Sights to See around London

Y-On Location London

London, the capitol of England, is one of those cities that you could spend many months in and only see a fraction of all the sights it has to offer. The largest city in England has an enormous amount of treasure to offer those who choose to visit this fabulous historic city. London has something for everybody. If you are a lover of soccer, otherwise known as football, you can take in a game played by Arsenal, Chelsea or any of the other local English Premier League clubs. If you like concerts, the O2 Arena and the Royal Albert Hall host some of the biggest music acts in the world. The city is also full of some of the top rated restaurants in all of Europe. Before you book your flight, do some research to find London hotels at a discount rate. Here are some of the best sights to see around London.

1. Buckingham Palace

The home of the British royal family for over 160 years, Buckingham Palace is where the world famous changing of the guards takes place on a daily basis. This is a large production where you can see a troop of guards march down the street from their barracks, which are located only a short walk from the palace. A marching band plays along as the guards move in unison. After you are finished watching this, you can take a tour of the palace itself. The architecture is exquisite, as you might imagine it would be. The tour of the palace concludes in the enormous back yard. The palace also features two other areas you can tour, but for a separate admission fee. The first is the royal mews, where you can see all of the various horse-drawn carriages dating back over 100 years to the time of Queen Victoria. You can also visit the royal gallery, which houses the art collection of the British royal family, the largest private art collection in the world.

2. Parliament

The Parliament is the center of the British Government. However, it is much more famous for Big Ben, the clock tower that has told residents the time since 1840. Parliament is open for tours. Visitors can go into the actual chamber where British politicians debate the issues with the Prime Minister. It is quite remarkable to be in the same room where Winston Churchill delivered some of the most important speeches of the 20th century.

3. The British Museum

This natural history museum is so large that is impossible to see it all in one day. It houses some of the most important artifacts in the history of mankind, including a large amount of pieces of the Parthenon, the Rosetta Stone and the Lewis chessman. However, this is only scratching the surface of what the museum contains. The building is like a small city. Ideally, you will need two days in order to thoroughly explore the museum without rushing through everything.

4. The Tate Modern and the Nationally Gallery

The Tate Modern is one of the most renowned modern art museums in all of Europe, if not the world. It routinely hosts exhibits that feature works of art by artists such as Picasso and Dali. The National Gallery features more traditional art by the likes of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and other masters.

This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk, a complete travel platform that allows you to do everything from comparing charter flights and train rides, to finding the best resort hotels and Airbnb rentals.