London Things to Do

As quintessentially British as the Queen or the red double-decker bus, ordering a pint at one of London’s historic drinking dens is a right of passage for all visitors to the big smoke, so to get you started, here are 10 of the best pubs in the capital.

1. The Artillery Arms, the City

With its stately dark wood and stone interiors, this traditional British pub checks off all the boxes with a cozy, open-wood fire for the winter months, a menu packed with perfectly assembled pub fare and a prime location right on the edge of the city.

The London skyline is continuously evolving and there is a gleaming new addition, The Shard. At 1,016-feet high, it is the tallest building in Western Europe. The 11,000 triple-glazed panels were erected by a team of specialist rappellers.

Prince Andrew, who was present at the official opening of the building this month, is going to rappel down the building on September 3rd to raise money for charity!

The city streets are no place to spend a sunny summer’s afternoon, so grab a Frisbee, a few mates and a picnic and join the locals at your nearest park – London has no end of green spaces, but here’s a rundown of the best.

1. Primrose Hill (Best for: celebrity spotting): With its epic views of the city and gently rolling grasslands, this North London haven earns its stripes not only for its impressive scenery, but for the abundance of celebrities resident in the area – Jude Law, Gwen Stefani and Kate Moss have all been spotted taking their kids for a stroll in these parts.

And so it comes to a close. The spectacular cauldron will be turned off, the flame returned to Greece for another four years until it travels to Rio de Janeiro.

If the Opening Ceremony was anything to judge by, the closing of London 2012 will be worth taking notice of, even if there has been a lot less publicity about it.

Each August, on the final bank holiday weekend of the summer, the eyes of London shift west to take in one of the city’s most vibrant and voracious street carnivals. The Notting Hill Carnival is organized by the area’s vast Caribbean population and is a celebration of their roots and heritage through music, dance, food and general flamboyance. Running since 1964, the carnival is Europe’s biggest street festival, drawing in crowds of over a million spectators to gawp at the flashy costumes and join in the party.