Hello and thank you for your question.
According to Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide to London,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0789483491/ref=sib_rdr_ex/002-9083047-5022409?%5Fencoding=UTF8&p=S005#reader-link
the Top 10 Things to Do in London are (I've added descriptive
sentences to each--click the link to see more about each):
1. British Museum
"The British Museum holds in trust for the nation and the world a
collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures.
Housed in one of Britain's architectural landmarks, the collection is
one of the finest in existence, spanning two million years of human
history. Access to the collections is free."
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/aboutus/about.html
2. National Gallery/Royal Portrait Gallery
The National Gallery, London, houses one of the greatest collections
of European painting in the world. These pictures belong to the public
and entrance to see them is free.
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
3. London Eye
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel, standing alongside the Thames
from which you get a great view of the city. "As well as the
thrilling experience of a flight on the Eye, there's the remarkable
story of its conception and development, the vision of its creators,
the dedication and ingenuity of the many people who built it, and the
recognition it has received, both from Londoners and the world."
http://www.londoneye.com/about/default.asp?section=about
4. Tate Modern/Tate Britain
Tate Britain is a part of the Tate Gallery in Great Britain, along
with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is housed in the
Tate Gallery's original premises on Millbank, which became "Tate
Britain" rather than simply "the Tate Gallery" when Tate Modern opened
in 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_Britain
http://www.tate.org.uk/
5. Natural History Museum
Discover our lively and stimulating programme of exhibitions and
events about nature. We are also an important scientific centre,
researching the diversity of nature.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/
6. Science Museum
"Admission to the Science Museum is now free for everyone!
We are open seven days a week, from 10.00 to 18.00. The Museum is
closed from 24 to 26 December. Find out more about our location and
secondary charges
What's on at the Museum?
SOS Planet
Top Speed
Human Body
Bugs!
T-Rex 3D
Syr Hinge
We also have a number of drama shows, talks and IMAX films on every day."
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitors/index.asp
7. Buckingham Palace
"Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of
Britain's sovereigns since 1837. It evolved from a town house that was
owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of
Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence. Although in
use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen,
areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis."
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page555.asp
8. Westminster Abbey
"An architectural masterpiece of the thirteenth to sixteenth
centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a unique pageant of British
history - the Confessor?s Shrine, the tombs of Kings and Queens, and
countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has been the
setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other Royal
occasions. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and
to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation. Neither
a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a ?royal
peculiar? under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only
to the Sovereign."
http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
9. Tower of London
Founded nearly a millennium ago and expanded upon over the centuries
since, the Tower of London has protected, housed, imprisoned and been
for many the last sight they saw on Earth.
It has been the seat of British government and the living quarters of
monarchs ... the site of renown political intrigue, and the repository
of the Crown Jewels ... It has housed lions, bears, and (to this day)
flightless ravens ... not to mention notorious traitors and framed
members of court, lords and ministers, clergymen and knights.
http://www.toweroflondontour.com/
10. St. Paul's Cathedral
A Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has overlooked the City of London
since 604AD, a constant reminder to this great commercial centre of
the importance of the spiritual side of life.
The current Cathedral ? the fourth to occupy this site ? was designed
by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and
1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.
Its architectural and artistic importance reflect the determination of
the five monarchs who oversaw its building that London?s leading
church should be as beautiful and imposing as their private palaces.
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=97320F44yHMK9hndcXZBD5sVH4m52Yc0
[While these are the top 10 tourist attractions, be sure to include
time in your visit to walk around some of London's neighborhoods, eat
and drink in a pub, visit a street market, and so forth]
Top 10 London Shows--Selected From London Theatre Guide Reviews
http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/reviews/index.htm
Anything Goes
Flamboyant, fun and utterly frothy, Trevor Nunn's revival of Anything
Goes has just steamed into the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane after
achieving success last year at the National. Cole Porter's Thirties
musical is as light as a souffle, but it's performed with such
panache, such style and, most importantly of all, with the sort of
collective zest that proves well nigh irresistible.
Bloodbrothers
Blood Brothers, a musical by Willy Russell is the story of twin
brothers, separated at birth. One grows up with Mrs Johnstone, his
natural Mother, a working class well meaning woman, who has more
children than she can afford, struggling as a single parent. The other
is given to his Mothers employer, a devious woman, who abuses her
middle class station, wealth,and superior intelligence to manipulate
this less fortunate woman. The twins meet by chance, and despite their
very different backgrounds, find some sort of bonding, first becoming
firm friends, and in turn, upon discovering they were born of the same
day, becoming "blood brothers". This relationship though harmless in
childhood, causes complications in later adult life, with some tragic
consequences.
Chicago
Chicago remains of the sassiest, most stylish musicals on the London
stage and it's no surprise that a whole host of well known faces have
appeared in various roles since it first opened in 1997. The latest
guest artiste is singer Marti Pellow who's just made an exciting debut
in the role of Billy Flynn earlier this month. Set in the 1920's
twilight world of Chicago, the plot loosely revolves around the
showgirl Roxie Hart and her attempts to extricate herself from an
inconvenient murder charge that's getting in the way of her career.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Lovers of pantomime rejoice! You needn't wait until Christmas time to
boo and hiss the baddy, cheer for the lovers, or ooh-and-ah at the
spectacle since, more than a year later, Adrian Noble's production of
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is still packing in children and adults at
the London Palladium. A difference you might notice is the price tag,
and at £42.50 for a top price seat, your bank balance may be a little
more stretched than at your local Winter panto. What Noble offers us
in return, however, is rather a lot of spectacle (if not much
substance) including a plethora of whacky machines, a pack of dogs,
ample song and dance, and of course Chitty, the infamous flying car.
