Phila Airport Parking Vacations

London, as a vacation destination, is very hard to beat. It is the most popular city in England for city breaks and longer vacations. Most people travel there to take in the wonderful sights of the capital city of England and some endeavor to see the British Royal Family (with the Queen being the top of everyone’s list). Many people head to London to take advantage of the finest shopping in the land.

London is one of the main three cities of the world associated with serious shopping, the others being Paris and New York. Check any bottle of perfume and the city is bound to appear somewhere on the packaging and usually on the bottle itself. Virtually every company involved in the retail trade has it’s UK flagship store in one of the primary shopping districts of London.

Department stores, designer shops, fashion shops and boutiques, music shops, bookshops, jewellery shops and virtually any other type of retail outlet is found within easy walking distance of a London tube station. Usually the different types of store tend to appear in groups in certain areas such as Oxford Street, Knightsbridge, New Bond Street and the likes.

Oxford Street And Knightsbridge

This is where you will find many of the nations flagship department stores. Oxford street has the likes of Selfridges and Knightsbridge has the famous Harrods and also Harvey Nichols. Oxford Street is said to be the busiest shopping street in Europe.

Old/New Bond Street

Armani, Gucci and virtually any luxury brand can be found on Bond Street. Associated with designer clothing, perfume; art, antiques and other items of luxury Bond Street has the biggest number of suppliers the Royal Family than anywhere else in London.

Covent Garden

If you find Bond Street a bit too expensive for your budget then you will find Covent Garden a pleasant alternative. This is where you will find most of London’s smaller independent fashion shops and shoe shops.

Other Places In London Associated With Shopping

Carnaby Street has a long association with fashion and in recent years the street is once again becoming trendy. If you want an old fashioned British tailor then Savile Row is the most famous place but you will also find tailors in and around Piccadilly. Hatton Garden (near Farringdon) is another place to go for jewelry shops. Shopping for books is best done around the Charing Cross Road although you may find some bookshops in Covent Garden too.

You could write a book on the places to go shopping in London, and I suppose there are many to choose from. If you want to go looking for more places to visit take a look at the many London markets.

Until October 14th this year, the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square (traditionally reserved for Kings and Generals) is transformed into a space for living art, with the artist Antony Gormley’s amazing One and Other project.

The artist has invited UK residents to stand on the “plinth” for a full hour in front of the world. There is a live webcam and tv recording the action.

The 2,400 places on the project have been allocated by pure chance. One person stands on the plinth for every hour of the day, 24/7. The project goes on for a full 100 days.

You can do absolutely anything you want on the plinth as long as it’s legal! Many participants intend to take advantage and show the world their full range of talents.

The artist’s own description of the project is shown on the London Hotels Insight blog (link below), which also links you to the live webcam showing the 24/7 “performance” in progress.

This groundbreaking project will offer London visitors an incredible snapshot of the UK’s diversity, eccentricity and understated patriotism. Make sure you check it out if you’re in London over the summer and fall.

To stay as close as possible to the action, we’d like to recommend a couple of nearby hotels which come up pretty high on TripAdvisor. There’s both a luxury and a budget option below:

A top-notch luxury hotel

If you’re visiting London with someone special and want to stay in one of the city’s best hotels then One Aldwych might offer you exactly what you need. This stunning modern hotel has a reputation for warm and friendly service.

The staff who greet you as you enter the stunning lobby exude a natural warmth and friendliness.

When I personally interviewed the hotel’s founder, Mr Campbell Gray, he told me that he wanted every guest to have a stay which was “as exquisite as possible”.

You can read more about One Aldwych and search for the best rate from 30+ hotel booking sites at the blog linked below.

A value for money hotel

A great option for those visiting London on a budget is the Travelodge Covent Garden. This is located right in the heart of the theatre district and Trafalgar Square is just a few minutes walk away.

You’ll feel smug about getting a functional, clean room in an amazing location for much less than other tourists with accommodation in the same area!

Guest reviews on TripAdvisor suggest that Travelodge Covent Garden is a steal for its modest room rate and unbeatable location.

If you stay at either of the above hotels and like modern art, you can easily cross the river to the Tate Modern and take a ride on the London Eye.

If you stay in this area you will also be in a convenient location for the fantastic markets and street performers in Covent Garden.

So if you do plan to drop by London this summer or fall, don’t forget to visit the people on the plinth in Trafalgar Square!

London is a city of elegance, and fashion. London is a city rich with history, and culture. Hundreds of languages are spoken throughout London, making it a popular tourist destination, as well as a great place to live. Its full of life and beauty, making it the ideal place for vacation.

