 Facts at a Glance
Area: 625 sq mi (1620 sq km)
Population: 7 million
Country: England
Time Zone: GMT/UTC
Telephone area code: inner 171, outer 181
 Warning
A comparatively stable IRA ceasefire has boosted hope for a more relaxed security environment but it's as well to restate the ground rules. Never leave your bag unattended in case you trigger a security alert - it's no fun finding your bag has gone the way of a controlled explosion. If you see an unattended package, keep calm and alert those in authority and anyone nearby as quickly as possible. Petty inconveniences attached to terrorism include transport hold-ups while suspicious packages are inspected and the sealing of left-luggage lockers at bus and train stations.
 History
Although a Celtic community settled around a ford across the River Thames, it was the Romans who first developed the square mile now known as the City of London. They built a bridge and an impressive city wall, and made the city an important port and the hub of their road system. The Romans left, but trade went on. Few traces of London dating from the Dark Ages can now be found, but London survived the incursions of both the Saxons and Vikings. Fifty years before the Normans arrived, Edward the Confessor built his abbey and palace at Westminster.
William the Conqueror found a city that was, without doubt, the richest and largest in the kingdom. He raised the White Tower (part of the Tower of London) and confirmed the city's independence and right to self-government.
During the reign of Elizabeth I the capital began to expand rapidly - in 40 years the population doubled from 100,000 to 200,000. Unfortunately, medieval, Tudor and Jacobean London was virtually destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. The fire gave Christopher Wren the opportunity to build his famous churches, but did nothing to halt the city's growth.
By 1720 there were 750,000 people, and London, as the seat of Parliament and focal point for a growing empire, was becoming ever richer and more important. Georgian architects replaced the last of medieval London with their imposing symmetrical architecture and residential squares.
The population exploded again in the 19th century, creating a vast expanse of Victorian suburbs. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and rapidly expanding commerce, it jumped from 2.7 million in 1851 to 6.6 million in 1901.
Georgian and Victorian London was devastated by the Luftwaffe in WWII - huge swathes of the centre and the East End were totally flattened. After the war, ugly housing and low-cost developments were thrown up on the bomb sites. The docks never recovered - shipping moved to Tilbury, and the Docklands declined to the point of dereliction. They were rediscovered by developers in the 1980s, though development lost its momentum with the recession of the early 1990s.
Riding on a wave of Thatcherite confidence and deregulation, London boomed in the 1980s. The new wave of property developers proved to be only marginally more discriminating than the Luftwaffe, although there are some outstanding modern buildings amongst the dross. There are ambitious plans to rebuild parts of the South Bank with proceeds from the National Lottery, and Greenwich will undergo a facelift now that it has been chosen as Britain's official site for ushering in the third millennium.
Anyone who spends any extended period of time in England will sympathise with the locals' obsession with the weather, although in relative terms the climate is mild and the rainfall is not spectacular. The least hospitable months for visitors are November through February - it's cold and the days are short. March and October are marginal - there's more daylight but it can still be very cold. April to September are undoubtedly the best months, and this is, unsurprisingly, when most sights are open, and when most people visit. July and August are the busiest months, and best avoided if at all possible. The crowds at London's top attractions have to be seen to be believed.
 Orientation
The main geographical feature of the city is the River Thames, which meanders through central London, dividing it into northern and southern halves. The central area and the most important sights, theatres and restaurants are within the underground's Circle line on the north bank of the river. The trendy and tourist-ridden West End lies within the western portion of the loop, and includes Soho, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Regent St. The East End, so beloved of Ealing comedies, lies east of the circle line; it used to be the exclusive preserve of the Cockney but is now a cultural melting pot. There are interesting inner-city suburbs in North London, including Notting Hill and Camden Town. South London includes a mess of poor, dirty, graffiti-ridden suburbs, like Brixton, which have vibrant, tribal subcultures of their own.
