London Vacations

The U.K.'s cosmopolitan capital, London delivers a wealth of spectacle to visitors seeking storybook charm, historical towers and abbeys, brilliant palaces, pavilions and performances. Infinitely rewarding, at over 1500 square kilometres, London is, well...huge. Yet remarkably easy to navigate given its excellent system of subways (the "tube"), trains and double-decker buses which whisk one to attractions by the score Masterpieces in profusion hang in the National Gallery, The Tate and Royal Academy; Victoria and Albert Museum spins a 3000-year tale of decorative arts; the eye-popping British Museum considers the cultural history of the world. Don't miss Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Exhibition and iconic sights like the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben at Westminster, Buckingham Palace and the colourful Changing of the Guard, nearby Windsor Castle, the heart-wrenching Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Theatre fans can applaud west-end musicals, star-studded blockbusters, and fringe productions aplenty. As "hip" factors go, the shopping, dining, pub and club scene is off the charts. First ports of call for serious shoppers would be Oxford, Regent and Bond Streets. Other experiences? Madame Tussaud's, the London Eye, the London Zoo, a dinner cruise on the Thames. The Olympics in summer 2012!