INDEX

1. The Plan: Page 3

2. Cultural background: Pages 4 - 38

3. The English challenge: Pages 39 - 40

4. Expectations versus Reality: Page 41

Itinerary:

31st May 1st June 2nd June 3rd June 4th June

Arrival at Generator Hostel: Via University of London

A5204Cavendish Sq

Gardens -

Hyde Park: Marble

Arch, Serpentine Lake, Royal Albert

Hall

Natural History

Museum

Harrods

Soho

Walk back to Generator Hostel

St Paul’s Cathedral

The city:

Sky GardenLeadenhall market –

(H Potter’s Diagon alley) – (Fen Court –

120 Fenchurch St / Monument )

Tower of London

Tower bridge

City hall

The Shard Borough Market

(H Potter)

Southwark cathedral

Shakespeare’s

Globe

Tate Modern

Millennium bridge

Walk back to

Generator H

Useful webs:

City walks

A view on cities: London

Eye revolution Visit Britain

Oxford Circus

Piccadilly Circus

Trafalgar Square

National Gallery

Buckingham Palace

St James’s Park

Parliament Sq.

Gardens (Statue of Millicent Fawcett, Suffragist)

Horse Guards Parade

Downing Street

Houses of Parliament

Westminster

Southbank:

London Eye

Waterloo Bridge

Somerset House

Walk back to Generator Hostel

British Museum

Greenwich

Park*

Covent

Garden (Neil

Yard’s Sq.)

Leicester Sq.

Walk back to

Generator H

*Public Transport

King’s cross (Harry Potter’s shop at Platform

9 ¾) - St

Pancras

Camden market area

Optional: (WALK)

Regent’s canal to Regent’s park down to Queen

Mary’s Rose

GardensWalk back to Generator

For Harry Potter’s fans:

London and Harry Potter

Harry Potter in London

Harry Potter London

In

ConsejosparavisitarLondres

London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, was founded 2000 years ago by the Romans as Londinium. The city has been Western Europe's largest city for centuries: as early as in 1700 more than 575,000 people lived in London. Today London is not only the largest city but also one of the most visited, thanks to its numerous famous attractions such as the Tower Bridge and the Big Ben

Day 1

Hyde Park

Central London's largest green space, expropriated from the church in 1536 by Henry VIII and turned into a hunting ground and later a venue for duels, executions and horse racing. The 1851 Great Exhibition was held here, and during WWII the park became an enormous potato field. These days, it's a place to stroll and picnic, boat on the Serpentine lake, or to catch a summer concert or outdoor film during the warmer months. Year-round, look out for the Holocaust Memorial Garden, a simple but evocative memorial to the Jewish victims of the Nazi regime, and the Rose Garden, a wonderfully scented spot during the summer. While Speakers' Corner in the park's northeast corner is intended for oratorical acrobats, these days it's largely eccentrics and religious fanatics who address bemused onlookers, maintaining a tradition begun in 1872 as a response to rioting. Nearby Marble Arch, designed by John Nash in 1828 as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, was moved here in 1851.

Royal Albert Hall

One of the most famous concert venues in the entire world. Opened to the public in 1871, in the reign of Queen Victoria, the Hall quickly became one of the most high-profile musical venues in the country, hosting more than 350 events every year. Having played host to some of the biggest names in music through its’ 150-year career, the Royal Albert Hall is a mustvisit for music lovers coming to London. Perhaps most famously of all, the BBC Promenade Concerts (“The Proms”), an eight-week summer season of daily classical music concerts, have been held in the Hall since 1942.

Natural History Museum

This colossal and magnificent-looking building is infused with the irrepressible Victorian spirit of collecting, cataloguing and interpreting the natural world. It is home to over 70 million exhibition objects. For a better overview, the permanent exhibitions are color coded and grouped in 4 areas: Blue Zone, Red Zone, Green Zone and Orange Zone.

