London Eye: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

AAAliaksandra Aitakayevahinato44ka · Mar 22, 2015Read

London... It's an amazing city! Buckingham Palace, the Tower, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral... This list could go on almost forever. But the main goal of my trip to London was to study at a language school. The school was located in the very center of London, near the famous Covent Garden market. This place got its name many centuries ago, when instead of houses and streets, the monastery gardens of Westminster Abbey flourished here. Later, a square was laid out on these fertile lands. And in 1654, a city market was established in Covent Garden, where fruits, vegetables, and flowers were sold. Now, under a glass roof, there is a shopping center where shops, cafes, and pubs are crowded together, and artisans sell their wares. On the square, maintaining old traditions, musicians, singers, acrobats, jugglers, and tightrope walkers perform. On the first day at school, we had to take a test, the results of which determine your group. There were about 16 people in my group. A bit too many... But it was fun. The teachers brought interesting texts every day and came up with various tasks. The training mainly took place in pairs. We were given a task, we discussed it with a partner, then we discussed it with everyone. Not a bad idea, because it created the impression that we were just talking with friends. All the teachers are very cheerful and positive. I especially liked Oliver and Sarah. At the end of the week, everyone takes a test on the week's material. I wrote it better than anyone else in the group and, I won't hide it, I'm proud of it!) School is school, but you have to have fun in London! There is a lot to see here. Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral... and of course the residence of the British monarchs - Buckingham Palace! Although I found the Queen in a completely different place - at Madame Tussauds.

ARAlina Ramanavanikalina95 · Feb 17, 2015Read

As you all know, London is the architectural capital of the world. A city where you definitely won't have time to be bored) Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster complex with its clock tower, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square filled with pigeons—this is all the capital of Great Britain. People go there to admire the architecture, walk through the halls of the British Museum and the Tate Gallery, shop for extravagant English clothes, and simply watch the fog-covered Thames from a bridge. It took me a whole day, sometimes even more, to visit just one museum. I lived near Hyde Park and couldn't deny myself the pleasure of going there every day to feed the local wildlife (birds and squirrels). Fortunately, almost all museums in London are free, with the exception of places like Madame Tussauds, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, and the Harry Potter studio. You must go see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. But we didn't manage to take a photo with either a Life Guard or a Beefeater. Other entertainment in the English capital hits the wallet hard. A ride on the London Eye costs about 30 pounds (approx. 42 USD). A tour of the Abbey is about 20 pounds. Big Ben, the voice of London, has been showing the exact time since 1859. Construction of the 320-foot clock tower began in 1837 upon the accession of Queen Victoria. At that time, the Parliament buildings, damaged by a fire in 1834, were being reconstructed. The clock designer, Sir Edmund Grimthorpe, an architect and clockmaker, passed away before the 13.5-ton bell was installed behind the four clock faces, each with an area of 23 square feet. As for entertainment... It is definitely worth spending money on a trip to a pub. Surprisingly, the British know how to have fun and relax. And if you want to spend the evening at home, they simply won't let you do it. By the way, hostels are the perfect place for students, especially if you are traveling alone. There are a bunch of other students there looking for part-time work or permanent housing. If you aren't afraid of living in a room with other people, then this is the place for you. If you can't book accommodation online, no worries. You can do it right on the spot. Walking around the city, you will find plenty of offers at a reasonable price. Have fun, guys! http://www.2uk.ru/city/city2

ASAnna Sapushevaany9377 · Sep 1, 2015Read

Upon arriving at Gatwick Airport, I must admit I was surprised by the beautiful weather, especially after the torrential rains in Moscow :) Getting to the city center was easy; National Express buses run from the airport to Victoria station every hour, and I took one of them, arriving in about an hour to an hour and a half. The place where I stayed is near the Stepney Green tube station, which is easily accessible via the District line. A single tube ride is quite expensive—nearly 5 pounds—but if you buy an Oyster card to pay for your trips, it works out cheaper; a single ride within the first and second zones is approximately 2.5 pounds. Costs depend on the time of travel and distance; exact fares can be checked on the Transport for London website. I arrived on Saturday evening, while classes at the school didn't start until Monday, so I had some time to settle in and visit a number of places I was interested in. The next morning, I headed to the very heart of the city, where a large number of exciting and historically significant places are concentrated: Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street, St. Paul's Cathedral, and many other memorable and very beautiful spots. This trip is my second visit to London, so it was especially pleasant to wander through familiar places that haven't changed at all over the years. Not far from Big Ben, I met a young man from Moscow who, like me, was walking through the old streets of the city, inspired by the warm Sunday evening. We decided to walk together to Tower Bridge and the City; these are stunning places that I hadn't managed to reach during my previous trip. We finished our walk with a late, hearty dinner at a cafe near St. Paul's Cathedral. It is worth noting that there are 24-hour buses running in London, so you don't have to worry about the exorbitant prices of cabs when trying to get somewhere after the tube closes.