| London's music scene is thriving as ever. Live jazz, opera, classical orchestra, underground reggae, the latest Ramones clone, a throng of indie gems, and chart toppers provide year-round relief for any music junkie, and if you do your homework, you’ll find plenty of free or objectively inexpensive opportunities to experience them all. Big names, from Simon and Garfunkel to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, play summer concerts in Hyde Park, where you can sit for free at the fringes of the ticketed seating area. Live rock, alternative, and punk is best at the smaller, dodgy-by-some-standards, venues such as the Carling Academy, Shepard’s Bush Empire, the Notting Hill Arts Club, and Barfly. 5 to 15 pounds will get you an intimate show with bands the U.S. will get around to discovering next year. London’s historically vibrant jazz scene has yet to disappoint; the 606 Club, Jazz Café, Bull’s Head are all top gig venues, but plenty of restaurants and pubs all over the city book excellent local talent for dinner entertainment as well. The Royal Opera House and Holland Park are London’s two main venues for indoor and outdoor classic ballet and opera. For free classical and jazz performances, many featuring students and up-and-coming professionals, check listings at the Royal Festival Hall, St. James’s Church, and the Royal College of Music. |
| The transatlantic celebrities of modern art, including Picasso, Duchamp, Giacometti, Mondrian, Pollock, and Warhol, and a number of 21st century artists are well represented in the Tate Modern’s separate building, a stunning piece of minimalist architecture accessed on one end by the once wobbly Millennium Bridge. |
| Arguably one the best museums in the world, the British museum houses some incredible artifacts from all parts of the world and all periods of history and prehistory. This free museum could easily keep you busy for several days, or if you are particularly interested in history much longer. |  |
| The Tate Britain (not to be confused with the latter or two other Tate museums in the U.K.) houses national collections of British art from the 16th century through the present day, with major works by Hogarth, Blake, Constable, Turner, and Hirst. |
| The Tower of London, a fortress established by William the Conqueror in 1066, has served as a royal residence, a prison, and even a place for executions and coin mintage. Tourists flock to see its Crown Jewels and the ‘Beefeater’ tour guides. London’s most famous bridge, which, by the way, is not falling down, offers incredible views over the River Thames and tours of its Victorian steam engine... |
| Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural genius is on display at the fourth, and current, cathedral dedicated to St. Paul to occupy this site (the first was built in 604 AD). Its massive dome was inspired by St. Peter’s in Rome and is one the most recognizable forms on London’s skyline. |
| There are three main components for visitors of these famous grounds, depending on the time of year: the stately rooms of the queen’s official residence, open only August through September; the Queen’s Gallery, where rotating exhibits of her treasures are on display; and the Royal Mews, her majesty’s stable and carriage house. |
| England’s most historically important church and powerful national symbol, the abbey demonstrates architecture spanning seven centuries. It also serves as a crypt and memorial house for over 3,000 people, including Queen Elizabeth I, Chaucer, Tennyson, Newton, Darwin, Livingstone, and even Laurence Olivier. |
| Pick one; there are more than enough to go around and all are equally charming reprieves from the busy city streets. Central to central London is Hyde Park and the beautiful Kensington Gardens, where sunbathers, joggers, 178 species of birds, pond-dwelling eels, and the beloved bronze statue of Peter Pan all find solace. Hampstead Heath’s massive green spread is the locals’ playground, where a... |
| Since Shakespeare penned his first “ado,” theatre has provided a nearly mandatory recreational event for locals and tourists alike. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre still presents a daily crew of Elizabethan costume-clad Romeos and Hamlets, but tales of yore are only a small fraction of what London’s theatre scene has to offer today. Modern musicals and other commercial productions – i.e. the ones... |
| If you love spectacularly high city views, such as what you’d get atop the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building, then you’ll want to try 30 minutes on the world’s largest observation wheel. For 22 pounds you’re promised sightings of “over 55 of London’s most famous landmarks,” and for a little extra you can even get a private pod and bottle of champagne. |
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