London - Tourist Attractions and Places to See

Geography of London - Population, History, Economy, Culture

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the most famous of London’s many royal palaces. Constructed in the 18th century , it is located at the end of the Mall, one of London’s broadest roads. The Queen and her family live in a part of the palace. Other parts can be visited by tourists. The Changing of the Guard is a ceremony that takes place every day.

Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The fortress consists of several buildings around a central tower . It is situated on the northern bank of the River Thames . For many centuries the Tower of London served as a prison . Among the most famous prisoners were the explorer Sir Walter Raleigh and Anne Boleyn, one of Henry VIII’s wives who was beheaded there. Today visitors are able to see the Crown Jewels of England which were originally protected by Beefeaters and the Tower’s ravens .

Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge , near the Tower of London, may be London’s most impressive landmark . The bridge is over a hundred years old and can be raised to let ships pass through. The two towers and the walkway that connects them give visitors a great view of London.

St Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt in the 17th century by the great English architect Sir Christopher Wren after the original building had been destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. It has the largest dome in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is located near the Houses of Parliament. Since its construction by William the Conqueror in 1066 almost all of the country’s kings and queens have been crowned there. Monarchs and famous people are buried in the abbey . Among them are Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton.

Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament are located in the city of Westminster alongside the River Thames . Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords hold their meetings in the palace. Big Ben , the clock tower’s famous bell , has been chiming since the middle of the 19th century .

Parks in London

The city of London is well known for its large and beautiful parks. Hyde Park is the largest of London’s royal parks. It is about 2km long and over 1 km wide. Hyde Park is a popular area for free time activities, including jogging, running and horse riding. Speaker’s Corner, near the north-eastern entrance of Hyde Park is a place where Londoners gather and listen to people who talk about all kinds of things. The Serpentine is a large artificial lake where people can go swimming or rowing . London has many other parks, including St. James’s Park, with a great view of Buckingham Palace, and Green Park.

Greenwich

Greenwich is a famous district in the eastern part of London. Tourists either take a Thames boat ride there or go by the Docklands Light Railway. Greenwich is famous for British naval history. The National Maritime Museum shows exhibits from a time when Britain was the world’s biggest sea power.

The Royal Observatory has a planetarium and a museum with a display of astronomical and navigational instruments. The prime meridian of the world goes through the observatory. It divides the world into an eastern and western hemisphere .

Other Sights

London Eye

A giant Ferris wheel rises 135 m high on the south bank of the River Thames. It was built as a part of London’s millennium celebrations . Each egg-shaped cabin can take up to 25 passengers. A complete turn of the wheel takes 30 minutes.

Madame Tussaud’s

The most famous museum of wax figures was opened in 1835. Thousands of famous people, artists, writers, politicians and other celebrities have been created in wax. During the tourist season waiting lines can be very long.

Trafalgar Square

The largest square in London has been a central meeting place since the Middle Ages. In the centre is Nelson’s Column, built in honour of Admiral Nelson, who defeated the French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805.

Piccadilly Circus

A busy plaza in the heart of London lies at the junction of five major streets. The place is famous for its colourful billboards , a fountain and a statue of Eros.

Covent Garden

The former fruit and vegetable market is always a crowded place, especially during weekends and in the summertime. Today it is known for its open-air cafes, restaurants, pubs and street performers .

Kensington Gardens

The gardens east of Hyde Park cover an area of over 100 ha. Their most famous attraction is Kensington Palace , the former home of Princess Diana. One of the park’s playgrounds has a statue of Peter Pan.

Globe Theatre

London’s most famous theatre , originally built at the end of the 16th century , was reconstructed in 1997. It is only about 200 metres from its original site .

Windsor Castle

One of the royal family’s official residences is the largest inhabited castle in the world. It lies about 30 km west of London. In the course of history it has been changed several times.

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Words

abbey = a large church, where monks and nuns used to live
alongside = next to
artificial = man-made
attraction = sight
bank = side of a river
behead = to cut off someone's head
billboard = large sign used for advertisements
broad = wide
bury = to put a dead person in a grave
celebration = festival, big party
celebrity = famous person who is in the media very often
century = a hundred years
ceremony = an important event that is performed in a certain way
chime = ring
conqueror = a person who invades a country by fighting
consist of = is made up of
construction = building
course of history = as time goes on
crowded = very many people are around
defeat = beat someone in a fight or battle
display = exhibition, to show something
dome = round roof of a building
entrance = place where you go in
exhibit = an object that is shown in a public place so that people can go and see it
explorer = someone who travels to an unknown place and tries to find out something about it
Ferris wheel = a very large wheel with cabins in which people can ride
fleet = the ships that belong to the navy of a country
former = in the past, ex-
fortress = a large strong building that is used for defending an important place
fountain = structure from which water is pumped into the air
gather = get together
hemisphere = half of the Earth
impressive = exciting, great
in honour of = to show that you respect someone
inhabited = to live in a place
junction = crossroads ; place where two or more roads meet
landmark = an important building or sight that you recognize at once
millennium = when a new 1000-year period begins
monarch = king or queen
naval = marine; everything that has to do with the navy
performer = a person who acts or sings in order to entertain people and make them happy
planetarium = a building with a curved roof; lights show how planets and stars move
plaza = public square or place with buildings around it
prime meridian = a line from the North to the South Pole that divides the Earth into an eastern and a western half ; the Earth's time zones also start from here.
prison = place where you keep people because they have done something wrong or broken the law
protect = guard
raven = a large shiny black bird
reconstruct = build again
residence = place where someone lives
row = to make a boat move across water with wooden paddles
royal = something that belongs to the king or the queen
site = place where something once stood
situated = located
turn = to move completely around one time
walkway = a path that connects two objects, usually high above the ground

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