Jerry Springer the Opera
The outlandish, blasphemous, decadent, foul-mouthed trash that is
Jerry Springer the Opera is as salaciously funny the second time
around at its new home at the Cambridge Theatre as it was when I first
saw the play at the National Theatre in May this year. A new cult has
been born, an ingenious mixture of lowbrow lyrics set to highbrow
operatic arias that creates compulsive entertainment.
Mamma Mia!
The story written by Catherine Johnson concerns Sophie who lives with
her mother on a small Greek island. Sophie is about to be married to
Sky and wishes for her father to walk her down the aisle. However, she
has a problem, who is her father? Her mother does not want to tell her
and so Sophie reads her mother?s diary and discovers the name of three
men who could possibly be her Dad. Not wanting to be married without
her father being present Sophie secretly invites all three men to the
wedding. The fun starts when the three men arrive on the island and
discover why they have been invited. Sophie?s mother Donna has also
invited her two best friends, Rosie and Tanya to attend the wedding.
Donna and her two friends recapture their long lost youth and in doing
so create a great comedy trio.
Woman In Black
It is a clever tale that is full of surprises and suspense. The story
concerns a young solicitor who is sent to wind up the affairs of a
recently deceased woman. However, the dead woman had led a reclusive
life in a remote and mysterious house. He discovers he has to wind up
her affairs without any help from the locals who will not approach the
house because they believe the house is cursed! Years later, and this
is where the play actually begins, he recounts his ghostly experiences
with the aid of an actor/director, who helps him prepare to tell his
story in front of his family and friends in a desperate bid to
exorcise the ghosts of the past.
Mourning Becomes Electra
Here both the Electra and Oedipus complex are written in large bold
colours. Lavinia adores her father and is jealous of her mother. The
fact that her mother has taken a younger lover, one whom Lavinia
adores, merely adds to her hatred. Orin?s love for his mother verges
on the incestuous and he cannot bear the thought of having to share
her with any other man, even in his sleep he dreams of murdering men
who look like his father. This heady mixture of psychosis leaves a
trail of death and despair that ends with ghostly echoes of
incriminations.
Jumpers
George is a philosopher who believes in God and Goodness as absolute
values, though why they should exist and why their values should be
absolute he struggles to rationalise. His logical-positivist
colleagues are all of a far more pragmatic frame of mind considering
such questions to be nonsensical. It is the wrangle between these two
positions that sets the background for Stoppard?s chaotic play.
Stones in his Pockets
The story concerns two Irishmen, Jake Quinn and Charlie Conlon who are
working as extras in a movie being made by a Hollywood studio in
County Kerry. They slowly tell the story of the effect this has upon
the local community and especially upon the young man Sean Harkin and
his family. After the unfortunate suicide of Sean Harkin the studio
has to decide between either allowing the extras to attend the funeral
or to continue shooting in order to avoid going over budget.
Five Hotels For Different Budgets
from Frommers
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/london/55_a.html
Very Expensive
Claridge's
That once-fading 1812 beauty has experienced a $75 million rebirth and
its staid image has changed. Dynasty diva Joan Collins may have staged
her latest marriage here, but now Kate Moss is spotted in the hip bar,
and Elizabeth Hurley strolls through the lobby.
Expensive
Astor House
This is the winner of the 2002 London Tourism Award for best B&B in
London. It's just as good now as it was then. Within an easy walk of
Kensington Palace, the late Princess Diana's home, and the museums of
South Kensington, it is a friendly, inviting, and well-decorated
lodging on a tree-lined street.
Moderate
Windermere Hotel
This award-winning small hotel is an excellent choice near Victoria
Station. The Windermere was built in 1857 as a pair of private
dwellings on the site of the old Abbot's Lane. The lane linked
Westminster Abbey to its abbot's residence -- so all the kings of
medieval England trod here.
Inexpensive
Oak House Hotel
This little jewel of a hotel, perhaps the smallest in the area, is a
real find, with lots of homespun charm. The Symingtons bring their
Scottish hospitality to their home in the Victoria Station area.
Chesham House Hotel
Just 5 minutes from Victoria Station, this hotel is often cited as one
of the best B&Bs in London. Although Ebury Street is not as grand as
it used to be, it's still prime London real estate. Thomas Wolfe
stayed at no. 75 in 1930 while working on Of Time and the River.
Chesham House consists of two brick Georgian buildings connected on
the top floor and in the basement breakfast area.
There you have it! For further information on each, just click on the
links i've provided. (The Frommer's link will take you straight to
the hotels in each category, where you will also find street
addresses, phone numbers and the like.)
Search terms used
London Top 10
[and the names of the individual sites and shows]
Again, Thanks for bringing us your question.
Richard-ga |
