Unlike Manhattan, London’s skyline has evolved over thousands of years, gradually adorning itself with new architectural gems. To the untrained eye it can look quite untidy and it is easy to lose your bearings when taking it all in. The curvy nature of the Thames can also throw your sense of direction as it winds its way through the city. Hotel deals in London bring more tourists to the UK who all want to experience everything the great city has to offer. With this in mind, I have compiled a list of some of the best spots to take in the sights of London, away from the crowds.

Primrose Hill – There is a reason that this iconic hill has been the backdrop to and featured in so many films, songs, and stories. It is a wonderful place to visit if you want to soak up some of the unseen magic of London. Once you climb to the top of the very steep hill, your reward will be a fantastic panorama, which takes in most of London’s most famous buildings.

Parliament Hill – Slightly further away from the centre of the city, situated on the majestic Hampstead Heath, Parliament hill gives you a chance to appreciate the scale of London. Battle your way through all the kite flyers and celebrity dog walkers and you can view London, sweeping out beneath you, as if you are sitting on a cloud.

Tate Modern – The best way to get to the Tate Modern is over the pedestrian bridge, which takes you from St Paul’s Cathedral to the South Bank. Affectionately named the ‘Wobbly Bridge’, due to an initial design fault, the walk across adds to the sense of drama. Once inside the spectacular ex-power station, make your way to the restaurant on the 5 floor and enjoy the unique vantage point’s vista.

Westminster Cathedral – Tucked away in the heart of Westminster, the Catholic Cathedral is a hidden gem overlooked or missed by most tourists. However, at the top of the 210ft tower you will be privy to the most intimate views of Westminster Abbey and beyond. The Cathedral also has a wealth of beautiful treasures of its own that are worth a look.

The Shard – A new and somewhat controversial addition to the London skyline, ‘The View’ on the 68^th, 69^th and 72^nd floors of the Shard will be open to the public in February 2013. If you dare to travel the full 1,016ft to the top you will have a 360-degree view, which promises to astound you. Although it is bound to be popular, you will be able to book an allotted time slot in advance.

Stave Hill – Another hill on the list, but with the exception of being man made. Situated in the Russia Dock Woodland near Canary Wharf, this is the best spot to behold the amazing dockland development. The spectacular glass constructions are best taken in at dusk when they begin to glistening and glitter against the night sky.

By Boat – London’s existence, and very reason for being, is the river Thames. The water way is therefore, in my opinion, the best place to view it from. There are hundreds of boats ferrying tourists and commuters up and down all day and night. To avoid the crush, travel after rush hour on a commuter boat, such as the Clipper service, sit back, and enjoy the view.

Image by Flickr user mostaque, distributed under Creative Commons License

During a visit to London it is essential, weather permitting, to visit at least one of the renowned beer gardens that the city has to offer. Visiting a beer garden is the perfect blend of culture and cuisine; enjoy a selection of traditional English ales and a pack of pork scratchings while you soak up the atmosphere. By nature these beer gardens are tucked away behind or between buildings so tourist beware – they are easy to miss. This essential guide to London’s beer gardens will help to navigate you to some of our favourite sites which aren’t on the typical tourist routes.

The Magic Garden – Battersea

For the benefit of anyone who may have been trapped in a cave or stuck in a lift for the past few years – the Olympics are being held in London this year!

Unfortunately, not everyone will have been lucky enough to get tickets for an actual event, which means there are undoubtedly hoards of people feeling left out in the cold with not much to do this summer, other than watch the events on TV and hide from the rain.

However, don’t be too sad as there are actually a multitude of fantastic Olympic activities happening in London for everyone to enjoy, and, best of all, most of them are free.

Here are my top three suggestions for getting you in the Olympic spirit this summer:

London Live in Hyde Park

London Live is the place to be for anyone wanting a slice of Olympic action.

There will be six giant screens showing every medal ceremony of the games, live throughout the day.  There will also be the chance to see some famous faces, as sporting heroes will be popping along to the park each and every day of the games.

