Planning a trip to London, England hotels, and things to do

London - overview

There are prettier cities than London. And more romantic ones. But certainly none more exciting.

Especially now. Because in many ways, the world's greatest repository of history seems brand new.

The reopened, 18th-century Somerset House and the redeveloped Southbank district have transformed the city for the new millennium. Even the British Museum has enjoyed a spectacular makeover.

If you haven?t been to London lately, you haven?t been to London.

The traditional "meat-and-two-veg" has given way to restaurants that can hold their own against any in Europe. And British designers are setting trends all over the world.

These days, London is a city of the past and the future in equal measure.

One minute, you?re awe-struck by something so historic you can barely comprehend it. The next, you?re captivated by a life-size robotic dinosaur at the Natural History Museum.

Get your bearings with a "flight" on British Airways London Eye, a wheel that takes you 450 feet above the Thames for unforgettable views. Then cross the river, passing the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, bound for Westminster Abbey, where a thousand years of history unfolds before you.

Visit the National Gallery off Trafalgar Square and enjoy the street performers in colorful Covent Garden. Watch next year?s Broadway smash in a West End theater, or savor Shakespeare under the stars at the recreated Globe Theatre.

See the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Explore the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels and Henry VIII?s suit of armor are displayed. Climb the tower at St. Paul?s Cathedral for spectacular views, stroll through Hyde Park, then pop into a centuries-old pub for a pint.

You?ll need to pick and choose among London?s attractions. If Paris is, as Hemingway said, a "feast," London is an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of art, history, and culture. Choose wisely, and you?ll leave believing that London is the most fascinating, inventive, and vibrant city on earth. Then and now.

Big Ben

Yeoman Warder London
Yeoman Warder

London Eye