Top London Attractions: Landmarks, Museums, Parks, Shopping, Nightlife and Dining

Famous Churches and Landmarks

Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous churches in London. It is near the Houses of Parliament. It is more than nine hundred years old. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned there.

St Paul's Cathedral was built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666. You can visit the cathedral by walking across the Millennium Bridge, from the South Bank.

Art Galleries and Museums

The most famous is the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. You can see paintings by Turner, Goya, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Renoir, Titian and many others.

The Tate Gallery is on the north bank of the River Thames. It was built in 1897. The Tate Modern is a new gallery, and it has a large collection of modern art.

The British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It displays ancient Roman and Greek art, Egyptian treasures and Anglo-Saxon objects.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has the world's largest dress collection.

Royal Palaces

Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. At half past eleven, I can watch the soldiers change guard. The Queen's Gallery is also in Buckingham Palace, where I can visit and see the Queen's collection of paintings.

The Queen's other home, Windsor Castle, is near the River Thames. The castle is eight hundred years old.

Parks and Green Spaces

The most famous parks near central London are Hyde Park, Regent's Park and St James's Park.

• Hyde Park is a large park of three hundred and forty acres. Today, people relax on the grass, skate and cycle on the paths. The Serpentine, a lake in the middle of the park, is a popular spot.
• Regent's Park is very beautiful. It is home to the London Zoo and has an open-air theatre.
• Other parks to visit include Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common.

Transport in London

The Metropolitan Line opened in 1863. It is the oldest underground railway line in the world. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a modern railway line.

The taxi drivers are usually friendly and helpful. However, the roads are very busy in Central London.

Shopping

London is world famous for its shopping. Oxford Street is London's main shopping centre, and the most famous shop in London is Harrods. There are many shops in Covent Garden. In the 1600s, Covent Garden was a fruit and flower market.

• Soho is a good place to buy music.
• Bond Street and Marylebone High Street are good for clothes and furniture.
• The two best-known markets are Portobello Road and Camden Market. Portobello Road is in Notting Hill, and I can get there by tube. I can buy old clothes and antiques there. Camden Market is famous for art and music.
• Other popular markets in London are Spitalfields, Greenwich and Petticoat Lane.

Pubs and Nightlife

There are more than seven thousand pubs in London, where I can eat and drink. The Prospect of Whitby is a very old pub, built in 1520. The Lamb and Flag is more than three hundred years old.

Notting Hill is a good place to visit at night. It has the largest carnival in Europe. Some nightclubs stay open all night.

Theatres and Cinemas

Most theatres and cinemas in London are in the West End. I can see all kinds of plays and shows in London's theatres. The National Theatre and the Barbican Centre are good places to see plays.

I can also visit the Globe Theatre by the River Thames. It is a modern theatre, but it looks like Shakespeare's Globe. There are also many small cinemas all over London.

Food and Restaurants

In Soho, there are many foreign restaurants and cafés. There are many good Chinese restaurants on Gerrard Street, an area known as Chinatown.

I can eat food from all over the world in London. I can go to French, Italian, Spanish, Caribbean, Thai, Greek, Turkish, Indian, Japanese, African or Chinese restaurants. Some of the most famous restaurants in the world are in London.