London, England

Here's the deal. The first time you go, it is a must-see. You will probably enjoy yourself, or at least I did. Then, it keeps calling you back so you can revisit your favorites and explore new shops, restaurants, and attractions again and again. The things to do there are endless.

Certainly a can't miss attraction when travelling through Europe. London has a large concentration of museums, historical attractions, and other points of interest. My recommendation: take a boat trip down the Thames when you first get there to orient yourself and to get a nice view of the entire city. Must see attractions include the Tower of London (w/the Crown Jewels), Westminster, St. Paul's Cathedral, and a bunch of other neighborhoods that I'm most likely forgetting at the moment. The London eye always had a long wait when I was there, but it's another option. Be warned, the city can be very expensive. There's a wide diversity of eats throughout the city. Some good ethnic eateries abound, especially Indian and Arabic food that can be affordable. Lodging will take up a good portion of your budget, but try to select a hotel close to the attractions. If you can't, London has a great subway system.

I had the privilege of getting to spend 3 days in this wondrous city on my way home from a trip to Ireland this past summer. In 3 days i managed to see things most would kill to see, Big Ben, The tower of London, Trafalgar Square, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, The national Gallery and The crown Jewels! I would definitely recommend visiting this vast city. Traveling is easy if you get yourself a prepaid oyster card, which can be used for both the "tube" and most buses. We stayed with a family friend and went all around London, and saw many beautiful historical sites. I would recommend planning because there is so much to see, find out what things are close to each other so you can do activities in clusters. There is a fabulous musical called "we will rock you" based on Queen songs(and who doesn't love Queen?!) that is wonderful to do either as a couple, or with friends or family. I had an amazing time there and would love to return, I hope anyone who travels there soon will enjoy i... Read more

I loved London so much I am planning to move there. The city has it all- think New York with less trash and less skyscrapers! There are so many things to do and areas to visit you could use a full week in London and still not see everything. The food was decent- lots of international flavors along side standards like fish n chips! I had an excellent time in this city and recommend a trip to London to everyone! Best place on earth!

has a nice airport

The great City. When you travel it is a must see.

It has a cosmopolitan character of its own, is cute and is great fun to explore. But it is too expensive and can tire you if you are not accustomed to the British mentality (though you have plenty of options)

An amazing city for families if price is no object. Had a great time there, interspersed culture (Tate Modern) with kid stuff (Legoland) and touristy activities (London Eye). Everyone had a fabulous time. Spent very little time on the historical sites -- kept that for the next adventure.

The weather's not great, but this is still a cool, historic town.

Love the beer. . .love the history. . .love the women. . .you will meet people from all over the world. . .just an amazing city- can't wait to go back. But it's so huge it helps if you know a local who can help get you around. . .

London is the worse place on earth, and i'm English. It's probably fun to visit as is any major world city. But having lived there for the last few months I can honestly say the standard of living is extremely poor. No wonder we were so keen to start an empire....anywhere to flee to. There are no real Londoners anymore, the place is overun with immigrants that can't speak english and act as if they own the place. Getting around is pretty tough as there is no real metro area and distances are great which in turn are serviced by a really poor tube network. And don't get me started on how expensive it is. Anyway check it out for yourself.

Amazing city. Lots to do there. Buildings such as westmiinister and St.Pauls Cathedral are just breath-taking. I visit there twice a year, and especially like all the different cultures you can see by visiting market stalls and shops.

Very expensive, but so much to do!  Great shopping, museums, and cocktail bars.  If you need to escape from all the people, take a relaxing break in Regents Park.  It has a beautiful rose garden and Shakespeare in the Park in summer.

