Why London is the capital of Great Britain. London - Capital of the UK

For me, London is interesting, first of all, because it is impossible to give it a brief description, just as it is impossible to say exactly how old London is. On the site “From London with Love...” I will tell you about the capital of England, a great and beautiful CITY that you can’t help but fall in love with.

Multi-layered, multicultural, diverse, exciting, endless, huge and unique. Incorporating a little bit of all the world's cultures, but remaining an example of real Britain. An imperial city that is proud of its queen, its origins and its history.

It is generally accepted that London was founded by the Romans in 43. However, the remains of the foundation of an ancient structure, recently found on the banks of the Thames, date back to approximately 4500 BC. So consider - how old is the city of London?

Great Britain online map via satellite.

For those who have never been to the capital of Great Britain, the city of London is associated primarily with Big Ben, fog, guards in funny hats and the phrase “London from the Capital of Great Britain,” memorized from school English textbooks.

For those who have made at least one trip to the capital of England, such associations disappear. Having been here, it becomes clear that, in fact, not everything is so simple. Yes, Big Ben and the guards in hats do exist, but they are only a small part of the British capital. Small and not the most remarkable.

Someone from a trip to the capital of England will remember the shops of Oxford Street, double-decker buses, ever-blooming royal parks, impeccable skyscrapers of the City, Victorian mansions of Kensington, free and endless museums, the indescribable beauty of Buckingham Palace, ancient Anglican churches, memorials that will take your breath away.

For some, West End musicals, bustling markets, Indian restaurants, Pakistani eateries, the fun-filled waterfronts of Southwark, tireless market traders, a giant Ferris wheel, street musicians on Piccadilly and Carnaby, Scottish steakhouses, the spirit of the Beatles everywhere.

Someone will forever remember the impeccable Tower Bridge, the curious Greenwich, the many-sided Camden Town, the frightening Madame Tusso's museum and Sherlock Holmes's apartment, the intricate and oldest metro on the planet, the amazing River Thames, which significantly changes its level depending on the moon, hundred-year-old pubs where... in years gone by, pirates and smugglers drank, as did Shakespeare, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud and Thomas Elliot...

The things that impress and surprise London can be listed endlessly. But the thing is that London is different for everyone. You will never find two identical opinions about him.

If with Paris, the capital of fashion, wine, cheese and street prostitution, with Rome, the capital of antiquity, pizza, again wine and again cheese, Amsterdam - the capital of marijuana, Van Gogh, Holland and again street prostitution - everything is more or less clear, then for London It is impossible to give a brief description.

On your first, short visit, the capital of England will leave one impression; on your second trip to London, it will leave a completely different impression.

And if you begin to study this city in detail, its centuries-old history, bypassing the numerous sights of London, such as the Tower or Westminster, and immerse yourself in its real life, then you will discover even more new things.

My blog about London, the capital of England, will help you with this. I will talk about the best way to get a visa to the UK, where and how best to book a room, about the famous and unknown sights of London, about the London metro and how to navigate it, about the surrounding areas of the city.

I’ll tell you how to choose the best time of year to travel to the capital of England, where and how to choose profitable flights to London and buy air tickets.

And if you are a novice tourist, I will help you decide on the best tour program to the city of London.

On this site about London you will learn how to get the best impressions of the English capital.

Right now, you can book a hotel in London at a competitive price:

London– a city of double-decker red buses and the famous Big Ben, only here you can see a skyscraper with the funny name “Cucumber” and the unusual Dali Universe. However, first things first.

Founding of London

This city appeared back in 43 AD; Emperor Claudius appropriated it for himself during one of his many campaigns. The name of the city comes from the Latin “londinium”, but no one knows what this word means. There is an assumption that it denotes an area - a lake or simply some kind of wild place. However, this will remain a mystery of the universe.

Numerous wars almost completely destroyed the city, only in the Middle Ages they began to actively restore it and as a result it became the richest city, which it remains to this day.

Population London is just over eight million people, of whom only about 44% are native white British. But all the rest are migrants from the countries of the Middle East, Poland, India, France, Italy and other countries. They moved into the country for centuries, gradually diluting the population of London.

The religion professed by the majority of London residents is Christianity; it is followed by approximately 48% of the total population, 12% are Muslims. There are also representatives of other religions in London, but in smaller numbers.

London is also famous for its huge number of streets - more than 25 thousand. If we consider by district, London consists of 32 districts, as well as the City - a county in the center of Greater London, from which the entire history of London began.

