Where to Stay in London, England

What is London known for?

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom. The River Thames runs through the middle of it. Its landmarks are known the world over, from the Tower of London and Big Ben to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge along the river.

The museums match them. The British Museum, the National Gallery and Tate Modern draw visitors from everywhere, and the City of London, the ancient Roman core, remains a centre of world finance.

What are the main landmarks in London?

London's landmarks run the length of the Thames and fill the streets between. The Tower of London and Tower Bridge guard the river to the east, while Big Ben and Buckingham Palace mark the west. World collections fill the British Museum and the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, with Tate Modern across the river.

The London Eye turns above the south bank. Westminster Abbey has stood beside the river for centuries.

What is the history of London?

London began as a Roman town. The Romans founded Londinium on the north bank of the Thames around the year 47, and the City of London still keeps the medieval boundaries that grew from that first core. It has been a settlement for close to two thousand years.

The river carried it from the start. West of that Roman core, the City of Westminster became the seat of the crown and the national parliament, and has held that role for centuries. The city grew slowly, then all at once.

In the nineteenth century London expanded faster than any city before it, becoming the largest in the world of its day. As it spread it swallowed land from the old counties around it, Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire. Since 1965 that whole spread has been governed as Greater London.

Thirty-three local authorities and the Greater London Authority share its government between them. The city's outline on the map is a record of every stage of that long growth. What began as one Roman town on the Thames became the vast city of these many boroughs.

Where is London?

London stands on the River Thames in south-east England, near the head of a long tidal estuary that runs down to the North Sea. The river winds through the middle of the city, dividing a northern side from a southern one. The old core, the City of London, sits on the north bank, with the City of Westminster just to its west.

Beyond them, Greater London spreads for miles. The North Sea lies downstream to the east.

What is the climate of London?

London has a mild, temperate climate, drier than much of the rest of the country. Sheltered inland from the worst of the sea, it sees less rain than the west of England, though showers can fall in any month. Winters are cool and rarely freeze hard; summers are warm rather than hot.

The Thames and the city's own warmth keep frosts short. Grey, even skies are the usual backdrop.

How do you get to London?

London is the country's busiest point of arrival. Travellers come from around the world by air, and trains run in from every direction to its central stations, among them Charing Cross beside the Thames. The river links the city to the North Sea downstream, once the route by which trade arrived.

Roads and rail fan out across England. Once here, the question is how to cross the city, not how to reach it.