London is a most astounding place to visit, possibly just for a weekend or, hopefully for a full vacation. You may be surprised at the number of people living in the U. K. who have not visited London, even more surprising when you consider the fact it is most often top of most visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There are so many things to see and do in London that it is almost impossible to list them all all in one go. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular – The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most well known Royal residence, being home to Queen Elizabeth II of England. Buckingham Palace is positioned right at the heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for visitors. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is highly fascinating to see and ever so English.

Buckingham Palace was originally called Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the town house which forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

During the subsequent three quarters of a century Buckingham House was made larger with the building of an additional three wings forming a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these constructions were John Nash and Edward Blore. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The widely known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the construction of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which, in 1912, he re-designed. Webb in association with the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial can still be today.

The Queen has many other royal residences besides Buckingham Palace. Annually the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over Christmas. Sandringham House is one of the Queen’s private royal residences.

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, situated in Royal Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth was in Balmoral Castle when she heard of the tragic accident involving Diana.

If you would like to take a break in the UK then you may be surprised to discover that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great effort, on the other hand you may wish to reside in more luxurious accommodation and the small selection of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.

Covent Garden has become known for its unusual and specialist shops, and has become a very hip place to be seen. There are a number of excellent restaurants in Covent Garden not just excellent shops. The original Covent Garden market dates back to the middle ages, and up until 1980 was famous for its stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Camden Market is now one of the most popular places to visit in London. There has been a markets here in Camden for a long time, but in its present status only since 1974. The market is actually a group of adjoining markets selling wares of most things one can imagine.

The Kings Road is known as Chelsea’s high street, and one of the most chic and stylish streets to shop in London. Back in the 1970s the Kings Road was closely associated with ‘Punks’, who proved to be an attraction in London themselves. However, the Kings Road is more subdued these days and no longer just a haunt of the followers of the anti-fashion era.

Sloane Street is a street in London which runs north to south, and takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712. Sloane Street has has, for a long time, been a fashionable shopping district, but is probably just as well known for lending it name to the ‘Sloane Rangers’ in the 1990s. The name Sloane Ranger was applied to the stereotypical young upper class English ladies seen in the area during this time. (One famous woman often referred to as a Sloane Ranger was Lady Diana Spencer)

Harrods department store in Knightsbridge is the worlds largest department store standing on 18,000 m2. The motto of Harrods department store is "all things for all people, everywhere" or ‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’. A very exclusive and luxurious department store, Harrods is famous the world over for its food hall and its toy department.

Another famous London department store is Selfridges in Oxford Street. Selfridges opened its doors to the public in 1909, and was built was the entrepreneur Gordon Selfridge. When it opened Selfridges set new standards for the retailing business. This was because all of the shop floors were designed so that goods on sale were more easily accessible to the customer.

The shops in London offer as much diversity as its culture and no matter how bizarre ones shopping requirements, it can be found in London. Whether you like to shop in department stores or prefer to rummage through the markets, London has it all.

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