If you need to call London, you first need to dial the country code +44, and then the city code, for London it is 20. After this, the direct number of the subscriber is dialed.

London Attractions

Among the most striking sights is the famous tower clock with a bell. Moreover, it is the bell that is called Big Ben, and not the tower itself, as many tourists mistakenly believe. Quite often it is recommended to visit “” - this is the name of the Ferris wheel, whose height is 135 meters. It is from this height that you can perfectly view the entire city in full view, and at the same time notice the most beautiful places that you can visit in the future.

The “cucumber” skyscraper mentioned at the beginning of the article also has every right to be considered a highlight of London. Its real name is Mary-Ex 30, this creation has an oblong shape and is decorated with green glass, which is why locals jokingly call the skyscraper “the cucumber.” This skyscraper is unique in that, due to its shape, it consumes half as much electricity as its other skyscraper brothers of the same height.

For art lovers, the best place to visit is Dali's Universe, a creative exhibition of Dali's works with more than 500 exhibits.

London It is famous for its large number of luxurious palaces from different eras, as well as all kinds of museums, which are simply not possible to visit at once. First of all, it is worth paying attention to the famous Madame Tussauds museum and. They perfectly reflect the true essence of London and all its beauty.

Londoners

Naturally, any person who plans to travel to London will be interested in the question - what are local Londoners like? These people are very positive, they sacredly honor all their traditions, prefer not to get into quarrels and know how to stand in queues absolutely calmly. Their main tradition is tea drinking, they drink tea always and everywhere. If you are visiting, you must definitely drink at least a couple of cups of tea, otherwise the hosts will think that you didn’t like it at their place.

The majority of the population of London are believers, therefore they observe fasts and always celebrate religious holidays - Easter, Christmas. Londoners are also avid conservatives; they do not particularly like any innovations. They are very punctual and are never late. All their plans are thought out for a week in advance, so they must be warned about important events in advance.

The majority of the population speaks English, so communication problems usually do not arise. But in London there are also many dialects, the most striking of which is Cockney, the language of the lower strata of society, where many words are pronounced incorrectly, as if deliberately distorted.

The weather in London usually does not cause any inconvenience, as there are no sudden changes here. Temperatures here in summer range from 14 to 25 degrees, and London winters are usually damp, with temperatures ranging from 2 to 8 degrees. But in London it rains quite often, lightly but annoyingly. But you won’t get snow in London – it only falls a couple of times a year.

In addition to viewing the local beauties, you can safely go shopping in London - there are entire streets of boutiques, for example Oxford street or Regent street, the shops are located from the most expensive to the cheapest, so everyone can find the most suitable option for themselves. Grand sales are held twice a year, when the price can be even up to 90% lower than the original one. Typically sales are held in January and June, but some stores may choose their own sales times.

Naturally, London, like any other city in the world, has its own prohibitions, public and unspoken. You should find out about them in advance so as not to get into an awkward situation. Surely any tourist will take a lot of photographs, so it is worth remembering that it is better not to take photographs of other people’s children in London; their parents will most likely turn to the nearest policeman with a request to reprimand you. Also, do not try to deceive people in the queues, trying to move forward under a plausible pretext, and even more so, do not push your way into the queue - the calm British will look at you with such contemptuous glances that you will immediately want to immediately leave this queue to hell.

Local residents are usually always polite and friendly, so it is recommended to reciprocate - say hello to sellers, and always thank people who provided even trivial help. In addition, in London they love all kinds of pets, so do not openly demonstrate your dislike of animals.

It should be remembered that vehicular traffic in capital of Great Britain left-handed. This means that when crossing the road, you should first look to the right and then to the left. For this reason, tourists from countries with right-hand traffic are not recommended to rent cars in London - quite often it is difficult for the driver to change his habitual driving pattern and therefore tourists often become a nuisance on the road or even get into accidents. It is better to rent a bicycle - it will be much cheaper and more practical.

In general, in addition to renting a car, you can use public transport: the metro, the famous ones, the ticket for them is bought before the trip, and not on the bus itself. It is worth remembering that the machine that sells tickets at bus stops does not give out change. Public transport operates around the clock, closes around midnight and opens at half past six in the morning on weekdays, and at seven in the morning on weekends. You can always catch a taxi, but a trip in one will cost much more, in addition, the cost will increase if you are not traveling alone or with large luggage, which will have to be placed in the taxi cabin.

