The City of London is the historic heart of London. This area was already a bustling trading post almost 2000 years ago, when it was part of the Roman Empire. Many of the irregular streets still follow the ancient Roman roads. The boundaries of the City also loosely follow the path of the Roman wall that was built here in the 2nd century AD.

Touted as "London's favorite tourist attraction", the statues at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum have been thrilling visitors since Tussaud opened her first permanent exhibit in 1835.

30 St Mary Axe, better known by its nickname Gherkin, is one of the most eye-catching buildings in London and it stands out prominently in the city's skyline. The Gherkin is one of several modern buildings that have been built over the years in a historic area of London.

The British Museum is the largest museum in the United Kingdom with a collection of more than seven million objects. Its collection encompasses artifacts from many civilizations and spans a period of more than two thousand years.

The Shard is a modern glass skyscraper in London. At the time of its completion in 2012 it was Europe's tallest building. The observatory on the 72nd floor offers some spectacular 360 degree views of the city.

The O2 Arena was built at the end of the twentieth century as an exhibition hall to celebrate the start of the new millennium. Today the futuristic looking arena is one of the world's premier concert venues.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in West London is one of the world's most important botanical gardens. The 132ha (326 acres) large domain boasts a collection of about fifty thousand different plant species as well as many impressive buildings such as the Palm House and the ten-story Pagoda.

Tate Modern has an excellent collection of modern art, from 1900 until now. It is housed in a former power station. Since its opening in 2000 it has become one of Londen's most popular museums.

Situated right in front of Buckingham Palace, this large memorial was built the early twentieth century in honor of Queen Victoria, who reigned over the United Kingdom for almost sixty-four years.

Visitors to Buckingham Palace can make a side trip to the Royal Mews, one of the finest examples in the world of a working stable. Here you find sumptuous vehicles including a magnificent gold state coach.

In the center of Trafalgar Square stands London's most famous monument: Nelson's Column. The monument was built in 1843 as a tribute to Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson, who defeated the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Thanks in part to its exuberant neo Gothic architecture, St. Pancras is hands down the most famous of the numerous railway stations in London. During the 1980s the future of the railway station was in doubt but it was eventually renovated and transformed into a modern international station.

Canary Wharf is a modern high-rise business district located at the former West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs, east of London. Some of the city's tallest and most modern skyscrapers can be found here.

Greenwich is a charming and historic area of London that is best known for lending its name to the time by which the British set their clocks - Greenwich Mean Time. It is also home to a number of touristic attractions such as the Cutty Sark and the Maritime Museum.

Horse Guards is a majestic building that is most famous for the sentries who guard the entrance to the Horse Guards Parade, a parade ground that is the scene of the daily ceremonial changing of guards.

Part of London since the days of Henry VIII, Regent's Park is one of the largest green areas in the city and home to a variety of attractions. The park is bordered by grand 19th century buildings designed in the so-called Regency architecture.

An excellent reminder of Britain's strong naval heritage, the HMS Belfast has been in on display in London since 1971. The cruiser is permanently docked across the river Thames from the Tower of London.

Cleopatra's Needle is an authentic Egyptian obelisk in London. In the early nineteenth century the more than three thousand-year-old obelisk was transported to London from its original site in Egypt.

One of London's most modern buildings, City Hall houses the Greater London Authority (GLA) including the mayor of London and the London Assembly. The GLA is responsible for the administration of Greater London.

The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria as a tribute to her late consort, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The High Gothic monument was completed in 1876, fifteen years after prince Albert died at the age of forty-two.

Originally established to pay homage to the British contribution to World War I, the Imperial War Museum now covers all major twentieth-century conflicts involving Great Britain.

Named for the 2nd Earl of Leicester, London's Leicester Square is at the heart of the city's prime entertainment district. The square is embellished with several monuments including a fountain dedicated to Shakespeare.

The Admiralty Arch was commissioned by King Edward VII who dedicated the structure to his mother Queen Victoria. The five arches of the majestic Admiralty Arch lead from Trafalgar Square to the Mall and further towards Buckingham Palace.

The London Aquarium, housed in the historic County Hall along the river Thames, is one of Europe's largest aquariums. Thousands of sea creatures from around the world can be admired here.

Known simply as "The Monument", this London landmark plays homage to those who died in the Great Fire of 1666. The monument was built near the site where the disastrous fire broke out.

London's impressive Science Museum illustrates the history of science and technology from around 1700 to today. The museum covers a wide variety of subjects, from engines and space travel to computers and medicine.

The Leadenhall Market is a beautiful shopping gallery in the heart of the City of London. The market's history goes back to the fourteenth century, when poultry was sold here. The Victorian-style gallery we see today was built in the nineteenth century.

Long the home of many of the most famous kings and queens of England, St. James's Palace was built by King Henry VIII between 1531 and 1536. Even today, the palace is still actively used by the British royals.

The Cutty Shark is a historic clipper that was one of the fasted ships of its time. Today it sits in dry dock at Greenwich in London. After a fire almost destroyed the ship in 2007, it was painstakingly restored to its former splendor.

The Lloyd's building is an iconic modern office building that was constructed in 1986 for the Lloyd's insurance company. At the time the construction of such a futuristic looking building in London's historic heart was quite controversial.