Accommodation is ridiculously expensive and in short supply in July and August. There's the usual mix of hostels, university colleges, B&Bs and hotels. Earl's Court is a major centre for cheap hostels and hotels, but there are other good centres in Bloomsbury and Notting Hill. Less-cheap alternatives are Paddington, Bayswater and Pimlico. Eating out is also expensive, though Indian, Chinese and Italian restaurants are less of a threat to your wallet. Culinary hunting grounds are Covent Garden, Soho and north of Leicester Square.
Those famous churches
Westminster Abbey, resting place of the royals, is one of the most visited churches in the Christian world. It's a beautiful building, full of morose tombs and monuments, with an acoustic field that will send shivers down your spine when the choirboys clear their throats. The roll call of the dead and honoured is guaranteed to humble the greatest egoist, despite the weighty and ornate memorabilia.
Half the world saw the inside of St Paul's Cathedral when Charles and Di tied the knot here in 1981. The venerable building was constructed by Wren between 1675 and 1710, but stands on the site of two previous cathedrals dating back to 604. Its famous dome, the biggest in the world after St Peter's in Rome, no longer dominates London as it did for centuries - a fact which irritates the bonnie prince's sense of architectural harmony. Visitors should talk low and sweetly near the whispering gallery, which reputedly carries words spoken close to its walls to the other side of the dome.
 St Paul's Cathedral (17K)
Westminster Cathedral is the headquarters of Britain's Catholic Church, and the only prime example of neo-Byzantine architecture in the city. The interior is part splendid marble and part bare brick - the money ran out. The 14 Stations of the Cross sculptures by Eric Gill and the marvellously sombre atmosphere make this a great escape from coach tourists and traffic alike.
Kings and queens
The Queen opened Buckingham Palace to the public for the first time in 1993 to raise money for repairs to Windsor Castle. The palace rates poorly compared to Britain's other stately homes. The interiors range from kitsch to tasteless opulence and reveal nothing of the domestic life of the Royal Family apart from a gammy eye when it comes to interior decor.
The Tower of London, once a castle and palace, is now a beautifully preserved monument to cruelty. According to Shakespeare, the young princes and heirs of Edward IV were slaughtered here by their wicked uncle, Richard III. The cells have played host to an illustrious crew which includes Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Walter Raleigh, Rudolf Hess and Wham! Bloodcurdling attractions include torture implements displayed in Martin Tower. Don't overdose on suits of armour, coats of arms or Beefeaters and you'll have a fun time. Check out the ravens on the green: legend says that the day they desert the Tower, London shall fall to its enemies.
Tower of London raven (22K)
Parliament
The awesome neo-Gothic brilliance of the Houses of Parliament has been restored thanks to a recent spring clean of the facade. The building includes the House of Commons and the House of Lords, so the grandeur of the exterior is let down only by the level of debate in the interior (`hear, hear'). There's restricted access to the chambers when they're in session, but a visit around 6 pm will avoid the worst of the crowds. Check the time on the most recognisable face in the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben.
Downing St, the official residence of the prime minister (no 10) and the chancellor of the exchequer (no 11), has been guarded by an imposing iron gate since the security forces realised that the lone iconic bobby outside Maggie's door was not sufficient to stop the IRA mortar bomb attack in 1989.
Horseguard, Whitehall (8K)
Museums and their booty
The British Museum is the oldest, most august museum in the world. It is so big and so full of `stuff' collected (read stolen?) by Victorian travellers and explorers that visitors often make the mistake of overdosing on the antiquities. See as much as you want to see, not as much as you believe you should. Highlights include the weird Assyrian treasures and Egyptian mummies; the exquisite pre-Christian Portland Vase and the 2000-year-old corpse found in a Cheshire bog.
The Victoria & Albert Museum has an eclectic mix of booty gathered together under its brief as a museum of decorative art and design. It sometimes feels like an enormous Victorian junk shop, with nearly four million artefacts on display. It's best to browse through the collection whimsically, checking out the Chinese ceramics, Japanese swords, cartoons by Raphael, sculpture by Rodin, the Frank Lloyd Wright study and the pair of Doc Martens.
