What Are the Major Tourist Places in London?

London has existed as a major city for nearly two millennia. The origins of its name are obscure; some suggest that it is derived from the Celtic 'lyn-dyn' meaning across the river but it was the Romans who invested their time to give Londinium its real-kick start as a major metropolis. Then as now London was a hub for trade and commerce being situated on the estuary and banks of the river Thames. Today the visiting tourist has a wealth of fantastic destinations to enjoy, this article will describe the most widely visited.

Royalty has left its mark across London. The Queen's palace, Buckingham Palace has been a royal residence since Queen Victoria bought it from Lord Buckingham. It is where you can watch the changing of the guard.

Trafalgar Square contains Nelson's column, a monumental tribute to the great admiral who destroyed Napoleon's army and established Britain as the major naval power in the world. You can visit the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery in the square.

The Houses of Parliament is where the government does its business. It includes the world-famous icon clock tower, commonly known as Big Ben although strictly speaking this is the name of the bell that famously chimes the hours across the city.

Westminster Abbey, just across from the Houses of Parliament, contains the remains of the great and good from down the centuries - kings, queens, writers, poets and politicians have found a final resting place here.

St Paul's cathedral, designed by the great architect Sir Christopher Wren, was where the marriage of Charles and Diana took place. It is the greatest and most important cathedral in the city. You can enter inside and gaze up at the underside of the huge dome. It was iconically pictured standing proud and undaunted in the midst of the London Blitz.

The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conquerer as part of the huge building campaign that stamped the new authority of the Normans across England through the construction of motte-and-baileys. It has been a royal fortress ever since, being added to and modified by subsequent monarchs. Most famously the Tower is the place where the enemies of monarch and state have met their end. It is where two of Henry VIII's wives met their untimely ends at the end of an axe.

The British Museum holds an enormous collection of artifacts from every corner of the world. It has the fascinating Saxon treasure of the Sutton Hoo longboat burial, Egyptian mummies, controversially the Elgin marbles from the Parthenon in Athens and much, much more. It is also free.

The Tate has two major art galleries that offer free permanent exhibitions for the public to enjoy. Tate Britain contains, as you would expect, British art and Tate Modern holds exhibitions from modern eras.

The Globe is a fabulous reconstruction of Shakespeare's original theatre. A vision realised by the American director Sam Wanamaker, the Globe stands near the original site and gives regular performances in the round.

Harrods is the most famous department store in the city. Not for the faint hearted when looking at the price tags; Harrods is worth a visit to see how the other half shop - plus the food hall has mouth-watering produce.

The West End is the entertainment district of the city. In terms of theatres it is the equivalent of Broadway in New York. There are many great shows for you to enjoy often the same shows as you would find on Broadway.

Wembley Stadium has undergone a complete rebuild and is where the English national football team plays its home games and where the F.A Cup final takes place. There are new stadia in construction, mostly in the east side of the city, in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. There are several professional football teams in the city, the top sides from London are Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham and Arsenal.

Hyde Park includes Speaker's Corner where you can go and listen to people get their thoughts off their chests. Their thoughts are often not what you would describe as conventional but it is an entertaining place to spend a little time. Other parks that provide breathing space for the city are Regent's Park, in which you can find London Zoo, and St James' park near Buckingham Palace.

These, then are the main tourist attractions in London. It is the tip of the iceberg in a city that has a thousand other delights.