London Travel Packages - Things To Do

Things to Do in London

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Open early August to late September.

For recorded information, 799-2331

18 rooms are available to view including the Throne Room. The famous changing of the Palace Guard is at 1130am daily during the summer months (on alternate days during the rest of the year).

BRITISH MUSEUM

Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury

636-1555

Monday-Saturday 10am-5 pm, Sunday 2:30 to 6 pm. Guided tours Monday-Saturday at 10:45 am,

94 galleries contain the world's finest collection of antiquities. The depth of each gallery and the variety of attractions is almost overpowering.

HYDE PARK

298-2100

Closes at midnight.

Some 360 acres of landscaped park, tree-lined avenues and lakes in the heart of the city attract visitors from around the world. Sunday mornings find street-corner orators is fine form at Speaker's Corner near Marble Arch.

LONDON PLANETARIUM

Marylebone Road

935-6861 (call for times, which vary by season)

Travel on a journey to the stars, guided by world-celebrated experts. The Spirit of London ride is a fascinating attraction and is updated frequently.

CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURE AND ZOO

Chessington, Surrey (one-half hour from London's Waterloo Station by train)

This 65-acre theme park offers rides and attractions galore. Think...Disney and think all ages!

TROCADERO

Piccadilly Circus

This multi-attraction entertainment complex is popular with everyone, especially teenagers.

Call for times and prices, which vary.

Planet Hollywood restaurant (phone 287-1000) offers dining amidst the film world's glamour.

Sega World (phone 734-2777) puts video game players in the center of the action.

Rock Circus (phone 734-7203) portrays the royalty of rock stars in wax.

Alien War (phone 437-2678) is a multimedia monster experience.

Imaginator (phone 437-5723) offers stomach-wrenching rides.

Virtual World (phone 494-1492) is a virtual reality system second to none.

LONDON WALL

London dates its history back to the Roman Empire. The "London Wall" of nursery rhyme survives to this day, albeit in fragments. A self-guided tour along the 1.5-mile walk is aided by explanatory plaques along the route. The walk stretches from the Museum of London to the Tower of London, offering unique history at every step.

LONDON ZOO and REGENT'S PARK

Off Marylebone Road near Baker Street.

722-3333

Open 7 am until dusk

The London Zoo, one of the world's great zoos, is found in Regent's Park. Zoo features include a children's zoo, a reptile house and more. Other attractions in the Park include a rose garden, a mosque, areas for boating and tennis, and an outdoor theatre.

LONDON AQUARIUM

967-8000

Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am-7: 30 pm

Over two million liters of water house an incredible number and variety of aquatic creatures. Thousands of species are represented in a number of extensive marine habitats. The London Aquarium has rightfully earned its reputation as a world-class attraction.

MADAME TUSSAUD'S

Marylebone Road

935-6861

Daily 9 am-5: 30 pm

Wax statues of the world's most famous (and infamous) citizens throughout history line the galleries of this famous attraction. Recent innovations include interactive areas. Note: The popular Chamber of Horrors (murderers in history) may be too intense for some younger children.

MUSEUM OF LONDON

London Wall, City of London

600-3699

Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-6 pm, Sunday noon-6 pm

A visit to this attraction is like reading the life story of London. Various stages of London's extensive history are shown in the many rooms and galleries.

LONDON DUNGEON

28-34 Tooley St.

403-0606

April-September daily 10 am-6 pm, October-March closes 5:30 pm

Live actors and various realistic tableaux recreate the hard and seamy life of the underside of London in its past days. Historic representations of the tortures in the Tower and Old Gaol join Jack the Ripper. Not recommended for the faint of heart or for younger children.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey (in the West of London)

940-1171

Daily 9:30 am-5: 30 pm. Glasshouse closes 4:45 pm

Many of the plants here were first planted in the 17th and 18th centuries, including more than a few that were sent back home to London from England's colonies overseas. The Gardens cover more than 300 acres and the world-famous hothouses maintain a staggering variety of warm-weather and tropical species. Other attractions in the Gardens include a pagoda, an aquatic gardens and a scenic lake.