The guide book LONDON Author: Nikolaeva Olga London – Capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. London – is the political, economic and cultural capital of Great Britain, whose striking are known to tourists all over the world. Regardless of age, travelers will always find leisure activities to their liking in Greater London. Plan: Market and fast food; Transport; Housing; Shopping; Parks; Museums and galleries; Photo gallery. Markets and fast food. Food markets are commonplace for Londoners to have a good time with friends, have a tasty snack and have fun. At street food markets, you can taste quality food, lovingly prepared according to recipes from around the world. Borough Market (Southwark St, 8, SE1 1TL). The most famous gastronomic paradise is located just off the Thames waterfront, at Tower Bridge. It is divided into two parts – street food and food. If you want – feast on oysters, and if you want – learn from the Turkmen to eat pilaf with your hands. The market is open until 17.00. come here very hungry and choose the food you like: pies, burgers, sweet potatoes, pita, breads, unusual salads, vegetarian dishes, pastries, sweets. The second parts of the market is a kind of expensive and aesthetically pleasing Komarovka, where local farmers sell fresh fish, meat, bread and cheeses. Even if you’re not going to buy anything, take a walk for the atmosphere. Columbia Road Flower Market (Columbia Rd, E2 7RG). The most beautiful market in the city. It is thanks to him that on Sundays in the homes of Londoners there are many bright flowers and plants in pots. The only drawback is too many people, real traffic jams. But to overcome the fear of crowds is worth: you will not see such a riot of colors in London anywhere else! Transport. The main types of transport in the city itself are metro, buses and elevated trains. These numbers may be shocking. Taking into account the vast possibilities of London and the various areas that definitely need to be visited, the best option is to buy a pass for a week or a month in zones 1-2: here are concentrated both the main attractions and creative areas. For information: London, center, ninth – suburb. The London Underground has a two-way control system – you use Oyster both at the entrance and at the exit. It’s the same story with the tickets – don’t forget to pick them up at the entrance. The TFL official website will build the fastest routes for you, and the awesome Citymapper app will calculate the cost and public transport. Speaking of taxi. The most inexpensive, reliable and secure service that has already reached England is the Uber app, if you have a credit card to link to your account. Classic black cabs are more expensive, but you can pay with cash. Housing. London (Greater London) is a fairly safe city, especially within the first two zones. Even at night you feel comfortable here, because there are always a lot of people around, and you are unlikely to find deserted until gateways. However, the city is unpredictable, and neighborhood moods can change from street. The most comfortable option is Airbnb, but you need to book in advance, because crowds of tourists constantly flock to London: there is no such thing as a “low season” at all. Inexpensive, proven hostels with a relaxed and dating atmosphere: The Dictionary (Kingsland Rd, 10-20, E2 8DA) The Walrus Hostel (Westminster Bridge Rd, 172) YHA London Central (Bolsover St, 104-108, W1W 5LP) Palmers Lodge Hillspring (Willesden Ln, 233, NW2 5RP) Travel Joy Hostels Chelsea (Grosvenor Rd, 111, SW1V 3LG) Generator Hostel London (Tavistock PL, 37, WC1H 9SE) Shopping. Sales here are very frequent phenomenon, and not only seasonal: there are almost always discounts in stores for a certain section. Where to go for clothes from the mass market? For example, on Oxford Street (the longest street from Marble Arch metro station to Tottenham Court Road with the greatest concentration of shops near Oxford Circus and Bond Street stations). Carnaby Street offers mostly higher-priced brands, but there are also hilarious womenswear store Monki and Cheap Monday for fans of dramatic black. Jimbob Art (Cheshire St, 24, E2 6EH) is an English illustrator’s shop who has created his own brand of fun ceramic tableware. The ideas are very original, and you can buy something unusual as a gift for your loved ones. Bermondsey167 (Bermondsey St, 167, SE1) is a dump of stunning and unique designer items and accessories. Shoreditch Box Park (Bethnal Green Rd, 2-10, E1 6GY) sells a variety of fun items such as Hype, Poler Stuff, Urbanears headphones and more. Parks. A nice feature of London is that you can always escape from the crowded streets to a quiet park that looks good even in December. Parks and gardens are here at every turn. Hyde Park (Rangers Lodge, London W2 2UH) is the largest in London, and besides, it passes through the center – it’s easier to get to it. The park has 5 entrances that are denoted by Hyde Park Corner (main entrance), Knightsbridge, Marble Arch, Lancaster Gate and Queensway tube stations. If you start your walk from the entrance of the Marble Arch, pay attention to the place with the Speakers Corner sign – this is the world’s most famous corner of free speech, where everyone can speak on any topic (only peacefully and without blasphemy). Both Churchill and Shaw spoke here, and now, perhaps, your time has come. In the center of London, near the famous St.Paul’s Cathedral, you can find the cozy Postman’s Park (St.Martin’s Le Grand, EC1A) – here is the very memorial from the movie “Proximity” – in honor of people who died saving lives. Royal Regents Park (Chester Rd, London NW1 4NR) is beautiful in two spots. Come here in the evening or watch the sunrise – listen to the rare silence of the city. Museums and gallery. London has a lot of museums and galleries, most of them won't cost you anything. If you want something unusual, then the direct road to the Serpentine gallery (Kensington Gardens, W2 3XA). The gallery itself is located in the beautiful Kensington Gardens. Tate Modern (Bankside, London SE1 9TG) is a museum of modern art, where, in addition to the works of young talents, the works of Picasso, Warhol, Richter and many other well-known guys are presented. For lovers of contemporary art "sharper", we recommend Saatchi Gallery (Duke Of York's HQ, King's Rd, SW3 4RY), where young artists express their ideas through bright provocative compositions. Be sure to include The National Gallery (Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN) in the center on Trafalgar Square on your itinerary. It is here that you will find the famous "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh and 2300 more works, including Botticelli, Leonardo, Bruegel, Monet, Cezanne and Degas. Plan at least three hours for a quick inspection. Photo gallery London is a huge metropolis that not every traveler has. It can face cloudy weather, bustling streets, dark shadows of the past and industrial zones. But it could not be otherwise! This is London, here every building and square is steeped in history, albeit sometimes gloomy, but its own special. Only London can boast of its own, unique and incomparable style. Agree, each of us represents English streets, English pubs and English style of clothing. Of course, you will be delighted with the famous sights of the city, but you can understand it and feel yourself in London only by walking through these quarters and streets, wandering into markets and pubs, listening to music in shabby clubs or going with a crowd to a football match of one of the teams. Of course, it's impossible to visit every beautiful city in a lifetime, but London is the city that should be on any traveler's list.
