Planning a Visit to London

This image was selected as a picture of the week on the Malay Wikipedia for the 48th week, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Roo Sadegi


London may be one of the greatest travel destinations in the world. There are so many interesting and beautiful attractions in London related to its long and fascinating history. Included in the long list of things that make this city great for tourism is its culture, the museums and galleries, many great shopping opportunities, the huge variety of restaurants and pubs, and the number of 5-star hotels in London.
London is a huge city that is divided into two main centres. The western portion is near the River Thames, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace. The City of London is to the east. The city's best known and most popular sights are in the area between these two main centres as are London's most bustling entertainment districts, Knightsbridge and Soho.
Getting around London and sightseeing can be easy by using the underground train system called the Tube or on one of their famous red open top buses. However, so many of London's major sights are close enough together that you can walk between them, for instance Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

London, England - Harrods

Image via Wikipedia
By Harry Preston

One of the world's most famous stores, Harrods has built its reputation on its Latin motto: "Omnia, omnibus, ubique" ("Everything, for everyone, everywhere") - Noel Coward was once given an alligator for Christmas, bought from Harrods' pet department.
Far more than a shop, it is an experience. Spend enough time - and money here - and you can organise almost all your life. From designing and fixing up your home (whether you're thinking Louis XIV opulence or Scandinavian minimalism), to scheduling your eyebrow-shaping session and planning the evening's dinner menu - everything can be done under one roof.
It has come a long way from the Stepney grocery store that specialised in tea and was set up by Charles Harrod in 1834. He used his intuition and moved to a small shop on the present site in 1849, feeling that the planned Great Exhibition of 1851 would be good for business.
Today the store covers more than 9.2ha (23 acres), with 330 departments and 5,000 staff. It has counted Oscar Wilde, Sigmund Freud and many members of the British Royal Family among its customers.
The terracotta palace on Brompton Road dates from 1901 and was designed by the architect of Claridge's hotel, C W Stephens. For many, the first-floor food halls are the highlight, as much for W J Neatley's tiled ceilings with hunting scenes above the fish, meat and poultry counters, as for the produce beneath.
In 1985 the Egyptian businessman Mohamed al-Fayed bought Harrods for £615 million. His renovations included installing a £20 million "Egyptian Escalator", designed with experts from the British Museum. Check at an information point when you go in on the day's programme. As well as catching a high-profile book signing, you may find opera singers performing arias on the moving stairway.
Try to have tea under the original art nouveau skylight in Harrods' flagship Georgian restaurant which offers a buffet, carvery and an a la carte menu (you will almost certainly need to book ahead for this), and pass by at night when the exterior is ablaze with 12,000 lightbulbs.
For more information visit London, England visit GuidedTourLondon.com.
For more information visit Mexico visit GuidedTourMexico.com.

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