The best of london attractions

Highgate Cemetery
The leafy and tranquil Highgate Cemetery is the
ultimate Victorian Valhalla, famous as the
resting-place of Karl Marx.

Kew Gardens
Without doubt the world's most perfect botanical
gardens, the expansive Kew Gardens is part royal
pleasure garden, part research institute. The
curvaceous, dripping hot Palm House is the focal
point.

Westminster Abbey
London's finest Gothic monument, Westminster
Abbey, has been a coronation venue for nearly
a millennium and is the burial-place of poets,
politicians and royalty.

Docklands Light Railway
Take the driverless Docklands Light Railway for a
bird's-eye view of the Docklands development,
finishing up with a great view across the Thames
to Greenwich.

Lunchtime in Chinatown
London is renowned for its multicultural cuisine.
Chinatown, right at the heart of the city, has the
full spectrum of restaurants and cafés. Go for dim
sum at lunchtime - picking at will from trollies
piled high with mouthwatering nibbles.

Victoria and Albert Museum
Free admission is a thing of the past, but this is an
applied arts collection with something for
everyone: from Raphael's Cartoons to a sofa
based on Mae West's lips.

Old London Double Deckers
The #11 bus will take you from the House of
Parliament and Westminster Abbey, up
Whitehall, round Trafalgar Square, up the Strand
and down Fleet Street and deposit you outside St
Paul's Cathedral.

Harrods
London's most famous department store is also
the city's third biggest tourist attraction. Though
you can buy most things more cheaply
elsewhere if you can do without the famous
green carrier bag, the food halls are a work of
art, and the building itself is a landmark.

Tower of London
Entrance charges to the Tower of London are
extortionate, but there's something for everyone:
the crown jewels, Beefeaters, torture instruments
and a millennium's worth of blood-curdling
history.

Spitalfields Market
Visit the old Spitalfields fruit and vegetable
market at the edge of the East End on a Sunday
and you'll find London's finest organic market,
craft stalls, a miniature railway and lots of stands
with delicious food.

Kids london

On first sight London seems a hostile
place for children, with its crowds,
incessant noise and intimidating
traffic. English attitudes can be
discouraging as well, particularly if
you've experienced the more
indulgent approach of the French or
Italians - London's restaurateurs, for
example, tend to regard children and
eating out as mutually exclusive
concepts. Yet if you pick your place
carefully, even central London can be
a delight for the pint-sized, and it
needn't overly strain the parental
pocket.

Covent Garden 's buskers and jugglers
provide no-cost entertainment in a
car-free setting, and there's always
the chance of being plucked from the
crowd to help out with a trick. Don't
underestimate the value of London's
public transport as a source of fun,
either. The #11 double-decker from
Victoria, for instance, will trundle you
past the Houses of Parliament,
Trafalgar Square and the Strand on its
way to St Paul's Cathedral for 40p per
child. The driverless Docklands Light
Railway is another guaranteed source
of amusement - grab a seat at the
front of the train and pretend to be
driver, then take a boat back to the
centre of town from Greenwich.

Museums
Lots of London's museums will appeal
to children.

Parks and city farms
Central London has plenty of green
spaces , such as Hyde Park, which has
playgrounds and ample room for
general mayhem, as well as a
diverting array of city wildlife. If you
want something more unusual than
ducks and squirrels, though, head for
one of London's city farms.


Theatre
Numerous London theatres put on kids'
shows at the weekend,  there are one
or two venues that are almost entirely
child-centred. Ticket prices hover
around the £5 mark for children


Shops
Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop 44 Covent
Garden Apple Market, WC2 tel
020/7379 7866; www.pollocks.cwc.net.
Tube: Covent Garden. Mon-Sat
10.30am-6pm. An old-fashioned outlet
selling puppets, traditional teddies
and dolls