Cheap Flights to London

London (All Airports) Travel Information

With an estimated 14 million people living in the Greater London area (and about 8 million within the city itself), London is a major world city, as well as being the largest settlement in the European Union. Famously drizzly, London weather actually isn't as bad as many expect, and with all the major museums and galleries being totally free of charge, a visit to London is always a heady cultural experience at any time of the year.

The first thing to talk about in London is the people. Incredibly diverse, the 2011 census recorded 107 separate languages spoken in London by its residents, and with established communities of French, Polish, Bengali, Vietnamese, Korean, Caribbean, African, Turkish and other populations, authentic food from all corners of the globe is pretty much guaranteed in the English capital. If you find yourself in trendy Shoreditch, head to any one of the numerous Vietnamese cafes and restaurants that teem along the southern end of Kingsland Road, or if you're in Brick Lane for the Sunday market, go along to the massive streetfood section to try everything from Eritrean home cooking to Caribbean cuisine.

Don't try to drive in London; there's nowhere to park! Public transport is extensive, with Thames clippers, tubes, buses, trams, local trains, the DLR and the Overground taking you just about anywhere you need to go. While the main tourist sites consist of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and the London Eye, wander away from Westminster if you can- there's much more to see and do in the capital. One good way to see the sights without the crowds is to take one of the Thames clippers from Greenwich to the Embankment: passing the Tower of London, London Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe, Tate Modern, and Blackfriars along the way, you'll see it all from the river. You can even pay using your Oyster card.

The East End is the traditional heart of cockney London: home to the original pearly kings and queens, today it's a hurly-burly of hipsters, multiculturalism, and pop-up events. For a taste of this Londoners' London, take the tube to Liverpool Street and wander through Spitalfields Market, head to the Whitechapel Gallery for a little art, and finish with a curry on Brick Lane. Broadway Market in Hackney is another place to observe trendy young(ish) Londoners in their natural habitat at the weekend.