Travel
The London Eye has become an iconic landmark
A Googler's guide to London
MONICA SWAN
Fall 2008 |
Underground trains are the quickest way around. Save yourself some frustration by checking in advance about line closures, especially on weekends. (www.tfl.gov.uk/)
Buses offer interesting views, but you will waste time in traffic jams. Rush hours are between 7:30 and 9:30 am, and from 5 to 6:30 pm. Travel takes longer with crushing crowds and standing-room only on transit.
An Oyster travel card is the cheapest way to travel. It offers unlimited underground train and bus travel in and around London for no more than £5 per day. It is sold at tube stations where you can also pick up a free underground map. To estimate your travel time, allow for two minutes per station.
One of the best ways to enjoy the city is with a guide, so Google London Walks, and pick from an extensive menu of tours. The walks are two hours in length, whatever the weather. The tour information includes where to meet guides to begin the tour.
The evening pub walks along the Thames River are fun. There are also out-of-town excursions to places such as Salisbury and Stonehenge. The walking tours cost about £6 each, and extra travel or entrance fees are available at a cheaper group rate.
Trafalgar Square is home not only to Nelson’s Column, but Canada House. Even if you do not need their services, it is a magnificent building to visit. Across the square is St.
Martin-in-the-Field. The Crypt has an excellent cafe, gift store , and a comprehensive rack of pamphlets of things to see and do (including London Walks). St. Martin’s also has free lunchtime concerts, as do many other churches in the city. (Google London Churches Lunchtime concerts.)
Looking south from the square is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament with Westminister Abbey. North is Leicester Square with places to eat and cinemas. This is also the theatre district, so there is a “discount” ticket office located in the centre of Leicester Square. (Google Official London Theatre Guide.)
Covent Garden, an Italian piazza filled with unusual things to buy and street entertainers, is an eight-minute walk away. The beautiful Royal Opera House and London Transport Museum are part of the complex.
If you visit the Tower of London, don’t forget the Tower Bridge. The upper corridors between the towers house a museum with a wonderful view. At the entrance of Tower Hill underground station is a portion of the original Roman wall that surrounded the first city.
South Kensington has many great and free museums, but the lesser known Museum of London near St. Paul’s Cathedral is excellent. (And so is its website.)
From one tourist to another, have a wonderful holiday.
Sudbury artist Monica Swan grew up in London in the Swinging ‘60s.
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