Another thing worth mentioning is the local cuisine. When you come to London, you should definitely try pudding from Yorkshire – that’s the name of the local county. An interesting dish is “shepherd’s pie” filled with minced meat and vegetables.

But if you can still miss the dishes, then you absolutely must visit at least one of them! Only here it is possible to try a huge number of different types of beer, which is rightfully considered the signature drink of Great Britain. All other alcoholic drinks are also available here, and in pubs you can try dishes of various cuisines. In addition to drinking strong drinks, the pub offers a chance to play billiards, watch live football or take part in traditional quizzes for which you can win prizes. If previously pubs were a place exclusively for men, now the whole family can come to a pub and children will also find suitable entertainment.

As seen, London is not only a gray city of constant rains, as many mistakenly believe. This is a city of bright colors, friendly people and unique beauty of sights. Therefore, you should visit the capital of Great Britain at least once in your life, dispelling all your myths and ideas about it.

L London is the capital of not only Great Britain, but also Northern Ireland.
As everyone knows from childhood, London is the capital of Great Britain. This phrase was sacramental for every Soviet person studying English))) and I studied English in all educational institutions and besides it and the interrogation of a prisoner of war, I remembered little. But if you put my army past into the London fog, to be honest, until you start teaching yourself, not a single school will help))

See London (despite all their efforts and nasty things) was always present. And so it happened. I’ll say right away that London left a mixed impression. It is clumsy, somewhat similar to Moscow with its mind-blowing architecture, but at the same time, IMHO, it is an order of magnitude less beautiful.

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The center is certainly good. Both the parliament and the abbey are impressive, but I can’t say that they are truly AH.

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Westminster Abbey.

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First of all, of course, we went to see postcard views of London. Without them. Here I tried to photograph not only the sights, but also my face against their background, so be patient in some places))

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The name London goes back to the name of the city of Roman times, "Londinium" (Latin: Londinium), the origin of which is unclear. It is believed to be pre-Roman.

Londinium was founded by the Romans after their third invasion of Britain in 43 AD. e. The settlement on the north bank of the Thames at the confluence of the Walbrook River was supposed to be protected by a wooden bridge built across the Thames. Before leaving, the Romans renamed the city Augusta, but it didn’t stick))

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And above the girl is a piece of the Wessox coat of arms.

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London has always tried to ruin Russia. Liberal magazines “Bell”, “Nakanune”, “Narodovolets”, “Bread and Freedom” were published here, which were then secretly transferred to Russia. In 1903, the second congress of the banned RSDLP party was held in London, at which it was divided into Bolsheviks and Mensheviks... but we love them not only for this)))

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It is believed that from approximately 1825 to 1925, London was the most populous city in the world (however, in China, clearly no one counted the population). But then other cities began to overtake it. London is now home to about 10 million people.

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London is one of the most polluted cities in Europe. The main source of air pollution is road transport. After the Great Smog of 1952, when many Londoners died, measures were taken, but they were still insufficient.

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Westminster Abbey. Its construction began in the 11th century, but the main construction work was carried out from the 13th to the 16th centuries. It was designed in the shape of a cross and its main purpose was the coronation and tomb of the reigning persons. Its length is 156.6 m, and the central nave has the height of an eleven-story building - 31 m.

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In 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the current Queen of England, took place there. For coronation, the ancient coronation chair of English monarchs is used. This chair has been kept in the abbey for six centuries and under its seat there is a “stone of fate” - a relic of English history.

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There are a lot of cars in the center, but there is a fee to enter the city))) London is generally a surprisingly expensive city. For example, traveling through two metro stations costs almost 500 rubles. And the amount depends on the distance.

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Alas, Big Ben was in the woods. I was amazed that she was so short; I always imagined her to be taller.

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Initially, “Big Ben” was the name given to the largest bell of the tower in England (there are five of them in total), but the name gradually stuck to the clock tower itself as a whole. At the time of casting, Big Ben was the largest and heaviest in England - 13.7 tons.

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Palace of Westminster. Meetings of the British Parliament - the House of Lords and the House of Commons - take place here.

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The architectural style of the palace is neo-Gothic. Palace - 3.2 hectares of area, 3 kilometers of corridors, 1,100 rooms, 100 stairs...

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And opposite the houses are two-story.

