London: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours
Introduction
City Guide:
London
- 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours
- 5 Places to Stay
- Finding the Perfect Souvenir
- Shooting It Like a Pro
- Side Trips
- Need to Know
There is no shortage of tourist staples: Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch, Big Ben, the iconic red double-decker bus. (London Mayor Boris Johnson, a shambling, shock-haired media celebrity and tourist attraction in his own right, has pledged to get rid of the city's articulated single-decker buses, which he considers a menace to cyclists — Johnson is often seen weaving toward City Hall on his bicycle.) But London's appeal doesn't lie only in its architectural and cultural treasures. This is also the best people-watching city in the world. Its 7.5 million residents — some born within its boundaries, others irresistibly drawn to it — are deliriously motley, speaking more than 300 languages among them. If you've got just 24 hours, here are 10 unmissable places to observe Londoners in their natural habitat.
Connect to this TIME Story
More in Travel
Time.com Best & Worst Lists
Most Popular »
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
- The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
- In Italy, A Sex Scandal to Rival Berlusconi's
- The World of China Inc.
- Black Friday
- Obama's 'Mistakes': Way Too Early to Judge
- Pie
- The Gospel of Glee: Is It Anti-Christian?
- Is Time Running Out to Dig Up S Korea's Mass Graves?
- Satyam Computer Fraud Grows to $2.5 Billion
- The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
- The '00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade From Hell
- The World of China Inc.
- In Italy, A Sex Scandal to Rival Berlusconi's
- How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
- Is Gene Therapy Finally Ready for Prime Time?
- The Gospel of Glee: Is It Anti-Christian?
- Dearborn's Muslims Fear a Fort Hood Backlash
- How a Little Town in Peru Is Becoming a Hotspot
- India Still a Soft Terror Target a Year After Mumbai
RSS