Travel Europe Articles

The church of San Francisco is one of Madrid's most important buildings and offers a fascinating tour. With a dome larger than that of St. Paul's Cathedral it is an architectural marvel. Filled with paintings and sculpture, it is also an art lover's treat.

Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding.

Trafalgar Square is the center of England in more ways than one. At its south end lies what used to be Charing Cross, the point from which all distances to London are measured. Long since, the cross erected by Edward I in 1290 (as a tribute to his wife, Eleanor) has been replaced by a statue of Charles I atop a horse.

For the London traveler looking for variety, the West End is the place to be. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops mix with the latest restaurants and Covent Garden is not far. And, then of course, there's the world-renowned theater - the rival (some would say tutor) of Broadway.

Few prisons can claim to be as popular as the Tower of London, an attraction - unpleasant for some - for over 900 years. Its twenty towers are filled with an ancient tradition of royal blood, armor and jewels and the history to match.

London has such a long history, filled with great churches, monuments, art and history museums that seeking nature here often isn't what immediately comes to mind. But that's an error, since London is home to one of the oldest zoos in existence and one of the newest aquariums.

Since its founding in the mid-19th century, the Natural History museum has offered one of the largest, most diverse collections in the world. The dinosaur exhibits are world-renowned, but there are dozens of others equally deserving of a visit.

Throughout its troubled history, the National Gallery in London has persevered to maintain one of the greatest art collections in the world.

One of the best ways to see London is from the air. Unfortunately, that was fairly difficult until recently. Now it's as easy as stepping onto a platform that moves slower than the average escalator into the London Eye pod.

Like most museums in London, The British Museum is free of admission (though some events and special exhibitions have an admission charge). But were it the most expensive attraction in the city, it would be worth the price. Often rated the number one tourist attraction, it houses millions of artifacts from around the world and through history.

For three hundred years St Paul's Cathedral has served as one of the enduring symbols of London, a role it richly deserves. Completed in 1708, Sir Christopher Wren's masterwork is recognized the world over by its large dome and classical architecture.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is in fact long gone - closed by Puritans in 1642 and taken down 2 years later. Fortunately for fans of the bard, there's a faithful reproduction housed only a few hundred meters from the original site.

To most, the question "What time is it?" is mundane. But to the men and women whom, over the centuries since 1675, have worked at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich it is of huge importance.

At the junction of Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue lies a trapezoidal area near London's West End known to the world as Piccadilly Circus.

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is one of the very few attractions in London that is both centuries old and completely modern.

"It's good to be king!" announced the Austrian ruler in Amadeus. Well, it wasn't so bad to be a wealthy merchant either. Kew Palace, known at Dutch House until 1827, was built in 1631 for the Dutch merchant Samuel Fortrey.

Perhaps most famous for the Speaker's Corner, where citizens stand atop a soapbox and shout their views to the crowd, there's much more to see and do here than listen to political opinions.

Much of London, for the tourist anyway, is historical. Ancient buildings and centuries old monuments. Palaces and works of art from the ages. But not Harrods. Harrods, even while its origins are from over 150 years ago, is as up-to-date as the latest computer.

Though one of the most popular tourist attractions in London, Buckingham Palace is still the official residence of Britain's monarchy, as it has been since Queen Victoria's designation in 1837.

To many the name 'Whitehall' evokes 'British Government'. And, indeed, the Houses of Parliament are at one end of the road running north from Parliament Square. But there's much more along this major London artery than the Palace of Westminster, home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords.