Introduction

London is one of the world's largest and important cities. It was founded before Roman times and has seen extensive building after the Fire of London (1666) and the Second World War. It is now a mixture of the old and new. Historic sites a thousand years old sit in a vibrant financial and cultural centre.

Below is a list of the main tourist sites to be seen. There are many more sites for a longer visit.

• Tower of London / Tower Bridge
  
• Houses of Parliament / Westminster Abbey
  
• St Paul's Cathedral / Museum of London
  
• The British Museum
  
• Victoria and Albert Museum / Natural History Museum
  
• Whitehall / Downing Street / Trafalgar Square
  
• National Gallery / National Portrait Gallery
  
• Buckingham Palace
  
• Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square / Soho
  
• Madame Tusaud's Wax Museum / Planetarium
  
• Kew Gardens
  
• Greenwich Observatory / The Cutty Sark
  
• Museum of the Moving Image / Globe Theatre
  
• The Tate Gallery / The New Tate
  

Streets

Streets are NOT numbered (First Street, Fifth Avenue), they have names. Some streets do not have the word Street, Road or Avenue after the name. Examples include Haymarket, Pall Mall and Whitehall.

London is so old that it is NOT based on a grid system. Asking "how many blocks is so-and-so?" will often elicit a blank stare. Distances are usually given in how long a walk it is ("it's ten minutes along this road") or how many bus stops. Directions are given in terms of landmarks (like shops, pubs, train stations or traffic lights).

Traffic drives on the left.

When asking directions remember:

• A subway is a pedestrian passage under a street - the underground railway system is called the tube! You use the subway to cross the road and take the tube to go shopping.
• People walk on the pavement rather than a sidewalk. All roads are paved in the North American sense so the term is never used.
• Zip Codes are called Postal Codes. In England zips are only found on clothes and bags.
• Striped pedestrian crossings are called Zebra Crossings.
• Traffic lights go from red to red and yellow (called red and amber) then to green.

Be careful when posting letters - British letter boxes are red. The boxes that resemble North American post boxes are rubbish bins!

Transport

London's Underground system is called the tube.

Do not refer to London's Underground lines as the blue line or the red line. Many underground lines have similar colours and Londoners won't know what you are referring to. Use the names (Piccadilly Line, Bakerloo Line, etc). Maps can be obtained from tube stations or at the main railway stations. There are some peculiarities to the system, mainly because it is the oldest in the world (first line 1863). Check the destination on the front of the train since most lines have branches and not all trains go to the end. Trains are usually very frequent unless there is a problem. Many escalators don't work.

On the escalators remember to stand on the right as the left side is used by people walking up or down. Don't stop at the foot of the escalator as people following will have nowhere to go. Try avoiding travelling during the rush hour. If you're confused, ask. Many Londoners are polite.

For commuter or intercity trains, there is no central London Railway station. There are several termini serving different parts of the country. Before setting off for a trip out of London, make sure you know which station the train leaves from (Victoria, Waterloo head south; Paddington heads west; Liverpool Street heads east; Euston, Kings Cross and St Pancras head north).

The word bus is reserved for city transport - the ones travelling between cities tend to be called coaches. A good way to see London is from the top deck of a double decker bus. Routes to try include 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 19, 24. Free bus maps can be obtained from many tube stations.

All London transport fares are zonal - daily or weekly tickets can be bought. These allow travel on buses, tubes and trains within certain zones. Most tourist attractions in London are in zones 1 and 2. Daily tickets are valid after 9:30am (Monday to Friday) and all day at weekends. Try to avoid travelling during the rush hours.

London has four airports none of which is commonly referred to as London Airport.

The largest is Heathrow. It has four large terminals, two tube stations on the Piccadilly Line, and a railway link to Padington Station. It is the world's busiest international airport with the largest variety of airlines and flights. Regular buses and tubes (fastest option) run to the centre of London. Taxis are expensive.

Gatwick is the city's second airport. Many charter flights leave from here as well as long haul. This has two terminals and its own railway station. It is reached by train from Victoria Station.

Stanstead is the third airport and is a train ride away from Liverpool Street Station. Many cheaper airlines use this airport. Most flights are to Europe or the UK.

City Airport is the fourth and smallest airport. It is close to the city but with no train service as yet. The nearest station is Silvertown on the Silverlink Railway (known as the North London Line to most Londoners). It is mainly for very short haul flights within the UK or to Europe.

Passenger Boats travel along the River Thames (Americans put the word river after the river's name as in The Hudson River, in the UK the word river comes first). A good ride is from Westminster to Greenwich.

Downtown

The term downtown is not used in Europe and means nothing in London. London has built up over a very long period so that there are a number of different centres.

The political centre is in Westminster (once a separate city). This area includes Parliament Square with the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Whitehall (the street containing government buildings and 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's office), Trafalgar Square (with the National Gallery and Nelson's Column). Buckingham Palace, the London residence of the monarch, (don't pronounce the h) is to the south west of this area.

The business centre is in the original historical London, now called The City of London (or more usually just The City). The Tower of London and Tower Bridge are at the eastern edge of this area. There are bits of London's Roman wall and walks associated with Jack The Ripper in nearby Whitechapel. Many offices have now moved east of the City to Docklands.

The entertainment centre is called The West End. It includes the shopping areas of Oxford Street, Regents Street, Saville Row, and Carnaby Street. The theatres and cinemas are centred around Leicester Square (pronounced lester) and Piccadilly Circus. Some museums and art galleries (British Museum, National Gallery) are to be found here as well. Good areas for pubs, restaurants and night life are Covent Garden and Chinatown. The northern boundary of this area includes Baker Street (of Sherlock Holmes fame) with the famous Madam Tusaud's Wax Museum and Planetarium.

London's legal area lies between the West End and The City. St Paul's Cathedral and the concert area of Waterloo Southbank are close by.

Kensington has a number of museums (Victoria and Albert, Natural History, Science, Geological), the famous Albert Hall concert venue, as well as many embassies. Good restaurants can be found in Bayswater, Islington, and Earls Court.

Indian food is very popular and good in London (try Brick Lane in London's East End or Drummond Street near Euston). Street markets are good in Notting Hill and Camden Lock.

London has a large area. In the suburbs can be found such sites as Greenwich Observatory (through which runs the zero meridian of longitude), Kew Gardens, and Hampton Court. Sports fans may want to visit Wembley Stadium (football - soccer to our friends in the USA), Twickenham (rugby), Lords and The Oval (cricket) and Wimbledon (tennis).

Communication

Although English is spoken in both the UK and the USA, there are some interesting differences. Avoid embarrassment by reading UK and USA English which lists many of these differences. For an extended stay in London familiarise yourself with Cockney Slang.

If your name is Randolph, do not shorten it to Randy as this means a state of sexual excitement. And don't use the word fanny as you would at home! It means the female sexual organs.

Outside of the USA, dates are written in the format DD/MM/YY rather than than the specifically American MM/DD/YY. Thus, 11 August 1999 would be written 08/11/99 in the USA and 11/08/99 in all other countries. This is important when buying tickets and filling in forms.

The British Phrasebook is an amusing and accurate account of British English from Lonely Planet. Check out my book recommendations.

© 1997 Kryss Katsiavriades

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