Tower of London, England, UK by xiquinhosilva

1. The Tower of London

One of London’s oldest and most popular attractions, the Tower of London was built in 1078, and remains one of the most well preserved medieval castles in the country. Its central location within the skyscrapers of the City of London financial district make it even more unique, as does its multiple galleries, and housing of the Crown Jewels.

2. St. Paul’s Cathedral

Located on the outskirts of the City of London financial district (about 10 minutes by Tube from the West End), St. Paul’s Cathedral has survived fire and the WWII Blitz to remain one of the capital’s most loved landmarks. Giving yourself the time to explore its artifacts, and the Whispering Gallery on the upper levels, is recommended.

Photo of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, UK by Garry Knight

3. Westminster Abbey

While a visit to Westminster, which contains the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, is always recommended, it’s worth taking the time to visit Westminster Abbey. The Gothic church is a regular destination for Royal weddings, contains a number of important burial sites, and includes fascinating museums exhibits.

Photo of Westminster Abbey, London by thetravelguru

4. Buckingham Palace

The Queen’s main residence is a constant favourite of visitors to London, and can be explored via guided tours of certain areas of the Palace. The Palace also includes art galleries, a gift shop, and the daily sight of the Changing of the Palace Guards.

Photo of Buckingham Palace, London by OwenXu

5. British Museum

Home to one of the world’s best collections of art and rare items, this Bloomsbury-based museum demands repeated exploration. First developed in the 18th century, the Museum, only a short walk from the West End, is particularly recommended for its Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman artifacts.

Photo of British Museum, London by DAVID HOLT

6. Victoria & Albert Museum

Part of a street of famous museums in Kensington, which also includes the National History Museum and the Science Museum, the V&A was opened in 1852 as a home for decorative art, and today represents one of the best places to see photography and contemporary design exhibits.

Photo of Victoria & Albert Museum, London by gailf548

7. London Eye

This enormous Ferris wheel represents the best way to get a panoramic view of London. Based by the Thames, and near to London Waterloo train station, the Eye offers 30 minute rides in its passenger capsules, with varying prices.

Photo of London Eye, England by Jim Bahn

8. The National Gallery

This art gallery by Trafalgar Square is home to over 2,300 paintings, and is free to enter. The gallery’s pillared facade takes you into a vast holding of art from painters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Van Gogh.

Photo of The National Gallery on Trafalgar square, London by Maurice

9. Tate Modern

London’s best modern art gallery sits on the banks of the Thames, and faces towards St Paul’s on the other side of the river. The gallery contains changing and permanent exhibitions, and is free to enter.

Photo of Tate Modern, London by aaron.bihari

10. Natural History Museum

Another of Kensington’s world class museums, the Natural History Museum is dedicated to the natural sciences, and animal and insect collections. Particularly recommended is the enormous Blue Whale, and the museum’s dinosaur exhibits.

Photo of Natural History Museum, London by Heather Cowper

Author bio: Liam Ohm is a keen writer with a particular interest in things-to-do in London. He highly recommends Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tickets for another great day out during your time in London.

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London Underground (Håkan Dahlström) / CC BY 2.0

The tube

I recently went to Milan where the four-line subway system utterly baffled me, I believe the UK has nearer 10 lines, for a non-English speaking person visiting and trying to get around this doesn’t make for an easy journey. As with most things though, once you know how, it’s easy and efficient. In central London you rarely have to wait for more than three minutes for the next train and if it’s easy for you to get to an underground station this can be a fast and efficient way to travel.

Ferry

We love the river and amidst the hustle, bustle and general chaos that constitutes day to day city life taking a ferry from one place to another can provide welcome respite from the hectic day to day routines of many that live in the city. With British summer’s typically akin to the depths of winter for some countries this is certainly not the warmest route – for a tranquil way to travel though, it stands alone as the cities best.

Black London Cab, UK by Jimmy Barrett

Cabs

Travel in style, avoid stress from excessive traffic and parking worries, don’t worry that it’s going to break down or not be running…and pay more. If you’ve got the budget cabs are one of the best ways to go, the pro of these is being taken door to door without having to worry about missing trains, running late, climbing up masses of stairs because the escalators are broken, being packed in tightly with other travelers or figuring out where you need to go on a map. They are abundant although the sheer volume of partygoers on a weekend can render even the cab service scarce, many a clubber can be seen wondering around at 3am on a Saturday night looking for a way home which brings me on to another benefit – no time limits. The drawbacks are that you have to fight the traffic like everyone else and you can get ripped off, booking this in advance though and using a cab driver with good knowledge can eliminate a lot of this stress.

Buses

Finally, if you’re on a budget but it’s too far to walk or you’re wearing unsuitable footwear the big red buses so characteristic of London are a good way to get around. Even more difficult to get your head around than the tube these aren’t for the navigationally challenged! Most drivers will (admittedly grudgingly) help you to get to the right stop for your destination and make the best of the bus network.

The Transport for London website has a great journey planner and other maps, you can also click through to book a London taxi.

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Fireline of the Rotterdam, commemoration of the May 1940 bombardement by Nazi Germany by Trebaxus

The port of Rotterdam has 105km2 and stretches over a distance of 40km. The largest ocean-going ships have unrestricted access to the port for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A sea depth in the port is 24 meters, which allow access to any ship.

More than 500 regular shipping lines connect Rotterdam with over a thousand ports around the world. For many smaller European ports serves as a container transshipment.

Goods coming into Rotterdam in the morning, may be, for example in Germany, Belgium, France or Great Britain on the same afternoon. One of the main advantages of Rotterdam is its location at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Maas. The result is efficient and economical use of transport by rivers and canals deep into the heart of Europe.

Rotterdam, Netherlands by M.M.Minderhoud

The metropolis is surprisingly quite different from other cities in the Netherlands. The port of Rotterdam was very important already during the World War II and therefore it was totally destroyed. The city was not renewed again like lots of other Holland cities, but it was built from the scratch. Rotterdam is now a city of skyscrapers.

When you go to Rotterdam, you will be surprised by the transport system. The density of highways is unbelievable, have many lanes, there are a large number of highway intersections. Roads are built on bridges and raids in several levels. If you saw the transportation system of the Japanese and North American cities, so it is exactly here. Moreover, everything is illuminated at night. Tunnels are not an exception.

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Prior to the 1960s, Benidorm was a small village. Today it stands out for its hotel industry, beaches and skyscrapers, built as a result of its tourist-oriented economy. Now it is one of the most important holiday resorts in Spain. Due to the unique skyline formed by its numerous tall hotels and apartment buildings it is sometimes referred to as the “Manhattan of Spain” or “Beniyork”, which is unlike any other on the Costa Blanca (White Coast). According to the Urban Age project, Benidorm has the most high-rise buildings per capita in the world. Benidorm is surrounded by one of the most impressive mountains of the Costa Blanca, the 1406 m tall Puig Campana.

View Benidorm – Spanish Manhattan in Costa Blanca in a larger map

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