Tower Bridge, London, UK by siddhu2020

When to visit

Spring and summer (somewhere from April till August) are normally considered to be the best times to visit this magical city. Though even during this time layering in clothes is advised. Personally though, I love the British winter- when you can actually feel the spirit of London dwelling in every nook and corner of its streets.

What not to miss

The city definitely deserves leisurely visits to many of its endowments. However, there are a few things that are blasphemous to miss. If you are on a scheduled trip, make note of a few things that ought to be visited. There are always the guided tours, but again personally, I prefer discovering a city at my own pace. Do the basic background research but then let the city itself make you discover her. Be impulsive; turn a street you don’t the destination of. Eat everywhere- from the most delectable restaurant to small eateries to roadside kiosks. Let the city guide you where to go next. But even among these, the must-dos include the following-

• It would be a sacrilege to come from London without visiting the abode of the Queen- the Buckingham Palace. Experience the royalty first hand. The State rooms in the palace are open to visitors during a few months of the year.

Buckingham Palace & Queen Victoria Memorial, London, UK by shining.darkness

• If looking for a good time to able to appreciate all that the city offers, take a walk along the embankment form the London Eye to the Tower Bridge.

• Go up the London Eye (preferably at night) to get a spectacularly breathtaking view of the city.

• A bit hidden jewels of the city include the Churchill War Rooms and markets like the Borough Market, Spitafields, and Portobello etc.

• If you’re with the love of your life, the Kew Gardens are not to be missed at any cost. The entire city is spotted with several fascinating gardens. But the Kew Gardens, the royal botanic gardens, is the best place for a couple to spend a quiet, blissful evening.

Temperate house at Kew Gardens, London, UK by Heather Cowper

• When in need of a little solitude, choose to walk by yourself in the Hyde Park- watch life go by and sit around for a little introspection and retrospection.

• For the shopaholics, London brings in some special gifts. The Selfridges, the King’s Road and Notting Hill/Westbourne Grove bring you the best of fashion, interiors and technology. Shop around and have fun!

Moving around the city

The amazing transport facilities in the city make it easy to move around at any time of the day and even at night. My personal favourite being the feet, I always prefer walking around the city to take in the true flavour of the place. There are also the options of the 8000 buses, the trams networking 39 stops around the city, the black cabs and the underground tubes. If your budget allows, you can always go for a little luxury like hiring a Bentley chauffeur in London.

The post Lucent London: A Guide for Everyone Visiting London appeared first on Best of European Union.

Kew Gardens, London by Herry Lawford

The magic of the gardens

Ok, so spring doesn’t always mean endless days of sunshine and there are no guarantees that you’ll stay dry when you’re out and about in London. But if you do want to enjoy the fresh air with the added security of an undercover bolt-hole then some of London’s finest gardens offer the best of both worlds, with spectacular landscaped gardens outside as well as excellent collections of plant and wildlife inside the greenhouses and conservatories. Kew Gardens are among the very best and rightly famed across the world. Spring is the perfect time to admire the millions of flowers spread out across 300 acres making the gardens a joy to behold, while there are also activities and play areas for children to enjoy and the renowned glasshouses offer year-round safety from the rain in a tropical atmosphere.

Picnic in the park

Parks are a big part of life for many Londoners with many beautiful examples preserving some much needed green space amongst the urban sprawl of the huge city. As soon as the sun comes out there are few better ways to spend the day then grabbing a blanket, a frisbee and some sandwiches and nabbing a spot in a nearby park. Hyde Park is one of the most famous and for added serenity you can always grab a rowing boat and head out onto the Serpentine Lake.

Head for the river

The River Thames is the heartbeat of London and offers some of the best ways to experiences days of relaxation in the fresh, spring air. A simple stroll along the banks of the Thames gives you the chance to see the many different sides to the city or if you want to take to the water then you can admire the sights from the top of a cruise boat or enjoy a cheeky glass of al fresco champagne in the sunshine while escaping the crowds yet sampling enviable views of tourist magnets such as the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament.

