Destination of the month
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London
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London is one of the most happening, famous and cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the West End, London Eye, Oxford Street, Harrods, Kensington, Hyde Park, the Tower of London is just the surface of what London has to offer while all the pubs, clubs and bars add to the vibe of one of Europe’s most buzzing capital cities.
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London Underground
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The London Underground (known to the locals as the ‘tube’) is the most famous and most used part of London’s public transport system.
The tube is one of the best ways to get from London Heathrow Airport to central London and also a great way to get around they city.
Tickets are available at vending machines or ticket booths inside tube stations and all day tube passes are known as ‘Travel Cards’ and are cheaper if you buy them off peak (after 9:30am)
If you’re staying in London for a even a week it may be worth looking into an ‘oyster’ card to save you money on your tube travel.
Central London isn’t huge however and walking is one of the best ways to get around and see the city. Walking from one place to another can sometimes be faster than taking the tube.
For, maps, rates, time tables and more information check out the official website of the London Underground.
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Nightlife
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London has a great nightlife scene with something to suit everyone.
Pubbing
Nothing is more British than going to your ‘local’ and having a quiet pint of lager. The British are among the biggest consumers of beer in the world and with great pubs spread not only through London, but the entire country, its easy to see why it’s one of their favourate pass times.
The London Pub at Russell Square is a Contiki Road Crew favourate and great place to meet people going out or coming back from tours.
Covent Garden has a tube station but is only a short walk from both the Royal National and Imperial Hotels and is also really close to Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus. During the day there is loads of shopping as well as the Victoria Markets but during the evening is when it really starts to get going. There are loads of restaurants and pubs like the Porterhouse, The Nags Head, and a Walk-a-Bout. Punch and Judy’s pub, right in the heart of the area is a great place to start out with a quiet pint or two to start the evening’s adventures.
Clubbing
As far as the number of awesome clubs packed into one city goes, London, England simply cannot be beat. Hands down the king choice in the clubbing world the city is also home to super clubs that rival those in Ibiza and consistently hosts the world’s best DJ’s.
If your into house, breaks, electro, raves and funky beats with regular events featuring top international DJ’s these are some of London’s best. Check them out and see what happening while you’re in town:
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- The Egg
- The Key
- Ministry of Sound
- Pacha
- Turnmills
- Fabric
- The Cross
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Sights and Attractions
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London is one of the worlds most famous and iconic cities along with Paris and New York. People travel form all over Europe and the world to visit, live and work in the city and you need months to do and see everything this city has to offer….and that would only be scratching the surface. London is also the gateway to Europe and the starting point for many Contiki tours.
The Royal National and Imperial Hotels are the accommodation used by Contiki and are in the heart of central London with all these sights on your doorstep.
City Center
Covent Garden (its not a garden!) and Leicester Square – very touristy but very lively, lots of theaters and shows, restaurants shops entertainment galleries.
Soho is the gay-ish area of London but there are lots of street cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs and a cool, liberal vibe.
The Thames and South Bank
A little further a field but still with walking distance or a short tube ride is the Thames River and the South Bank area.
From Waterloo Station you can walk along the river towards London Bridge, perhaps stopping off at the stop of at the National Film Theatre (NFT) to have a drink outside or go see a rare film. There’s also Gabriel’s Wharf – a little area with stalls and food and the OXO Tower which always has an exhibition at the bottom along with little boutiques.
If you keep going you’ll reach the Tate Modern Art Gallery. This big old famous art gallery is filled with anything but old art and you wont be able or want to miss it. A bit further along is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre where you probably have to book to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform in an old open air theatre.
The London Dungeon is a little bit tacky but fun and can be found the foot of London Bridge.
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge
The Tower of London is excellent and probably the must do thing in London for the history buff. The entry ticket usually includes a guided tour by the Beefeater guards who live at the Tower and give you an awesome rundown on the history of the place. It’s got a great collection of suits of armor (Henry VIII’s huge cod-pieced number is always popular), the Crown Jewels, the famous black crows, you see where Anne Bolin lost her head – loads of stuff to see. You can spend a good couple of hours there.
The most famous bridge in the city by name is of course, London Bridge but it pales in comparison to the world famous Tower Bridge which spans the Thames at the Tower.
Kensington
South Kensington, along Exhibition Road is home to the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, all good and all next to each other. Also nearby is Hyde Park and the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall.
Hyde Park
London is one of the greenest cities in the world and amongst all the buildings and maze of streets there is a myriad of parks, gardens, heaths, greens, commons and squares. The most famous and biggest though is Hyde Park.
Hyde Park is great. You can wander down to The Serpentine, where you can row in a boat or a pedallow or just swim or eat or chill or climb a tree or play frisbee, rollerblade, ride a horse in summer or try and catch a duck.
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Click here to check out which Contiki tours go to Vietnam.
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Content provided by Contiki Holidays.
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