London is known to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but also one of the most diverse in terms of culture with 50 nationalities speaking more than 300 different languages. The legendary city is also renowned for its rich history and culture spanning almost 2000 years. Several adjectives can characterize the city of London. It is fascinating (by its history), delicious (by its cuisine), subjugating and attractive (by its animations and colours) but most of all, you are dazzled by its beauty.
This bustling metropolis embraces the many cultures that make up its population. This is reflected in the diversity of kitchens, shops, music and colourful festivals. One of London's peculiarities is that few Londoners live in the centre of the capital, which is rather reserved for business. They live in the neighbourhoods, looking like villages of which they are very proud. Many billionaires from all over the world have settled in the city centre. London is established as the largest city in Europe, yet there is nothing easier than getting to and around London. The city is served by five international airports, an extensive road network as well as metros, trains, buses, coaches, river shuttles and taxis, making it easy to get from one point of the capital to another.
You may discover parts of London you didn't know before!
The City
London's La City district is the second largest financial centre in the world. The London Stock Exchange and the Bank of England are located in this area. In this area you will find St. Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge and the Museum of London.
Westminster
Unlike La City, Westminster is an older neighbourhood.
Here are the following attractions:
- Big Ben's famous clock,
- Westminster Palace,
- Buckingham Palace,
- Trafalgar Square,
- Piccadilly Circus,
- Oxford Street,
- Green Park...
Formerly a hot neighborhood, Soho is now one of the hottest places in the British capital. This area is ideal for drinking in a pub and enjoying the nightlife in London. Chinatown with its Asian restaurants and grocery stores is also located in the neighborhood.
Camden Town
London's quirky neighborhood, Camden Town, still attracts as many tourists as ever. This is the place where the singer Amy Winehouse used to live and is the point of reference for Gothic and Punks. Camden's market, the Camden Lock Market, is pleasant to visit with its world-class kitchen stalls and offbeat clothing and accessories stores. When the weather is fine, it is very pleasant to walk around and taste all kinds of snacks.
South Kensington
Located south of Hyde Park, the South Kensington district is a chic part of London. Like any affluent neighbourhood, you can of course shop in luxury shops. Harrods is a very big London department store, comparable to the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. But there are also several museums in South Kensington:
- The Natural History Museum is a must see in London, especially if you have children because they will love seeing dinosaur fossils and learning about the history of our planet.
- The Science Museum is also an excellent museum. It is dedicated to the evolution of inventions with a playful side.
- The Victoria and Albert Museum specializes in decorative arts.
Brixton
The Brixton district is located south of London. The majority of Brixton's population is Afro-Caribbean in origin, so you will find several specialties from the Caribbean. For more information on this new trend, the Nouvel Observateur has written a very interesting article on the subject. The Brixton Village is particularly pleasant to visit. It is a covered market where you can buy food products, decorative objects, vintage clothes...
Mayfair
Mayfair is a luxurious part of London. You will discover luxury boutiques on the edge of bling-bling. Unlike South Kensington, the area is less touristic and calmer.
Greenwich
Greenwich is rich in history. Greenwich Village is indeed part of UNESCO's heritage because it was for a long time a royal quarter. I advise you to visit the market of Greenwich with its handicrafts, the park of Greenwich (immense!) with its unobstructed view of London and to join the city by boat. If you like historical museums, Greenwich has 4 museums: the Royals Museums.
Notting Hill
Trendy London neighborhood, there are many things to do in Notting Hill.
The Portobello Market with its antiques, open on Fridays and Saturdays
Portobello Road and its vintage boutiques
Notting Hill Carnival: this big parade takes place every year in August.
An imperial heritage
The global role of London is largely the fruit of history. In the 19th century it was the political, economic and cultural capital of the British Empire, home to a quarter of the world's population. The big decisions are all made in London, where the Victorian style (named after Queen Victoria) marks the great downtown buildings, such as St. Pancras Station. The city is the gateway to colonial products and the exit point for manufactured goods from a country that was then the "factory of the world".
After the end of the colonial empire, the city remains the capital of the Commonwealth, which today has 54 states. The Queen of England is head of state in a number of them, such as Australia and Canada, even though they are in fact governed by a Prime Minister. The British overseas territories are governed from London. From a political point of view, London is therefore at the head of an important political influence network. Its political centre is to the west of the city, around Buckingham Palace, Parliament and the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street.
