London-style romance is very dull, but such a romantic atmosphere exists in every corner of the city. London-style romance is such a unobtrusive existence in everywhere whether in Big Ben, Hyde Park, or Notting Hill. Anyone who has nothing to do sit at the bench on the street and watch the vehicles on the road and people on the road with latte. We can also watch the fall and see the clouds, which is a comfortable. The small streets in London always have a different kind of exquisiteness.
London is not only romantic, but also quaint and prosperous. The Londoners have also been convinced of ‘Keep calm and carry on’. Keep calm can make them ‘control’, carry on can help them stay ‘positive’.
Are you willing to experience the different romance? Here is the list of top 10 most attractive places in London.
1. British Museum
The British Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world with nearly eight million collections and many great masterpieces, which is free to visit. The treasures collected from all over the world during the most prosperous period of the British Empire including the mummies of Egypt and the antiques of China are all accessible freely to visit. I guess there is nothing better than this. If you have enough time, you can stay there for a day, which isn’t boring. If you only have 10 minutes, you can just go to the Mummy Pavilion. It’s expensive to see the mummies in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The treasures in the Chinese Pavilion are also worth visiting. The Great Court that you will see after the main entrance is concise and majestic. The circular reading room in the middle was once the seat of the British Library. It was renovated and opened after the library was relocated in 2000.
2. Parliament building
The Parliament Building also known as Westminster is located on the west bank of the Thames and it’s close to other government buildings within the Whitehall. The Parliament Building is one of the masterpieces of Gothic Revival architecture and was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987. Although today’s palaces were largely restored from the 19th century, but it remains many originally constructed historical sites, such as the Westminster Hall (dating back to 1097). The hall is used today for major public celebrations, such as Exhibition before the state funeral. Big Ben is the nickname of the clock tower of the Parliament Building. It’s the largest clock in the UK and one of London’s landmarks. Big Ben uses artificial clockwork. During the Congress, the clock face shines.
3. Westminster Abbey
The Westminster Abbey is adjacent to the Houses of Parliament. It’s the seat of the Anglican Chapel and at the same time it’s also for the wedding of the kings and the royal family. The wedding of Prince William was held here in 2011. It is arguably the most prestigious church in the UK. Many celebrities are buried here including Newton, Darwin and Churchill in addition to the royal family members. It’s regarded as supreme honor to be buried here. That’s why some people say that people go to Westminster Abbey not for the monarch, but for admiring those who have contributed to the country. The architecture of the entire church is representative of the Gothic style, which is magnificent and solemn with the sun shines through the colored glass.
4. National Gallery
Founded in 1824, the National Gallery collects nearly 2,300 pieces of exquisite art from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Most of the works in the museum are donated by private people or purchased by the museum, so the style is significantly different from other European art galleries. The collection also covers typical masterpieces of almost all periods in European art history with small and medium sized works. Even if you don’t know much about art, visiting this unique art palace makes you feel intuitively that the arts have no border and its impact. The museum is divided into four flanks and it’s exhibited in the chronological order. It has Leonardo da Vinci’s famous charcoal sketch called “The Virgin and Child and St. Anne, St. John the Baptist” at the early Renaissance. There were also Italian and Germanic paintings in the heyday. Between 1600 and 1700 there were paintings of the Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain.
5. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is one of London’s landmarks named after the Tower of London. It’s an open suspension bridge across the Thames and opened in 1894. The tower bridge used steam hydraulics for lifting before and it has been changed to electric today. However, the mechanical structure of the past is still reserved for visiting. The beauty of Tower Bridge can be called ‘omnibearing’, absolutely immaculate. The same fairness would always show with any shot from any angle.
6. Hyde Park
Hyde Park is the largest of the four royal parks in London separated by a serpentine lake. On its back is the Bays Waterway, to its east is Park Lane, and to its south is Knightsbridge. There are Paddington, Mayfair, Belgravia surrounding it. Hyde Park is connected to Kensington Gardens in the west. The dividing line passes from the Alexander Gate to the Victoria Gate, passing through the West Horse and the Serpentine Bridge. A road is from Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park and finally to the gates of Buckingham Palace. When the weather is fine, Hyde Park is the favorite leisure place for Londoners, and the park is surrounded by London’s most luxurious hotel and restaurants. If you have time, please go to Hyde Park. Maybe you won’t encounter a radical speaker, but you will be infected by the relaxed life of the British. You may also encounter one or two royal members who are walking dog or riding the horse in the park.
7. St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican church, the residence of the Bishop of London and the mother church in the suburbs of London. It is located at the highest point of London on the Ludgate Mountains. The original church was established in 604 AD. The current cathedral was designed and built in the late 17th century by the famous British architect Christopher Wren during 45 years. St. Paul’s Church is a representative of Baroque architecture and is the second largest cathedral in the UK, second only to Liverpool Cathedral. Its dome is particularly spectacular and is the second largest dome church in the world with the highest dome in the world. The church has been occupying the city’s skyline for more than 300 years. You can overlook all the city at the top climbing up to the church’s 271 steps.
8. London Eye
Many people choose to overlook the panorama of London in the London Eye. Located on the banks of the River Thames, the giant Ferris wheel is 135 meters high. It was officially opened to tourists in 2000. There are 32 fully enclosed cabins, each of which can take about 20 people. It takes about half an hour for a circle. This modern behemoths and the surrounding historic buildings complement each other, which brings new life to the ancient London. Tips: Please book the ticket online in advance because there are always a long queue at this hottest spot every day.
9. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the royal palace of the United Kingdom. It is the Queen’s office and her place of residence in London. It’s also the administrative headquarters of the royal family. It’s one of the few royal palaces still in use in the world today. At the same time, it’s also the best place to watch the guard change. There is a flagpole on the roof of Buckingham Palace. If the flag of the monarch is raised, which means the queen is at home. If the British flag is raised, meaning that the queen isn’t at home. The palace was built in 1703. The original name was the Buckingham House, which means ‘the home of others’. The state hall and ballroom in the palace are magnificent and luxuriously decorated. There are many precious collections to display in the palace. You have to note that only 19 state offices are open for visitors each summer when the Queen visits Scotland.
10. London Tower
The official name of the London Tower is ‘Queen’s Palace and Castle, the Tower of London’, although the last ruler to live there is James I centuries ago. The Tower of London used to serve as a fort, an armory, a treasury, a mint, a palace, a prison, a public archives office, an observatory, a shelter and a prison, especially for imprisoning the upper class. Elizabeth I was imprisoned for a while when her sister Mary I ruled; the last time the Tower of London was used as a prison was to hold Rudolph Hess during the Second World War. In 1988 it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage. In 2012, a special crown jewelry exhibition was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne.
If you want to know more about the city or you need Wifi for finding your way, it’s better to rent our pocket Wifi online before leaving. You will deeply and freely feel the atmosphere of London.