Winter Wonderland is here again to transform London’s Hyde Park into an exciting world of ice and festival fun with carols and music to set everyone into the mood for Christmas.

Starting from 18 November, 2011 to 3 January, 2012, Winter Wonderland promises musical treats, shopping, fun, laughter and excitement for both adults and children.

Two million visitors attended Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park in 2010.  As well as London’s largest open-air ice rink, Winter Wonderland includes flights in the giant Observation Wheel, Big Top Shows and gentle rides for younger children.  A new attraction for this year is the ‘Zippos Cirque Extreme’, a brand new and world-class circus.

What’s On at Winter Wonderland

Visitors to Winter Wonderland will be able to enjoy traditional Christmas foods and mulled wine and a brilliant German Christmas Fair.  With a range of stalls selling authentic arts, crafts, presents and food, this is a great place to do some Christmas shopping and enjoy the atmosphere of the Festive season. The bandstand will feature regular carol concerts and, if time allows, even Santa himself is scheduled to make an appearance in the run-up to Christmas.

Entry to Winter Wonderland is free and there’s no charge to visit Santa. You can book the Ice Skating, the Giant Wheel and Big Top tickets in advance to make sure you don’t miss out on your day of visit. Tokens for all rides and attractions are available for purchase on the day.

Event:    Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London
Dates:     November 18, 2011 - 3 January 2012
Place:     Hyde Park, London

Hotels Near Hyde Park

If you are looking for a hotel near Hyde Park, there are over 200 hotels in the vicinity of Hyde Park to choose from.  It very much depends on which end of Hyde Park you would prefer your accommodation to be.  See the list of Hyde Park hotels here.  In any event, even if you are not staying close to Hyde Park, it is easy to get to the Park by Tube.

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On our recent London visit, we went to Regent’s Canal and were so charmed by its beauty that we wrote two posts on this visit. As our friends Linda and Neil had moved into the Regent’s Canal area in Islington just before our visit, we were fortunate to have them to show us around their new patch.

We enjoyed walking along the canal towpath, seeing the decorative canal boats, admiring the scenic waterways and learning about this beautiful part of London.

Regent's Canal, London..

Unfortunately, robbers have found their way to this part of London.   According to a newspaper report, thugs have held up people at knife-point and robbed them of thousands of pounds in cash and goods such as bikes, iPods, mobile phones, watches, laptops and jewellery. The robberies have occurred at night, along a secluded stretch of the canal where there is no lighting as it’s a bat preservation area.

The Islington district has become very trendy with many new pubs in the area. Although police have increased patrols in the area, it’s wise to avoid taking short cuts through any dark or secluded parts of the Canal towpath at night .

About Regent’s Canal Waterways
Canal Cruises on Regent’s Canal

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Oxford Street Christmas Lights have been illuminating Central London since 1959 and 2009 is expected to be Oxford Street’s biggest and most elaborate Christmas light show in its 50-year history.

On 3 November the famous Oxford Street lights switch on and London’s ultimate Christmas spectacle is set to dazzle the British public and visitors for years to come.

The Central London spectacle has become an integral part of the country’s preparations for the Christmas period since the first illumination of Oxford Street’s world famous Christmas Lights in 1959 . The West End is internationally famous for its 600 shops, 176 flagship stores and 120 international brands and each year  50,000 shoppers visit the area, in spite of the chilly November evenings, to witness the glittering Christmas light show which puts a fairyland touch to London’s famous shopping district.

The Oxford Street Christmas lighting is also a celebrity event and each year since the early 1980s the red button is pushed by one of the nation’s number one celebrities . This year, with celebrity appearances such as Jim Carrey and major performing artists provided by Heart Radio 106.2,  Oxford Street will be packed with entertainment from 5:00 pm to 6.30 pm.

After the Christmas lights switch-on, the focus will shift to Leicester Square for the world premiere of Disney’s “A Christmas Carol“. This will be one of the most glittering and star-studded premieres that London has ever seen.

If you’re in London, head to Oxford Street on 3 November and be part of one of London’s famous Christmas events, enjoy the Christmas light show and do some Christmas shopping.