Some particularly exceptional highlights are:

1. Its spectacular Hintze Hall where you’ll discover star specimens such as Hope – a 25metre blue whale plunging down from the ceiling

2 The Dinosaurs gallery (Blue Zone) is worldwide known. Have a close look at the huge dinosaur skeletons which are exhibited. Among them you will find the first ever found T-Rex skeleton and the skeleton of an Iguanodon, which belongs to the oldest dinosaur genera. The animated T-Rex has been built under the guidance of some dinosaur experts from the museum. With the help of sensors the approx. 8 m long model is able to react on visitors. Guaranteed highlight for all dino fans

3. Cadogan Gallery (Green Zone) houses a host of unrelated objects, each telling its own unique story, from a chunk of moon rock to a dodo skeleton. Also in the Green Zone, the Mineral Gallery is a breathtaking display of architectural perspective leading to the Vault, where you'll find the Aurora Collection of almost 300 coloured diamonds.

4. The earthquake simulator (Red Zone) demonstrates you vividly the impacts of and earthquake. A room which shows a recreated area of a Japanese supermarket in Kobe simulates an earthquake of the year 1996. Inside this room you will be able to see and feel the forces of an earthquake while you get properly shaken

5 The Cocoon (Orange Zone) is an approx. 8 floors high building in the form of a silk cocoon. It is surrounded by a rectangular glass façade and was opened as an extension of the Darwin Center in the year 2010. Millions of insect specimens and plant samples are stored in this modern part of the museum. A lot of them are exhibited in the public spaces of the cocoon building. The diversified and contemporary presentation with interactive stations distinguishes this part of the museum.

1. The Food Halls on the ground floor are the most popular departments at Harrods. A wide range of fine delicacies is offered in 4 huge halls. The presentation and the choice of different meals and foods is of the finest sort only. It is also possible to buy and consume several meals directly there at some small restaurants with bar stools. The halls on their own are already worth seeing because they are designed with loving attention to detail.

2. The toy department with 8 different colored rooms is located on the 4th floor. All children and lovers of imaginative designed sceneries will be satisfied. They will encounter a wide range of new modern toys from recognized brands as well as classic offers like the Harrods teddy bear. The toy department is a part of the children's section with approx. 7.400 m², which includes the Sweet Street.

3. The Egyptian Escalator is pretty much in the middle of the department store and it connects 7 floors. Numerous columns, wall reliefs and sculptures in Egyptian style can be seen along the escalator. It was completed in 1992 and the total construction costs were approx. 30 million £

4. The Harrods Gift Shop is located on the second floor. It is a good an expensive place to buy the typical souvenirs on your London trip. Especially the tea boxes and the cookie boxes from their own brand are very popular.

The success of Harrods attracted a number of other entrepreneurs to Knightsbridge, resulting in an upscale shopping district. Nearby are luxury stores such as Harvey Nichols and

Burberry. Sloane street, one of the most famous shopping streets in London, is just around the corner.

Day 2

The city of London (aka Thesquaremile):

Today the City is a mostly commercial district. It is home to some of London’s most popular attractions, including Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Museum of London. Notable buildings in the area include the Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe and The Cheesegrater at 122 Leadenhall Street. If you have cash to splash, go shopping at the historic Leadenhall Market or Old Spitalfields Market

Concisehistory:

Shortly after the invasion of Britain by emperor Claudius in AD 43, the Romans founded the settlement Londinium at a strategic location near the river Thames, where the river could be crossed. Ships from the continent were able to reach the settlement, which quickly grew into the largest town in Britain. The most visible remain of Londinium is the city wall, which still roughly defines the boundaries of the City of London. The wall was built in the early 3rd century. London's population grew quickly during the sixteenth century when it became the largest city in Western Europe. At the time most people still lived within the old city walls. Despite the dramatic Great Fire of 1666, which destroyed some 13200 houses, the population continued to grow. This started to change during the eighteenth century when the population of the City declined dramatically. Since the 1970s the high finance dominates this historic part of London which led to the construction of a host of modern skyscrapers. Plenty of historic landmarks attest to the City's storied past. Some buildings managed to survive the Great Fire of 1666, most notably the Guildhall, a beautiful early fifteenth-century edifice that was reconstructed in the seventeenth century in a neo-Gothic style. One of the few Victorian structures that survived to this day is the Leadenhall Market, a glass-covered shopping arcade. Nearby is the Royal Exchange building, a stately 19th century building.

