Sightseeing in London - Festive Days Out in the Capital

Enjoy an impromptu festive trip to the nation's capital for a day sightseeing in London. Get out and about together and enjoy the sights of central London which is one of the most magical places to visit at this time of the year, not to mention the plentiful attractions and Christmas shopping outlets on offer.

Whatever the weather, you will be able to find a way of enjoying a sightseeing in London experience. You can travel by bus, boat, train and even by amphibious vehicle across the River Thames!

For the ultimate romantic London experience, why not enjoy a Thames lunch cruise for two where you can sample the most historic London buildings - the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster itself. Or take an aerial viewpoint of this fabulous city with a trip on the London Eye, with expansive views stretching as far as the arch of Wembley Stadium!

If entertainment and culture is the order of the day then why not take a chance to visit Shakespeare's Globe theatre, with a fabulous tour of the Shakespeare exhibition finishing with a delicious afternoon tea with a selection of teas and infusions, sandwiches and freshly baked cakes and scones at the on-site brasserie.

Music, and in particular The Beatles fans, will also jump at the chance to enjoy a pilgrimage to Abbey Road as part of a Rock n Roll Legends Tour that visits the heart of the 'swinging sixties and the birthplace of punk in the seventies. You will sit back and enjoy this magical mystery bus tour, seeing where famed album covers were shot and where legends lived/live and died.

For the most unique experience of London's iconic landmarks why not don the goggles and recreate the early years of passenger air travel aboard a De Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane sightseeing tour of London for two. Fly above the nation's capital at 1,500 feet from the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, and marvel at London's famous skyline with wonderful views of Canary Wharf, St. Paul's Cathedral, the royal parks and palaces and the meandering Thames.

These luxury sightseeing tours of London are a must for truly memorable occasions at Christmas.

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7 Lost London Sporting Venues

1. White City

Built in 1908 for the London Olympics of that year, the stadium was in existence for more than 70 years. Best known for greyhound racing and speedway, White City Stadium was also the venue for a number of other sports. It was Queen's Park Rangers' home ground in the early 1930s and again briefly in the 1960s. The match in the 1966 World Cup between Uruguay and France was originally scheduled to be played at Wembley but the owners of that stadium unsportingly refused to cancel a regular greyhound meet and the match had to transfer at short notice to White City. The stadium was demolished in 1985 and BBC White City now stands on the site.

2. The Hippodrome, Notting Hill

Between 1837 and 1842 there was a racecourse in Notting Hill and the still-existing street name Hippodrome Place is a reminder of it. The spectators at the course stood on the sides of the hill and watched the horses race around a circuit around its base. Described by a contemporary magazine as 'a racing emporium more extensive and attractive than Ascot or Epsom', the Hippodrome nonetheless lost money for its owners and was closed after only five years.

3. Lord's, Dorset Square

Opened by Thomas Lord in 1787 on what was then fields and is now Dorset Square, the ground saw its first match (between Middlesex and Essex) played on 31 May that year. It continued to be in use until 1809 when the land, which Lord had only leased, was sold and he moved to St John's Wood. One of those who played on the old ground was the poet, Lord Byron, who appeared for Harrow in the first Eton v. Harrow match in 1805. A plaque now commemorates the old Lord's.

4. Lillie Bridge Grounds, West Brompton

Opened in the late 1860s, the Lillie Bridge grounds hosted a wide variety of sporting events from bicycle racing to boxing. In 1873, it was the venue for the second FA Cup final between Wanderers and Oxford University, the match kicking off at 11.30 a.m. so spectators could watch the Boat Race later the same day. Wanderers won 2-0, their second goal being scored when Oxford made the mistake of moving their goalkeeper into the attack, leaving the goal undefended for long periods. The varsity athletics matches between Oxford and Cambridge were held here from 1867 to 1887. In the latter year a crowd of several thousand at another athletics meeting, provoked by a gang involved in betting on the races, ran riot and destroyed the track and grandstand. The Lillie Bridge grounds never recovered from the riot and closed the following year.