I grew up here but London is sometimes a bit over-rated in many aspects in my opinion. Sure it's an absolute melting pot of cultures and it's thriving with a bustling 'happening' atmosphere that I'm sure most cities envy, however I've been fortunate enough to live and work in some parts of Europe and New York, aswell as the West Coast, L.A and Vancouver, in comparision, England's infrastructure is at times a mess beyond belief and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. In many ways it's a stressful city since theres more people here than the city itself can handle and the constant background noise and pollution and sheer amount of people constantly in your face can take it's toll on you eventually. Underneath all the hustle and bustle lies a city with a very poor infrastructure. Plumbing problems continue to exist in this late 20th century and public transport is really no better than some third world countries. Housing is expensive and the standard of living is definitely below ... Read more

I had the opportunity to visit London a few times and it would definitely be my second choice place to live. I enjoyed the people, walking in the beautiful Hyde Park, knowing that at every tube stop is some wonderful museum or point of interest. The people in London are so civilized; they take pride in the beautiful gardens, they walk everywhere and adore cats and dogs. There are some great restaurants and boutiques also. I wish I could afford to go back for a vacation this year.

London is a wonderful city with everything imaginable. It is an extremely easy city to visit because there is so much tourist information. The public transportation system is convenient. There are grand parades and reviews of some kind every day. Pubs abound along with reminders of yesteryear on every corner. London can be very expensive, similar to NYC, but with imagination and pre-planning one can see and do hundreds of free things. The open air markets are a lot of fun and the people watching is superb. We go there whenever possible. travelingfool

a fantastic city steeped in history, with grand buildings and fantastic arcutecture. one of the three cities holding up the stock market. the most stylish city in europe

Most Awesome city ever!!!! Never a dull moment!

London is one of the worlds most remarkable and exciting cities. It is one of only two genuinely global financial centres(the other being New York). London is Europes largest and richest city, it is the financial capital of the EU. Some statistics about London the financial centre... The London foreign exchange market is the largest in the world with a $753bn foreign exchange turnover each day (31% of the global share and more than New York and Tokyo combined)), London has 43% of the global foreign equity market, 70% of all eurobonds traded in London(oh the irony), London has $643bn daily turnover in 'over the counter' derivatives (42% of global share). There are 242 foreign banks in London (for comparison a city like Sydney has 34) and 519 foreign companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange, London is home to 75% of Fortune 500 Companies and is home to more than 150 of europe's top 500 companies. If it were a country, the London metropolitan area would be the 13th largest e... Read more

Been to some major cities-New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Paris, Edinburgh, Havanna, Honolulu, but I think London is my favorite so far.

THE city of the world! London is absolutely marvelous . . . culture . . . history . . . arts . . . people . . .quaintness . . .and on . . .

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford. --Samuel Johnson, 1777. And it continues to be true today. One wonderful city with activities, culture, and history enough to satisfy the most jaded.

Although i wouldn't say London is a terrible place.I certainly couldn't see muself living there.I do agree with some of the comments.I think it is very much over-rated.Maybe my expectations were a bit high.You certainly think of London as one of Europes great cities.But that probably has to do with finance more then anything else. The weather is not good at all.The life style seems rather bland.And the nightlife wasn't very impressive,apart from the famed club scene. I remember aproaching Trafalgar square with tremendous expectation only to find my self extremely dissapointed. The parks and greenery of the city is lovely though.But as a whole the word dissapointed is the word i would use the most when describing London.

How anyone can dislike London is beyond me, fantastic museums and sights, so much to see and do night and day.......all i can say is wow!

I totally hate London & The whole of England & Europe. But England sucks big time. I hated it so much I am happy to say I now live in Canada . Things I hate about the UK I hate the ignorant louts I hate Drunks Puking on walls I hate the constant swearing I hate Soccer or as the Brits call it Football I hate Cricket & Rugby I hate the Pub Culture I hate the whole God Dam Dirty City I hate British Food I hate British Politics I hate British Opinion I hate British Weather I hate Coronation Street Crossroads The Bill Emerdale Farm & Eastenders I hate Cockney I hate all the uneducated People I hate the British Weather I hate the small talk I think the only good thing in the UK are a few nightclubs but if I never see England ever again it will be to soon. I pray I never have to return to the the horrible place called of England. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy I no longer live in the UK.