St Paul’s cathedral

Besides Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral is one of the most famous churches in London. The wedding of Lady Diana and Prince Charles was probably one of the most important events there in recent history. The entrance to the masses is free of charge for everybody. The masses take place several times a day.

What are the highlights of St Paul's Cathedral London?:

1. The dome, which is up to 111 m high, is located in the center of the Cathedral

2. The Whispering Gallery can be reached by 257 wide and comfortable laid out stairs. Due to the specific design the sound is reflected to the approx. 42 m opposite side and you are able to hear even a whisper clearly across this long distance.

3. To get to the Stone Gallery you have to climb 376 stairs in total. It offers beautiful views of Central London. Unfortunately the sight is a bit restricted by a high stone balustrade.

3. The Golden Gallery, which is located at a height of 85 m, offers unrestricted views of the city center and the river Thames.

4. At the Crypt you will find the resting place of famous personalities. This includes Sir Christopher Wren's, the architect of St Paul's Cathedral. Admiral Lord Nelson, a famous British war hero, whose statue stands at Trafalgar Square. Even a walk around the cathedral is impressive and you can admire among other things following: west front with Queen Anne statue, Festival Gardens and the golden Saint Paul statue.

One of the few remaining casualties of the London Blitz, this destroyed church has become an enchanting public garden. By the end of the Blitz, over 1,000,000 London homes were destroyed, including much of this old Saxon church. Overgrown with trees, ivy, and wall climbing flowers growing amongst the ruined arches, it’s a testament to the resilience of the City of London which survived it.

Fen Court – 120 Fenchurch St

The City of London’s largest roof top public space, ‘The Garden at 120’, located atop the newly opened Fen Court office building at 120 Fenchurch Street, is open to the public. At 15-storeys up, the viewing platform offers exceptional 360-degree views of the City and greater London and is free.

To commemorate this 'Great Fire', a tall column - simply named 'The Monument'was erected in 1671 near the location of the start of the fire in Pudding Lane. A long staircase leads to a platform on top of the Monument, from where you have a great view over the City.

Its history goes back to the fourteenth century. The open-ended, glass-roofed shopping arcade that we see today was designed in 1881 by Horace Jones. The design was probably influenced by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, designed twenty years earlier and built between 1865 and 1877.

The Guildhall

Home of the Corporation of London, the governing body of the Livery Companies - guildsin the City of London. Built from 1411 to 1429 by master mason John Croxton and the third such building at this site. It is the only secular stone building that survived the Great Fire of 1666, although much of the interior was destroyed. The current front facade dates back to 1788 when it was reconstructed in a mixture of neo-Gothic and oriental styles.

Tower of London

Construction of the Tower of London was initiated in 1070 by William the Conqueror, shortly after his victory at Hastings in 1066. The fortress, strategically located at the Thames, was originally not more than a temporary wooden building which was replaced later by the White Tower. Over time the complex was expanded into a stronghold with about twenty towers.

Today the Tower of London is best known for its Crown Jewels, but it used to be notorious for the many political opponents of the kings that were locked, tortured and killed in the Tower. The Tower was also a royal residence: several kings lived here, especially during turbulent times when the donjon seemed a lot safer than the palace in Westminster. The oldest part of the fortress is the so-called White Tower, which was completed in 1097. Important prisoners were often locked in the Beauchamp Tower. An inscription on the wall of the tower is believed to refer to Lady Jane Grey, who, nine days after she was crowned Queen, was executed on Tower Green, an open terrain in the Tower of London. Thomas More was imprisoned in the Bell Tower until his execution after he refused to accept king Henry VIII as head of the Anglican church. Even Queen Elisabeth I was confined here for some time. The castle served as a dungeon with brutal methods of torture. Today some instruments of torture replicas are displayed at the foot of the Wakefield Tower.

