This document provides information about London, including its history, famous people, weather, currency, airports, train stations, transportation system, attractions, and things to do in different areas of the city. It discusses London's history from the Roman Empire through its current monarchy. It lists important kings and queens and provides details about transportation options to and from the major airports. The document also gives tips for using the transportation system and visiting top attractions and neighborhoods across London.

1. London!

2. London’s History
Roman Empire London Anglo-Saxon London
Important Saxon Kings: Alfred the Great (871-899), Edward The Elder (899 – 924), Edgar (959-975), Edward the
Martyr (975 – 978), Aethelred II The Unready (978 – 1016)

3. London’s History
Medieval London
Tudor
London
Stuart
London
Industrial
Revolution/New Age
Creation of early modern English
Important Kings and Queens: Canute, Cnut the Great, The Dane (1016 – 1035), Harold I (1035 – 1040), Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), William I (1066-1087), Henry II (1100-1135), Richard I, The Lionheart (1189 –
1199), John (1199-1216), Edward I (1272-1307), Edward II (1307-1327), Edward III (1327-1377), Richard II (1377-1399), Henry VII (1485-1509), Henry VIII (1509-1547), Edward VI (1547-1553), Mary I, Bloody Mary (1553-
1558), Elizabeth I (1558-1603), James I and VI of Scotland (1603-1625), Charles 1 (1625-1649), Oliver Cromwell (1653-1658), Richard Cromwell (1658-1659), Charles II (1660-1685), James II and VII of Scotland (1685-
1688), Anne (1702-1714), George I (1714-1727), George II (1727-1760), George III (1760-1820), George IV (1820-1830), William IV (1830-1837), William IV 1830-1837), Victoria (1837-1901)

4. London’s History
Edward VII (1901-1910), George V (1910-1936), Edward VIII (1936-ABDICATED Dec. 1936), George VI (1936-1952), Elizabeth
II (1952-PRESENT)

5. Famous British People
• Jane Austen: author
• Winston Churchill: Prime Minister
• Diana, Princess of Wales: Princess,
mother of Princes William and Harry
• Charles Darwin: theory of evolution
• William Shakespeare: famous
playwright
• Sir Issac Newton: father of physics
• John Lennon: singer-songwriter
• Oliver Cromwell: father of British
democracy
• Paul McCartney: singer-songwriter
• Stephan Hawking: physicist, author,
cosmologist
• David Bowie: singer
• David Beckham: soccer player
• Charles Dickens: author
• John Wesley: minister
• Florence Nightingale: social reformer,
founder of nursing
• J.K. Rowling: author
• Queen Elizabeth: current Queen of
England
These people make up what is known as the British ‘brand’,
helping to grow the modern-day perception of British culture as
they as people or their works are recognized globally.

6. When to Visit
Summer is also beautiful in London but, can be fairly rainy and is also
somewhat crowded with tourists.
Fall and winter are fairly cold and windy but, are less crowded and
usually the less expensive times to visit. Christmas in London is
beautiful as famous streets, parks, museums, and show venues light up
and hold Christmas events with pop-up carnivals, markets, and ice
skating rinks.
Spring in London is a beautiful time
to visit but, is also the most
crowded as most visitors come
then. It is considered the best time
to see the city because the parks
are blossoming and the weather
tends to be nicer.

7. London Weather
London weather is almost the same
as the rest of England, but different
due the city’s buildings and
architecture. Temperatures tend to
stay around 10°C – 13°C in the fall,
0°C – 7°C in the winter, 8°C – 10°C
in the spring, and 14°C – 18°C in the
summer.
It tends to rain every couple of days and it can either be a light shower
or a thunderstorm, lasting once per day to on-and-off all day. Because
London is on an island, expect island weather which means chilly and
breezy to cold and windy weather. Download The Weather Channel App
or check the BBC Weather for more updated information.