The primary Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales, Westminster Cathedral is one of London's few buildings in Byzantine style. The cathedral is decorated with beautiful friezes and mosaics.

The Museum of London illustrates the history of the capital city of the United Kingdom, from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. The museum is one of the largest and also one of the most interesting of its kind.

Hyde Park Corner, a large traffic roundabout situated at one of the city's busiest junctions southeast of Hyde Park, includes a large concentration of monuments and memorials.

Temple is a historic complex that is home to two of London's four Inns of Court - professional associations of barristers. The name refers to the original occupants, the Knights Templars.

The Queen's House was built in 1616-1638 for Anne of Denmark, Queen consort of James I. The house, which is home to a collection of paintings from the National Maritime Museum, marked a milestone in the architectural history of England.

Ever since it was built in the early fifteenth century, the Guildhall has been the home of the Corporation of London, the governing body of the Livery Companies - guilds - in the City of London.

London's Russell Square is home to some historic landmarks, the most notable being the Russell Hotel, an exuberant Victorian building. The center of the square is occupied by a small but enjoyable park.

On the northeast side of Trafalgar Square is one of London's best-known churches: St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The design of the eighteenth-century church has had a profound impact on ecclesiastical architecture around the world.

The Wellington Arch is a triumphal arch named after the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 at Waterloo. The arch is home to a small museum.

The Duke of York Column was built in 1831-1834. It rises to a height of over forty meters, occupying a prominent spot at Waterloo Place, a square flanked by the palatial Carlton House Terraces.

Holland Park is the green heart of Kensington, an upscale residential district in the west of London. It is considered one of the most beautiful parks in the city and some even prefer it over the more famous Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.

London's Royal Opera House is the third one that has occupied the Covent Garden site. Built in the mid-nineteenth century as the 'Italian Opera House', it is now one of the world's premiere opera houses.

The Old Royal Naval College was built at the end of the seventeenth century as a hospital for seamen of the Royal Navy. The hospital's chapel and dining hall show the grandeur of a bygone era.

The Burlington Arcade is the most famous and most sumptuous of the covered shopping arcades that opened in the nineteenth century in the posh neighborhoods of St. James's and Mayfair

Brompton Cemetery is a Victorian era cemetery in South West London. Despite the absence of famous names the cemetery is one of the most interesting in the city, full of beautiful tombstones and memorials.

The National Maritime Museum illustrates the historical relationship between the British and the sea. The museum has an extensive collection of items ranging from paintings, ship models and uniforms to actual vessels.

The Cenotaph is a memorial that honors the British soldiers who died in the Great War of 1914-18 and all wars that followed. The memorial is the focal point of Remembrance Day, when the fallen soldiers are commemorated.

A grand Regent Street department store, Liberty's has been synonymous with high fashion since the Victorian era. It is housed in a magnificent neo-Tudor style building from 1924

The National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest collection of historic portraits in the world. It gives a fascinating view of the people that shaped the history of Britain, including kings, poets, musicians and other famous or even infamous personalities.

Waterloo Place, a broad extension of Regent Street, is awash with statues and monuments that honor heroes and statesmen of the British Empire. It is framed by palatial buildings designed by John Nash, the famed Regency-era architect, and Decimus Burton, his protégé.

Officially the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, this church on Brompton Road is better known as Brompton Oratory.

One of the most recognizable buildings in London, County Hall, the former home of the Greater London Council, is now a popular tourist stop thanks to the London Aquarium and a number of other establishments that are housed in this historic building.

Grosvenor Square is the largest square in Mayfair, an exclusive district in central London. The square has been associated with Americans ever since the eighteenth century, when America's first Ambassador to the U.K. lived here.

Trafalgar Square, the largest square in London, is often considered the heart of the city. Ever since the Middle Ages, this area has been a central meeting place. In the middle of the square stands a tall column honoring admiral Nelson.

The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, is the seat of the two parliamentary houses of the United Kingdom: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The most famous feature of the Houses of Parliament is its clock tower, known as Big Ben.

The majestic St. Paul's Cathedral was built by Christopher Wren between 1675 and 1711. It is one of Europe's largest cathedrals and its dome is only exceeded in size by that of the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

London's Tower Bridge is one of the most recognizable bridges in the world. Its Victorian Gothic style stems from a law that forced the designers to create a structure that would be in harmony with the nearby Tower of London.

A modern but already very popular tourist attraction is the London Eye, a giant observation wheel located in the Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank. The 135 meter (443ft) tall structure was built as part of London's millennium celebrations. A Landmark for the new Millennium The structure was designed by the architectural team of David Marks and Julia Barfield, husband and wife.

Piccadilly Circus is a busy square in the heart of London. It is famous for the fountain that was installed here at the end of the nineteenth century and for the neon advertising that turned the square into a miniature version of Times Square. The Circus lies at the intersection of five main roads: Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Street, Covent Street and Haymarket.

The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster - officially named Saint Stephen's Tower - is commonly known as the Big Ben. The tower is one of London's most famous landmarks. Big Ben, London Big Ben The clock inside the tower was the world's largest when it was installed in the middle of the nineteenth century. The name Big Ben actually refers to the clock's hour bell, the largest of the clock's five bells. The other four are used as quarter bells.