London Things to Do

All eyes have been glued to the British capital this year, with the epic Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and the upcoming Olympic games thrusting the city firmly into the limelight. Of course, London has long been renowned for its cosmopolitan population, rich history and trailblazing status in art, fashion and music, but this year the city is set to reclaim its ranking as one of Europe’s most popular destinations.

If you’re joining the masses in London this year, you’re sure to be swamped with sightseeing options, but for those looking to get a taste of the real London alongside checking off their to-do list, here’s the insider lowdown on what, where and how to get the most out of the Big Smoke.

Since the bespectacled and pint-sized Harry Potter burst onto cinema screens over 10 years ago, the varied cast of heroes and villains have quickly become part of British legend, working their way into the hearts and minds of children and adults all over the world. The franchise, worth a gob-smacking $7 billion, culminated last year with the 8th film, but thankfully for fans the magical journey is not quite over yet. In fact, with Warner Bros. set to open their long-awaited ‘The Making of Harry Potter’ studio tour this year in London, they’ll be plenty for Hogwarts fans to gorge on.

London 2012 is not just about running fast and jumping high, there’s also a Cultural Olympiad with nearly 3 months of events across the country.

Plays, literature, comedy, fashion, music, film, food and of course those excellent London museums will also be getting involved.

The London Palladium has opened its doors to the new, and definitely soon to be, hit London musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’. After the success of the UK BBC TV show ‘Over the Rainbow’, where the world famous Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber ran auditions to find his Dorothy, people have been flocking far and wide to see the winner, Danielle Hope, perform.

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

Londoners love a curry, and the place to go for a really good curry is Brick Lane in the East End. This narrow street is lined by curry houses serving traditional foods from Bangladesh and India. On any normal night of the week it’s impossible to walk down the street without being offered free drinks and specials by the hosts standing outside restaurants as they vie for customers. It gives the place quite a carnival feel all year, but for one week in May the festivities really unleash for the Brick Lane Curry Festival.

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London is so bursting with history it’s impossible to get a grip on it all. What this means is that new old things come to light all the time (if you know what I mean). One of these is Strawberry Hill House.

In 2002, a charitable trust was established to restore this at risk 18th century Gothic Revival house. Since then, the house has been undergoing a £9 million repair and restoration programme and recently reopened to visitors. The house is not huge but it is eccentric and fascinating.

On February 6, 1952 King George VI died (the king featured in the film The King’s Speech) and his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, became Queen. 60 years later we are celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.

On June 3rd there will be a flotilla of a thousand boats sailing along the River Thames. A new state barge, the Gloriana, will transport the Royal Family and will be rowed by former Olympic rower, Sir Steve Redgrave who will join 17 of the Queen’s oarsmen. It will be decorated with £4,000 of gold leaf and its design is based on a Viking craft and resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor in the early 1800s. The Lord Mayor’s Show used to take place on the river which is why we have “floats” in processions!

Every traveler knows that the best places to get answers about anything is a local! We’ve invited some of our local expert guides to give us their insider information on what to do in their city. Who better to get advice about London from than a true Londoner!