8. Currency:
London, as per the UK, uses the pound sterling,
noted as the strongest currency in the world which
can make visiting the UK a little more expensive
than expected.
1 UK Pound =
1.51 U.S. Dollars
100.97 Indian Rupee
2.08 Australian Dollar
1.38 Euro
- Don’t eat out right next to big
attractions in London because it
will be more expensive
- Sainsbury’s and Tesco stores offer
meal deals usually under £3
- Check out free walking tours in
London
- Rent day bikes to sightsee
London instead of public
transportation

9. London Airports

10. Airports: Heathrow and Gatwick
Heathrow: London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the UK
used by over 90 airlines and flies to 170 destinations, has 5 terminals
– Location: In the London
borough of Hillington, 12
miles outside of London
– Interactive map of the airport
– Maps of Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
– Security, liquids and bags
Gatwick: Gatwick Airport is London’s second busiest airport with two
terminals, North and South that are connected by a free shuttle service
– Location: Crawley, West Sussex about 30 miles south of central London
– Maps of North Terminal and South Terminal
– Security, liquids, and bags

11. Airports: Stansted and Luton
Standsted: London Stansted Airport
is the third largest airport in UK, used
for many low-cost aircrafts. Stansted
only has one terminal of which there
are there wings for the different gates
– Location: Stansted Mountfitchet,
Essex about 30 miles northeast
of London
– Map of the airport
– Security, liquids and baggage
Luton: London Luton Airport is the fourth largest airport serving
London, has one terminal with gates branching off of it
– Location: Luton, Bedfordshire, about 30 miles north of central
London
– Map of the airport
– Security, liquids, and baggage

12. Airports: Heathrow
Via Heathrow Express: Leaving from Paddington Station in
Zone 1, the Heathrow Express is a train that takes approx. 15
minutes and leaves every 15 minutes. Not the cheapest option
but, can be cheaper if tickets are booked online beforehand
Via Underground Tube: Located on the Piccadilly Tube line in
Zone 6, the Piccadilly loops around Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3
and 4 and also goes directly to 5. The cheapest option as it
costs under 4 pounds, will take about 1 hour to get from
Heathrow to central London
Buses 14, 85, X26, and 285 take you from central London to
Terminals 1, 2, 3. Usually takes more than 2 hours from central
London. Second cheapest option
Getting to and from Heathrow Airport

13. Airports: Gatwick
The easiest way to get from
Gatwick to central London (and
back) is by train, the Gatwick
Express calls at Victoria station
and Gatwick Station North
Terminal, is 30 minutes long
and can be booked in advance.
Other trains also run from
Victoria to Gatwick (which can
be cheaper if you have a
BritRail pass)
Getting to and from Gatwick Airport
The cheapest option is by Gatwick easyBus leaving both North and
South Terminals to Earls Court/West Brompton, Waterloo, and
Victoria bus stops in London every 15 minutes
More ways to get to and from Gatwick to London and the UK here

14. Airports: Stansted and Luton
Stansted
– By train: Stansted Express runs every 15 minutes, costs around
£23.40, takes around 50 minutes to get into Liverpool Street
station
Luton
– By train: Trains run out of Luton Airport Parkway train station
(not located at the airport) frequently to London Blackfriars and
St. Pancras stations where the Tube is also accessible. A
shuttle bus runs from the airport to the Luton Airport Parkway
station, a 10 minute journey
Bus/coach for both airports
– Both airports use National Express coaches, easyBus, and
Terravision located at the front of the airports stopping at
various central London stops
Getting to and from Stansted and Luton Airports

15. Train Stations
There are 366 train stations serving London and call at stations all
over Europe and the UK. If you want to travel outside London,
check out the National Rail Journey Planner to help you plan your
journey. Some of the train stations in London are attached to Tube
stations as well, making getting to the train station much easier.
The most common train stations are Victoria Station, St Pancras
International, Shoreditch High Street Station, Kings Cross, Euston
Station, Waterloo Station, Paddington Station, Stratford Station,
Whitechapel Station, Clapham Junction, Highgate Station,
Marylebone Station, and Charing Cross Station.
Oyster cards cannot be used for trains but some Contactless cards
can be used for trains. The best option is to buy a ticket either at the
station or before online.

16. London Transportation

17. London Transportation
• Helpful Information:
• Tube map
• TfL Visitor
Leaflet
• Bus routes
London transportation includes extensive underground and over ground trains,
buses, the Tube, trams and more. For information on London transportations
and services click here.
How to locate the buses/bus stops and Tube stops:
• The buses are red all around, they are not the same as Hop-On Hop-Off buses
• The Tube is underground but the DLR is over-ground and has amazing views of
London