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The octagonal central tower of the palace with a sharp dome is 91 meters high and was designed as a chimney for the four hundred fireplaces located throughout the palace

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Victoria Tower is 98.5 meters high. It is the tallest tower of the palace, taller than Big Ben. It contains a lot of secrets, because most of it is occupied by parliamentary archives - as many as 12 floors of secrets in about three million documents)))

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The Jewel Tower is a three-story building next to the Palace of Westminster (pictured below). It was built in 1365-66 to store the personal jewels of King Edward III and was once surrounded by a moat filled with water from the Thames.

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Now there is a museum here, you can visit it))

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In 1605, the “gunpowder plot” took place - Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. This frightened the parliamentarians so much that since then, every year on November 5, security searches the basements and all the nooks and crannies of the palace in search of barrels of gunpowder...)))

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The first royal palace on this site was built by Canute the Great, king of Denmark, England and Norway during his reign from 1016 to 1035.

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Monument to Oliver Cromwell.

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This black building is neither part of the village nor part of the city...

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Westminster Bridge. There are a lot of tourists wandering around... they just create traffic jams)))

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Palace in the woods... alas...

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Round "London Eye")) and Caunti Hall

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View of the Thames from the bridge. Skyscrapers in London are scattered throughout the city and this is not ice.

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The clock is visible... but you don’t often see the tower in this form)))

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Here you can go down into the subway.

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In principle, the center of London is even smaller than the center of St. Petersburg. It's not that big. You can visit the main attractions in one walking day.

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And we went around them)))

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Garbage in places... the capital...

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Monument to the Korean War.

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One of the most popular and visited by tourists from all over the world is the city of London. The capital of Great Britain attracts several million tourists every year who seek to see great historical buildings and sites, monuments and attractions, galleries with great exhibitions and purely London museums, cultural and religious sites, royal lands with magnificent palaces, luxurious parks, the famous red double-decker buses. and many other things known throughout the world.

History of London

The founding of the city in this area dates back to 43 AD, when the Romans led by Claudius invaded Britain. They founded the settlement of Londinium, which was very small in area. There is an opinion that there was already a large settlement in this place, but this data is not confirmed by anything.

The settlement developed rapidly and already in the year 100 London became the capital of Britain. To strengthen the city, the Romans built walls around London, which largely defined its borders. Over the course of several centuries, there was either rapid development of the city or its decline, and by the 5th century the Romans left these places. The city gradually began to be populated by Britons, but was almost abandoned.

In the Middle Ages, London was under the rule of the Saxons and was constantly attacked by the Vikings. During the reign of Edward the Confessor, London begins to be divided into the city itself - the City and the seat of the king, and later parliament - Westminster, where Edward restored the abbey.

When the Normans won the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror was crowned on the site of Westminster Abbey. It was at this time that the Tower and other defensive fortifications appeared in case of a popular uprising.

After the Tudor dynasty came to power in England, the country became an absolute monarchy. At the same time, the capital of England, London, began to grow richer and develop even faster: the first luxurious royal palaces and parks appeared.

During the Reformation, many of London's squares were religious grounds, and most of the population were monks. When Henry VIII declared the king's supremacy over the church, the situation changed: life became more secular, and many territories that belonged to churches were confiscated by the king.

London quickly became the largest European trading city: businesses opened and new people arrived. But this also had its downsides. In many large cities of that time there was no sewage system, and medicine was not able to cope with the constantly emerging epidemics and diseases.

Epidemics constantly broke out in London, killing thousands of people.

The worst occurred in 1665-1666 and was called the Great Plague: almost a fifth of the population fell victim to this terrible disease.

After the end of the epidemic, London suffered another disaster - the Great Fire of London, in which there were practically no casualties, but serious material damage was caused.

After the restoration of the city, London becomes the financial capital of the world. At this time, new technologies are being developed, banks are opening, literature is developing, the press is appearing, cultural objects are being built - the city is developing in all directions.

In the 19th century, London acquired the first railway, the world's first subway, Tower Bridge and Big Ben. At the same time, a sewer system appeared in the capital, which had to be built after the Great Stench that happened in 1858.

London's development was interrupted during the First World War, when it was attacked from the air. Between the world wars, London developed and grew in area. During the Great Depression, many people lost their jobs and the standard of living in the city worsened.

During the Second World War, London was repeatedly bombed, residents were evacuated, and subway stations were used as bomb shelters.

In 1952, the Great Smog descended on London, killing several thousand people. Then the authorities became concerned about the environmental situation in the city and adopted the necessary laws.

