Oxford Street London’s Popular Shopping District

London – one of the most desired tourist destination in the entire world. This capital city hosts some of the best night clubs, pubs and bars of the city. You can also savor the various means of entertainment such as theatres, musical shows, sports etc that the city offers. London is also known as the most fashionable city of the world. People from all over the world come to UK to shop the most stylish clothes and accessories. Several streets such as Oxford Street, Regents Street, Covent Garden, Bond Street and Piccadilly Circus etc are famous for the elegant shops and unique collection of clothes and accessories.

Oxford Street is also amongst the best tourist attractions of England as far as shopping in London is concerned. It is one of the busiest and the liveliest areas of the city. The place is easily accessible from Oxford Circus tube station. It is also close to the Marble Arch, Tottenham Court Road, Mayfair and Bond Street underground stations. The eventful region of Oxford Street London attracts most of the tourists. Almost all the shops in Oxford Street open at 10:00 in the morning and it remains open till 7:00 p.m. You can explore several departmental stores such as Selfridges etc in this area. Fashion Formal Hire, Ladies Wear, Children clothing, Fashion Maternity, Men’s Wear, and accessories, you name it and Oxford Street offers it. Most of the big departmental stores are located between Oxford Street and Marble Arch. Not only in London but, Oxford Street is also the busiest shopping street in the entire Europe. It is home to numerous branded showrooms as well as several small and cheap shops. It is surely not the most expensive shopping areas in London but quite a few cheap stores are also available in the region. Here are some of the most popular stores at Oxford Street:

• Adidas
• Selfridges
• John Lewis
• Debenhams
• Marks and Spencer
• House of Fraser
• Disney Store
• Topshop
• Nike
• United Colours of Benetton

Oxford Street is also well known for elegant and stylish jewellery. It is home to several renowned and designer jewel stores such as Leslie Davis, Fossil, Swarovski, Swatch, H Samuel and many more.

Several festivals such as Easter, Christmas etc are celebrated at the Oxford Street. The street is decorated with lights. The tradition is that in the mid of November a celebrity is invited to turn on these lights and then it remains on till 6th January. You can also relish the delights of various scrumptious cuisines at Oxford Street restaurants. Chopstix, KFC, Taza La Plaza and Carluccio’s Café are the most popular eateries in the area. The place is renowned for the tasty sandwiches that it offers.

From five star hotels to family run lounge, you can find a variety of accommodations in and around the Oxford Street. You can easily find several banks and cash machines in the area. The services such as currency exchange and internet café is also easily available in this area. Various shops for stationary and books are also located in this area. Following are the upcoming events organized at the Oxford Street:

• Shh! Exclusive Offers ( 15th May – 15 Dec)
• West End Style ( 16th May – 31 Dec)

Thus it can surely be said that Oxford Street is amongst the most popular attractions in London. So if you plan to shop in London then, Oxford Street is a must to explore.

Big Ben

The great and the giant bell at the clock tower is popularly known as Big Ben. It is located in the lively region of Westminster, London. Big Ben is by far the largest four faced tower in the world and every year it attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. This chiming clock is also the third largest free- standing tower in the entire globe. This glorious clock tower was built in the year 1288 and was designed by Augustus Pugin. The structure of the tower consists of excellent brickwork and the upper part is framed spire of iron. The large faces of this Big Ben clock are about 180 ft from the ground. In London, this clock of this tower is extremely trustworthy as far as the time is concerned. It is often said that the clock tower keeps impeccable time and rarely stops. The phenomenal main bell in the tower is commonly known as the great bell, along with this enormous bell there are four quarter bells in the tower. These four bells play the quarter hours and are of G, F, E and B sharp. The 20 chime sequence played by the quarter bell is extremely melodious. Most of the people still identify the whole tower as Big Ben but actually the name refers to the great bell accommodated in the tower. A Latin inscription meaning ‘Lord save our Queen Victoria 1’ is imbibed on the base of each clock face.

The Big Ben London has now become a great and well known iconic Landmark of London, United Kingdom especially in the visual media. You can see this location in several films, shows etc where to depict the location of England, Bigben is shown. It has been a recognizable symbol of the country. The tower is also a renowned venue for the celebrations of New Year in London. The radio channels often tune to the chimes of the clock for a grand and harmonious welcome the New Year. Remembrance Day is another event celebrated in the city in which the chimes are broadcasted to mark the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh moth every year and the two minute silence is started when the chimes are heard. All the four chimes of the clock are illuminate every night and this adds to the beauty of the Big Ben tower even more. A unique light is also placed at the top of the clock which also illuminated when the parliament is in session.

The general public and tourists are not allowed to visit the clock tower; one can only see it from a distance. But, yes if you are a resident of United Kingdom then you can write an application to the MP of your region and arrange a visit for yourself. The applications should be sent well in advance at the following address:
House of Commons
Westminster, London
SW1A 0AA

Once you have got the permission to visit the tower you can book any of the tours at your own time preference. Tours for the residents are arranged at set timings of 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am and 2:30am from Monday to Friday. These tours can accommodate maximum 16 people at a time as the space is very less in the tower. But, it is not possible for the non residents to visit the clock tower in any way. Adjoining the Big Ben Clock Tower is the renowned Westminster Palace which houses the sessions of Britain Parliament. The parliament sessions held here can also be viewed by the tourists without any cost. You can also explore several other London attractions such as London Eye, Westminster Abbey, White Hall, Tower of London, London Aquarium and Country Hall Gallery etc. The Cinnamon Club, Ozu, Aji Noodle Bar and Spectrum are some of the most popular restaurants offering a variety of delicious cuisines. London Tower reminds of the royal and glorious history of Britain.

