Paragon Summer Lets London

If you are visiting London this summer, why not visit some of the main attractions for city visitors. Most have activities for children, some have free entry and all are easily located within Central London.

The Houses of Parliament

This famous building originates from 1840, after a fire destroyed the previous building. Parliament is open to all members of the UK public and overseas visitors. You can attend debates and watch committee hearings, tour the buildings or climb the famous Clock Tower and see Big Ben. Parliament is located in Westminster, in the centre of London, and is served by all major forms of public transport. Visitors travelling on the London Underground can use the District, Circle or Jubilee lines to get to Westminster station, which is fully wheelchair accessible. Victoria, Charing Cross and Waterloo mainline stations are about 20 minutes away by foot and have connecting buses.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s official London residence. Located in the heart of Westminster, this great British icon is a must see for all visitors. The Palace is open for public visitors to explore part of the building and to view some of the Royal art collection. The 19 state rooms are open to visitors during August and September while the Queen makes her annual visit to Balmoral. The State rooms house some of the Royal family's greatest treasures including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto. They are also exquisitely furnished with some of the finest French and English furniture. The nearest tube stations are Green Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner and St. James's Park.

The London Eye

The London Eye has now become one of the iconic sights of London. Opened in March 2000 the wheel is a metaphor for the turning of the century. There are 32 capsules attached to the wheel which travels gently and each rotation takes 30 minutes. This is the UK's most popular paid for visitor attraction, visited by over 3.5 million people a year. The London Eye is within walking distance from several underground stations including Waterloo, Embankment, Charing Cross and Westminster. Waterloo is the closest tube station.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of London's most popular and iconic tourist attractions. Built by William the Conqueror in the early 1080s the Towers role has been as a fortress, palace and prison. One of the main reasons to visit the Tower is to see the working collection of Crown Jewels. Many people lost their heads in the Tower and the Prisoners exhibition looks at some of the Towers more infamous inmates including Anne Boleyn, Edward V, Guy Fawkes and Sir Thomas More. The Tower's history as a prison continued during the two world wars and still held executions. There is so much to see at the Tower including the 'Yeomen of the Guard', the Ravens, Henry VIII's armour, instruments of torture in Lower Wakefield Tower and the Traitors Gate. The nearest tube station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District underground lines. The Tower Gateway station on the Docklands Light Railway is also within easy walking distance.

The British Museum

The British Museum houses a world collection of art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures that spans two million years of history. There are artefacts representing every history period from the Vikings to the Romans to the Egyptians and Medieval Europe with examples of pottery, jewellery, statues, paintings, sculptures and many more. The Museum is within walking distance from several underground tube stations including Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square and Goodge St. Tate Modern Gallery - Tate Modern is the national gallery of international modern art and also houses a collection of British art from the 1500s. The Gallery was created in 2000 from a disused power station in the heart of London. The collection of modern and contemporary art represents all the major movements. The displays of the permanent collection are complemented by a continuous programme of temporary exhibitions exploring broad themes of British art as well as the work of individual artists. Camden Market - Camden Market is actually a collection of several large markets within Camden Town. The individual markets are Camden Lock, The Stables, Canal Market, Buck Street Market, Inverness Street market and the electric ballroom. Due to the enormous amount of visitors to the market, Camden town tube station is only open to incoming passengers on a Sunday afternoon. Camden Lock Market is situated by the Regent's canal and the nearest tube stations are Camden Lock and Chalk Farm. This market is London's fourth largest attraction with approximately 100,000 people exploring the eclectic mix of stalls every weekend. There is such a range of goods on offer that there really is something for everyone including fashion and vintage, jewellery, shoes and accessories, home and decoration, gifts games and hobbies, music, books and film, art and photography, health treatments, food and drink.

London Zoo

London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo and can be found in the heart of London, in Regent's Park. The zoo has been undergoing extensive refurbishment with the Gorillas benefitting with a brand new enclosure. Other exhibits include the tropical biome, tropical bird walk through and butterfly paradise. Although this zoo is located in the middle of the city it still has plenty of animals to see including lions, camels, giraffes, penguins, tigers, monkeys and meerkats to name but a few. The Aquarium is also one of the world's oldest and has three areas. Nearest underground tube station is Camden Town on the Northern Line.

The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre is a reconstruction of the open air playhouse originally designed in 1599. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays for this theatre and acted on stage too. There is an exhibition and tour to illustrate what life was like in London during Elizabethan times. Visitors can see the type of costumes that were worn, the instruments and music used on stage and the special effects that were used. The complex construction of The Globe in 1993 is also recorded using visual panels, commentaries and artefacts.