What’s on in London for Christmas

A giant Chistmas tree in Trafalgar Square, London

“Get ‘yer skates on!” London has half a dozen outdoor ice skating rinks open for the holiday season at historic locations. Hyde Park is hosting a large scale Winter Wonderland complete with an ice fantasy, ferris wheel, and circus. Celebrities are flicking the switch to illuminate Christmas lights and decorations in London’s major shopping streets and at a couple of new-ish malls. For a more traditional Victorian Christmas look, there are certain spots where the atmosphere of a Dickensian scene can still be found.

Find out where to see Rihanna and Taylor Swift in London at Christmas.

Queen Elizabeth II Reopens Historic Cutty Sark Following Major Fire

Major fire damage in 2007 nearly destroyed the 143-year-old Cutty Sark, the world’s last remaining tea clipper ship. Following a £50 million ($80 million) restoration at Greenwich Pier, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip reopened the 212-foot, three-masted vessel for visitors on April 24, 2012.

Twice Lucky

The Cutty Sark is now raised 11 feet above the dry-dock and so, for the first time, visitors will walk underneath the 963-ton vessel to admire her sleek hull from all angles, both outside and in.

Learn about the Cutty Sark restoration here.

London on a Shoestring: Spend Next to Nothing for a Day Out

You have likely heard that London is expensive. But there are plenty of free things to do. An activity-packed day in the center of the capital can easily be fully enjoyed for under a tenner – 10 pounds sterling today is about $15.

Museum Fatigue

Many of London’s 300 museums do not charge admission. Check out the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian mummies collection at the British Museum, take your fill of Turner at the Tate, get up close and personal with Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” at the National Gallery. 

Lots more in London for free…read on.

Explore Kensington, London During the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee

St Mary Abbots Parish Church in Kensington, London

Greater London is divided into 32 boroughs, two of which are “royal”, due to the presence of a palace within their borders. Upscale Kensington and Chelsea is one, home to Kensington Palace, and the other is Kingston-upon-Thames, home to Hampton Court, famous as a retreat for Henry VIII. In further tribute during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations, HRH Queen Elizabeth II has bestowed a third royal borough designation upon Greenwich, home of the all-important Prime Meridian, to take effect February 3, 2012.

Kensington Palace and more click here

Dining in London: An Insider’s Guide to Unique Restaurants

There are guide books and websites galore for visitors to London. But then there are the places that tourists don’t know about…and they should!

Here’s an insider’s guide to five of the places which tick off two boxes at once, they combine history with a very tasty bite to eat.

Click here.

Café in the Crypt at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London

The Orangery by Kensington Palace

It’s Official: You Can Attend the Theatre in London for Half-Price

London Means Theatre
More than 14 million people per year cannot be wrong, wouldn’t you say? That is the number of people attending a show every year in nearly 50 London theatres, catching one or more of 18,615 performances including 264 new productions in 2010 alone, according to The Society of London Theatre.

Theatre Means Money
Not a small industry, either. The latest annual gross box office receipts amounted to more than £512 million (approximately $800 million). And what might that individual sum equate to when considering one’s own wallet for an afternoon matinée or an evening out to see a show? Let’s have a look at the numbers and a way to save money while still enjoying your choice of show.

Click here ->

Get half-price theatre ticket at tkts booth in Leicester Square, London's West End

Quintessential London: Discover the Delights of Marylebone

Paul McCartney Weds at Old Marylebone Town Hall

Old Masters are seen at the Wallace Collection, outstanding Marylebone museum

Marylebone is a smallish but charming, lesser known London neighborhood within Westminster Council’s borders, just a mile from Sir Paul’s house in better known leafy St John’s Wood. Regent’s Park sits between the two neighborhoods. The Marylebone Old Town Hall, built a century ago, is McCartney’s chosen venue for a small civil ceremony on his third wedding in 2011, as it was for his first wedding, in 1969. Madonna is among those to call an address in a Marylebone residential garden square home.
Strange name. Why?… ->