An economic centre
The location of the city also gives it an opening to the privileged world. It is located in an estuary bottom site on the Thames. The city is therefore a seaport, even if today the traffic of ships with the highest tonnage does not reach the centre. The banks of the river were thus marked for a long time, to the east of the city, by industrial and logistical activities: the docks.
Today, the city's economic weight owes much to the service sector, especially financial services. The London Stock Exchange, located in the City district, is Europe's leading stock exchange in terms of volume and value of transactions, with nearly $600 billion a day. The City is also the main business district in Europe. Today, there is a CBD (Central Business District) in the heart of the city, where its medieval centre was located. The recent construction of landmark buildings, including the "30 Saint Mary Axe" by architect Norman Foster, is the symbol of its vitality. It houses the headquarters of nearly 700 banking and financial institutions from all over the world.
A cultural centre
London is also a city with considerable cultural influence. The importance of the English-speaking world and English as an international language allows London's cultural events and currents to be widely disseminated throughout the world. There are museums in London that house art collections from around the world, such as the British Museum and the National Gallery. In the field of contemporary art or musical creation, London maintains a worldwide reputation.
The legacy of big English bands like the Beatles is still alive, and London's clubbing sets the tone for the nights in many places around the world. London's Fashion Week contributes to the image of a young and creative city.
In the field of sport, the city is at the forefront of the media with the 2012 Olympic Games.
A city at the crossroads of flows
A megapole at the heart of networks on all scales
The city of London was at the heart of material flows in the imperial era. Today, these flows are less important. The city remains a major centre of commerce thanks to the infrastructures that now connect it to the rest of the world. Road and rail infrastructures give it a large role at the national level. These networks are polarised in London.
On a European scale, the city is now linked to the continent by a high-speed train line running through the Channel Tunnel. Thanks to this infrastructure, London is connected by land to Paris, another world city, and to the European megalopolis, of which it is an extension across the Channel.
London Heathrow Airport is one of the world's largest airports. It is the third largest in the world in terms of passenger traffic. It is the main European airport hub.
Financial flows
Financial flows are very intense in London. They are linked to the tradition of negotiating the tariffs for a number of mineral raw materials, such as gold and diamonds. London is also one of the world's leading centres for insurance companies, generating significant flows.
Historical ties with the United States have made London a major location for transatlantic transactions, aided by neoliberal legislation introduced in the 1980s on both sides of the Atlantic by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. The city is also a place where transactions are made to the countries of origin of the many immigrant communities located there. These remittances are often the primary source of income for these countries of origin.
At the heart of mobility
London is marked by the intensity of human circulation, again on several scales. The city, especially its peripheral areas, always attracts a population from the middle-sized cities, but this flow is not the most intense.
On a global scale, the city has welcomed migrants from most of the former British colonies. Indians and Pakistanis are the most numerous, followed by populations from the Caribbean and Anglophone Africa. Migrants from Eastern Europe, but also many young French people, are attracted by the flexibility of the London labour market. The city has thus become cosmopolitan, a summary of the English-speaking world and its attractiveness. Some neighbourhoods are thus very marked by the presence of a specific community.
The city also attracts many tourists, seduced by its urban spaces and museums. Business tourism is also highly developed, the city being one of the world's leading congress centres.
A contrasting urban space but shaped by openness to the world
Traditional central spaces
The centre of the city is undergoing evolutions in other world cities. The habitat function has been reduced. The City has only 11,000 inhabitants. There are now office buildings and spaces in the centre that are largely museum-like and dedicated to tourism.
The new centres
The affirmation of London's global role has led to the emergence of new centres. Secondary business centres have become established. It's mostly the Docklands. These industrial areas and working-class neighbourhoods close to the centre regained strategic importance in the 1980s. Major real estate transactions have led to their gentrification - that is, the arrival of wealthy populations in former working-class neighbourhoods, whose former inhabitants are gradually being driven out by rising property prices. A new CBD (Central Business District) was also built in Docklands: Canary Wharf.
On the south bank of the Thames, facing the City, the industrial and popular Southwark district has become a tourist area. The transformation of a disused power station into a museum of contemporary art - the Tate Modern - is a perfect example of conversion. There is also a new emerging business centre in this neighbourhood, London Bridge.
London is thus asserting itself as a global city. Its influence is linked to both heritages and a very good integration into the flows of globalization. Urban space has been shaped by the influence of the megapole at all scales.
