Big Ben and London Double-Decker Bus by Kevin Poh

Travelling

First things first: buy an ‘Oyster Card’. With this you can get around the city by bus, tube and boat! You can order your card online from the London Transport website or simply pick one up from a London station. To spot a few more landmarks, jump on the popular number 15 red bus; this authentic London double decker is much cheaper than the conventional sightseeing buses and still packs in many popular attractions. There are many bike docking station located all around London city centre, this allows you to easily rent a bike with minimum effort and fuss and get a good workout while travelling too!

Entertainment

The West end is London’s famous entertainments centre; blockbuster films premier in Leicester Square which often plays host to worldwide-known movie starts and celebrities. Instead of paying top-dollar to see a new release, head around the corner to the Prince Charles Cinema for cheaper showings.

If you fancy seeing a show, The Coliseum is a fantastic venue and as one of London’s largest theatres that offers cheap tickets for certain performances you’re more than likely to be able to get a seat last-minute.

The Coliseum, London, UK by Steve James

Once an old flower market, there’s never a dull moment in Covent Garden. If you are going to check out the street artists, avoid emptying your pockets by skipping outdoor eateries; instead, buy a quick snack and find a comfortable spot on the curb. Next, head to neighbouring Trafalgar Square; here you can find the National Gallery that offers free entry and cheap Saturday cinema tickets. The national portrait gallery is just next door too!

Dining

If you’re after a quick bite before a show in the west end, head down to China town for some affordable treats; for a hearty, authentic meal, find a restaurant with lots of Chinese customers. Head along Neal Street and Neal’s Yard for tasty vegetarian dishes at the modern World Food Café; there is no shortage of stylish boutiques and vintage shops to distract you on the way.

At Borough Market there’s a fresh selection of top quality produce to sample; boasting delicious coffee, smelly cheeses, crispy pastries and roasted meats, Borough Market yields plenty of mouth-watering treats to keep you busy for more than a few hours!  Fill your belly with free samples or purchase some delicious snacks to enjoy later!

So there we are some affordable entertainment and snacks to enjoy whilst out and about in London city centre. Remember, don’t be disheartened by the expensive restaurants you will likely see when researching on the internet, there are plenty of affordable places to spend your time.

Daniel Travis – Brown is an avid traveller and visits London on a regular basis to enjoy all the West end has to offer! He writes travel guides regularly on behalf of Skypark Stansted Airport Parking and shares his articles with his Twitter followers! Find him on Twitter @DanTravisBrown

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Millions around the world watched on TV on April 29 when Kate Middleton made her way from The Goring (one of the most luxurious London Hotels) to the Abbey to marry Prince William. That historic day will have increased interest in visiting the building. Westminster Abbey has in fact been used for coronations and other royal occasions for centuries, so William and Kate were continuing a rich tradition.

Westminster Abbey was founded some time before AD624, and housed a community of Benedictine monks for its first few years. The present church was built in 1245 by Henry III, who was later buried there. The Abbey stood to be destroyed during the reign of Henry VII, for that fate befell most abbeys in his time. But he decided to grant it cathedral status, and spare it from being pulled down. Again in the 17th century it came under threat when it suffered damage at the hands of Puritans, but it survived mostly intact. Around 100 years later, the Abbey’s two western towers were built to a Gothic Revival design. It’s the history surrounding that makes it so unique and special, something even the finest of Dubai Hotels can re-create.

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It is an important religious building, also known as The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which saw parts of the King James Bible and the New Testament translated, as well as, more recently, the New English Bible.

Westminster Abbey has been used for the weddings of most of the royal family in recent times, the exception being Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, married the Duke of Edinburgh at the Abbey in 1947. And it was only appropriate that Prince William, now the Duke of Cambridge, chose the Abbey to host his wedding this year.

Westminster Abbey has also been known as one of the sights of London for its use as the burial place of most of the Kings and Queens of England. Besides royalty, many of England’s finest poets are buried here, including William Blake, Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats, John Milton and Alfred Lord Tennyson. The Princess of Wales’ funeral was held there on September 6, 1997, watched by a huge TV audience around the world.

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Don’t go expecting to be able to take home one of the Queen’s pillows as a keepsake either, as the private quarters of the royal family are out of bounds to visitors, but many thousands of people each year make a trip to London just to get the chance to enter Buckingham Palace.

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In a city where many of the buildings are centuries old, it may surprise some people that the palace itself only dates back to 1705, though that is considerably longer than the Dubai hotels that seek to replicate the Palace’s grandeur. King George III acquired it later in the 18th century for his wife, Queen Charlotte, but it was not an official royal palace until Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837.

Over the years, the building has been extended. Though the core of the building remains largely unchanged, it was enlarged by architects Edward Blore and John Nash by the addition of three wings around a central courtyard.

If there’s one feature of Buckingham Palace known better than any other, it is the balcony on which members of the Royal Family gather to greet crowds. Many millions of TV viewers around the world will remember the balcony as the scene for famous kisses following royal weddings – that of Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales in 1981 and Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011.

One of the most used rooms in Buckingham Palace is the Ballroom, built in 1854. It is the largest room in the building, and one used for investitures, including the conferring of knighthoods, as well as state banquets.

For those lucky enough to receive an invitation, one of the greatest sights in London happens every November when the Queen entertains members of the foreign diplomatic corps, who get to dine off gold plate.

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