Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nearby:
Garden enthusiasts enjoy popping into the secluded Sunken Garden, 50 yards
fromtheexit.ConsiderafternoonteaatthenearbyOrangery,builtasagreenhouseforQueen
Anne in 1704 (tea served 14:00-18:00, until 17:00 Nov-Feb, £20 “Orangery tea,” à la carte
treats, no reservations taken, tel. 020/3166-6113,
www.hrp.org.uk
).
Olympic Park
From July 27 to August 12, 2012, London hosted athletes from 205 nations in the 30th
Olympiad. Festivities centered around Olympic Park, filling the Lea Valley, about seven
miles northeast of downtown London. Lea Valley used to be the site of derelict factories,
mountains of discarded tires, and Europe's biggest refrigerator dump. But this area now
glistens with gardens, greenery, and state-of-the-art construction.
OlympicParkishuge—biggerthanHydePark/KensingtonGardens.It'salsoquitebeau-
tiful, laced with canals and tributaries of the Lea River. Now that the games are over, the
area is gradually being converted into a public park (and may be open in time for your vis-
it). The best overview of the whole area—with fine views of the stadium, the Orbit (a gi-
ant climbable statue), the grounds, the Aquatics Centre, and the other structures—is along a
500-yard-long berm called the
Greenway
, which sits at the park's southern perimeter. The
easiest landmark to head for is the View Tube, a covered shelter with a free lookout tower,
café, WC, and maps.
Getting There:
From downtown London, it's about a 25-minute ride on the Tube and/or
DLR to one of the stations that ring Olympic Park.
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Kew Gardens
For a fine riverside park and a palatial greenhouse jungle to swing through, take the Tube or
the boat to every botanist's favorite escape, Kew Gardens. While to most visitors the Royal
Botanic Gardens of Kew are simply a delightful opportunity to wander among 33,000 dif-
ferent types of plants, to the hardworking organization that runs the gardens, they are a way
to promote the understanding and preservation of the botanical diversity of our planet. The
KewTubestationdropsyouinalittlecommunityofplant-and-herbshops,atwo-blockwalk
fromVictoriaGate(themaingardenentrance).Pickupamapbrochureandcheckatthegate
for a monthly listing of best blooms.