18. Tube Fares and Payments: Oyster
Card
There are two different ways for you to
pay for the Tube, either with an Oyster
Card or a Contectless Card.
To pay with an Oyster Card: different
cards are available for purchase online or
at any Tube station. There are many
different types of cards with special offers
and discounts depending on group size,
zones, extended visits and more. Once
you have your card, you scan it and have
access to all TfL (Transport for London)
transportation.
Please click this helpful video above to
view how to buy and use a visitor
Oyster card

19. How to Use: Oyster Card
Touch in and out by
scanning your card on the
station gate which will turn
green when meaning
you’ve touched in
If there are no station
gates look for the
freestanding gate to touch
in and out
For bus journeys, go to the
front of the bus where the
driver is sitting to touch in,
you do not need to touch
out from the bus or tram Click the picture above to learn how
to use your Oyster card

20. Tube Fares and Payments: Contactless
Contactless Cards are debit,
credit, charge or pre-paid cards
for purchase under 30 pounds.
They are issued by Visa,
MasterCard, Maestro or
American Express and have this
distinct symbol on them:
To pay with a Contactless Card:
when using this card, a single
payment will be charged to you
at the end of each day for all the
journey’s you’ve made
To learn more on the fares of
contactless cards please click on the
image above

21. How to Use: Contactless
Contactless cards are used the same
way as Oyster cards
Touch in and out by scanning your card
on the station gate which will turn
green when meaning you’ve touched in
If there are no station gates look for the
freestanding gate to touch in and out
For bus journeys, go to the front of the
bus where the driver is sitting to touch
in, you do not need to touch out from
the bus or tram

22. Tube Stops
This might look overwhelming
now but it’s really easy to
navigate. Let’s say you are at
South Kensington station and you
want to get to St. Paul’s station.
You will need to change stations
somewhere because the three
lines at South Kensington are the
Piccadilly, Circle, and District.
The easiest way to do this to get
on the Piccadilly line from South
Kensington towards Holborn
station then switch onto the
Central line towards St. Paul’s
station.
There are signs all over the Tube
stations telling you what platform
to get on and where the Tube is
heading towards. It might be
nerve-wracking the first few
journeys but, you will understand
the Tube soon!

23. TfL and Citymapper
On the Transport for London website you can input your location and
where you want to go and it will find the cheapest and fastest lines for
you to use. TfL uses Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep people
updated on social media about their services
Another helpful app Citymapper that helps you find the closest Tube
and bus stops, give you routes, and directs you like a GPS throughout
your journey

24. London Attractions

25. London Boroughs
London has 32 Boroughs
The major boroughs of
central London are
Hammersmith & Fulham,
Kensington & Chelsea,
City of Westminster,
Islington, City of London,
Hackney, Tower Hamlets,
Lambeth, Southwark,
Lewisham and
Greenwich.

26. Our Top 25 Places/Things To See and Do
1) Tower of London
2) Westminster (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey)
3) Covent Garden
4) Trafalgar Square
5) Leicester Square
6) Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
7) Buckingham Palace
8) Kensington Palace
9) The London Dungeon
10) Hyde Park
11) Regents Park
12) Royal Albert Hall
13) Tate Modern
15) London Eye
16) St. Paul’s Cathedral
17) Victoria and Albert Museum
18) Tower Bridge
19) The Globe Theater
20) Oxford and Regent Streets
21) Piccadilly Circus
22) Brick Lane
23) Warner Bros. Studio Tour The Making of Harry Potter
24) Borough Market
25) Camden Market

27. What to do in: West End
London’s West End is filled with
the best theatre, the best
shopping and the food in London.
It is home to the City of London
and the Soho district where you
can find the best bars and clubs
in London. The West End
includes Trafalgar Square (where
Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly
Circus, Leicester Square, and
Chinatown.
Theatre! You have to attend a West End play or musical like Les Miserables,
Wicked, or the Book of Mormon.
Shopping! Hit up famous streets like Oxford St (with the infamous Harrods),
Regent St, Carnaby St, and Bond St.
Art! For museum junkies check out The National Gallery, The National
Portrait Gallery, The Royal Academy of Arts, and London Transport Museum.

