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The Top Five Tourist Attractions In London

London is one of the most attractive cities on the planet. It is a city of diversity and colors, holding an ideal blend of rich history and modernity, and a home to the most spectacular art, music, sports, and fashion events. For tourists, it offers a plethora of options when it comes to fun and entertainment. English capital attracts over 15 million visitors every single year and the number keeps growing as time passes. From royal palaces and castles to the cathedrals and iconic football venues, you just have a wide variety of attractive monuments well worth visiting. We are here to make the task easier for you by providing the list of the very best among them. For other tips click here.

1 – West End

West End Theater represents a group of theaters and side institutions, i.e. acting agencies, theater troops, etc. located in the West End district in downtown London. West End is considered to be the most prestigious theater institution in the world, alongside New York’s Broadway. If you ever find yourself in the British capital, you should not skip a visit to one of their staggering shows. 

2 – Buckingham Palace

As most of you probably know, Buckingham Palace is home to Queen and as such it represents one of the most recognizable trademarks of London. Tourists should be particularly interested in visiting it at 11:00 am because every day at this time the guards shift. You must have seen their red uniforms and large hats made of bear’s skin. The guard march from the neighboring Wellington barrack to the palace. You can observe the guard change also from St. James’ Place. If you get particularly lucky, you will see the Queen herself, or some other member of the royal family on the middle balcony. On another side, whenever the Queen is not present at her home (most commonly when she visits Scotland), the tourists can pay for a ticket for the entrance to the Queen’s Gallery, State Rooms, and Royal Mews of the Palace.  

3 – London Eye & Hyde Park

With 350 hectares of land, Hyde Park is the largest open area monument in London. People have been regularly visiting it since the 17th century. Among its numerous attractions, we have to underline Serpentine, a three-century-old artificial lake. You can both swim and enjoy a boat ride on it. Moving forward, we have to mention the so-called Speaker’s Corner, a traditional place created to let people have free public speech. Hyde Park is also home to a museum that houses amazing collections from the most famous painters in the world, named Apsley House. Back at the time, Aspley House was also home to the first Duke of Wellington. However, the most popular attraction in this area is the famous London Eye. It is the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in downtown London (135 meters in diameter), allowing you to see up to 40 kilometers in any direction. London Eye was built just before the start of the millennium. It has 32 closed cabins, each capable of taking 25 people.  

4 – Notting Hill 

Notting Hill is a district in West London, going all the way to the western end of town called Westminster. It is famous for being a cosmopolitan neighborhood, the one which organizes annual carnivals. We also know the district for its Portobello Road Market. The area is known for attracting artists and “alternative culture” promoters since the 1820s. Today, Notting Hill has a modern reputation as a rich district famous for popular balconies of big Victorian townhouses and elegant restaurants. Last but not least, we have to say that many tourists visit Notting Hill to see the district where the popular movie (Notting Hill) with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts was filmed. 

5 – Big Ben & Westminster Palace 

For many people, the first synonymous with London is the striking 97-meter tall clock tower. We all know it as Big Ben. Big Ben was originally named the Clock Tower but they renamed it in 2012 in the honor of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II the Elizabeth Tower. At the time of completion (in 1859), the tower’s clock was at the same time the largest and the most accurate striking clock on the planet. The sounds of Big Ben even have their famous lines that are written on the wall of the tower room. Big Ben is located at the north end of another phenomenal monument, London’s Palace of Westminster. The Palace is a place where both houses (the House of Commons and the House of Lords) of the United Kingdom’s Parliament unite. You can visit the parliament buildings as a part of organized tours that offer you a unique chance of attending the current political debates and discussions.