5. Prince's Club

Founded by two sporting brothers called Prince in the late 1850s, the grounds owned by the club were one of Victorian London's major sporting venues, important in the history of both cricket and lawn tennis. Marylebone Cricket Club played there for four years in the 1870s. Batsmen were obliged to be wary when playing the ball to square leg since the ground adjoined a skating rink and there was a danger of hitting skaters. MCC left for St John's Wood in 1876 but the ground continued to host major matches, Australia playing there during their 1878 tour. Tennis was introduced in the mid-1870s and the club did much to formalise the rules of the game, establishing both the height of the net and the method of scoring still in use today. Overhead service was first introduced at the Prince's Club grounds in 1881, at which time the annual championship there was as renowned and as prestigious as the rival championships at Wimbledon. The grounds closed in 1886 and the site is now covered by Lennox Gardens, SW1.

6. The Ring, Blackfriars

The pub called The Ring in Blackfriars Road is a reminder of the Ring boxing arena, which was sited just opposite. Originally built as Surrey Chapel for an eccentric preacher called Rowland Hill, it was transformed into a place of entertainment in 1881 and became a boxing venue in 1910 when it was bought by a former British lightweight champion called Dick Burge. It was destroyed in the Blitz in 1940.

7. Jack Broughton's Amphitheatre

Established in 1743 in Cockspur Street by Jack Broughton, self-styled boxing champion of England, who was one of the first men to try and impose some kind of code of rules on prize fighting. His own past career in bare-knuckle fighting, during which he killed a man in the ring, gave Broughton an incentive to introduce what became known as the London Prize Ring Rules. His amphiteatre was the first place where a form of boxing gloves were used, that would, in the words of a contemporary, 'effectually secure the fighters from the inconvenience of black eyes, broken jaws and bloody noses'. Nonetheless, the amphitheatre was the scene of some bloody spectacles in the eleven years that it was open, including bear baiting and what were known as Broughton's Battles Royal, in which one man would take on up to seven others at a time. Broughton died in 1789, in his late eighties, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

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London Sights With a Remarkably Low Price

With tourism statistics on the decline in the British capital, foreign visitors are in a perfect position to capitalize on offers from numerous London sightseeing destinations this summer. A cash-strapped European economy and airline-industry fallout from the Volcanic Ash crisis of several months ago will result in fewer visitors, and less money, flowing into the capital during the summer holidays.

While this is nothing short of disastrous for hoteliers, restaurateurs and tourism development bureaucrats, it should provide a welcome break for everyday Londoners and the average foreign tourist. Less crowding in public parks and major shopping centres, an ebb in pedestrian traffic on Westminster bridge and, god willing, shorter queues down the pub during World Cup.

Major attractions such as Madame Tussaud's and the London Eye are offering significant price reductions and rock-bottom group admission rates in the coming months in a bid for tourist Pounds, Euros and Dollars, as the case may be. This may seem like yet another symptom of the unceasing power of worldwide economic recession, but it also provides an opportunity for Britons and international tourists alike to get out and enjoy London on their own terms, and without breaking what's left of the bank.

A recent Daily Mail article reports that many hoteliers have slashed their usually exorbitant summer rates by up to 75% in order to drum up business and remedy depleted cashflows. That being said, there will be no shortage of hotels in London offering luxury rooms at two-star prices: a welcome change from running the usual Leicester Square tourist gauntlet. Foreign visitors can expect to stay in central locales for below average rates, allowing them to leisurely saunter over to Trafalgar Square or Big Ben through streets pleasantly empty with wallets surprisingly full.

For the everyday Londoner, the grand benefit here is obvious: fewer tourists more evenly spread out across the capital and, thus, posing less of a disruption to the normal run of things. Pending the arrival of the great British summer, the postponement of yet another irksome election, and the success of the England squad in South Africa, 2010 may well end up being a year to remember, though not for all the doom and gloom we might have predicted back in January.

