Famous British writers, scholars, dramatists and poets are buried in Poets’ Corner.
Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. Since 1993 parts of the Palace have been opened to the public, including the Queen’s Picture Gallery.
No. 10, Downing Street, has been the official residence of the Prime Minister since 1715.
Other places of interest in City of Westminster include Dickens House, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church and Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, the Admiralty Arch or the Old Royal Observatory.
London is a wonderful place to go shopping. London’s best-known shopping streets in the West End are Oxford Street, Regent Street and Picadilly, a busy street running from Picadilly Circus to Hyde Park Corner.
Covent Garden, once a famous fruit and vegetable market, has now been restored to make an elegant covered shopping area.
There are about 100 theatres in the capital. These include the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Centre or the Globe Theatre, where William Shakespeare acted.
The principal concert halls in central London are the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
The principal museums and galleries include the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Gallery. In Madame Tusaud’s, wax portraits of famous people are on display.
London ha many parks, gardens and open spaces. The most notable are the Royal Parks in central London. Hyde Park was originally a hunting forest belonging to Henry VIII. Now you can swim or row on the Serpentine Lake or go horseriding in Rotten Row. On Speakers’ Corner at the north-east corner of Hyde Park, it is traditional for anyone to stand up and address their audience on any topic. Hyde Park together with Kensington Gardens are the largest green areas in central London. Regent’s Park contains London Zoo. The Royal Botanic Gardens, in Kew Gardens, are world famous for their plant collections.
The quickest and easiest way to get around central London is London Underground, often called the Tube. Parts of the system are very old, the first line opened in 1863.
Taxis are a very popular means of transport in London and so are red double-decker buses.
London has three main airports: Heatrow, Gatwick and Stansted. Heathrow is the world’s busiest airport for passengers and air freight.