The Natural History Museum is one of London's finest Gothic-revival buildings, but even its grand cathedral-like main entrance can seem squashed when you're confronted with hordes of screaming schoolkids. Keep away from the dinosaur exhibit while the kids are around and check out the mammal balcony at the Blue Whale exhibit or the spooky, moonlit rainforest in the ecology gallery.
 Street of Shame
Those famous galleries
The cash-strapped National Gallery, located on the edge of Trafalgar Square, has one of the world's most impressive art collections. Famous paintings include Cezanne's The Bathers and van Eyck's Arnolfini Wedding. Entry to the gallery is free, which means if you feel like dropping in and looking at just one or two pictures, you can do so at your leisure without feeling obliged to cover extensive territory. The Tate Gallery is the keeper of Britain's international modern art collection and a historical archive of British art. This schizophrenic role can be disconcerting at times as you skip from viewing quality works by Picasso, Matisse and Cezanne to finding yourself surrounded by gloomy Victorian paintings of thoroughbred racehorses. The adjoining Clore Gallery has a wonderful collection of JMW Turner paintings, and try not to miss the pre-Raphaelite room.
Cultural Centres
Several of London's large cultural centres are bleak, concrete monstrosities, but the events held inside are world class. The South Bank, on the `wrong side' of the Thames, looks spectacular at night, and includes the Hayward Gallery, the brilliant Festival Hall, the National Theatre and the National Film Theatre. The Barbican is a brutal architectural nightmare, saved only by the fact that it's the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Classical Orchestra. The restored Globe Theatre is a faithful reproduction of the original (complete with thatched roof and ash and nutshell floors) which featured Shakespeare's plays and was closed by Puritans in 1642. The Institute for Contemporary Art is a great place to relax, hang out and see some cutting-edge film, dance, photography, theatre and art.
The Green Bits
Huge Hyde Park used to be a royal hunting ground, was once a venue for duels, executions and horse racing, and even became a giant potato field during WWII. It is now a place of fresh air, spring colour, lazy sunbathers and boaters on Serpentine Lake. Features of the park include sculptures by Jacob Epstein and Henry Moore, the contemporary Serpentine Gallery and Speaker's Corner. Regents Park is the home of London Zoo, a mosque, and an open-air theatre. The Queen Mary Rose Gardens in the centre of the park are particularly spectacular. Nearby Primrose Hill has great views of London.
Kew Gardens, in Richmond, Surrey, is both a beautiful park and an important botanical research centre. There's a vast expanse of lawn and formal gardens and two soaring Victorian conservatories - the Palm House and the Temperate House - which are home to exotic plant life. Hampstead Heath is one of the few places in London where you can actually forget that you're in the middle of an 800-sq-mile (1300 sq km) city. There are woods, meadows, hills and bathing ponds and, most importantly of all, lots of space.
The huge Camden Markets could be the closest England gets to free-form chaos outside the terraces of football stadia. They stretch between Camden and Chalk Farm tube stations, incorporating Camden Lock on the Grand Union Canal, and get so crowded on the weekends that you'll think you're in the Third World. The markets include the Camden Canal Market (bric-a-brac, furniture and designer clothes), Camden Market (leather goods and army surplus gear) and the Electric Market (records and 1960s clothing).
The colourful Portobello Market is London's most famous street market, best seen on a Saturday morning before the gridlock sets in. It's full of antiques, jewellery, ethnic knick-knacks, second-hand clothes and fruit and veg stalls. Petticoat Lane is East London's celebrated Sunday morning market, but it's overrated, overpriced, and appeals only to those so bleary-eyed from the night before that they think they need broken chocolate bars, ugly trinkets and cut-price cans of Ajax. Brixton Market is a cosmopolitan treat made up of a rainbow coalition of reggae music, slick Muslim preachers, halal meat and fruit and vegetables. Its inventory includes wigs, homeopathic root cures, goat meat and rare records.