The main entrance of the Tower of London is at the Byward Tower, where you'll find the socalled Beefeaters or Yeoman Warders. Dressed in historic clothes, they not only guard the tower, but also give guided tours of the fortress. One of the about forty Yeoman Warders is known as the Ravenmaster, responsible for the ravens that have been living here for centuries. Legend has it that the Tower and the kingdom will fall if the ravens leave.

Tower bridge

A walk across the Tower Bridge is a must do for every first time London visitor. The bridge, designed by city architect Horace Jones in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry, would eventually be completed in 1894. At the time many people disliked its Victorian Gothic design, but over time the bridge became one of London's most famous symbols. The proximity of the harbor and its location in the direction of the sea required for the bridge to allow the passage of large vessels. Hence the decision to create a moveable bridge which can be opened to accommodate boat traffic. Nearby is the area known as St Katharine’s Docks It now features offices, public and private housing, a large hotel, shops and restaurants, a pub (The Dickens Inn, a former brewery dating back to the 18th century), a yachting marina and other recreational facilities.

City hall

City Hall was designed by the firm of the well-known British architect Norman Foster, who also designed the Gherkin and the Millennium Bridge in London. He was also responsible for the renovation of Berlin's famed Reichstag. Designers say they chose this particular shape for the glass and steel structure because it reduces surface area and makes the building more energy efficient. Enter City Hall in London and the first thing you'll notice is the long helical walkway, which measures about five hundred meters (1,640 feet) and ascends from the bottom all the way to the top of the building, which stands ten stories tall. You can also pay a visit to the exhibition area on the lower ground floor for ever-changing displays relating to London and its people.

The Shard

Designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. The renowned architect designed a glass pyramid-shaped structure with a height of just over three hundred meters. The plans for the London Bridge Tower - as the building was initially called - caused an outcry from preservationists who considered the glass tower inappropriate for a historic neighborhood with mostly low-rise brick buildings. They claimed the tower would cut through the neighborhood like a shard of glass. The name 'shard' stuck and the developers even renamed the tower 'The Shard'. When it was completed, the Shard held the title of Europe's tallest skyscraper with a height of almost 310 meters. Only a couple of months later it was narrowly surpassed in height by Moscow's Mercury City Tower. The iconic skyscraper looks particularly spectacular at night when seen from across the river The tapered tower has a glass facade consisting of some eleven thousand window panes. The seemingly unfinished spire is designed to act as a radiator to naturally dissipate excess heat, thus reducing the need for air-conditioning. The building is multifunctional, with offices and a hotel at the lower floors and residential apartments on the upper floors.

Borough Market

An amazing food market dating back to the 13th century. If you love exploring food this is a must visit while in London. You should come early to take great treats to snack on

Southwark Cathedral is the oldest gothic church in London, dating from around 1220, and is part of the Diocese of Southwark. Don’t miss the memorial window to William Shakespeare and the Harvard Chapel, a tribute to university founder John Harvard who was born in the parish. (£1 for a photography permit).

Tate Modern

The galleries of Tate Modern are housed in an enormous brick building that was once the home of the Bankside Power Station. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, it was built between 1947 and 1963. Its striking tower is ninety-nine meters tall; regulations stipulated that it was not allowed to be taller than the dome of the St. Paul's Cathedral just across the river Thames.

Tip: Not only fans of modern art will enjoy the visit without burdening their holiday budget. The terrace on the 10th floor offers excellent views of the river Thames and the skyline of London with the St Paul's Cathedral. Also the restaurant on the 6th floor there is a long row of window seats with great views of the river Thames and the City of London. Visitors heading to Tate Modern are treated to a real plethora of modern art. On level 3, galleries include Abstraction, Expressionism, and Abstract Expressionism, and guests will view masterpieces by such artists as Matisse, Monet, and Kapoor, just to name a few. Level 4 houses temporary exhibits while level 5 zeroes in on such movements as Cubism, Futurism, Pop Art, Minimalism, Constructivism, and Conceptual Art. Artists displayed here include Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Roy Lichtenstein.