In addition there will be the chance to ‘have a go’ at six different sporting events, such as horseriding (no, not on a real horse) and athletics.

Southbank

The second summer festival along the Southbank promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with organisers harnessing the Olympic festival spirit.

There will be Olympic themed art displays, workshops and music from around the world for you to enjoy.  Take a look around the huge plastic, interactive cityscape and head to an urban beach with a twist.

Somerset House

Somerset House is being transformed into ‘Casa Brasil’ as they play host to the Brazilian athletes, dignitaries and sponsors throughout the games.  With Rio following London in 2016, there’s bound to be a huge focus on Somerset house during the 2012 games.

Visitors should expect a carnival atmosphere, with a variety of live music and art and design exhibitions depicting the spirit of Rio in 2016.

This article was written by Kathryn Thompson, a freelance writer and mum to three daughters.  Kathryn is looking forward to getting into the Olympic spirit in London this summer, but will be checking out the deals on the Promo Codes website before travelling.

Image credit: rovingsheep via Flickr Commercial License

By now it is well known that London is hosting the upcoming Olympics, and the city is bracing itself to receive more than 3 million visitors arriving within a very short term. Tickets for various events have been on sale for months, and accommodation ranging from bed and breakfasts to swanky hotels is being booked up at a very high rate. Both domestic and international visitors are flocking to the capital which will see a strong boost to the local economy and a good boost to small businesses and property owners.

If you are planning to visit London during the Olympics you have several options to choose from which of course depends on your budget and individual preferences. The usual way to start out is to trawl travel and hotel websites to find out about rates and locations. The Olympic Park is located in East London and the area will still have relatively cheap accommodation options as compared to central London and provides a good middle ground between price and location. Although East London is close to the Olympic park, some visitors may prefer a more ‘central’ experience and it is worth noting that not all events will take place in the same park and will be spread around several London locations.

Staying out of the city central will have both pros and cons. Finding bookings in central London may prove difficult, especially as the games comes closer which will raise demand and also have an effect on prices. If you choose to stay out of the centre and travel in, you may find that you will be able to spread your travel budget a bit more.

Hotels are not the only option; short term flats to rent and bed and breakfasts provide very viable alternatives; it all depends on your preferences and budget. Hotels have the advantage of being structured and regulated with staff on hand 24-7 whilst short term apartments provide more flexibility and freedom.

London is going to be a totally different place during the Olympics. An already bustling and dynamic city, the games and the tourists will add a whole new layer of buzz which will stay with you for weeks after your trip has ended. To make sure you have a place during the games, visit Welby for great short term accommodation.

Tourists looking for family activities in London can be sure that there are hundreds of activities available that will appeal to both children and adults. London is a beautiful city that offers diverse activities and can interest many people.

The Tower

One of the best places to go for family activities in London is the Tower. The tower of London has several exhibits, and is also a beautiful site to see. Families can wander around the green and see the ravens that are kept, as well as the story behind the birds. The crown jewels are also a famous exhibit that draw people of all ages and seeing the variety of gems in the exhibit is a spectacular sight.

London Museums

Museums are always a great option and the various history and art museums are popular. However, for families looking for some lighter options, the Cartoon museum in London is a popular choice. It talks about the history of cartoons and has hundreds of cartoons on exhibit. Adults are also interested in the political satire cartoons, especially if anyone is a budding historian. In addition to the cartoon museum, there is also an archive and reference section for those who are looking for a more academic view on cartoons. This museum is a great way to have family activities in London.

London Zoo

Finally, think about visiting the London Zoo. The London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo and features over 12,000 animals. A great place to spend an afternoon, families will enjoy seeing the diversity of animals housed at the zoo. Plan to visit some of the animal feedings or some of the talks to make the visit educational as well as fun.

These are a few ways to enjoy family activities in London. There are many more options available. However, these are some of the popular exhibits and places that can be enjoyed by all family members.