London flower stall (21K)
Smithfield is the last-surviving produce market in Central London. It's Europe's largest wholesale meat market and no place for faint-hearted vegetarians. Early weekday mornings, Smithfield is a hive of activity. Many of the local pubs open from the middle of the night to cater for the stallholders unsociable hours, so assuming you can pass yourself off as a Cockney meat seller (just douse yourself in blood and practise saying `wotcha guv'), there's always the chance of an early-morning pint with your fried breakfast.
Posh shops
Covent Garden was once a vegetable field attached to Westminster Abbey, became the low-life haunt of Pepys, Fielding and Boswell, then a major fruit and veg market, and is now a triumph of conservation and commerce. The car-free piazza is surrounded by designer gift and clothes shops and hip bars and restaurants. Stalls selling overpriced antiques and bric-a-brac share the arcaded piazza with street theatre, buskers and people-watchers.
It's worth taking a walk through Harrods even if the security staff instruct you how to carry your day pack. Glazed Edwardian tiles set off food displays to make you sweat, with glazed pies, fresh-cream chocs flown in from Belgium that very day, and pies housing game you've never heard of. Anyone for a lark's tongue vol-au-vent? The toilets are sumptuous, and the pet shop's good for a laugh.
It's also worth a peek in Fortnum & Masons to see its renowned, olde-worlde food hall. This is where Scott of the Antarctic stocked up before heading off to the ice floes. It's an impressive shop, but we suggest you get your provisions elsewhere. If you like name-dropping designers, you should stagger into Harvey Nicks to sample the perfume and pretend you're really going to buy that Junior Gaultier nipple-warmer.
Cemeteries
Highgate Cemetery can't be beaten for its Victorian Gothic atmosphere and downright eeriness. Its extensive and overgrown grounds include cypress trees, Egyptian-style catacombs, enough chipped angels to please any Joy Division fan, Karl the more serious Marx brother and personalised tombs reflecting their eccentric inhabitants. Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries are also Victorian delights, complete with catacombs and angels.
Even more markets
Sunday morning means bagels for breakfast at Brick Lane market in the East End. The ground is strewn with blankets covered in everything from rusty nails to gold watches. Haggling's the key, though consonants drop off vowels faster than zeros drop off prices. Ye olde Kensington Market is the place to go to replace your punk mohair jumper, bum bag and kilt, and why not get a haircut, tattoo, pierced upper ear and a new slogan painted on your leather jacket while you're there?
Hampstead
After a brisk walk on the heath, pop into the Spaniard's Inn for a tipple or have a look at Robert Adam's beautiful Kenwood House and wander around its romantic grounds. You can lose the 20th century altogether in Church Row, Admiral's Walk and Flask Walk, which have intact Georgian cottages, terraces and houses.
Holland Park
Holland Park is both a residential district, full of elegant town houses, and an inner-city haven of greenery, complete with strutting peacocks and scampering bunnies, the restored remnants of a Jacobean mansion (now set aside for the world's backpackers), two exhibition galleries and formal gardens. Nearby, the Arabic splendour of Leighton House is full of pre-Raphaelite paintings of languorous, scantily dressed Grecian ladies slipping their hands into the milky waters of public baths.
On the buses
If you arrive broke and want a cheap tour of London before you start pissing off your friends asking them for money, hop on a No 19 bus and travel from the Angel in Islington, through Bloomsbury and the West End, along Kings Rd in Chelsea and across the bridge to Battersea. If you get the No 25 from Victoria, you can travel through Mayfair, down Oxford St, past St Paul's and the City, and end up in Whitechapel. When you get deported, you can suavely tell your friends that you've toured London and seen the sights.