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London Pass are now running a sale to the end of this month.

Get 10% off 3 and 6 Day London Passes by purchasing your pass before the end of August!

Some of the key benefits of the London Pass include:

• Free entry to over 56 London attractions including Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, HMS Belfast, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Thames Cruise with City Cruises, Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms
• Free guided walking tours
• Free colour guidebook offering 160 pages of essential information on attractions, maps, travel and even places to eat.

To enjoy the discount, you must make your booking before the end of August.

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London’s famous Borough Market is on the move after 250 years at its current site. Traders are being relocated to Jubilee Market on 1 September to allow Network Rail to commence their work. This move will add another chapter to Borough Market’s long and interesting history.

Just as well that I checked their website as I was happily planning my journey to the current location.

Hopefully by the time we visit, everyone will have settled into their new home and that the happy Jubilee Market traders will be selling and serving their delicious gourmet produce and food that are so famously associated with Borough Market.

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Airport terminals, no matter how plush, get a bit tedious after a couple of hours of stopover.  How many times can you circle the duty-free shops, especially when there are no trolleys available to wheel your carry-ons around?  Sitting at the bar and consuming copious amounts of alcohol before flights is not recommended and neither is poisoning your bloodstream with too much caffeine…this is me!

So it’s good news that Heathrow Express is now offering “Explore London” which allows passengers transferring through London to hop into town to take a quick look-around London town or to dive into Harrods or Harvey Nichols for that quick shop before catching their next flight.

The Explore London pass includes a London Underground travel card for zones 1 and 2 and roundtrip tickets on the Heathrow Express.  Tickets cost £20, are valid for 6 hours and can be purchased at Terminal 5 Heathrow Express ticket desk after 10 a.m.

Terms and Conditions:

1. Visitors are advised to allow at least fours hours for transport to and from London, activity and airport check-in
2. The pass is valid for a period of 6 hours from 10:00 Mondays to Fridays, and for 6 hours from 05:00 on Saturdays and Sundays
3. This promotion expires the 31st August 2009
4. The Explore London ticket is non-refundable
5. All normal security rules apply. Fast Track pass bearers must be at security at least 35 minutes before departure
6. Heathrow Express are not liable for missed flight connections.

Hey Heathrow Express – 6 hours is a bit rushed given the travel time into London and back.  Why not allow 8 hours and why is this promotion till end of August 2009 only?

Nevertheless the Explore London pass gives travellers the option of escaping the tedium of airport terminals and having a couple of hours in the excitement of London town.

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London fine dining is notoriously expensive and normally out of the reach of the average traveller’s budget.  However, if you happen to be in London in the third week of June, you’re in luck.

Taste of London is back again from June 18 – 21 at Regent’s Park.  Some of London’s best chefs will be serving their signature dishes and sharing their secrets on the art of cooking while 150 food and drink producers hand out the samples and top up your glasses.

Cheese board

So if you’re a food connoiseur or if you’ve only ever had pub food and fish and chips whilst in London, this is your chance to taste the finer flavours of food in London and what the greatest chefs have to offer.  From classic British to fine French, from authentic Italian to traditional Thai, discover for yourself the excellence of London’s chefs and make your own judgements.

Thailand will be the highlight of the 2009 London event with a section of the show dedicated to Thailand’s spicy food and restaurants such as Benja, Blue Elephant, Busaba Eathai, Mango Tree, Nahm and others will be presenting their dishes to discerning foodies.

There’ll be a line-up of activities during the three days and whether it’s watching your favourite chefs demonstrate their secrets in the Taste Theatre or sampling exquisite wines with the UK’s top sommeliers in the Taste Wine School, there is something for everyone.

Taste of London is one of the greatest restaurant festivals and the event is hugely popular.  So if you don’t want to miss it, you should book early.   Two tickets at GBP 69 sounds like a great deal.

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For your London holiday, take a break from the traditional tourist trail and go where the locals go.  If you want to have a taste of authentic London life, but don’t know where to go, join a private walking tour of London’s famous Saturday morning markets.

There’s no better place to rub shoulders with the locals and on this tour you’ll get to visit three different markets and get all the inside stories from your local guide.

