Finding out the top tourist attractions in London, first, we need to look closer to the city. London is the city of proper gentlemen. The gloomy weather of London can sadden your mind. Aristocratic British typical lifestyle could bore you. But inspire of all these, London will always fascinate you with its vibrant rhythm, multicultural diversity and above all its rich history that any other city can barely match with.
London is one of the largest cities in the world and a global city of culture, art, fashion, politics, and trade. The city is furnished with famous landmarks, museums, and worlds most expensive subway network. London’s streets are crawling with visitors and it is not a very pleasant job to select only 10 best things to do in London.
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10 Tourist Attractions in London:
10. Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is one of the most significant religious buildings in the United Kingdom. It has been the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English. British monarchs, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, and many other famous English figure were buried here.
It is mainly a Gothic Church situated just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It got its present structure mostly from 1245 to 1272 when Henry III decided to rebuild an old abbey in the Gothic style. The building was largely expanded later.
9. Palace of Westminster
Commonly famed as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace of Westminster is an assembly of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This building is a superb example of Victorian neo-Gothic architecture. It got its present form in the 19th century when a fire incident almost ruined the building.
The House of Lords is decorated with red leather upholstery and the House of Commons (elected Members of Parliament) is decorated with green leather upholstery. The longest and largest among the three main towers is Victoria Tower with a height of 98.5 meters.
8. St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral is a baroque style Anglican cathedral. It is the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. Although founded in 604 A D, the present form of the cathedral was built in the 17th century.
It is one of the most important and top-visited places in England. Its doom is one of the highest in the world. The cathedral serves the place of royal funeral, wedding and other ceremonies. It survived through the bombing attack in 2nd world war by a bomb disposal detachment of Royal Engineers.
7. Trafalgar Square
Locating at the heart of London, Trafalgar Square is the liveliest open space in London. This large city square commemorates the historic victory of Lord Horatio Nelson against Napoleon’s navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. However, the name was originally suggested as King William the Fourth’s Square.
There are a number of statues in Trafalgar Square. It often gets very busy in different festivals like pride, St Patric’s day, Eid and Chinese New Year. Every year since 1947, there has been a Christmas ceremony at Trafalgar Square.
6. Tower of London
The Tower of London was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, the tower has played a very important role in British history. The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. It served as a prison from 1100 to the mid-twentieth century and itself gave birth a phrase “sent to the Tower”, meaning imprisoned. It is now home to the British Crown Jewels.
5. London Eye
You may see the London eye in a movie, documentary or news. Just may not know the name of it. It is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London with diameters of 120 meters. The wheel carries 32 exterior glass-walled capsules offering the highest public viewpoint of London.
The London Eye was opened by then Prime Minister Tony Blair on 31 December 1999. More than 3.5 million people pay a visit annually to the London eye. It is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe.
4. Buckingham Palace
Although not the monarch’s personal property, Buckingham Palace is the residence and principal workplace of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. It is owned by the British state and located in the City of Westminster.
Some 50,000 invited guests are entertained at garden parties, receptions, audiences and banquets every year. Since 1993, during August and September, the palace’s staterooms have been open to the public. Buckingham Palace bears the symbol of the British monarchy.
3. British Museum
British Museum is the richest museum in the world. This credit certainly goes to British Monarchs as they flourish the museum bit by bit by conquering different parts of the world. Established in 1753, the museum dedicated to human art, culture, and history.
Its collections, which number exceed seven million objects originate from all continents, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. Objects include the Rosetta stone, the key to the deciphering of hieroglyphs, and the largest collection of mummies outside of Egypt.
2. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge over the River Thames is a combined bascule and suspension. It is a must-see bridge for tourists in London. Its exquisite scenario and incredible structural beauty make it one of the iconic symbols of London.
Its construction starts in 1886 and took almost eight-year to finish. The bridge deck is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians and probably a common romantic scenario for the movies. The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by the Prince of Wales.
1. Big Ben
Popular by its nickname Big Ben, Great Bell of the clock has become one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and often uses one of the symbols to represent the London. It is located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London.
It is also a recurrent feature in movies and often shows an adventure over the clock tower. The tower was completed in 1858 designed by Augustus Pugin. The clock’s movement is famous for its reliability and accuracy.
I love london 😍💖 specially St. Paul’s Cathedral & Big Ben. Hopefully i will be there for work soon.