66 I Hit listbusinesstraveller.comISTOCK
With so much to see in the British
capital, it’s best to do things in twosV&A MUSEUM AND KENSINGTON GARDENS
Not as widely known as the British or Natural
History museums, the Victoria and Albert Museum is
a favourite among Londoners, focusing on human creativity
through art and design, and staging regular exhibitions on
a diverse range of subjects, from plywood to Pink Floyd.
A short walk north on Exhibition Road brings you
to Kensington Gardens, one of London’s royal parks,
whose peaceful green spaces contain statues ranging
from the grand Albert Memorial to the cutesy Peter Pan
beside the Long Water. Other popular stopping points
are The Orangery Restaurant in Kensington Palace, and
the princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Access via South
Kensington station on the London Underground.TOWER OF LONDON AND ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Few cities have a castle as historic as this right at their
heart. The UNESCO World Heritage site is replete
with fascinating sights and stories – home to the Crown Jewels
(valued at more than £20 billion/US$25.8 billion), site of
Britain’s last execution in 1941 (a German spy)... and so forth.
A ten-minute walk down Eastcheap – through the UK’s
banking nexus – will reveal the city’s most iconic church:
St Paul’s Cathedral. The world’s
second-largest dome (after St
Peter’s in Rome) is impressive,
but the interior is even more
so. Make time to climb up
to the Whispering Gallery
and descend into the
crypts. Access via Tower
Hill station.LONDON
OXFORD STREET
TO PICCADILLY
The city’s most popular
retail thoroughfares (whether
you’re buying or just window
shopping) surround and crisscross
the West End district of Mayfair. In
general, more affordable outlets
can be found on Oxford Street
and Regent Street, while
Piccadilly, and the narrower
boulevards of New and
Old Bond streets, Saville
Row and Burlington
Arcade offer rarefied
acquisitions out of the
financial reach of the
majority. Access via
Oxford Street or
Piccadilly stations.OCTOBER 2017