Knowing London
Table of Contents
Discover and get to know London, a wonderful city with a thousand faces.
London is not only the capital of the United Kingdom or the largest city in Europe or the third most populous city on the continent (8.5 million) after Moscow and Istanbul. London is second only to New York in the ranking of the most important and influential cities in the world and represents the main financial center of the entire planet.
Most people say that when you are in London – and I do not necessarily mean in “The City”, the business and finance district – you have the strong feeling of being in the center of the world, as if you were in the place from which the most important decisions start, in the headquarters of a multinational company called “Earth”.
Get to know London, city of opportunities
That’s right, it is one of its most beautiful and characteristic aspects, which makes it one of the most sought-after permanent destinations – probably the number one in the world – and an object of desire for those who want to make a fortune.
London is a big city and you will have no trouble finding a job quickly.
There are several tools to look for work:
- The most official tool to look for work is the Job Center, the efficient free placement service spread throughout the territory. They are public offices you can go to and have the opportunity to independently consult the many job vacancies on display or fill in a special form and leave your Curriculum Vitae.
- Facebook groups: many people use Facebook groups and help each other by providing information on available jobs.
- Websites: Gumtree, Indeed, Reed.co.uk, Totakljob etc.
- Certainly very effective and suggested method is to print a bunch of CVs and distribute them by hand once arrived in the UK. To get some info about it, read our post about the importance of CVs.
Work and investment in London
The fear of losing your job and remaining unemployed does not exist in this city, on the contrary, there is a tendency to often leave a job to look for a better and more profitable one. Salaries are generally higher than in many other european countries and the incentive system of work allows you to improve your income over time thanks to the achievement of higher levels given by seniority and performance. Furthermore, the limited and simplified English bureaucracy allows you to open a business very quickly and at very limited costs, in fact, London is a city that hosts a huge number of international companies, including many Americans, Italian, French and Spanish ones. The highest number of businesses is in the hospitality, over 2,000 Italian restaurants. Punctuality and respect for payments are among the things that people appreciates most.
The modernity of London, the second most important city in the world
Integration is probably in the DNA of this city, just look at the extraordinary harmony that exists between the historical monuments and the most modern buildings in the city. Ancient and modern at the same time, this is London. Classic and conservative on the one hand, focused on innovation on the other. The sudden changes in entire neighborhoods are a testament. Just think of Notting Hill, Brixton, Hackney and the modern Docklands, which was once the largest port in the world.
Expeditions for the Indies and conquest of half the world that made London the headquarters of the British Empire, the largest of all time, left from that port. It was in that century, the nineteenth century, that London became the largest and most important city in the world, rising from 1 to 6.7 million inhabitants. It became the world headquarters of trade, banks and international politics. In this century, most of the historic buildings arose and became symbols of London and major tourist attractions.
Museums and palaces. Get to know London and its attractions
One of these, which has become a real icon of London, is the Tower Bridge, the most famous opening bridge in the world built in the late 1800 and which connects the two sides of the Thames near the Tower of London (from which it takes its name and represents one of the main attractions). Inside the bridge you can buy a ticket (about 10 pounds) for the Tower Bridge Experience, the permanent exhibition inside the bridge that allows you to see the gears that once opened the bridge, to look through the glass floor and to know the history of the bridge that had made the whole world talk about it for its beauty and for its innovative mechanical devices, considered an authentic engineering marvel.
You will surely have seen on TV, perhaps during some news of the English royalty, Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the sovereign of the United Kingdom, where thousands of tourists every year go to attend the traditional change of guard. It is also possible to visit other areas of the castle with guided tours (£ 20-40).
It is almost impossible to find a person who has never seen or heard of Big Ben, the most famous watch in the world. In reality Big Ben is the nickname given to the largest bell of the clock tower, the Elizabeth Tower, and is part of the majestic Westminster Palace, also built in the nineteenth century, known as Houses of Parliament where the two chambers of parliament are based . The palace actually arose in the 11th century, but due to the disastrous fire in 1834 it was completely rebuilt, with the exception of Westminster Hall which represents, in fact, the only original part built in 1097.
Big Ben, the most famous watch in the world
If you want to appreciate other historical works, you must absolutely see Saint Paul’s Cathedral, the largest and most important British church that was built in the late 1600, and Westminster Abbey (11th century), the second most important Anglican place of worship; the Kensington Palace (where you can take the tour of the royal apartments for about £ 20).
Also in the nineteenth century (1840) another symbol of London was born, the gigantic and spectacular Trafalgar Square, built in memory of the battle won by Admiral Nelson to the detriment of the Franco-Spanish fleets during the Napoleonic wars. On the north side of the square you can find the National Gallery Museum.
Access to London’s many museums
Speaking of museums, if you are passionate about art and culture you are in the right place because one of the peculiarities of this city is the ability to access most of the museums for free. They are so many and beautiful that I would not know which to suggest. If you are passionate about history and archaeological finds you should definitely go to the British Museum, one of the largest and most visited in the world, as well as the oldest. If you love paintings you cannot miss the exhibition of over 2300 pieces (including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Raffaello, Leonardo da Vinci) of the National Gallery; if instead you are fascinated by contemporary art, you must go to the Tate Modern, the most visited museum of modern art in the world; if you want to know the history of London since prehistoric times, then you must see the spectacular Museum of London; instead, the Natural History Museum, projects you into the evolutionary journey of the world and mankind. Click here if you want to access the full list of London museums.
London is also a city full of theaters and you have probably heard of the Royal Opera House, the most prestigious in the city and one of the most famous in the world. It is also called Covent Garden, because of the neighborhood in which it is located. Speaking of Covent Garden, let me spend a few words on this fantastic and fun neighborhood, in particular of its homonymous square which is certainly one of the funniest in all London. Here you can admire jugglers and many street artists who make a living by exhibiting their beautiful shows. Then there is a theater which, beyond its performances, is one of the major attractions of the city: the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater (ticket price £ 20).
London city of music and musicians
I don’t know if there are more musically active cities of London around the world. Many music international stars are born here and be sure that every day some of them is performing somewhere in the city. Maybe at the Royal Albert Hall, an event room (concerts, ballets, boxing, wrestling, conferences etc.) with only 5500 seats, but very exclusive. One of its peculiarities is the gigantic and suggestive pipe organ (about 10,000).
London, in addition to being a place where many artistic and cultural attractions are concentrated, is also a city full of different attractions and famous for an infinite number of reasons. Monuments such as Saint Paul’s Cathedral or the Tower of London may not sound familiar to you, but you surely know Harrods, the most famous luxury store in the world, or the illuminated sign of Coca Cola in Piccadilly Circus or the famous markets of Camden Town, or the renowned Madame Tussauds wax museum.
Madame Tussauds – some real waxes
One of the most modern attractions together with the London Eye, the tallest ferris wheel in the world with its 135 meters and 32 capsules as per the number of districts in London, is The Shard, the 310 meter high glass skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano, the highest in all western Europe and from which you can observe (telescopes and representations of ancient London) a real overview of London from above. The ticket for the lookout has a cost of £ 25.
From up there you realize how green London is; the area occupied by parks and gardens is 47% of the entire city, 180 km2. London’s parks are a bit like for other countries the sea or the mountain: places of leisure and amusement crowded especially during the summer and the beautiful sunny days. Their interior is often populated by numerous animals, lakes (also navigable) trees and entertainments for children. They are often home to concerts or various events.
Our article about London is constantly evolving and developing as London is a city on which we could build an entire site.
Contribute with us, if you think we have forgotten something or want us to talk about a specific topic, write in the comments below.
Happy reading and … welcome to London!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!