BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Open early August to late
September.
For recorded information,
799-2331
18 rooms are available to
view including the Throne Room. The famous changing of the Palace
Guard is at 1130am daily during the summer months (on alternate days during
the rest of the year).
BRITISH MUSEUM
Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury
636-1555
Monday-Saturday 10am-5 pm,
Sunday 2:30 to 6 pm. Guided tours Monday-Saturday at 10:45 am,
94 galleries contain the
world’s finest collection of antiquities. The depth of each gallery
and the variety of attractions is almost overpowering.
HYDE PARK
298-2100
Closes at midnight.
Some 360 acres of landscaped
park, tree-lined avenues and lakes in the heart of the city attract visitors
from around the world. Sunday mornings find street-corner orators
is fine form at Speaker’s Corner near Marble Arch.
LONDON PLANETARIUM
Marylebone Road
935-6861 (call for times,
which vary by season)
Travel on a journey to the
stars, guided by world-celebrated experts. The “Spirit of London”
ride is a fascinating attraction and is updated frequently.
CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURE
AND ZOO
Chessington, Surrey (one-half
hour from London’s Waterloo Station by train)
This 65-acre theme park
offers rides and attractions galore. Think “Disney” and think “all
ages”.
TROCADERO
Piccadilly Circus
This multi-attraction entertainment
complex is popular with everyone, especially teenagers.
Call for times and prices,
which vary.
Planet Hollywood restaurant
(phone 287-1000) offers dining amidst the film world’s glamour.
Sega World (phone 734-2777)
puts video game players in the center of the action.
Rock Circus (phone 734-7203)
portrays the royalty of rock stars in wax.
Alien War (phone 437-2678)
is a multimedia monster experience.
Imaginator (phone 437-5723)
offers stomach-wrenching rides.
Virtual World (phone 494-1492)
is a virtual reality system second to none.
LONDON WALL
London dates its history
back to the Roman Empire. The “London Wall” of nursery rhyme survives
to this day, albeit in fragments. A self-guided tour along the 1.5-mile
walk is aided by explanatory plaques along the route. The walk stretches
from the Museum of London to the Tower of London, offering unique history
at every step.
LONDON ZOO and REGENT’S
PARK
Off Marylebone Road near
Baker Street.
722-3333
Open 7 am until dusk
The London Zoo, one of the
world’s great zoos, is found in Regent’s Park. Zoo features include
a children’s zoo, a reptile house and more. Other attractions in
the Park include a rose garden, a mosque, areas for boating and tennis,
and an outdoor theatre.
LONDON AQUARIUM
967-8000
Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm,
Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am-7: 30 pm
Over two million liters
of water house an incredible number and variety of aquatic creatures.
Thousands of species are represented in a number of extensive marine habitats.
The London Aquarium has rightfully earned its reputation as a world-class
attraction.
MADAME TUSSAUD’S
Marylebone Road
935-6861
Daily 9 am-5: 30 pm
Wax statues of the world’s
most famous (and infamous) citizens throughout history line the galleries
of this famous attraction. Recent innovations include interactive
areas. Note: The popular Chamber of Horrors (murderers in history)
may be too intense for some younger children.
MUSEUM OF LONDON
London Wall, City of London
600-3699
Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-6
pm, Sunday noon-6 pm
A visit to this attraction
is like reading the life story of London. Various stages of London’s
extensive history are shown in the many rooms and galleries.
LONDON DUNGEON
28-34 Tooley St.
403-0606
April-September daily 10
am-6 pm, October-March closes 5:30 pm
Live actors and various
realistic tableaux recreate the hard and seamy life of the underside of
London in its past days. Historic representations of the tortures
in the Tower and Old Gaol join Jack the Ripper. Not recommended for
the faint of heart or for younger children.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS
Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey
(in the West of London)
940-1171
Daily 9:30 am-5: 30 pm.
Glasshouse closes 4:45 pm
Many of the plants here
were first planted in the 17th and 18th centuries, including more than
a few that were sent back home to London from England’s colonies overseas.
The Gardens cover more than 300 acres and the world-famous hothouses maintain
a staggering variety of warm-weather and tropical species. Other
attractions in the Gardens include a pagoda, an aquatic gardens and a scenic
lake.
