Vacation Home Rentals

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Jun 30

London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, has numerous tourist attractions, many of which are amongst the most popular in the country. For generations London has been a popular vacation destination and much of this interest is due to the immensity of the historical buildings and the unique culture. While many of the visitor attractions found in London have a historic interest, such as the Houses of Parliament, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, there are many that are only recent additions, such as the London Aquarium, and the youngest of these is the London Eye.

The London Eye is often referred to as the Millennium Wheel as it was built in 1999 to commemorate the arrival of the new millennium. It was officially opened by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the evening of December 31 but, sadly, there were technical issues and it was not opened to the public until March 2000. Standing 135m above London it has become an unmistakable, and highly visible, landmark.

Way back in 1895 the idea had been tested before with the Great Wheel of London, a huge Ferris wheel able to accommodate 1600 people at once. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1907 but today London has a replacement in the London Eye. Although it is not the largest Ferris wheel in the world it can legitimately claim to be the worlds largest cantilever observation tower!

Although the London Eye cannot carry as many people as the Great Wheel of London could it can manage to carry 25 people in each of its 32 capsules. Usually you must remain seated when on a Ferris wheel but on the London Eye you can get up and walk around during the 30 minute revolution.

Around 3.5 million people take a flight on the London Eye each year making it the most popular paid visitor attraction in London and the UK. The most common reason for taking a trip is to experience one of the finest views across London. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace and St Paul’s are just a few of the many London landmarks you will see on your trip. One view which will stay with you is the spectacular view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’s clock face.

The London Eye has proved to be rather a romantic place with many people proposing to, and even marrying, their partners there. In fact there are a number of things available which also include educational aspects for schools and colleges as well as river boat trips along the Thames.

If you are planning a vacation to London or just a weekend break it is well worth taking the opportunity to take a ride on this incredible visitor attraction. If your time in London is limited it is a real time saver as you are able to take in nearly all of the most important London landmarks during the 30 minute trip which is impossible to do any other way (excluding a helicopter or balloon ride).

If you are looking for accommodation in London you may appreciate the listings of hotels near the London Eye or the cheap London hotels listed on http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Dec 5

England is an incredibly interesting country to visit for a vacation. England has an awesome selection of tourist attraction|places of interest to visit perfectly suited for all tastes. For instance|One such place is the ancient city of York which is known to have been inhabited since Roman times, Torquay (referred to as the English Riviera) and Liverpool (2008′s European City of Culture). Possibly the most famous place to spend some time is London, the capital city of England

London is a most incredible place to visit, possibly just for a weekend or, maybe for longer. You may be surprised at the number of folk who reside in the United Kingdom of Great Britain who have not visited London, even more surprising when you are mindful of the fact it is most often top of the vast majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There literarily so many things to see and do in London that it is simply not possible to list them all at once. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular – The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most well known Royal residence, maybe because it is home to Queen Elizabeth. The Palace is is placed right at the very heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for visitors. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is fascinating to watch and ever so English.

Buckingham Palace was originally named Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.

During the next seventy five years Buckingham House was increased in size by the construction of an additional 3 wings creating a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these constructions were John Nash and Edward Blore. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The well known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the creation of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which he re-designed in 1912. Webb along with the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.

The Queen has many other royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, during Christmas. Sandringham House is a private royal residence (owned by the Queen).

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she was informed of the sad incident involving Princess Diana.

If you would like to take a break in the United Kingdom you might be surprised to learn that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great effort, on the other hand you may wish to stay in more luxurious accommodation and the small number of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.