Visiting London Attractions

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Visitors to this London Guide - Welcome!

We'd like to welcome visitors to the Inside Guide to London. What's this guide about? People who live and work in a city like London, are always closer to visiting tourists than you might think. If you're adventurous - why not try visiting some of the places that tempt local Londoners, as well as a handy guide to the popular sights and attractions? That's where the Inside Guide to London begins.

Visiting London Attractions

There are only two types of visitor in London, right? The global traveller who wants to see the authentic underbelly of every location, and the tacky tourist in a shell-suit - visiting restaurants with picture-menus and buying Buckingham Palace snow globes. Wrong! Most people lie somewhere between. They’d like to see the best sightseeing opportunities, and experience some real London flavour too. The Inside Guide to London offers that balance.

We're not listing every attraction in London here - that would take too long to read. We're sifting heavily for you, and our interest, is in presenting the best of what London has to offer. Consequently, there's an element of trust involved. To understand a traveller, you need to have been one, so we’ve included the best of what widely-travelled Londoners, think London does best. Subjective, yes, but we want you to leave London feeling like you've experienced its unique character. There are no renowned critics (so no biased red carpet is extended for reviewers), they see what you see. Rising stars get added, fading stars get pruned. No exhausting listings - just the cream of the crop. You can't buy a listing in the Inside Guide, you just have to be good at what you do - then you get listed for free.

Not-to-be-missed Attractions, Original photos, Sightseeing tips, maps and videos are important, so you’ll find lots here. More importantly however – ‘less is more’. The Inside Guide to London is manageable and readable. You’re not studying for an examination on London restaurants, you just need to eat.

London Eye and River Bus Cruise

The London Eye, opposite the Houses of Parliament is usually one of the first attractions on visitors' sightseeing itineraries. A 30 minute 'flight' offers clear views to the periphery of London and is a good way of establishing visitors' bearings, since the entire city is laid out before you. A certain amount of time spent queuing is inevitable since The London Eye is very popular with tourists and Brits alike, though it is well worth the wait. An unpopular proposal, the initial plan was to scrap the wheel after five years, but it has proved so popular, both as an experience, but also as a part of the London skyline, that those plans were shelved (the Eiffel Tower in Paris was due a similar fate in its day).

Buckingham Palace - Cabinet War Rooms - Houses of Parliament

Buckingham Palace in London, was originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace. It was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and was enlarged over the next 100 years, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard.
Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace of the British monarch in London after the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb in World War II and the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection. It is one of London's top 3 visitor attractions and the changing of the guard (11am) is on the sightseeing list of most visitors and tourists in London.

The original early 19th-century interior designs, many of which still survive, included widespread use of scagliola and blue and pink lapis, King Edward VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle epoque cream and gold colour scheme.

The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London, originally landscaped by Capability Brown, the artificial lake was completed in 1828 and is supplied with water from the Serpentine, the river which runs through Hyde Park. You'll have to take the Inside Guide to London's word for it - as the Palace Gardens are off-limits to visitors and tourists. Garden parties are held annually and members of the civil service and forces, invariably get invited to attend once or twice.

The state rooms form the nucleus of the working Palace and are used regularly by Queen Elizabeth II and members of the royal family for official and state entertaining.