In the 60s of the 20th century, the city became the center of the youth subculture Swinging London. The main icons of this style were the musical groups The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, James Bond, and the main principles of the subculture are optimism, hedonism and rejection of previous values.

After Swinging London, hippie culture became popular, spreading from the United States throughout the world.

At the end of the 20th century, London, like other major cities in the world, became a target for terrorists. In the 70s, attacks by the Irish Republican Army were carried out, after which they were replaced by Islamic fundamentalists.

In 2012, London hosted the Olympic Games and became the first city to receive this honor three times in its history.

London Attractions

London has always attracted people with its architectural structures, historical and cultural monuments, cultural and sporting events. Thus, among the sporting events that annually attract tourists and local residents are matches of London football teams that are among the elite of world football, cricket and rugby matches, a tennis tournament in the suburb of the capital Wimbledon, boat regattas, and the London Marathon.

Cultural festivals include a film festival, a book fair, music festivals and concerts. Traditional ceremonies are extremely popular: the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the Ceremony of Keys in the Tower, fireworks in honor of special events in the royal family.

Many London landmarks have become household names, squares are recognizable, and some historic and royal buildings have become some of the most popular attractions in the world.

Some sites are included in the UNESCO heritage list. Among them: the Palace of Westminster, the Tower, Westminster Abbey, an ensemble of buildings in Greenwich, the Royal Kew Gardens, St. Margaret's Church.

One of the landmarks of London, which is familiar to many even just by its outline, is the famous Big Ben tower, built in conjunction with the Houses of Parliament in the center of the capital.

Along with her, everyone is eager to visit the notorious gloomy Tower, which became the place of imprisonment and execution of many prominent political and historical figures in England. Next to the Tower is the majestic Tower Bridge across the Thames, made in the neo-Gothic style, next to which is the Belfast museum ship.

In the center of London, Trafalgar Square with its famous Nelson's Column is especially popular, which is used for public celebrations and public events, and during the Christmas holidays it becomes the site of the country's main Christmas tree.

Interesting museums in the capital of England include the London National Gallery, the British Museum, the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Tate Gallery, the collection of decorative and applied arts and the design collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the Pollock Toy Museum, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. at a well-known address.

The famous Shakespeare's Globe Theater still attracts tourists, including interesting performances and educational programs held there.

In addition to this theater, Broadway-type theaters, the Royal Court Theatre, the Elizabeth II Theatre, the Royal Opera House located in Covent Garden, and the Royal Albert Hall are popular.

London's parks are famous for their special flavor, providing much-needed relaxation for constantly busy Londoners. The most interesting parks in the capital of Great Britain: Green Park, Hyde Park, Lee Valley, Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park, Greenwich Park, Regent's Park, Richmond Park, Royal Kew Gardens, Bushy Park.

Almost every park features rare species of plants or animals, interesting fountains and monuments. Many parks provide entertainment for children and numerous cafes for outdoor recreation.

Among the religious buildings of interest are Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, the Central Mosque and other objects.

The royal residence in London is the luxurious Buckingham Palace, which is open to the public two months a year when the Queen is away.

In honor of the new millennium, a huge Ferris wheel 135 meters high, called the London Eye, was built on the banks of the Thames. From the attraction you can see the city from a bird's eye view. This Ferris wheel attracts large crowds of tourists, but is not very popular with the prim British.

In London, everyone can find entertainment and interesting activities for themselves. If time permits, you can visit all the iconic places associated with the history of England and which largely determined its destiny.

The capital of Great Britain and one of the most significant cities in the world attracts the attention of millions of travelers. This is not surprising - in all of Europe there are few capitals with such an ancient and rich history, moreover, possessing a lot of unique features both in architectural terms and in the way of life of people or a mixture of traditions. London is famous for its abundance of attractions, a huge number of unique historical monuments, the center of business activity and comfortable living conditions, the special atmosphere of its neighborhoods - both old and modern, many first-class shops, clubs, restaurants and pubs, which are only added to the attractiveness by all kinds of legends and literary works that abundantly describe this city over a series of centuries.

