Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
chips shops. Eastern Europeans pull pints in British pubs. Many hotels are run by people
with foreign accents (who hire English chambermaids), while outlying suburbs are home to
huge communities of Indians and Pakistanis. London is a city of nearly eight million separ-
ate dreams, inhabiting a place that tolerates and encourages them. With the English Channel
Tunnel and discount airlines making travel between Britain and the Continent easier than
ever, London is learning—sometimes fitfully—to live as a microcosm of its formerly vast
empire.
The city, which has long attracted tourists, seems perpetually at your service, with an
impressive slate of sights, entertainment, and eateries, all linked by a great transit system.
You're riding the coattails of a banner year for London—2012—when the city hosted both
theOlympicsandtheQueen's“DiamondJubilee”celebrationforher60thyearonthethrone.
Consequently, this already spiffy city is even more spruced up than usual.
With just a few days here, you'll get no more than a quick splash in this teeming human
tidal pool. But with a good orientation, you'll find London manageable and fun. You'll get
a sampling of the city's top sights, history, and cultural entertainment, and a good look at its
ever-changing human face.
