London Travel Guide

I am sure that notoriously foggy London is worth several days for you to experience, to go sightseeing and find out what it is that attracts the world into this European capital city. And in case you do not happen to know which way to jump here are seven of the most appealing tourist attractions to you.

Buckingham Palace
The palace was built in 1703. To achieve its present shape it had been growing for almost 75 years. Since 1875 it has been an official residence of the British royal family. Spectacular premises and adjacent gardens have been used for social purposes; charitable parties often take place there.

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House of Parliament
It is almost impossible to look through the whole of the huge building of the British Parliament, which is also known as the Westminster Palace. For many visitors it is even a landmark, spreading along the northern bank of the river Thames. It has almost 1, 200 rooms, one hundred staircases and corridors exceed the length of three kilometres in the whole building. In addition to Parliament meetings, official ceremonies are held there – in the Westminster Hall, which is the oldest part of Parliament built in 1097.

Big Ben
In the immediate vicinity of Parliament there is one of the most popular symbols of London – Big Ben. The tower with quadrilateral clock is a world unique. It was named after the main and the biggest bell weighing almost sixteen tons. Big Ben was built in 1834 within the reconstruction of the Westminster Palace, one part of which has been destroyed by the fire.

10 Downing Street
The best known address in London, seat and office of the British prime minister. It is strategically located in the vicinity of the Parliament. The history of the building dates back to 1732, when King George II offered it to the Prime Minister Robert Walpole.

London Eye
A modern dominant of the British capital is the London Eye, also known as a Millennium Wheel. Before 2006 it was the biggest observatory wheel in the world. It is 135 metres high and stands on the western end of Jubilee Gardens. London Eye is the most popular paid attraction in Great Britain. It is visited by three and a half million people every year.

National Gallery
Founded in 1824, its collections hold more than 2, 300 pictures from the years 1250 to 1900. It is located in the popular Trafalgar Square. The works of many world renowned painters (Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rafael, Titian, Paul Cezane, Claude Monet and others) are exhibited in the gallery.

Madame Tussauds
The most well-known museum of wax figures in the world. It has been founded by the sculptor Marie Tussaud. She introduced her works for the first time in London in 1835, and since 1884 the museum has been located in Marylebone Road. Madame Tussaud museum now has branches in Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York, Hongkong as well as in Shanghai, and two others should be added in Hollywood and in Washington, D.C shortly.

By Veronika Leštáková, Marián Gladiš
Photo: Fotolia, iStockphoto, Slovak Centre

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