British Museum

London – the capital of United Kingdom has a rich culture and heritage. The city is located near the banks of the river Thames and is renowned for its vivacious attractions. Every year the city attracts millions of tourists from England as well as other parts of the world. London is also a home to several art galleries and museums which are the popular London places. You can explore almost any thing and everything in the 300 museums and galleries of the city. They display art works ranging from hi tech contemporary articles and machines to the traditional collections. The city has a well developed transportation structure in fact, if you have a London Pass, no entry fee will be charged in most of the museums. You can also avail complementary museum guide books and audio tours if you hold a London pass. Though there are charges and entry fee for special exhibitions in some of the museums.

Although there is a wide variety of museums and galleries to choose from but, British Museum is amongst the most visited and the top 10 museums in London. Every year it attracts around 5 million visitors from all parts of England and overseas. Established in the year 1753, the collection at the museum depicts the culture and human history of Britain. It displays more than seven million objects which originate from all parts of the world. The collection at the British Museum is extremely comprehensive and exemplifies the human culture since the very beginning. The collections displayed in the museum are based on the works of the physician Sir Hans Sloane. You can explore a wide variety of engraved gems, books, drawings, coins, paintings etc in the museum. The Library of the museum is also popular amongst all age groups. The Greek and the Roman artifacts also attract several tourists. The museum is divided in several departments listed as under:

• Ancient Egypt and Sudan
• Middle East, Prints and Drawings
• Coins and Medals
• Prehistory and Europe
• Conservation, Documentation and Science
• Libraries and Archives
• Controversy
• Africa, Oceania and Americas

• Greek and Roman Antiquities

Besides all these collections displayed under several departments, there are quite a items in the collection at the museum which is disputed. These disputed items include Elgin Marble, Benin Bronzes, Molds Golden Cape and Rosetta stone. Some of the astonishing glass objects that are a part of the collection are more than 3000 years old. The museum organizes exhibitions very often. You can check out the list of events that will be organized in this season:

• Shah ‘Abbas The Remaking Of Iran’ ( 19th Feb – 14th June 2009) :
  This exhibition will exhibit the 17th century Iran. You can discover the legacy and reign of the most powerful ruler of Iran – Shah Abbas, in this exhibition.
• India Landscape ( 1st May – 27 September):
  This exhibition features a variety of plants from the sub continent of India.
• The Intimate Portrait ( 5th March – 31st May):
  You can explore the portraiture of Regency Britain and Georgian in this exhibition.

So you can plan to visit the legendary British Museum in this season, also note that the museum is open from 10:00 – 17:30 everyday. On Thursdays and Fridays the museum opens a little late. The entry at the museum is absolutely free of charge.

Discover the Vivacious London Attractions

It is a known fact that London is right on the top, when it comes to attractions. You can easily find one attraction in almost every nook and corner of the city. Let’s get to know more about some of the most popular London attractions:

• Royal Buckingham Palace
  

  

  This Royal Buckingham Palace is the official residence of The Queen of England. It plays a dominant role in adding to the royalty and prestige of city. The entries to the palace are opened during the summer months, during this time you can explore the Royal Mews, State Rooms, Queens Gallery, Royal Palace Garden and several other things. A prestigious tradition of Changing of Guards is also a famous event that takes place in the month of April, May, June and early July.

• London Eye
  London Eye is one of the highest and the largest observation wheel of the world. It is amongst the most iconic landmark of the city. Designed by Julia Barfield and David Marks, this magnificent master piece is an exceptional combination of modern day design of architecture and engineering. The passengers in the capsules of the London Eye can see up to forty kilo meters in all the directions. The tickets are easily available and the experience is nothing less than what it is in a spaceship.

• Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
  Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is one of the most renowned museums in the world and is amongst the most visited London attractions. In this wax museum, you can find the wax statues of almost all the famous and well known celebrities such as Madonna, Indira Gandhi and many more. The museum is open for visitors from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The entry fee is also nominal and on the top of it, the museum is easily accessible from several tube stations.

• Big Ben
  Built in the year 1854, the great grand bell of the clock tower, commonly known as Big Ben is another extremely famous London attraction. It is the 3rd largest free standing tower in the entire world. The four faces of the clock are illuminated at night and this view is simply magnificent and the bells play at the quarter hour. The common public cannot visit the clock tower, but the mesmerizing view at night, when the lights are illuminated, is a must watch for all the visitors.

• Tower of London
  Tower of London has always been a part of London’s renowned history. It was founded by William, who was the conqueror in the year 1066-67 and it holds various significant stories from across the centuries. The place was well known as a place of imprisonment and execution in the medieval times. The tower is opened round the year ad is easily accessible from several tube stations. So to take a feel of the England’s rich and legendry past, Tower of London is the perfect attraction.

London holds various other attractions and it is hard to pen down about all of them. In fact it is said that one can never explore the entire city and all the attractions that it offers, in just a single trip. One needs to visit several times to get a complete view of what the city is all about. So keep exploring and enjoying!