The most over-rated city in Europe.Liked nothing about it.Some on this forum say that London has everything you can imagine.Really?Where is the blue,sunny skies?The beaches?The street life?(so limited and inexistent when compared to other cities like Madrid or Milan).It doesn't look like a grand city like Paris.It's more of a large number of villages put together.Apart from a couple of nightlife areas,it is like a deserted town at night.Boring. And apart from a few grand buildings it is architecturally un-inspiring.And how about those early closing hours?Not for me thanx.

Extremely Overrated! Big Ben and parlament aren't as interesting as they make it seem. It's always gloomy and gray. ALthough it's not the worst city in europe but I like it more than paris!

London has always had a rich heritage. Throughout its history, London has managed to survive. Through bombing raids by the Luftwaffe during World War II, London has embodied the resolute spirit of Sir Winston Churchill. It's just amazing to me that a city such as London seems to strike a balance between the new and old. And perhaps because of this, it has again won the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. But there is no doubt it is a great city.

I lived there for a year in high school, so I have definitely experienced it thoroughly. London's huge, and unfortunately pretty dirty in spots, but it is one of the best 3 cities in the world. The best places to see, in my opinion, are Buckingham Palace, Regents Park, Big Ben/Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern Museum, and the London Eye.

This is one of the hardest places to rate (Really, I hate the idea of rating most anything but its an awesome vehicle to vent for the opinionated). By its very nature, London defies definition and breathes contradiction. It has been said about London, 'when you are bored of london you are bored of life'...Apparently the author was biased in typical old British fashion and didn't have an empty pocketbook. I've spent enough time in London to think of it as a second home - long enough to be bored at times and yet this city still remains elusive to me. Part of it has to do with its sprawl - London is so big and unlike New York, very horizontal. Another is the fact that I'm a not a true Londoner, if indeed, there is such a thing. This is a place that accepts all graciously but marries few.

The greatest city in the world, the true Urbi et Orbi. This city is not only the capital of the British Empire, but the captial of the world. All the world pays it homage and tribute. There is no other place in the world that compares with it. I just wish they would do something about their transportation infrastructure, particuarly the decrepit overpriced tube!

The planets ultimate city.......

London is great anytime, but it's best to go during the summer. That being said, London is a party city year round! It starts to get warmer in April, doesn't rain nearly as much as people think (and only briefly when it does rain). It is overcast most of the time in winter/spring however, and isn't warm enough to lay out in the spring. But- the pubs are awesome, the clubs are hot...London is the most fun place I've ever been!! You can NEVER be bored in London.

There are lots of things to see and do in London. Plan on using the Tube, you do not want to drive unless you absolultly have to. Its an old town with a lot of vehicles on the road. Plenty of history and entertainment. Another nice place to visit but I would not want to live there. People are not the friendliest.

The city is very hip, the people warm, open-minded and friendly. Very trendy and people dressed up-to-the minute fashion as London is one of Europe's major innovation centres. Downside:as a born and bred Londoner, it is disappointing to see that due to it being a 24 hr place it has been impossible to keep clean, lots of graffiti, litter, unattended road and building works; grimy streets, badly maintained, broken railings and fences and posters slapped everywhere, the people not socially considerate any more. Unchecked mass immigration is greatly diluting its Englishness- I know that sounds old-fashioned but I think it's sad. Lots of new high rise structures that make no effort to harmonise with the rest of the landscape. The parks however are great and ARE very English and the South Bank route along the Thames is great for a sense of British history; the London Eye is a particularly superb new attraction, despite its rather odd location. The city is frankly a rip-off, unnecessarily... Read more

Probably the best city in the world. You can do anything here!

One thing i can't figure out? What is up with this whole city of london and then all these little seperate towns or boroughs that don't really consider themselves part of london, yet make it look like a huge city, the city of london actually only has about 4000 people. I understand the borough system of New York City, but i just can't seam to grasp the one of london, where do those places stop becoming boroughs that are part of london, and start becoming their own seperate towns?

Love it and had a great time. I would not recommand this for people that don't like to walk or want to be around people.

