Stand on Waterloo bridge at sunset and gaze along the swinging bends of the great river Thames.

Look west to the Victorian gothic home to the Mother of Parliaments or look east to the 17th Century skyline of St Paul's Cathederal and the many ancient spires and churches of ancient London.

Look east to see the 'City' and Europe's predominate financial center built on ancient Roman streets such as Watling Street and old Saxon markets - such as Threadneedle street and Cloth Fair.

Even further east lies the Tower of London - home to the Crown Jewels and much 16th Century intrigue and the location of the original Roman city of Londinium.

Looking up and down the wide bends of the River Thames itself, you'll see many bridges - from the famous draw bridge of Tower Bridge to the new Millennium footbridge link a new Post Modern art gallery on the South Bank - the Tate Modern - with London Legal centre on the North Bank.

As this single panoramic view captures skylines and history and events that shaped the world for hundreds and thousands of years ago you'll begin to believe the words of Dr Samuel Johnson

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford"
Dr Samuel Johnson, 18th Century author

London, whist steeped in history, remains a vibrant dynamic city. The music scene, comedy clubs, night clubs, restaurants and bars reflect the worldly cosmopolitan mix of this international city.

And London has it's famous residents too - whether the Queen at Buckingham Palace, or the recent home of Princess Diana, to more mortal stars of pop music, film and theatre.

Indeed, London's creative binge shows no sign of slowing, with the world famous Theatre productions in Piccadilly and Shaftesbury Avenue (Theatre Land) to modern, alternative and creative artistic ventures on the fringes.

Whether you come to London to shop, to watch or just to absorb the speed, dynamism and deep routed history, you can't fail to find the thing that you are looking for.

London is a living city. With more and more people choosing to return to central London living, the old districts - such as the Covent Garden flower market and Soho, have shed their shady and faded image and become bustling and exciting places full of street events and bursting with creativity.

Having said that, London still has it fair share of architectural sins, as 1970s office blocks break the flow of Georgian Terraces

Nevertheless, London is a city for walking. Buy a map, jump on a tube and then get lost in the tangled web of London streets and history.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said:

"No person can be said to know London. The most that anyone can claim is that he knows something of it."

When to come to London

London is not as cold and wet as you might think! And there have been no sightings of the infamous London fog for many years now! In fact, Paris receives much more rain that London!

Nevertheless, it is worth timing your visit.

London, in the summer (June, July and Aug), can reach the hot and stickiness of Mediterranean cities. At this time of year, there is a great rush to the cooler suburbs of Wimbledon (Tennis) or near by Ascot (Horse racing) or Henley (Rowing) along with many summer music festival from Opera to Rock.

May is probably the most beautiful month of the year, as the many blossom trees of west London bloom and green richness of the London parks are at their best.

Equally, September can be a warm and more moderate month.

Days tend to be short and dull from November through to February.

Getting to London

London is a easy city to reach with a total of 5 international airports. Although some of these, such as Luton, can be a 1 to 2 hour journey from the center of town.

If you are coming from Paris or Brussels, you might choose the Eurostar express train service instead. This will deliver you to London Waterloo railway station - in the heart of London.

Also, Heathrow Airport to the west and the smaller City Airport to the east (serving the financial district) offer the quickest routes into the city centre.

Heathrow now has an express train service that reaches Paddington in London's West End in 15 minutes - this could save you 1 hour of travelling during rush hour.

Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport make up London's other two major international airports.

London is a surprisingly large city - ie. it sprawls for many miles. So don't be surprised if your journey takes longer than expected.

That coupled with the tightly knit streets of the centre (yes 'center' is spelt the French way!) make a journey both a historical trip through time as well as lengthy and often unreliable!

London Accommodation

London is an expensive place to stay. Escalating property prices coupled with a relatively strong currency, mean that London is considerable more costly than other European Cities.

No where is this more pronounced than in its accommodation.

At the top end, you can stay in top London Hotels such at the Savoy Hotel or Dorchester Hotel for £350+ per night.

At the bottom end you can stay in one the many Student and backpackers hostels

Many visitors and business travellers these days select London Rental Apartments instead.

These apartments offer the comforts of you own fully furnished apartments in the heart of London, combined with the ease and comfort of a daily maid service.

Alternatively see London Apartments accommodation service for more details and free help finding this kind of accommodation.

These are ideal for anyone who is planning on staying more than a couple of days or wants to avoid the excessive prices of hotels for longer stays.