London offers plenty of hotel accommodations for visitors from around the world. Some of the most popular hotels are Citadines Hotel, Sanctuary House, Luna Simone, Premiere Inn, Millennium Baileys Hotel, Ritz Hotel, Hanover Hotel, The Caesar, Grapevine Hotel, and The Soho hotel. Citadines is much like an apartment complex, but offers the same great benefits as a fancy hotel. Citadines is recommend to those who plan on visiting London for an extended period of time, versus just a few days or weeks. Many of the prestigious and fancy hotels in London come at a surprisingly affordable price!

One popular hotel in London is The Millennium Hotel. This hotel in particular is going to be around $180 for a stay, which is going to be the average for higher class rooms or suites. Those who opt for this type of luxury will be able to enjoy fitness centers, complimentary gifts, and warm breakfast prepared each morning.

Other London hotels such as The Sanctuary House have very limited room for new customers. The Sanctuary House in particular only houses 34 bedding units, so be prepared to make a reservation in advance if you have your heart set on a certain location. The Sanctuary House is a perfect example of prime location, as it is situated near locations such as Buckingham Palace and St. James park.

There are literally hundreds of things to do, without going too far from your hotel. Chances are, where you are staying has plenty of entertainment options in and around the area. You can dine while watching glamour pups parade around, listen to classical tunes at St. Martin in the Fields,

Luxury spa treatments at the Browns Hotel, and go night fishing. Those are just the minimum amount of things to do, with so much more available! Most of the London hotels also offer entertainment on weekend evenings, and other special dinners and events.

Final Thoughts

London is a unique and beautiful place to visit. You will find extraordinary service at all of their hotels, as well as the time of your life visiting historical monuments, buildings, and shopping venues.

When you consider the fact that the metropolis of Greater London is the largest in Europe and that it covers an area in excess of 1600 sq km you will not be too surprised to learn of the multitude of world famous tourist attractions that are to be found there. Amongst the most widely known landmarks and tourist attractions are the relatively new London Eye and London Zoo and the many historical buildings such as Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. However London has much more to offer than first meets the eye and, with a little investigation, you will be able to uncover a number of fascinating hidden places well worth visiting if you are in the city.

If you are a fan of gothic horror movies or the black and white classics of Boris Karloff then you will simply have to visit one of London’s finest hidden gems, Highgate Cemetery. This overgrown Victorian masterpiece has all manner of grave monuments ranging from the ancient and traditional to the modernistic bust of Karl Marx which can be found in amongst the mausoleums, catacombs and multitudes of statues.

Karl Marx, the “Father of Communism”, had moved to London in 1849 and lived there until he died in 1883. Originally he had been buried in a rather ordinary family grave but the Communist Party of Great Britain felt something more monumental was required for such an incredibly influential person and they commissioned the creation of a fine bust of Marx which was put in place in 1954. Unfortunately the change was not met with universal delight as expected as many felt that it went against his teaching and, in 1970, there was an actual attempt to destroy it by blowing it up.

Of course you will also find many other graves belonging to famous people of the past including that of a once famous bare knuckle fighter called Tom Sayers. Charles Dickens’ family grave can also be found at Highgate and other famous graves include those of; George Eliot, J. W. Cross, C. H. Newton, Michael Faraday, Julius Beer, Christina Rossetti, G. Wombwell, Dr S.Birch, James Selby, John Lobb and six former Lord Mayors of London.

Due to the rapid increases in the population of London during the Victorian period the disposal of the dead became something of a problem. In response seven cemeteries were created which are known as the “Magnificent Seven” due to their typical Victorian design and over indulgence which can be seen in the many public buildings which remain today. Of the seven graveyards the one at Highgate is the most decorated and it is considered the finest.

Highgate very quickly became the burial place of choice for influential Victorians who happily spent huge sums of money on their grave monuments or burial places. To meet this demand specially designed areas were created and one of the most iincredible is known as the Egyptian Avenue which has a most outstanding entrance and leads onto the famous Circle of Lebanon. The Circle of Lebanon gets its name from the fact that the mausoleums are arranged in two circles around a central Lebanon cedar tree.

One of the most exciting aspects of exploring Highgate is suddenly seeing an incredible statue appear amongst the overgrown bushes and vines. Throughout the cemetery there are many examples of the most incredible memorial sculptures which include representations of the usual religious subjects and even family pets. Of special note is the grave of the famous coachman James Selby which is well worth searching for.

You may think that I have forgotten to tell you exactly what to expect at the grave of James Selby but I have purposely avoided a full description as I feel that it is actually so spectacular that you really need to see it with your own eyes. If I tell you too much it will spoil the impact, let’s compare it to telling somebody the ending of a movie before they watch it.