Lonely Planet Best of London 2020

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781787015401
• eBook ISBN: 9781788686617

Lonely Planet: The world's number one travel guide publisher* Lonely Planet's Best of London is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Gallery hop along the Thames, explore dark history and glittering crown jewels in the Tower of London, and sample real ale in historic pubs - all with your trusted travel companion. Discover the best of London and begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet's Best of London: Full-colour images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights provide a richer, more rewarding travel experience - covering history, art, food, wine, sport, politics Covers Westminster, the West End, the City, the South Bank, Camden, Islington, Notting Hill, Kensington, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields, East London, and more. The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Best of London is filled with inspiring and colourful photos, and focuses on London's most popular attractions for those wanting to experience the best of the best. Looking for a comprehensive guide that recommends both popular and offbeat experiences, and extensively covers all the country has to offer? Check out Lonely Planet's England guide. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. Lonely Planet enables the curious to experience the world fully and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves, near or far from home. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *Source: Nielsen BookScan: Australia, UK, USA, 5/2016-4/2017eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search

Top Experiences

Westminster Abbey

British Museum

Buckingham Palace

Houses of Parliament

National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

Covent Garden

Tower of London

A Sunday in the East End

Borough Market

Hampstead Heath

Tower Bridge

Tate Modern

St Paul’s Cathedral

The South Bank

Hyde Park

Victoria & Albert Museum

Regent’s Park

Natural History Museum

King’s Cross

Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus

Day Trip: Hampton Court Palace

Royal Observatory & Greenwich Park

Day Trip: Kew Gardens

A Night Out in Shoreditch

Soho

Design Museum

Top Experiences

Tower Bridge | NICK HAIGH/GETTYIMAGES ©

TOP EXPERIENCE

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is such an important commemoration site that it’s hard to overstate its symbolic value or imagine its equivalent anywhere else in the world. With a couple of exceptions, every English sovereign has been crowned here since William the Conqueror in 1066, and most of the monarchs from Henry III (died 1272) to George II (died 1760) are buried here.

Great For…

vhA

yDon’t Miss

The oldest door in the UK, Poet’s Corner, the Coronation Chair, 14th-century cloisters, a 900-year-old garden, royal sarcophagi and much more.

8Need to Know

map Google map;

%020-7222 5152; www.westminster-abbey.org; 20 Dean’s Yard, SW1; adult/child £22/9;

h9.30am-3.30pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, to 6pm Wed, to 3pm Sat May-Aug, to 1pm Sat Sep-Apr;

XWestminster

5Take a Break

The Vincent Rooms (

%020-7802 8391; www.thevincentrooms.co.uk; Westminster Kingsway College, Vincent Sq, SW1; mains £9-16;

hnoon-3pm Mon-Fri, 6-9pm Tue-Thu;

XVictoria) is great for top-notch modern European cuisine at rock-bottom prices; it’s operated by catering students.

oTop Tip

The abbey gets incredibly busy, even at opening, so come armed with patience.

PATRYK KOSMIDER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

There is an extraordinary amount to see at the Abbey. The interior is chock-a-block with ornate chapels, elaborate tombs of monarchs and grandiose monuments to sundry luminaries throughout the ages. First and foremost, however, it is a sacred place of worship.

A Regal History

Though a mi...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• This Year in London
• Hot Spots For
• Top Days in London
• Need to Know
• What’s New
• For Free
• Family Travel
• Top Experiences
• Dining Out
• Treasure Hunt
• Bar Open
• Showtime
• Active London
• Rest Your Head
• In Focus
• London Today
• History
• Architecture
• Literary London
• Art
• Directory A–Z
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers