LONDON
Founded by the Romans in the first century A D, the capital city of the United Kingdom is the largest city in Europe and one of the major cities in the world. It is the main residence of the British sovereigns and the centre of government and business of the UK.
The oldest part of London, known as the City, roughly corresponds to the town founded by the Romans. It is comparatively small, a little larger than one square mile, and for this reason it is also known as the Square Mile. The City is the financial centre of London and home to the London Stock Exchange, LSE for short, lots of banks and insurance companies.
The City is very busy in business hours but it is empty at night, as many people live in suburbs outside the City.
Greater London is the metropolitan area; it is divided into boroughs which in the past were separate towns. Boroughs like Chelsea, Highgate, Marylebone, Mayfair and Hampstead were villages that little by little were absorbed into Greater London. There are 33 boroughs in London, 32 of Greater London plus the City.
Unlike other capital cities, London does not have one specific centre but rather a number of centres located in different areas.
The West End, to the north and west of Trafalgar Square, is the principal entertainment and shopping area of London; here are the major theatres and the Royal Opera House; Soho and Covent Garden, with their shops, restaurants and bars as well as Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, which are among the most important shopping streets in the world.
West London includes the most fashionable and expensive residential areas in the UK, areas like Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea. In this area there is also King’s Road, one of the most exciting shopping streets in London.
The East End is the workers’ district whereas South London is a multi-cultural area. South London includes places like Greenwich and Wimbledon.
London is a huge cosmopolitan city, with students speaking over 300 languages in schools. With over 5500 restaurants serving 70 different types of cuisine, 150 nightclubs, 7000 pubs, 700 hotels, 300 museums and a large number of shops, cinemas and theatres, London has something for all tastes.
As Samuel Johnson said over 200 years ago, “when a man is tired of London, he’s tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”.
Founded by the Romans in the first century A D, the capital city of the United Kingdom is the largest city in Europe and one of the major cities in the world. It is the main residence of the British sovereigns and the centre of government and business of the UK.
The oldest part of London, known as the City, roughly corresponds to the town founded by the Romans. It is comparatively small, a little larger than one square mile, and for this reason it is also known as the Square Mile. The City is the financial centre of London and home to the London Stock Exchange, LSE for short, lots of banks and insurance companies.
The City is very busy in business hours but it is empty at night, as many people live in suburbs outside the City.
Greater London is the metropolitan area; it is divided into boroughs which in the past were separate towns. Boroughs like Chelsea, Highgate, Marylebone, Mayfair and Hampstead were villages that little by little were absorbed into Greater London. There are 33 boroughs in London, 32 of Greater London plus the City.
Unlike other capital cities, London does not have one specific centre but rather a number of centres located in different areas.
The West End, to the north and west of Trafalgar Square, is the principal entertainment and shopping area of London; here are the major theatres and the Royal Opera House; Soho and Covent Garden, with their shops, restaurants and bars as well as Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, which are among the most important shopping streets in the world.
West London includes the most fashionable and expensive residential areas in the UK, areas like Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea. In this area there is also King’s Road, one of the most exciting shopping streets in London.
The East End is the workers’ district whereas South London is a multi-cultural area. South London includes places like Greenwich and Wimbledon.
London is a huge cosmopolitan city, with students speaking over 300 languages in schools. With over 5500 restaurants serving 70 different types of cuisine, 150 nightclubs, 7000 pubs, 700 hotels, 300 museums and a large number of shops, cinemas and theatres, London has something for all tastes.
As Samuel Johnson said over 200 years ago, “when a man is tired of London, he’s tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”.