Lodoners Guide to Easter

With Easter merely a only a few weeks away, it is the time to make any last minute plans for the period, and what better way to experience a marvellous trip then to take your Easter holidays in London. Irrespective of whether you're always touring the capital as a family, couple or single traveller, Greater London has such a lot to offer there is something for every kind of visitor.

Here we focus on families coming to London during the Easter period.

If you are planning to come down to London by automobile, the wise advice is not to take one. London is one of the best linked metropolitan areas in the World, and has a considerable subterranean system, making travel in the heart of the city, uncomplicated. In the center there are also traffic restrictions in place which a) stops you coming into the centre of town unless you have paid the congestion charge, and b) parking using meters are very expensive – a vehicle car park around Oxford Street can can charge up to £20.00 for 3 hours parking. Forget about it, get a travel card and have the spontaneous taxi in order to lighten the load on those days you go shopping!

So once you have arrived in london, what’s there to see?

London Zoo – Nearest tube Regent’s Park or even Camden Town, the Zoo is an attractive day out for the friends and family. The ancient Zoo was built in Victorian times (restructured of course) and features a massive range of wildlife on show. The actual Zoo is really quite unique because it is extremely relaxing, and the way the Zoo is structured means that kids can get up close with the animals. At this time there are feeding times for many of the much larger animals, which includes the Elephants, as well as a number of of the smaller favourites, such as the Penguins.

Kenwood House – Nearest Tube Archway (then take the 210 bus to Highgate). One of North London’s greatest retained secrets it’s where we set off to unwind. Its absence of direct transportation such as the Tube helps keep this an extraordinary tranquil spot. All those familiar with architecture will certainly not end up being dismayed by the work of Robert Adam, that is on show at Kenwood House. The dwelling was originally handed down by the Guinness brewery owner Lord Iveagh, and we should thank him for that. With the house came paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Constable. The property is in amazing grounds and has a charming tearoom. For families, and on a sizzling hot summers day, there can be nothing more gratifying then getting a picnic to Kenwood house and sitting outside on the lawns taking in the view of the lake. For kids there is a lot of space to run around and let off steam. In the early evenings of the summer months, there are live music concerts underneath the stars. Magical.

London Aquarium – Nearest Tube Westminster Bridge (and then cross the Thames Thames). Just a few metres away from the magnificent London Eye, is London Aquarium, in which lots of marine and fresh water life are on display. Almost all the action takes place within the cellars of what was the old Greater London Council. This is a wonderful day out, however a note of guardedness for who suffers from claustrophobia - in the summer months it gets extremely busy and cramped. Nevertheless for Easter it will be excellent and seriously worth a visit. It’s best to book tickets in advance online as this helps beat the queues. Of specific note is the upside down tunnel, an area where youngsters (parents too!) can go below the great water container where there are sharks and also turtles as well as unique fish floating around. It’s like walking about at the bottom of the sea!

All in all London represents a great day out for all the family, so what are you waiting for, dive in!

If you are a family these are three of several diverse possibilities that are available to you if, you’re preparing to come to London for Easter.

If you're looking for something special to do at Easter in London, checkout these special  Easter and Bank Holiday Hotel ideas which include a free Visit London guide in the package.

If you're a Londoner and looking for a break to the seaside checkout the Bank Holiday Hotel Packages in the beautiful beachside resort hosted at the Place at the Beach.







 

A Londoners Guide to shopping

Of all the places in the World to do some shopping, the UK has to rank as one of the premier destinations. Its unique geography sandwiched between America and Europe makes it a natural melting pot of styles and its capital, London, makes for some of the best shopping for visitors.

We’re going to cover here four places in London that you simply have to visit if you intend to spend during your visit. All of them are within easy reach of Hyde Park.

Camden Market
Except for Christmas day, Camden Market, one of London’s top tourist destinations, makes its mark daily offering up an incredible range of shopping paraphernalia for those looking for something groovy and funky to buy. Camden Market has undergone quite a transformation through the years and every time I visit I am surprised just how much bigger it gets. To get to Camden Market you need to take the Northern Line Underground and alight at Camden Town. This then puts you right at the start of the shopping district (an alternative stop, still on the Northern Line, is Chalk Farm or Mornington Crescent, about a 10 minute walk).

Camden Market is divided into a series of areas, each specializing in their own unique style. At Market Hall expect to find paintings, prints, jewellery as well as other artistic and creative works for sale. While inside the Stables market just about anything goes: clothes, a world food area, and other handmade gifts. The shops that line the high street is where you’ll find retro clothes, leather jackets and lots and lots of shoes! Camden opens in the morning from 10:00 and generally runs through to 6pm. At which point you can choose to hop into any one of a number of bars, where you’ll find good music and a lively crowd.