28. What to do in: City of London
Home to the old attractions
of London, the City of
London was made by the
Romans around AD50. It
holds many churches
designed by Sir Christopher
Wren after the Great Fire.
But, this district is
constantly reinventing itself
with post-modern buildings,
mixing traditional Victorian
architecture with post-
modern minimalism
structure and design.
Attractions: Tower Bridge, The
Monument, The Tower of London, St.
Paul’s Cathedral, St Dunstan-in-the-East,
Museum of London, Leadenhall Market,
High Street Kensington (shopping),
Business district (The Bullet, the Walkie-
Talkie, The Shard)

29. What to do in: Westminster & St. James
Westminster is home to the iconic London
landmarks of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben,
Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and
the Royal Academy
Parks! Westminster is home to very beautiful
city parks like Hyde Park, St. James’s Park,
Royal Park and Green Park
Places! Many of the iconic areas of London are
located in Westminster like Piccadilly Circus,
Trafalgar Square, and Leicester Square
Museums! Famous museums line Westminster
like the National Gallery, the National Portrait
Gallery, the Tate Modern, and the Cabinet War
Rooms,

30. What to do in: Camden Town
Camden is a quirky part of London made up of vintage and
futuristic clothing, emo to rocker music-lovers, and food
from all over the world.
Shopping! Get off at Camden Town
and Check out stores like Doc Martins
and Cyberdog
Market! The Staples Market has
vintage clothing, decorations, and
hairdressers
Music! Many famous artists and bands
play in Camden in venues like The
Roundhouse, Dingwalls, Underworld,
The Jazz Café, and Cecil Sharp House

31. What to do in: South Bank
Located along the south
side of the river Thames,
South Bank area is
located on the other side
of the Westminster and
has been reinvented over
the past century with
modern architecture and
holds many of London’s
famous sight-seeing
attractions
Attractions: London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe
Theatre, the Tate Modern, Royal Festival Hall,
National Theatre, Hayward Gallery, Queen
Elizabeth Hall, Bankside Gallery, Jerwood
Space, Borough Market, Millenium Bridge,
Florence Nightingale Museum, The London
Dungeon, and the Lower Marsh market stalls

32. What to do in: South Kensington
The wealthiest area in
London, South
Kensington is lined with
white Victorian flats
surrounding three major
museums, and the
beautiful Hyde Park.
Located here is
Kensington Palace where
Prince Harry currently
lives and the Royal Albert
Hall where the BBC
Proms is held.
Attractions: Natural History Museum,
The Victoria and Albert Museum, the
Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall,
Albert Memorial, Kensington Palace,
Kensington Palace Gardens, Hyde
Park, Royal College of Art.

33. What to do in: Shoreditch
Bars and Club! Water Poet, Queen of Hoxton, Happiness Forgets, and Callooh Callay
are considered the best bars and clubs in Shoreditch
Shopping! Boxpark and Mawi are two of the most popular clothing shoppes in
Shoreditch but, walk down Brick Lane and you will find some of the coolest vintage and
indie clothing shoppes in London
Food! You must get a Brick Lane beigel to say you’ve been to Shoreditch. The two
rivaling shoppes boast the best beigels: the yellow Beigal Shop and the white Beigel
Bake. Also check out Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium for tea with cats, Dishoom, and Lyle’s
Newly regenerated into an urban
hipster district, Shoreditch is well-
known for the famous Brick Lane,
an area associated with
Bangladeshi and Jewish cultures.
It’s known for it’s ethnic diversity
and nightlife pop culture.

34. What to do in: Covent Garden
Entertainment! From street performers in Covent Garden Market to ballerinas dancing in
the Royal Opera House Covent Garden has you covered! There are daily pop-up bands
performing in the market and various street performers outside the market. The Royal
Opera House is right next to the market and hosts opera and ballet shows.
Shopping! Covent Garden Market has tons of quirky gift shoppes but, head down St.
Martin’s Courtyard or Neal Street to find specialty clothing and toy shoppes.
Food! Covent Garden has tons of legendary restaurants boasting international menus and
celeb appearances. Check out The Ivy, the Holborn Dining Room, Dub Jam, or Rules.

35. Top Attractions for Kids
Museums: Science Museum, V&A Museum of
Childhood, The Crystal, Horniman Museum and
Gardens, London Transport Museum, HMS
Belfast
Places: Warner Brothers Studio Tour The
Making of Harry Potter, Notting Hill Carnival,
Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, ZSL London
Zoo, Shrek’s Adventure! London
Adventure: pony rides at Stag Lodge Stables,
Indoor Skydiving, Oxygen Freejumping,
Emirates Air Line, Kew Gardens, KidZania, Clip
N Climb Chelsea
Shows: Elf The Musical, The Railway Children,
and Big Fish Little Fish.