London travel guide

London’s vociferous mix of grandeur, history, style and culture seems to get more enticing by the year. It charms with leafy Royal parks, free world-class art galleries and frothy ale amid wood-clad pubs; it intrigues with ancient streets and grand architecture, and excites with the neon-lit West End, designer shopping and an innovative dining scene that has become one of the richest in the world.

The average London street transports you back centuries with its architecture, and across continents with its population. Brimming with iconic British emblems – the ubiquitous black cab; the Houses of Parliament’s soaring limestone peaks – London unites a colourful history and solid traditions with boundary-pushing creativity and true multiculturalism. Whether exploring one of its glorious markets or taking it easy in a soft green park, expect to see faces from all corners of the globe.

Culturally, London is breathtaking, with its galleries and museums among some of the most prestigious and comprehensive on earth. From the natural wonders housed inside the ornate, terracotta façade of the Natural History Museum to the cutting-edge artists pushing boundaries inside the Tate Modern, a staggering number of London’s cultural attractions are free.

With all this and more, London rarely sits far from the world’s attentions, but 2012 is proving a truly exceptional year for the city. In June, the Diamond Jubilee saw thousands upon thousands of flag-waving revellers take to London’s streets in celebration of the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. Street parties, open air concerts and heaving crowds all vying for a glimpse of a regal face showed that the British Royal Family remains a much-loved institution.

The spotlight on London is set to shine even brighter when the 2012 London Olympics (July 27-August 12) bring the world’s athletes to this historic backdrop. Olympic fever has been building since the city won the bid back in 2005, and vast changes have been made to accommodate the crowds and smooth out some of the London transport system’s infamous kinks. Key train stations such as King’s Cross in the north and Waterloo to the south have been expanded or improved, and free Wi-Fi internet access is available in many London Underground stations throughout the games.

The London Olympics promises some wonderfully unique sights – Horse Guards Parade playing host to the beach volley ball, for one – but nowhere has seen quite so much transformation as the East, where a stretch of wasteland has been transformed into the impressive Olympic Park, and the nearby areas such as Bethnal Green have been flourishing in anticipation. Also running this summer is the London Festival, the culmination of the four year Cultural Olympiad. Expect a jam-packed line up of art, film, dance and more.

But London doesn’t need grand events to show what it’s all about. Whether in the glittering West End, gazing across to the Houses of Parliament from Waterloo Bridge, marvelling at Bank and Moorgate’s glossy towers or strolling the fashionable streets of Shoreditch, there can be no doubt you’re in one of the greatest cities on earth.