London Capital City of United Kingdom Attractions for Visitors

London is a paradise for travellers and tourists who wish to see lots of sights and World famous attractions. London has a lot of things to offer the visitor to the United Kingdom. While the city is popular for housing Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace, there is muc more to see and do in the UK's capital City. London is culturally unique given the atmosphere created by the different cultural influences here.

Big Ben

The most popular attraction in London, of course, is Big Ben. Located in the Parliament Square, this is the four-faced Clock Tower and is attached to the end of the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben is actually the name for the Great Bell situated at the North end of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of parliament) building and housed in the clock tower structure. It is the largest four-faced instrument in the world. Charles Barry is the architect behind the project.

King's Cross Station

Also called as King's X. This is one of the citys major railway stations located in the North-Eastern part of London. The main terminal building is designed by Lewis Cubiit during the 1850's. This station replaced a temporary terminal in the city's Maiden Lane. Some people believe that there are still ghosts haunting the underground passages of the King's Cross Station.

Tower of London

The tower is one of the most popular landmarks in London, and it got its name for the White Tower at the center of the complete structure. The structure served many purposes in the past: a fortress, a place for minting coins, an observatory, a jail, even a Zoo and more. When it served as a jail, it housed mostly inmates from the top social classes such as monarchs and even Queen Elizabeth I who was detained during the reign of her own sister, Mary Tudor.

Wembley Stadium

The stadium could be one of the most favorite venues for concerts and sports in the world. While the new Wembley Stadium is fairly recently opened in 2007, it has managed to create an image to be a Worldwide icon. Its main role is to be the home ground of the English national football team. It has also been a good host for many domestic football league events. It has more than 90,000 seating capacity, making it the second largest venue in the whole of Europe.

The National Gallery

Established in 1824, the National Gallery is situated on the northern part of the Trafalgar Square, another one of the main attractions in London. The exterior is a famous British monument and within the gallery, there are about 2,300 paintings.

King's College London

Built in 1829, the King's College London has an exceptional reputation in the field of teaching and research. It has also been a main player on the global educational stage. It has five campuses, four of which are in the heart of London. The area is said to be an ideal place for cultural, academic and social opportunities.

The London Library

The London Library is situated near St. James Square, and is known to be the world's biggest self-supporting library. It was founded by Thomas Carlyle in 1841. The founder had a vision to serve scholars and readers by providing books for users to take home. The London Library's collection has grown to over One Million during its life of almost two centuries.

London Dungeon

The London Dungeon is not an ordinary museum and is definitely a must see attraction for visitors. It is actually a reproduction of Medieval and Renaissance England highlighting all the goriest,scary and most frightening parts of Londons history. It is located in a dark Dungeon beneath the London Bridge. It boasts of its expert combination of scary sound effects, frightening rides and amazing special effects shows. London Dungeon also takes pride in its new 5D Laser Light ride and shows including live actors. The London Dungeon has many chambers and rooms where exhibitions and interactive activities take place. Tourists can learn facts about some tragic historical events in London or England in general as well as enjoying family Frightening Fun!

Tower Bridge

Situated on the River Thames, the Tower Bridge is on the list of the most popular bridges, not just in London but in the world. The bridge was officially inaugurated in 1894. Sir Horace Jones designed the magnificent bridge, which was soon recognized as one of the most outstanding images within the British capital. Given the volume of traffic along the river during the building of the bridge, it was designed with two bascules that can be lifted, to allow tall ships and boats to pass through. The routine of the lifting of Tower Bridge to allow ships passage was worked daily during the late 19th century and early 20th century. These days, the tradition of lifting the bascules to allow large ships to pass is not as frequent as before.

Covent Garden

Another must-see attraction in London, Covent Garden is an attractive shopping and popular tourist district. The place is known to entice lots of visitors with its open air cafes, elegant shops, markets and World famous street entertainers. The garden's name came from a corruption on the name 'Convent Garden' that was situated on the site in medievil times as the Kitchen Garden attached to the Abbey of St Paul's that used to supply products to Westminster Abbey.