Shakespeare’s Globe

The original Globe Theatre, built by an acting company to which William Shakespeare belonged, opened in 1599. Unfortunately, the original Globe Theatre lasted only fourteen years. In 1613, it burnt to the ground during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII.

The fire was attributed to a theatrical cannon, which misfired and set the thatched roof and wooden timbers aflame. The theatre was rebuilt the following year, but the Puritans - who didn't believe in such entertainment - closed it down in 1642. It was destroyed in 1644 to make way for homes and it wasn't until excavation work was being done in 1989 that the original location of the theatre was finally revealed.

South Bank

The Bankside is a district around the Tate Modern Art Museum. During nice weather conditions you will get a taste of Southern flair at this place. Enjoy the atmosphere and watch the street artists.

Millennium bridge

Construction of the pedestrian bridge began in late 1998 and was completed in June 2000. The Millennium Bridge connects two tourist areas across the Thames river. The southern end of the gently swooping suspension bridge is located near the new Globe Theater and the Tate Modern Museum. The northern end sits near London's imposing St. Paul's Cathedral Pedestrians can gain a wonderful view of the cathedral's dome from the bridge and the sight is especially marvelous at night. The Tower Bridge, London's most famous bridge, and the Shard, the city's tallest building, are also clearly visible from here.

Day 3

Shopping district:

Oxford Street is not only popular for the numerous shops and department stores such as Selfridges, but unfortunately also for the crowds of people, as it is said to be Europe’s busiest shopping street.

Regent Street: From Oxford Circus towards Piccadilly Circus, you will come to stores in the order like the toy store Hamleys (no. 188-196), certainly the highlight of all the flagship stores on Regent Street. Not only the eyes of the children will shine in this colorful surrounding. On 7 floors with a total sales area of over 5000 m² you will find almost everything from the toy universe and have some possibilities to test some selected toys yourselves. Additionally there are some stalls with nice sales staff where they present their products with a lot of passion

Carnaby Street is located in the corner between the two shopping streets Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is a pedestrian zone and therefore more pleasant. The street is only about 200 m long and thereby easy manageable. However, due to the many small side alleys you will still find several shopping possibilities.

Picadilly Circus is quite a glamorous street junction, and famously surrounded by video displays and neon signs, a famous ‘statue of Eros,’ as well as notable buildings such as the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Today it is so busy with traffic, pedestrians, and tourists, that the phrase, “It’s like Piccadilly Circus” is used in popular British lexicon to refer to a place which is exceptionally busy.

Chinatown is bound by Shaftesbury Avenue to the north, Rupert Street to the west, Charing Cross Road to the east and Leicester Square to the south. The main focal point is Gerrard Street, which runs through its centre. Part of London’s West End, Chinatown boasts buildings and streets decorated with Chinese symbols such as dragons and lanterns. Keep an eye out for street signs, which are written in English and Chinese. Find stone lions, contemporary art sculptures and Chinese gates as you explore the area, and don’t miss Chinatown’s new fourth gate on Wardour Street: completed in 2016 and built in traditional Qing dynasty style, it is the largest Chinese gate in the country.

Trafalgar Square

Named for the Battle of Trafalgar, the Square is now a site for celebrations, protests, events, and art. In the centre of the square is Nelson’s Column, built in 1843 in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson, shot and killed in action as commander in chief of the British army in the battle of Trafalgar. The marble column standing 145 feet (nearly 50 m)-tall is topped by a statue of Lord Nelson and guarded by four lions, built with melted bronze from the French Navy canons.

On the north side of the square is the National Gallery and in front are two fountains that light up when night falls. Wander into the spectacular St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, which hosts regular services and concerts, and has a charming cafe in its underground crypt.