As such, the city was founded by the Romans in 43 AD. e. under the name Londinium, although the first settlements on this site were erected by the Celts long before the invasion of the legions of Claudius. The exact translation of his name is unknown (an approximate translation is “wide river”), since it has no analogues even in the Celtic languages, which once again confirms its antiquity. And the site where the Roman fort was founded can be explained very simply - only in this place was it possible to build a permanent bridge across the Thames with its marshy banks, which in those days were also cut by the beds of dozens of rivers and streams. Therefore, the settlement at first occupied only a tiny area at the northern end of the bridge, nevertheless being a large transshipment trade base at that time. However, already in 60 AD. e. Celtic troops led by Boudica practically level the city to the ground. Only after this, the actively rebuilt town turns from a provincial “trading base” into the capital of the Roman colony of Britain and the largest city in the region. By the end of the 2nd century AD. e. here there is already a forum and various public buildings and temples made of stone (most of the city still remained wooden, which had a detrimental effect on it more than once - fires devastated the settlement at least 8 times in a century), a large port and a praetorium (governor's palace) were built, minted its own coin, and at the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries the first stone fortress wall, 6 meters high, was erected, which essentially marks the boundaries of the modern City. In the 4th century, the city was surrounded by rich villas with baths, swimming pools and gardens, the episcopate was located here, and the walls were strengthened with numerous bastions, but numerous wars and uprisings undermined the city’s economy, and it even lost its original name, becoming Augusta for a short period. And after the fall of the Roman Empire, such chaos began that the city disappeared from the notes of chroniclers for a long time.

In the 7th-9th centuries, just to the west of the borders of Londinium, which was deserted by that time, the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Lundenvik grew, then the Saxons gradually moved to the territory of the well-fortified former capital and renamed it Lundenburg, or Lunden, and a royal palace was built on the island of Thorney (now Westminster) and the now famous Westminster Abbey. It is from this moment that the history of modern London as such begins, a rapidly growing commercial, religious and political center that has retained many of the features of historical buildings, but quickly adapts to the rapidly changing trends of history. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed more than half the city and almost all churches, London was actively rebuilt “in stone”; from many of its historical quarters and villages only names remained, which today have become the names of districts (due to this, By the way, the administrative division of the city remains so unusual and very incomprehensible to a foreigner), and the city itself begins rapid growth, turning into one of the financial, cultural and political capitals of the world.

London Hotels

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Tourist information

Most London Tourist Information Centers (TICs) are open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends, some close on Sundays and almost all are closed on so-called bank holidays (UK bank holidays). The main office of the British capital Britain & London Visitor Center is located at 1 Regent St (telephone: 0870 225-09-30) and has all the necessary services for tourists.

When visiting London it is very convenient to use a map London pass(www.londonpass.co.uk) for 1, 2, 3 or 6 days, providing significant discounts or free entry (bypassing the queue!) when visiting many (about 60) city attractions, discounts on some city tours, discounts in shops and cafes and many constantly changing special offers.

You can purchase it at information centers (TICs) and the central office, at main railway and metro stations, and at airports. For the most part, museums in London are free, but visiting the most significant historical monuments, including all the royal palaces and most cathedrals, can generally cost quite a tidy sum, plus the London pass also gives you the right to view paid exhibitions of free museums. However, the price of this card itself is rather high (33-70 pounds per child and 49-108 pounds for an adult, certain discounts apply when purchasing online) and sometimes it is not available, so when visiting the city for a short time, you should clearly plan your visiting route from calculating its payback.

For a short stay to get around the city, the most suitable option may be a single London Travelcard (included in the London Passes with Travel package). A separate Child Pass is valid for children aged 5 to 15 years. However, a child under 11 can travel free on the Tube, buses, DLR and London Overground when accompanied by an adult with a valid travel card.

The London pass comes with a large, handy guide, including details of each attraction, maps and useful information about the city in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese and Japanese.

If you are staying in the country for a long time, the transport smart card Oyster card is very convenient, providing the widest possibilities when choosing a method of transportation around the city and many options for validity and payment. It is valid on all buses, tubes, trams, DLR and most National Rail services across London. When purchasing a card, a deposit of £5 is required (£3 for the Visitor Oyster card), refundable upon return. When registering an Oyster card (this is done by filling out a special form only in person at sales offices located in all major transport hubs of the city), not only does the level of card security increase, but it also becomes possible to add monthly or seasonal travel tickets.

Children aged 5 to 10 years can travel free on buses and trams, and on the Underground, DLR and London Overground when accompanied by an adult with a valid Oyster card (maximum 4 children per person). If unaccompanied by an adult, they will need a 5-10 Oyster photocard (deposit £10). Children aged 11-15 years can travel on buses and trams with Oyster Photocards. And children under 5 years of age can use London's public transport free of charge at any time, provided they are accompanied by one adult.