London Vacation

London vacation plans can be organized around any special interest, need, and budget. Most vacations in this grand capital city, concentrate on its history and architecture, enjoying sightseeing tours of the most iconic attractions. The vast majority of these attractions that have become household names are in Central London and concentrated in the Westminster area. They include Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace with its famous Changing of the Guard. These are the sights that virtually every city visitor will make a point to see, and you can enjoy them whether you’re on a luxury London vacation or on a budget staying at hostels and cheap bed and breakfasts.

You can enjoy a family vacation to London that will keep all ages occupied, and there are several hotels and resorts that have organized children’s activities. Some London vacation activities that are of interest to adults particularly lend themselves to children. Some of these include city walks, and children are most excited about the ghost walks that follow the narrow lanes and alleys that once were the haunt of Jack the Ripper. A recent addition to city walks itineraries are Harry Potter walking tours. Among other places, these walks pass by the Old Admiralty Building in Westminster, which in the movies was the entrance to the Ministry of Magic used by Harry and Mr. Weasley. There are even trademark red phone booths here so you can get a photograph of yourself entering into Harry Potter’s world.

A London theatre vacation is one of the most popular, and you often find them as vacation packages. These often include features such as international flights, hotel accommodations, a dining option, and some tours. A London theatre vacation may have fewer included tours, but will provide theatre tickets to one or more performances. Most often, these will be tickets to performances in some of the Central London West End Broadway type theatres. Sometimes there will be tickets to a performance at the Royal Opera House near Covent Garden or Royal Albert Hall in Knightsbridge just south of Hyde Park. However, the hallmark of a true luxury London vacation remains the hotels used. Some of the most exclusive and oldest hotels in the world are located here. Many of them, including Brown’s in Westminster, are landmarks that are part of the city’s history. The Four Seasons at Canary Wharf, is a more modern facility with luxurious rooms and suites, magnificent views over the river, and one of the best full-service spas in the country.

A luxury London vacation usually consists of more than accommodations in one of the city’s many luxury hotels. Those who do not have budget as a concern often begin enjoying luxury right at the airport when they arrive. Rather than use public transportation or airport shuttles, they are apt to be picked up by one of the chauffeur-driven limousines, of which there are many. Their London theatre vacation will include tickets to the best seats in the house, whereas packages might even have standing room only tickets. If they book one of the Thames River cruises, they are most apt to board an exclusive deluxe river yacht and dine on elegant gourmet cuisine served with fine china and crystal.

If you want a London vacation that is a bit more active, there are excellent bicycle tours, both guided and self guided, as well as extensive walks. The walk available in South Bank and the southern back of the Thames is more than two miles long, and passes by the London Aquarium, the famous London Eye Ferris wheel, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Instead of river cruises, you might try some rowing in a skull based in the lovely maritime city of Greenwich.