Lose yourself in the bluebells

Plenty of picturesque flowers spring up at this time of year but the bluebell delivers some of the most vivid displays of colour that really capture the magic of the season. Richmond Park boasts its own woodland garden which becomes a carpet of bluebells in late spring, while Wilderness Wood in Hadlow Down is another place transformed into a sea of blue during April and May.

Brought to you by Activity Superstore, the leaders in Gift Experiences in the UK. With a massive range of gift experiences from supercar experiences to pamper days, your sure to find the perfect gift.

The post The Best Places to Make the Most of London This Summer appeared first on Best of European Union.

When one is in London, darling, one should procure an appropriate residence. Park your corgis on the silk scatter cushions and order a banquet of cucumber butties from your butler. Five star hotels in London may require you to martyr the contents of your wallet, but if you’re sleeping soundly in a four poster bed after a luxury spa treatment, who cares?

Buckingham Palace / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by OwenXu

Hotel 41, on Buckingham Palace Road no less, is a fabulous choice. Sew some pearl buttons onto your cardie, attach a feather to your bonnet and you’ll fit right in.

Rock and Roll

Not sure you’ll get away with smashing TVs or guitars at the Pavilion Fashion Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel (believe me, even if you only smash the remote they won’t let you back in again) but I’m sure you’ll want to lounge over velvet upholstery and play air guitar to yourself in front of an extravagant gold mirror. These things can all be done, my friend, at the Pavillion Fashion Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel. You can also even choose your own musical theme.

Book the ‘Honky Tonk Afro’ suite, perhaps, or go all mystical in the ‘Enter the Dragon’ room.

And the best thing about all this? You’ll actually be able to afford the hotel, even on a musician’s wage, you can get a double room for £100 a night, done!

Bohemian Boat Adventure

Hipsters and bohemian lovelies across the capital will no doubt feel that the Olympics, quite frankly, is a little passé. Take your hamper of lightly salted rice cakes, almond milk, and whiskey, and head out to West London where you can get away from all the hype of the games.

Why not rent a house boat on the Thames? The Bush Houseboat, moored near Kew Gardens, is fully kitted out and essentially a floating flat. Hug trees and take bark rubbings in Kew Gardens, write some poetry about the passing swans or star gaze with your loving companion on the roof of the boat ; allow the Olympics to completely pass you by.

London canal houseboats / aaron.bihari

Miss Scarlet, in the Hostel, with the walking boot

Hostel dorms don’t need to look like something out of Escape from Alcatraz, and there are plenty of London hostels with style, class and quirk that will still save you money. Palmers Lodge in Swiss Cottage looks rather like the setting for an Agatha Christie novel:  Grand staircases, high ceilings and lots of red drapes. Time to perch on a pew to sip your martini at the chapel bar and get your free breakfast.

City Slicking, Local Style

Book yourself a Thames side apartment to live like London’s sexy city slickers for a couple of weeks. With apartments for rent on numerous websites you can have a whole place to yourself and cook exactly what you like. You’ll be able to enjoy your own Thames balcony whilst breakfasting on coffee and cigarettes and in the evening, you’ll be just a short walk from London’s trendiest clubs.

These are my picks of the day, but if you’ve got any other suggestions about styles of accommodation in London, get in touch and I’ll test them out for myself!

Sophie McGovern writes for Hotelopia, an online hotel booking system with hundreds of hotels in central London. When not writing, she can be found scouring the streets of the capital for interesting places, fabulous hotels and the best cakes.

The post Accommodation Options for the London Olympics: Which style suits you? appeared first on Best of European Union.

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.

View Richmond upon Thames – one of the most beautiful parts of London United Kingdom in a larger map

The post Richmond – one of the most beautiful parts of London | United Kingdom appeared first on Best of European Union.