As the night draws in and the stomach starts to rumble, there’s a huge range of restaurants including Thai, Mexican, Belgian (Belgo Nord, excelled moules and a menu for beer that tops 100 different ales), Greek, Turkish in fact, Camden’s more of a microcosm of World culture than in any other part of London, and that’s why when you come to London, you have to do at least one morning browsing around the stalls and the people.

Nearest Tube: Camden Town
Website: Camden Market

London's 3 most important department stores
There are three distinguished shopping experiences in the centre of London, near to Hyde Park, where you can find a piece of the UK’s shopping history located. In times gone by the traditional department store allowed a family to go to a single place to buy a range of shopping items. I remember being taken as a child to Jones Brothers in Holloway Road and being kitted out with school uniforms, seeing my mum place orders for curtains as well as looking at domestic appliances for the house. Sadly, these stores are now very much consigned to history. However a few do still remain and here are the ones that every Londoner is familiar with.

Fortnum and Mason:
Since 1707, this store has been providing some of the finest delicatessen food you can find anywhere in the world. They are famous for their food hall and picnic hampers. Let’s imagine that you wanted to enjoy one of the wonderful summer open air concerts that are held in the grounds of Kenwood House during the summer months, you could turn up at Fortnum and Mason’s, walk in with your wallet and walk out with a perfect picnic hamper. Not just the food mind, the tablecloth, wineglasses and everything. As well as food you’ll also be able to find a fabulous collection of baby wear, ladies and gentlemen’s accessories and travel luggage. The Parlour restaurant is a must to take a coffee or enjoy unique stop off if your shopping in the area.

Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus
Website: http://www.fortnumandmason.com

Harrods
Take the tube down to Knightsbridge and there you’ll find a department store that’s also become enwrapped in the modern day culture of English citizens as the owners son, Dodi Fayed, was also killed in the accident that saw death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Again the shop of Harrods’s is in a wonderfully ornate and decorative building, but with difference to Selfridges, Harrod’s good are notably more expensive. You’ll need a second mortgage in finance to even begin to touch some of the jewellery and watches that are on display in the shop, and you’ll find only the best quality goods on sale. Harrod’s itself has it’s own named brand where you can expect to pay a premium for a piece of branded tourist memorabilia, but it’s such an amazing store then who wouldn’t want to pay for this.

Nearest Tube: Knightsbridge
Website: http://www.harrods.com

Selfridges
Located on Oxford Street near to Bond Street Tube (Central Line), Selfridges. In 1909 an American by the name of Gordon Selfridges put Oxford Street on the map with the opening of his department store. You’ll find every type of product in the store from food, right the way through to toys, music…everything. It’s housed in a wonderful historic building and they have an amazing oyster bar that has a full day service. If you’re living in the centre and can permit the slightly higher prices, you’d never really need to shop anywhere else for daily living.

Nearest Tube: Bond Street.
Website: http://www.selfridges.com

Read out Londoners Travel Guide so you know the best way to travel around London, if you decide to visit any of these places.

 

A Londoners Guide to Travelling around Westminster

The City of Westminster in London covers an area so teeming with tourist spots, shopping experiences and cultural heritage it is a borough that thoroughly deserves its title of being a City!

 

Serpentine Boating Lake

On a hot summer's day there’s nothing more relaxing then taking out a rowing boat on the Serpentine, perhaps for a romantic picnic in the heart of London.

For the more energetic groups (ie. with children), paddle boats are available to help burn off any available energy. Afterwards walk around to the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen, for some refuelling.

Visitor Information
Opening Times: Open from Easter to October
Boating prices: +44 (0) 207 7262 1330

 

Speakers’ Corner Hyde Park

Located in the North-East of the park (Marble Arch Tube) is Speakers’ Corner, a well-known location for many a Londoner. This is where people, from many different walks of life, and cultural backgrounds stand up and rant about whatever they believe in. If you’re visiting London, you can’t miss a visit to Speakers’ Corner to see all the different characters it attracts. It’s a myth that people can say whatever they want here, but if the police receive a complaint they will intervene.

In 1855 there were a series of large protests in the UK over the Sunday Trading Bill. The Bill sought to bring a halt to Sunday trading, which at the time, was the only day people had off during the week. A series of further incidents, including mass demonstrations in Hyde Park itself, saw the Parks Regulation Act of 1872 passed. Accordingly the granting of permits for public meetings was delegated to the Park authorities.

Speakers Corner has been frequented by: Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell, C.L.R. James, Ben Tillet, Marcus Garvey, Kwame Nkrumah and William Morris

Visitor Information
Suitability: All the family.
Opening Times: Open all year round.
Nearest Tube: Marble Arch (Central Line)

 
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