London

- seat of central government
- comercial ad cultural centre
- architecturaly influeced by Sir Christopher Wren and John Nash
- population of about 7 million inhabitants, they mostly live in the suburs

a) THE CITY OF LONDON

- the oldest part of the town
- Eastend with docks situated
- Westend – cinemas, theatres and shops
- Tower of London – built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century; it used to be a royal palace and a prison, but it is a museum now (Bloody Tower, Crown Jewels, Beefeaters, Traitors‘ Gate, the Ceremony of Keys)
- Tower Bridge- exhibitions in the towers, it breaks in the middle
- St Paul’s Cathedral – built by SirWren between 1675 and 1710 and it’s considered to be his greatest work, marriages
- The Monument – commemorates the Great Fire of London, has 311 steps, view
- Interational finance centre

b) THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER

- centre of political and administrative life in GB
- The Houses of Parliament – on the left bank of Thames, rebuilt in the Gothic style` only Westminster Hall is original, visitors can go to hear debates when the Parliament is in session
- Big Ben – clock tower built in 1858; called by Sir Benjamin Hall; 97 metres high
- Westminster Abbey – many kings were buried and crowned here, Poet’s Corner
- Buckingam Palace – home of the Queen, opened to the public since 1993, chnaging of the guards and Horse Guards in te Whitehall
- No. 10, Downing Street – official residence of the Prime Minister from 1715
- Dickens House
- Trafalgar Sq. – Nelson’s Column, National and Tate Gallery
- New Scotland Yard

SHOPPING AND INTERTAINMENT

- shopping streets in West End – Oxford Str., Regent Str., Bond Str., Piccadilly
- Convent Garden – famous fruit and vegetable market
- About 100 theatres in the city – The National Theatre (Royal Shakespeare Company), Barbican Centre, Globe Theatre, Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall…
- The British Museum, the Natural History Museum..
- Hyde Park – originally hunting forest, Speakers’ Corner on the north-east
- Kensington Gardens, the Regents {ark (ZOO), Kew Gardens, Green Park and St. James Park

TRANSPORT

- Underground (TUBE) – quickest and easiest
- Taxis
- Green Buses
- Doubledeckers
- Main railway stations at Paddington, Vicoria, Waterloo…
- Three airports – Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted