We will visit, or pass by, the following places:

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837.  It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham.  Today it is The Queen's official residence.  Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.  The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September.  They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. 

This is the thoroughfare that links the City to Westminster.  It contains the Victorian Gothic Law Courts, St Clements Dane Church, and Somerset House (which held all birth, marriage and death records for England and Wales from 1837 to 1974).

·        The West End

This consists of Westminster, starting in the south, with Parliament and the Abbey, and continues north, eventually to Oxford Street.

·        Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, London is the most beautiful of the Gothic churches in the capital and was founded by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century.  All coronations have taken place here since William the Conqueror and most British monarchs from Henry III to George II are buried here.  Also to be found in the cathedral is Poets’ Corner where many of Britain’s finest poets are buried, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

·        Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square, London's most famous square, was laid out in 1829 to 1841 to commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle of the same name in 1805.  Dominating the square, on a column that is 185 feet high, is the 17 foot high statue of Nelson himself.  Around the base of the column are the four giant bronze lions by Landseer.  The square, Nelson’s column, Landseer's lions, feeding the pigeons, jumping in the fountains, are all part of the British way of life

·        St James Park

This is one of the smaller Royal Parks flanked on the north side by The Mall, the ceremonial route to Buckingham Palace. It is a very beautiful park, with wild fowl breeding on the islands in the lake.

·        Hyde Park Corner

This is a vast roundabout and one of London's major reference points, often used by people in giving directions.

·        Downing Street

No. 10 has been the home of British Prime Ministers since 1732.  George II offered the house to Sir Robert Walpole at that time.  It has remained ‘in the family’ ever since.

·        St. James Palace

This was the London home of the Queen Mother.  This is the best place to see guardsmen close up.

·        Admiralty Arch

This separates the Mall from Trafalgar Square and dates back to the turn on the century when the British navy ruled the waves, and the Admiralty (Navy department) was a very important place.

·        National Gallery

On the north side of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery houses one of the world's finest collections of paintings.

·        Hyde Park

Hyde Park is a London Royal Park which Henry VIII acquired in 1536 (it had been owned by the monks of Westminster Abbey before that).  It is large area of open space in the city centre of 630 acres and a perimeter of 4 miles.  It was opened to the public by Charles I in 1635, and has been a popular spot to walk, ride or sunbathe ever since.  It has memorials at Marble Arch at the east side and Kensington palace at the west.  Also within its environs is the Albert Memorial, Queen Victoria's monument to her husband.  The Serpentine Lake is popular for boating, sailing and even bathing.  To the south of the Serpentine runs Rotten Row, the fashionable riding track through the park.  At Speaker's Corner near Marble Arch you can hear Briton's exercise their right to free speech.  There may be a dozen or more at any one time, each standing on a soap box, and spouting (usually) controversial views, strongly held on any topic you can think of - religion, politics, fox hunting, trade unions, Europe, tourists.

·        Piccadilly

Piccadilly is the road that runs from Hyde Park Corner to Piccadilly Circus.  It is a major shopping street containing Fortnum & Mason, the Burlington Arcade, and St James church (the only surviving Wren church in the West End).  Piccadilly Circus is London's hub.  Five major roads converge here - most of the theatres are within a few hundred yards of it.  At night the huge advertising hoardings are lit up - advertising household ‘British/Peruvian’ brands like McDonalds, Samsung, Fosters and Coca-Cola.  At the centre of the area is the statue of Eros, which was unveiled in 1893.  It was originally intended to represent the spirit of charity, but Eros has persisted as its name.

·        Marble Arch

Designed by Nash in 1828, it was originally intended as the entrance to Buckingham Palace.  It now commands its own traffic island.

·        Oxford Street

The more popular stores are in Oxford Street, in other words the more exclusive stores are elsewhere. Oxford Street, London, runs from Marble Arch (Marks and Spencer) via Selfridges and John Lewis to Oxford Circus and another large branch of Marks and Spencer.  Oxford Street today is perhaps the most popular of the shopping streets in the capital, as it contains most of the department stores catering for the middle of the market.  On a wet day you can quickly scurry from store to store and while away many happy hours out of the rain.

10.30          Flight on the London Eye

We take a ‘flight’ on the enormous wheel by the side of the River Thames.

This been a fortress, prison and palace during its long and often bloody history.  It was started soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066 by William the Conqueror, of stone actually brought from Normandy.  The central, and most impressive of the bastions, is known as the White Tower as it was whitewashed in 1241.  An early prisoner was the Duke of Orleans, captured in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.  Anne Boleyn (wife of Henry VIII), Lady Jane Grey (pretender to the throne), Earl of Essex and Duke Of Monmouth were all executed here, among many others.  The Royal Mint was based here until 1834 (it stops the wrong people getting their hands on the money), and today the Crown Jewels are housed here in a top security setting.

19.30          Theatre Visit to ‘Fame!’

We leave the hotel after our evening meal and transfer to the Cambridge Theatre in Covent Garden for the evening performance of FAME!