Fodor's Citypack London

by Nicholson, Louise

• ISBN13: 9780679000136
• ISBN10: 0679000135
• Edition: Map
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-01-01
• Publisher: Fodors Travel Pubns

Summary

The Citypack map covers the city in detail, while the Citypack guide gives you just the information you need to experience the best of London: The city's top attractions and the must-see sights at each Itineraries for walks and excursions The best museums, parks, children's activities, and more--the author's top picks Offbeat sights even locals don't know Restaurants, hotels, shopping, and nightlife--an unabashedly opinionated selection, with pithy descriptions of each recommendation Best festivals and events Travel facts and tips on getting the most from your visit The author: Charming, cosmopolitan Louise Nicholson has lived in central London since 1976.

Table of Contents

About this Book

Life Introducing London

London in Figures

London People

A Chronology People & Events from History

How to Organize Your Time Itineraries Walks

Evening Strolls Organized Sightseeing Excursions

What's On Top 25 Sights

Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Kensington Palace & Gardens

Natural History Museum

Science Museum

Victoria & Albert Museum

Kenwood House & Hampstead Heath Regent's Park

London Zoo

Buckingham Palace

St. James's Park

Tate Galleries Westminster

Abbey Houses of Parliament Banqueting House

National Portrait Gallery

National Gallery

Covent Garden Piazza Courtauld Gallery

Sir John Soane's Museum

British Museum

Dickens House

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Bartholomew-the-Great Museum of London H.M.

The Tower of London Best Museums & Galleries

House Museums Statues & Monuments

Modern Buildings Churches & Cathedrals

Green Spaces Thames Sights

Family Favorites Hidden London

Where to... Eat

English Restaurants

Italian & French Restaurants

Chinese & Far Eastern Restaurants

Indian & Vegetarian Restaurants

Famous Chefs Breakfast & Tea

Brasseries & Brunch

Shops & Pubs Shop

Shopping Areas Department Stores Street Markets Art & Antiques

Books, New & Old

China & Glass

Museum & Gallery Shops

Food & Wine

Be Entertained Theater Classical Music, Opera & Ballet

Jazz & Pub

Music Movies & Clubs Spectator Sports

Stay Luxury Hotels

Mid-Range Hotels

Budget Accommodations

Travel Facts Arriving & Departing Essential Facts

Public Transportation Media & Communications Emergencies

Credits and Acknowledgments

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction to London

Some people claim they know London. They cannot possibly. The joy of this city is that it can never be known. You could live here for 20 years or more and still be a beginner, familiar with some parts, baffled by others.


The stimulus of London is that there is always somewhere left to explore, something new to learn, some dynamic change afoot. Just when you think you have got to grips with it, the great city surprises and confronts you, turning all assumptions upside-down. A new building will change a view, such as the one across the river from Greenwich after the arrival of the shining shaft of Canary Wharf Tower. Familiar pictures will disappear, at the annual rehang in the Tate Gallery for example, and a feast of new canvases will come into view. Whole areas will change their mood, as Soho has done since the mid-1980s, its friendly seediness transformed into squeaky clean trendiness.


London is a fast city. It buzzes by day and night. Londoners tend to be busy, in a rush, independent. What for them is the enjoyable anonymity of a city can be tough for visitors to deal with, particularly since the climate does not encourage a café society for much of the year. But take a deep breath and join in London life at London's pace, and you will find that they are much more friendly than expected.


London is also an expensive city. But Londoners know how to get the most out of it—from the parks, the churches with free music, the great free national museums, and traditional events with their parades and colors, to Travelcards, plenty of cheap theater deals, and much, much more. London on a budget need not restrict you.


London is in an administrative muddle. For a city that was once the powerful capital of an efficiently run empire stretching round the world, London today is in an astounding mess. It has no central city administration, no properly co-ordinated public transportation, and too many cars. And yet London has its own order. This city is rare in being truly cosmopolitan and the political, economic, and cultural capital of the country. Its citizens share the rhythm of the seasons in the great parks. They share in the annual round of tradition and culture. I still walk in St. James's Park at daffodil time, line up for cheap concert tickets at the Proms, and join Italians at their July festival in Clerkenwell.


London has it all, whatever you want. Simply take London and make of it what you wish.

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Excerpted from London: The All-in-One Guide to the Best of the City Packed with Places, to Eat, Sleep, Shop and Explore by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. Staff
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.