mile densely populated with offices. It’s home to the Bank of England and London Stock Exchange. The City is London’s business and finance hub, so if you’ve come here to work in those industries it makes sense to look for a City hotel. London luckily has some interesting new developments in both accommodation and entertainment venues in the area. The City has a resident population of about 8,000 but with approximately 340,000 workers flooding the area from Monday to Friday, it can get pretty crowded!

London Tower Bridge - Anirudh Koul - flickr.com

London Tower Bridge - Anirudh Koul - flickr.com

It’s worth knowing where to look for a hotel. London’s Square Mile’s borders are roughly from Westminster in the west, crossing the Victoria Embankment, then up to High Holborn and Aldersgate in the north. To the east, the entire Barbican Estate is part of The City, as is Moorgate. The Tower of London is excluded, even though the southern border of The City is in the middle of the Thames and includes London Bridge. Look for the black bollards with the City’s emblem – a dragon holding a shield bearing the St George’s cross – which mark the borders of London’s Square Mile.

With plenty to choose from it shouldn’t be a problem finding London Hotels. London’s market is competitive and always evolving to keep up-to-date. For example, the newly opened Apex London Wall Hotel is a 4-star hotel with a state of the art gym, 24-hour room service, complimentary wi-fi and free local calls, as well as a range of other high-tech features. London business people work hard and play hard, so you’ll also find plenty of pubs, restaurants and plush night spots in the area such as the Andaz Hotel’s 1901 cocktail bar and the newly-opening Proud Cabaret.

To find cheap hotels in London visit London Hotels

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Saunders

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