A single visit is not enough for knowing London
London is one place that attracts leisure and business travellers with equal enthusiasm. Though the number of tourists travelling to London on business is more as compared to those going on a vacation, the latter is considerable. The attractions of London are so many that even business tourists take out some time out of their busy schedule to visit these places. Some of these attractions are within the city while some a little away. Considering the efficient transportation of the city even small distance excursions is a possibility in a London tour spanning a few days. Hotels close to Heathrow airport make elaborate arrangements for assisting in visiting these London attractions either by arranging for transport or by booking tickets.
Time being the biggest constraint for tourists it is not possible to complete visiting every London attraction in a single tour. If you are a business traveller and visit London often, then the chances of going to all the notable places is high. A holiday maker is better placed in this respect as his primary purpose is going to the famous tourist sites one after another. Touring agencies have specially designed packages for making the best of your leisure time in this fascinating city.
London Pass Sightseeing card – Depending upon the spare time you have you could opt for 1/2/3/6-day pass to visit more than 60 attractions of London. This single card gives you fast track entry to historic and cultural attraction sites this city has to offer. There is no limit to the time you want to spend in each of these sites such as Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, London Zoo, and Thames cruise. Fast track entrance saves you the trouble of standing in queues for long minutes thereby letting you visit more places within a specific time. This pass also entitles you to discounts in theatres, restaurants and other facilities. With this pass you are permitted to unlimited public transportation till the period of its validity.
Hop-on, hop-off bus tour, and Thames cruise – Similar to London Pass is ‘hop-on, hop-off’ bus pass that enables you to go around the city in London’s famous open double-decker bus. You could opt for a 24-hour or 48-hour pass depending on your convenience. The pass entitles you to explore London city in a Golden Tour bus that covers five routes and 44 destinations. The destinations covered include Buckingham Palace, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Park Lane, Marble Arch, London Bridge and so on. This pass also allows Thames boat ride, Beatles Walking tour, and Royal Walking tour. Multilingual commentary in the buses makes your exploration tour even more enjoyable.
These buses travel in a loop in five routes namely: Blue, Green, Lilac, Red (Docklands), and Red (Panoramic). Depending on the route each loop takes between 90 minutes and 180 minutes. Services begin at 8:30 in the morning and continue till 7:30 pm at intervals of 15 or 20 minutes depending upon the route.
London Eye and Thames cruise – The chance of a London Eye ride must never be missed on a London visit. This engineering marvel at 135 metre is the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world. Along the rim of this giant wheel there are 32 capsules made of high quality glass. Inside each of these capsules are six touch-screen tablets that give you details of all the important landmarks that you observe from within. Description of each of these landmarks of London is given in several languages. These descriptions are accompanied with running commentary in several languages and special effects making your 30 minute riding experience truly memorable. On a clear day you could view up to a distance of 40km from the highest point of London Eye.
You could choose among a ‘standard ride’, ‘a fast-track ride’, and a ‘champagne ride’. You could compliment your London Eye ride with a Thames River cruise. London Eye operates from 10am to 8:30pm, while Thames cruise is from 11:45 in the morning till 4:45 in the evening.
Legoland day trip – Legoland in Windsor is a thrilling experience for all members of your family. This fun land created with 40 million ‘lego’ bricks offers 55 stimulating rides for everyone in your family. The entire fun park is divided into five activity zones, each complete with its own set of activities and restaurants. Atlantis Submarine Voyage is especially appealing. Equally attractive is its Star Wars display. The entire saga is displayed with the help of 2000 Lego idols and the set is enhanced by the accompaniment of light and sound effects. There also are life-size Lego vehicles waiting to be test driven.
It takes one full day to visit this park in entirety. Departure to Legoland is from specific locations of London city in buses leaving at 9am, 9:30am, 10am, and 10:40am. Buses from Legoland are from noon onwards till 6:20pm at hourly intervals.
Tour of Warner Brothers Studio – Fans of Harry Potter would love to visit Warner Brothers Studio, the place of making the cinema. The studio is a marvel of technology, artistry and film making. For 10 years the set was used for making the entire Harry Potter series. You would be amazed at the costumes, props, and of course the true to life sets. In your visit to the studio you would also learn about the use of astounding special effects that formed the backbone of the entire film series.
Studio visit takes about 3 hours, and the total duration of Warner Brothers Studio takes about 6 ½ to 7 hours. First bus to the studio departs at 7:30am. Thereafter from 8am till 4pm they depart at an hourly interval. First return is at 2pm and the last at 11pm.
The wonders of London are varied and it is not possible to cover them all in a single trip. If you have put up in a hotel close to Heathrow airport, you could take their assistance in guiding you on a local sightseeing tour.