Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Edwin Lee

The centre of Richmond, situated on the bank of the river Thames, offers specialized boutiques, nice pubs at the water, rich galleries and museums with interesting collections. Richmond Theatre frequently hosts sneak previews in the West End.

The area boasts many beautiful buildings and gardens. The most famous is the palace of Henry VIII – Hampton Court, which is the oldest Tudor palace in England. There are also The Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, that are one of the world’s leading botanic gardens. They stretch on 121 hectares and are home to more than 40,000 plant species. You can also visit the Palladian villa located on the banks of the Thames called Marble Hill House. It was built in the years 1724-29 by King George II for his mistress Henrietta Howard and now it is open to the public. It is worth to visit also Twickenham Stadium and Museum, the home of the English team – the winner of Rugby World Cup.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Herry Lawford

If you prefer nature, then visit Richmond Park which is the largest royal park in London. The park is surrounded by high walls with several gates. There are also trails for horse riding and cycling.

Very interesting building is Ham House with the garden which is considered to be a unique in Europe as the most complete survival of 17th century fashion and power. If you come to Richmond, do not forget to visit also Museum of Richmond, The Royal Star & Garter Homes and Syon House. Richmond is best reached by river by boat service, which operates during the summer from Westminster Pier.

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Having said that a relatively new kid on the block has already firmly established itself as one of London’s most recognisable landmarks among its elder neighbours and is also now a top tourist attraction. I am, of course, talking about the London Eye.

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London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. When it was built in 1999 to mark the millennium it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, though it now has to be content with being the tallest wheel in Europe after the Star of Nanchang (2006) and Singapore Flyer (2008) were subsequently built.

London Eye is now the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, with more than 3.5million visitors per year. It contains 32 air conditioned capsules with one complete revolution taking about 30 minutes. It offers visitors an awe inspiring view of the city of London, which can help you get your bearing if you are planning on an extended stay in the City.

London Eye also plays a central role to the City’s New Year celebrations, with hundreds of fireworks flying off the structure on the stroke of midnight. It is also decorated to mark special occasions such as the recent Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton and will also carry the Olympic emblem throughout next summer’s tournament, hosted of course by London.

So if you are planning your trip to England’s capital, as well as looking at the finest London Hotels and restaurants, make sure you have booked you place on a top tourist attraction, the London Eye.

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