London is a major tourist destination for many visitors to the UK and offers some popular well known tourist attractions such as the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, The London Dungeon and many more. However many visitors miss out on the best bits of the city so please read on for some hidden London gems that are a must for any visitor.
If you are in the area of Hammersmith, head along to the London Wetland Centre in Barnes. Almost 100 acres of reclaimed reservoir offers one of the best wildlife and wetlands centres in the country. For anyone interested in nature and wildfowl this makes a great visit and I highly recommend taking a pair of strong binoculars and a camera with a zoom lens. Given the open nature of this attraction you will also want to visit on a fine day.
Why not then head to Baker Street and ride a tour bus highlighting some of the not so well known features of the central London area? There is no better way to see the sights of London. Jump aboard a hop-on, hop-off bus and be guided through London past and present by an experienced guide. Buses depart every half an hour or so so its a great destination to pop along to if you do not have a specific schedule.
Portobello Road market is a famous antiques and marketplace about 10 minutes from Ladbroke Grove Tube station. Portobello Road has been a market since the 19th century – but is well known for its antiques in the 1950s. Today there are many different stalls offering everything from fruit and drinks to antiques, posters, clothes, ceramics and more.
For those that are interested in Wine and wine making – head to the “Vinopolis”. This is an amazing two and a half acre space devoted to the world of wine, wine tasting and its associated pleasures. The best way to access is via London Bridge. You can probably spend two hours or so browsing the exhibits and listening to the audio commentaries. You do need to love your wines to find this a place of interest.
Finally head to the British Museum. Get off the tube at Tottenham court road or Holborn. The museum is visited by nearly 5 million people a year and houses around 7 million objects, the British Museum is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and is visited by people worldwide. Often overlooked this museum is not to be missed and of course visiting is completely free. I would also recommend spending a full day exploring the museum.
There are hundreds more less well known places and attractions to visit in London and I highly recommend starting with a days pass for the London Underground and heading towards Westminster as a starting point. Don’t forget to take a tube map. Be sure to roughly plan your visit, and check the National Rail timetables if you need to catch a connecting train out of the city.
Chris David operates www.seethesights.co.uk a sightseeing and tourism resource for UK visitors.
