London Things to Do

Greenwich Park, located in south-east London, beside the River Thames, is the oldest royal park in London, established in 1433 and now forming part of the Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site. Encompassing 183 acres (74 ha) the park is made up of beautiful sloping grasslands including a deer sanctuary home to a herd of Fallow and Red deer; a traditional early 20th-century style Tea Pavilion; and forested hillsides offering sweeping views across the River Thames to St Paul’s Cathedral and beyond.

It’s the oldest royal park in London and was established in 1433. It’s 183 acres (74 ha) of beautiful sloping parkland leading up to the Royal Observatory (home of the Prime Meridian) and Planetarium, including the historic Queen’s House, the Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum. Due to the park’s use for the Olympic Games, it will be closed to the public until August 4th.

Hitting headlines recently as the 2012 Olympic Shooting venue, the London Royal Artillery Barracks boast a long military history, built in 1776 for the companies of the Royal Artillery and used by them until 2007. Not only that, the Royal Artillery Barracks once hosted the Royal Arsenal complex, home to the British Government’s principal armaments manufacturing facility, and the Royal Military Academy which trained officers and engineers from 1741 to 1939. Nearby Woolwich Common is still a military training area, so if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the Royal troops marching through the park.

30km South of London nestled in the vibrant student hub of Surrey, Box Hill is one of South England‘s most popular lookout points, famed for its sweeping panoramas. A popular picnic spot since Victorian times, Box Hill cemented its tourist itinerary status when it hosted the cycling portion of the 2012 London Olympics.

So you’re in London, it’s the Olympics and you don’t have tickets. Or you have tickets but only for one or two events. Don’t despair – there are plenty of ways to be in on the action and all for free.

One of the most fantastic things about London is that nearly all the public museums and galleries are free.

1. The National Gallery

Located on Trafalgar Square and with one of the best collections of painting anywhere in the world, the National Gallery is free which means you can return several times to cover the whole collection. A great place for avoiding the rain!

If you’re looking to get away from the mass of people coming to London for the Olympics, here are a few options.

Beaches:

1) Southend-on-Sea, Essex

This is a lovely seven-mile stretch of beaches not far from London, with the pick being Shoeburyness East Beach because of its windsurfing area, grassy headland and long sand beach. Southend has the world’s longest leisure pier, The Southend Pier. The train from Liverpool Street Station to Southend takes about an hour.

Harry Potter’s world was a world where magic and reality met, sometimes not too happily. London was a place where some of this magic happened, where secret train platforms and lane-ways opened up to the lucky ones.

Here are some of the sights that we mere mortals are able to see:

1. London Zoo Reptile House

The zoo in Regents Park is where Harry first realized his powers, by talking to a boa constrictor.

Everyone in London has watched Western Europe’s tallest building rise into the skyline: The Shard is here and it’s going to change the way we view this city.

The Olympic Torch’s arrival in and journey around the UK leading up to the 2012 Olympics is not only symbolic of peace, unity, and friendship but is a way for millions to be involved in the Games, especially those of us not lucky enough to get tickets or talented enough to actually be competing.

The first weekend in June promises to be a very special one as the country celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.