London's famous markets

Famous Markets visited

You’ll start bright and early this morning in Brixton Market in the South of London and experience the  sights, smells, music and stalls of this long established market. This is a good place to experience Brixton’s unique character – its local community.

From Brixton you’ll head to Borough Market, one of London’s oldest food markets and voted the Best Market in London.  This is an eye-opening destination for foodies and is London’s premiere source of high quality fresh produce.  At Borough Market you’ll meet farmers and food producers from across the U.K. and beyond, sample some of the specialty foods and soak up the relaxed atmosphere of one of London’s most charming food shopping destinations.  This is definitely my kind of place.

After Borough Market, your walking tour proceeds to one of London’s best kept secrets – Camden Passage. Situated just north of central London, this area is a haven for the style-conscious, with over 50 antique and vintage stalls. Set against a backdrop of sophisticated Victorian and Georgian period architecture and narrow cobbled lanes, Camden Passage has charm and atmosphere that is uniquely London!

For more information and booking of this interesting walking tour, click HERE.  Once you’ve been to the markets and know the layout, you can always go back there again on your own for more!

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There’s no better way to have an exciting bird’s eye view of London than to go on a ride on the London Eye. Situated on the south bank of the Thames, the London Eye was built in 2000 as part of London’s millenium celebrations. Planning permission for the wheel was initially intended for five years only, but the popularity and quick success of this giant bicycle wheel amongst locals and visitors has allowed this to become a permanent fixture.

The City of London now has a giant structure to match the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York.

London's giant bicycle wheel

Interesting Facts about the London Eye

The London Eye was the vision of husband and wife architects David Marks and Julia Barfield. The first sketchings of the London Eye were ‘cooked up’ on their kitchen table in 1993. The concept of the London Eye was originally entered in a competition for a millennium landmark. The competition was scrapped, with no winners!

The architects were passionate about creating something “uplifting – something that would delight…”. The pursuit of their dreams soon attracted the attention of the London press.  British Airways saw the dream and subsequently became a partner and their inspiration to create a new and exciting way to see their capital city took flight.

The London Eye is the largest observation wheel ever built. It is the only cantilevered structure of its kind in the world. It is 135-m high and has 32 capsules which carry 25 people each. The Eye moves continuously and slowly enough that people can board without it stopping. On a clear day, you’ll get a sweeping view of London in all directions and as far as the countryside and hills beyond.

The London Eye gets very busy on weekends, school holidays and public holidays. Advance bookings are recommended and their Fast Track tickets allow you to skip the queue, and check in just 15 minutes before your flight.

London Eye Private Capsule for Two can also be hired for that special occasion, with champagne included.

See our London Eye Photos HERE
For other London Eye and London tours, click HERE

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A holiday in London has been a very expensive exercise for many visitors in the past due to London’s high cost of living and the strength of the British Pound.

Circumstances have changed and there’s never been a better time than the present to visit London. Airfares are at rock-bottom and the British Pound is at its weakest for a long time.

With a bit of extra planning you can get even more out of your London travel budget. The London Pass for example lets you discover all the best parts of London, skip the long queues and fast track entrance at some attractions, and save money along the way!  These are some of the benefits, from as little as USD20 per day (for a 6-day pass).

London Pass

• Free entry to over 56 London attractions including Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, HMS Belfast, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Thames Cruise with City Cruises, Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms
• Free guided walking tours
• Free colour guidebook offering 160 pages of essential information on attractions, maps, travel and even places to eat.

For a full list of the benefits and the price guide, click here.

With a choice of 1, 2, 3 or 6 consecutive days, the London Pass offers great value and convenience with free entry to over 56 top attractions plus discounts for shopping and popular London restaurants. The longer the duration of your stay, the cheaper the per day cost of your ticket.

Highlights

• Excellent value for money
• Great overview and orientation of the city
• Includes free admission to top local attractions
• Special discounts at restaurants, West End theaters and other visitor services

You’ll never be short of things to see and do during your London vacation and your challenge will be to see and do as much as possible.

For bookings for London Pass and hundreds of other sightseeing tours, click here.

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