 Activities
If you feel like a ride on the river, hire a row-boat for an hour or two and boat the Serpentine. If faster water sports are your style, Docklands has jetskiing, waterskiing and windsurfing. London's parks - especially Hyde Park and Regents Park - are delightful for walking. There are also bike hire joints all over the city, although if you're planning to ride in traffic you might be taking your life in your hands. You can even hire a horse in Hyde Park if you're keen for a canter. And of course, London is littered with gyms.
 Events
There are countless festivals and events in London. It all kicks off with the New Year's street party in Trafalgar Square, which is only for the brave or foolhardy. On Shrove Tuesday, pancake races are held in Covent Garden, and in early May more serious racers take part in the London Marathon. All London gets its colours on for the FA Cup Final held at Wembley in mid-May, and there's even more colour at the Chelsea Flower Show held the last week of May.
Trooping the Colour, the Queen's birthday parade, is held in June, Wimbledon runs for two weeks in the same month and London Pride, Europe's biggest gay and lesbian festival, also hits the streets. In July the world's biggest military tattoo, the Royal Tournament, is held in Earl's Court, and Notting Hill Carnival is on in August. Horsey folks can't resist Horseman's Sunday, where a vicar blesses more than 100 horses in Hyde Park in September.
Things wind down as the weather gets colder, though there's plenty of fire on Guy Fawkes Day, on the 5th of November. The Lord Mayor's Show is held in late November.
London is one of the most important air transport hubs in the world, and in these days of severe competition between the airlines there are plenty of opportunities to find cheap flights. Heathrow is one of the largest, busiest airports in the world. In true British style, it has grown organically and now has four terminals, each an airport in itself. There are also two tube stations. Gatwick is a large airport, but much smaller than Heathrow, followed by Stansted and Luton. All domestic flights and flights to EU countries from London attract a £10 departure tax. For flights to other international destinations you pay £20.
For the first time since the ice ages, Britain has a land link (albeit a tunnel) with mainland Europe. Two services operate through the Tunnel: Eurotunnel operates a rail shuttle service (Le Shuttle) for motorbikes, cars, buses and freight vehicles between terminals at Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France; and the railway companies of Britain, France and Belgium operate a high-speed passenger service, known as Eurostar, between London, Paris, Lille and Brussels. London's main rail terminus for Europe is Waterloo International.
Even without using the Channel Tunnel, you can still get to Europe by bus - there's just a short ferry/hovercraft ride thrown in as part of the deal. Bus travellers arrive and depart from Victoria Coach Station, about 10 minutes walk south of the Victoria railway and tube station.
Heathrow airport is accessible by bus, underground (the cheaper, more reliable method) and the new Heathrow Express, which makes the journey from Paddington Station to Terminals 1-3 in 15 minutes and to Terminal 4 in 20. A cab to or from the airport will cost around US$35 to US$50. The Gatwick Express runs between the airport and Victoria station, or you can get a cab for around US$60. There's a direct train link between Stansted airport and Liverpool St, or you can get a cab for US$100 or more.
London's tube is legendary, but mainly because it's not that fun to use. Although the tube network is immense, buses are more pleasant and interesting. Travelcards can be used on all forms of transport. Several rail companies now run passenger trains in London, most of which interchange with the tube.
London's famous black cabs are excellent but expensive. Minicabs are cheaper competitors, with freelance drivers, but you can't flag these on the street. If you'd rather drive yourself, you're in for a parking nightmare - it's almost impossible to get a park in the city centre, and the punishments for parking illegally are cruel indeed.
- London doesn't seem to have inspired many modern-day travel writers to set pen to paper, although Bill Bryson recounted his exploits in the capital in his witty best-seller about Britain, Notes From a Small Island.
- Rolling back the years, George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London described his experiences in the 1920s.
- A Traveller's History of England by Christopher Daniell offers a quick introduction to English history, useful for making sense of all those kings and queens.
- To find out how London turned into the cultural melting pot it is today look for The Peopling of London which describes 15,000 years of settlement from overseas. It was produced to support a Museum of London exhibition and that's the best place to buy a copy.
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