Dimitar Sivkov writes on a range of topics, including travel, travel destination and hotel reviews. If you are going to London and you haven't yet chosen a hotel you might want to check some of the luxurious hotels in London.

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Night Life in London

When the sun sets over the horizon and the night dawns, the folk of London move to the streets in search of excitement and fun. Home to a culture for the night, London is one of the favored nightlife spots in the world.

The nightlife soars in the illuminated streets of London, as people live it up, night after night, with dancing and merriment at some of the best nightclubs in the area. If you are looking for a great night, filled with fun, rhythm and a touch of magic in the air, well then, you've come to the right place, because London is the place to be.

Thronged with places to go to for entertainment, wining and dining, experience the city by first downing a couple of tantalizing cocktails at one of the bars such as Taman Gang. Whether it's after work cocktails of the bar's signature drinks or even pre-clubbing beverages, this quintessential bar or any of the others in the city, is more than ready to welcome you through their doors. If drinks aren't your kind of deal, indulge in a soothing evening of fine dining at any of the discerning restaurants in the city.

If wining and dining isn't what you have in mind when thinking of London nightlife, indulge in the assortment of entertainment options available. Whether your choice of an ideal nighttime activity includes the likes of crooning away with friends at a karaoke bar, or making way to experience one of the many concerts happening in, the ultimate nighttime event would be to hit one of the London clubs, and dance the night away.

Put on your dancing shoes, and take to the dance floor, as groove the night away, as the beats from the DJ's turntable spins the club out of control. What better way to make your night worthwhile than enjoying yourself with loved ones at some of the best nighttime attractions in London? Take to the streets, and enjoy the folly of London nightlife.

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Top London Parks to Visit

London may one of the biggest metropolises in the world, but it also has plenty of open spaces if you're looking for some rest and relaxation on your city break. In between the tall buildings and hectic streets lay vast oasises of green; and a handful of the best luxury hotels in London have an excellent park view to complete the picture. Here's a lowdown on the best parks to visit in London.

1. Richmond Park

Bathed in history, the vast Richmond Park was once Henry VIII's personal hunting ground and it has retained both its country vibe and deer population! Although it is located in Southwest London (outside of the 'centre'), it's well worth the visit for a touch of what old England was like. The huge size means there's plenty to explore too, from pond walks and botanical gardens to historical houses serving ice-cream and tea. A real highlight is the 'keyhole': from here you can see straight through to Saint Paul's Cathedral on a clear day.

2. Regents Park

The most central and glamorous of London's parks, Regents is alive with colorful flowers and city dwellers catching the sunshine. Its bound to be packed on a sunny day but this buzz is part of its charm. There are numerous small garden areas to take refuge in and a large pond to rent pedloes if you're feeling extra romantic. Families might want to check out London Zoo as well, which is along the canal at the north end of the park.

3. Hampsread Heath

Rambling and wild, Hampstead Heath is another real gem in summer time. Just north of the centre, you can get lost on Hampstead Heath amongst the trees and hills. Most people come here for the view from the top of Box Hill, where the whole city lies sprawling before you, but the best parts of the heath are the more hidden and selcuded spaces that give the impression that you're anywhere other than in the midst of a giant city. The old-fashioned and chic Hampstead Village is also well worth a wander afterwards as there are some top class pubs with gardens and patios, alongside quaint shops and cafes.

4. Victoria Park

Out in East London, the sprawling Victoria Park is much less popular or known by visitors but still has plenty of open space and picturesque views to offer. Residents in the now trendy East End know it well, though, so expect plenty of cool kids taking a break here on the grass. If you're after activity, take a long and interesting walk along the tow path beside the canal to see some off the beaten track sights in this overlooked part of the city. Victoria Park is also a hotbed of entertainment in the summer - expect festivals, concerts and music on the weekends.

About the Author

Tom Ingrams is a travel writer who specializes in the higher end of the market, with particular attention to the very best luxury hotels in London.