London is a great city to visit, there is so much to see and do. You can walk for miles and never get bored. There is a wonderful sense of history about the place as well. Sure it's busy and crowded but this all adds to the excitement for me. I've never had a problem with the people in London either. Wouldn't want to live there myself as I think I would be overwhelmed...and the prices are quite high. Nice place though.

Narendar, you have to be a certain type of person to make the most of a city where anything is possible. You obviously failed miserably. I'm Anglo-Indian and you are talking bollocks about the British. Best bugger off somewhere else, eh?

There is so much to do in this city. There are many museums and galleries and of course the Tower of London. London has a unique history that's worth checking out. There's amuzement parks, zoos, parks, places to eat and shop. This town is beautiful and is a safe city. If you go to London, make sure you go all over the country because it is beautiful.

ANSGARD is an idiot. Nice thinking, pretending to be from Italy. England Rocks, so much great music comes from there, more in fact than from anywhere else in the world. I'd love to go there.

I wanna go back.

Hate the place. Overated and unpleasant.

London is second only to Paris as Europe's greatest city (and that's only due to climate). Nothing to do in London? HA! Museum of Natural History, National Gallery, and the British Museum are three of the best museums in the world. Take a historical walking tour. Tour Churchill's underground bunker from WW2. Go watch Parliament. Go to Hyde park and watch the public speakers (or even summon the courage to do it yourself!). The London Zoo is among the best in the world. The nightlife on the southside is fantastic, not to mention the amazing variety of theater productions all year. Plus, there are easy day-trips to Cambridge, Stratford, and other great places. If you found London boring, then you're simply not trying. And London need not be expensive. Stay in a B&B; instead of a hotel, use the subway, and eat pub grub and London will not threaten your budget. I've been to London 5 times and I will never get tired of it.

It's the worse city i ever seen to be honest. Nothing like the pics you see on magazines...no no It's dirty, crowded, a mess basically.. Plus there's nothing really good to see...It's really ugly looking

The worst capital in Western Europe. Dirty, overpriced, hectic, rude people, too big but still cramped. I live in the UK and am at a loss to figure out why most tourists stay in London and rarely venture out except on day trips to see the usual cliches e.g Bath, Stratford etc. It's a stinking cesspit. Scarlet Feather - if you come to London it's best that you're aware of the sordid reality rather than be sorley disappointed. There are some nice areas like Richmond Park and Hampstead. But for each of these there are dozens of run down, crime infested hovels caked in litter and pollution such as Harlesden, Hackney, Tottenham, Stockwell, Brixton etc etc. Also i suggest you avoid tourist hotspots like Bath, Cambridge and Stratford on Avon. They're always heaving. Try less tourist heavy places like Shropshire, the Peak District, the Brecon Beacons and North Yorkshire.

Certainly deserves to be on top of this list as a CITY tourist destination. Very good public transport, relatively safe, with the very best of historical, artistic and cultural attractions that any single city may have, the details of which are beyond a the scope of this brief message. But do not just stay in London, there is a lot more to Britain than London, so try to get out if U get a chance.

OK, visit if you want to, but warning: DO NOT LIVE HERE! Seriously, if you're some Europe-enamoured American, please stop and think about how delusional you are. The houses are puny, and before you actually own a medium/small house, you'll have to have worked decades, since a house that size costs half a million quid + mortgage interest. The pollution, expensiveness, claustrophobia/crowdedness, dirtiness, crime and lack of sunshine (awful damp climate in general - winters are really grey and dark, SNOWLESS, sunless with very short, sombre days, wet, windy, murky, too long, depressing and gloooooomy - summers are usually cool and cloudy but really humid and unpleasant. If you get any sunshine, it will be through a kilometre thick haze) will get to you eventually. These things will slowly consume you, and before you know it, it's too late to escape. Visit, please. Your money eases our suffering. But don't live here. Oh, and don't get a train to the city centre before 10am. It m... Read more

lilili, and GuavaMonkey, how do I know that you're not saying these awful things about London to keep us Yanks from moving over there? Is it really so bad? I guess I will just have to come over there and see for myself.