 

Photo credit: bortescristian via Flickr

If you are thinking of going somewhere with your kids, then I can assure you that there is no better place than a Legoland London theme park. For those of you who might not know, Lego group is a company manufacturing toys for the kids. This park is not totally owned by Lego group but is operated and maintained by a British theme park company called Merlin entertainment.

It is located in Berkshire, England, United Kingdom in the place of the initial Windsor Safari park. It is the second one to open in the Lego theme park chain after Denmark and was opened in March 1996. Merlin group took it over in 2005.

To which age group does the Legoland London park cater?

This theme park is designed mainly for the two year to the twelve year olds. That does not mean that the adults cannot have fun, but the theme of the park being mostly around toys, children naturally tend to have more fun. Also, many games and rides are designed accordingly.

What games or rides are there in Legoland London?

There are lot of rides in Legoland that can keep you hooked to the place for a long time. There are roller coasters, mazes, waterslides, fun zones that have several water games, some live performances and shows, mock driving school.

The special features in Legoland London are the special Lego creations. There is Miniland, which is a miniature land created with the help of Lego blocks and brick models. There are some animated models that are shown talking and interacting with each other. Many towns and cities around the world are created with the help of these Lego bricks making it an interesting place to see.

Some of the many places in Legoland London that ought to be seen are:

• Miniland
• Duploland
• Lego city
• Land of the Vikings
• Kingdom of the Pharaohs
• Pirates Landing
• Knights Kingdom
• Adventure Land

Apart from this, there are many windmills, little moving trains, castles from Europe, some famous buildings etc filling the space of the Legoland London.

Since its inception the theme park has won a lot of awards; Best UK theme park and best UK attraction for children in 2002, to name a few. Therefore, it is definitely worth visiting. Keep an entire day for it and have an amazing time at Legoland London.

 

Photo credit: StevenLeRoux via Flickr

Without a doubt, Heathrow airport is not only one of the busiest but also most known airports in the World. Approximately 67 millions of travelers arrive and depart from it every year to either enjoy all the great things the the UK has to offer, or to venture to some foreign lands. And it is a well known fact that the airport is making an impact on anyone who has ever passed its gates. No tourist can leave it untouched, either by its size, splendor or just the wonderful organization and how well the place is run.

City breaks are closely connected with airports. It’s almost impossible to get to any foreign city in any other way these days, especially those quite far away. In this article I want to tell you more about my personal experiences with Heathrow airport and what makes it so special in my view.

The History of Heathrow Airport

Starting off with some historical data though, Heathrow airport started off as a small airfield and it was 15 years later that it was selected for further development, first as a long distance military airbase, then as the airport we know it today. As an interesting fact, it is the terminal 3 that stands the closest to the original location of the small airfield that started it all.

Heathrow is divided into 4 terminals. The first one handles all domestic flights. Terminal 2 is used for non UK carriers. Terminal 3 is where you go if you are on a long haul journey to the US and the last one caters to most British Airways flights plus some selected European services.

In total there are 90 airlines using the Heathrow airport today flying to 170 destinations worldwide.

As someone who has used Heathrow airport on a number of occasions, there are certain things that make me feel amazed there. Their order, the non chaotic way of handling large number of travelers. Needless to say, even though some small things can irritate there, it is admirable how the airport staff is able to orderly manage all the people there.

Services and facilities on the Heathrow airport are quite amazing. You can find the abundance of restaurants with diverse choice of foods, shops and various services that can take your mind off your forthcoming journey. There are also the lounges, that offer a bit of peace and quiet in the middle of this hectic place.

Heathrow airport is a fascinating place and if you ever get a chance to be there, I am sure you will know what I mean.

More info on Heathrow Airport

The most in depth knowledge base about Heathrow Airport is probably the official website, however, Wikipedia has some extensive information about it as well.

Photo credit, …-Wink-…