Yonda – with the slogan ‘go Yonda’ – is London’s only self-drive sightseeing experience. The cars are small Smart cars (two and four-seaters available) installed with an easy-to-follow virtual guide that helps customers navigate London’s streets while seeing the sights. Smart Cars The two-seater Smart cars are convertible (so you can really get closer to London weather!) […]
Laura’s London: New Digger Deeper and Crossrail Secrets Exhibitions at the London Transport Museum
The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden has a new permanent gallery exploring the history of tunneling and a new temporary exhibition about Crossrail opening on 23 March 2018. Both are part of the national programme to celebrate the Year of Engineering 2018. Digging Deeper Gallery On the ground floor of the museum, this new […]
The London Fiver – Five Places Important to American History in London
America has a great presence in London besides its embassy and the number of tourists that flock the streets. Sure, you can point out that a good number of this country’s founders came from the UK, so London is bound to have historical ties with the States, but it goes much deeper than that. From […]
Westminster Abbey To Get New Dedicated Museum
Westminster Abbey, the place where Britain’s kings and queens have been crowned for almost a thousand years will be home to London’s newest museum later this year. From Travel GBI: Known as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, the space will display more than 300 historic and artistic treasures from the abbey’s collection to tell the 1,000-year […]
London Closure Notice: Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Piccadilly Circus Has Closed Permanently
This news came a little too late for us to include in the 2018 London Annual, but Ripley’s Believe it or Not in Piccadilly Circus has closed permanently. Though a note on their website says they are looking to relocate the collection. I’ve never been a fan of this attraction, it was showing it’s age […]
Laura’s London: Exploring London’s Newest Museum – The Secret Mail Rail and The Postal Museum
Mail Rail is London’s newest subterranean heritage attraction. Open from 4 September 2017; the disused postal railway tunnels have been brought back to life as a visitor ride for the first time in their 100 year history. This miniature railway was the world’s first driverless, electric railway and was never intended for passengers. While The […]
London’s Newest Museum – The Mail Rail Experience – Opens July 28th
This one has been in the works for quite a few years and we’re glad to see that it finally has an open date. For those that don’t know, the Mail Rail was a secret underground railroad in London used to transport mail between London mail depots. It’s been defunct for quite a few years. […]
Top 10 Gardens in London for a Respite On Your Next Trip
Sometimes in the middle of the city, you need to get away and find some peace and quiet. That can seem difficult in an urban environment, but London is peppered with gardens where respite can be had. Not all of them are huge sprawling greenspaces, some are like small islands in the concrete jungle. When […]
Great London Buildings – The London Eye
Since 1999, the London Eye (also known as the Millennium Wheel) has dotted the skyline of London and added its distinctive shape to the buildings that line the Thames River. To some its a tourist attraction, to others, it’s an eyesore. Regardless of one’s opinion on the Eye, it is an iconic part of […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about ZSL London Zoo
Everyone loves to go to the zoo and see animals we only read about in books or see in a David Attenborough-narrated documentary. The London Zoo is one of the standard-bearers for what a zoo should be. Located on the edge of Regent’s Park, it has been managed by the Zoological Society of London since […]
London’s Newest Tourist Attraction: The Orbit Slide
You may remember the Orbit sculpture that was built in the London Olympic Park as part of the London 2012 games. After the Olympics it was meant to be a centerpiece of the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and attract tourists to visit. Four years on, it turns out not many people want to trek all […]
Great London Buildings – A Brief History of The Tower of London
Castles in general were not only defensive strongholds, but also displays of power (and maybe overcompensating a bit). This was especially true for the Normans, who felt that the keep was a representation of the lord’s authority. After William the Conqueror defeated Harold of Wessex at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and was crowned […]
Londinium: Where to See Roman London Today
While settlements existed along the Thames well before the 1st Century, the Romans came to Britain in 43 A.D. and established a settlement they named Londonium. After a battle razed the settlement in 61 A.D., the Romans decided to rebuild Londonium as a planned town. Over time, the Romans continued to build in London, but […]
Great London Buildings – A Brief History of Buckingham Palace – The Queen’s Official London Home
Perhaps the greatest residence in the city, Buckingham Palace has been the home of royalty for centuries and has been the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II since she ascended the throne in 1952, though she had lived there since her father, King George VI, became monarch in 1936. The site where Buckingham House is […]
Ten Interesting Facts about the Royal Observatory, Greenwich – The Home of the Prime Meridian
A pioneering place of British astronomy, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich has been observing the stars for hundreds of years. It owes its existence to a Who’s Who of 17th Century Britain, as it was commissioned by King Charles II and its location site chosen by Sir Christopher Wren in 1675. Since the Longitude Act […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
The Globe is, perhaps, the most famous theatre in the world. This is due, in no small part, to the successes of playwright William Shakespeare, for years the Globe was the headquarters for the Bard and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later the King’s Men). Together, they formed one of the most formidable drama groups of […]
Battle Stations! 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about HMS Belfast You Might Not Know
Anchored in the Thames, HMS Belfast was launched not long before the advent of World War II. It saw a great deal of action during the war as a blockade ship, escorting convoys, in battle, and supporting the Normandy invasion. After a long and distinguished career, efforts to save the ship from being scuttled resulted […]
Fit for a King: 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace was one of the many residences of King Henry VIII, though it was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in 1514. However, Cardinal Wolsey’s failure to secure an annulment for Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon led to the English Reformation and Wolsey saw the writing on the wall. Before the king […]
All The World’s a Stage: 10 Interesting Facts and Figures About the Globe Theatre in London
It is perhaps the most famous stage in the world, the place where many of literature’s best-known plays were first presented. It was built for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, William Shakespeare’s acting company, in 1599 and stood until destroyed by fire in 1613. Another was built the following year and remained until 1642, when it […]
London Eye: 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about the London Eye You Might Not Know
One of London’s premiere attractions, the Ferris Wheel known as the London Eye is as recognisable against the London skyline as Tower Bridge or the Shard. Located on the South Bank of the Thames in Lambeth, right across from Westminster, it has plenty of famous neighbors, including the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, […]
London’s Back Garden: 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about Hyde Park You Might Not Know
Hyde Park is one of the greatest sites in London, its sprawling expanse making a beautiful green stamp on the city. It contains a great number of memorials, events, statues, architectural wonders, and Speakers Corner, where individuals may debate on important issues. The park has even more interesting aspects to it that you may not […]
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!
