The Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. They lie on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall. The oldest part of the building is still in existence, Westminster Hall, which dates from 1097. The palace originally served as a royal residence, but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century. Most of the present Houses of Parliament structure dates from the 19th century when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architects responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, and the building is an example of the Gothic revival.

Westminster Abbey is a Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding. In many respects the architecture is common. There's the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction. Here at Westminster Abbey lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.

Victoria and Albert. Our queen and her wise consort, they were true lovers, a great couple and great rulers of all time. They were cousins and like two peas in a pod. Therefore whenever you hear Victoria, Albert is there, whenever you hear the name Albert, Victoria is there. Therefore the Victoria & Albert Museum carries their soul, it’s spectacular, ostentatious, marvellous. V&A is the largest art and design museum in the world and holds over 2.3 million permanent items representing over 5 000 years of human innovation. V&A holds a great number of national collections in the UK and includes some of the best tools for the study of architecture, furniture, design, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, gems, glass, ceramics, book arts, theatre and performance. This V&A past is a fascinating tale. All starts with a Manufacturing Museum in 1852 and it goes up to its foundation in 1899 by Queen Victoria. Today V&A have state-of-the-art galleries and has continuously evolved in its collections and public interpretation of art and design. The collections in the museum span over five thousand years of artistic humanity in nearly every medium in one of Britain's finest Victorian and contemporary buildings in London. V&A’s mission is to be recognised as the world's leading museum of art, design and performance, and to enrich people's lives by promoting research, knowledge and enjoyment of the designed world to the widest possible audience and we must admit, they are very successful on that. Bottom line, it’s a must-see place in London and V&A tells you everything about the world of art and design. Explore this treasure of culture with Tourope UK’s art professional APTG blue badge guides today.

What a brilliant Royal saga. Hampton Court Palace, also known as Hampton Court, Tudor Palace in Richmond Upon Thames, Greater London Borough. It faces the northern bank of the Thames River. In the 1520's, Cardinal Henry VIII (reigned 1509–47) gave the palace to Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, who enlarged it for his preferred residence. Throughout its large grounds trees and shrubs have been planted, and several buildings and springs have also been added. For William III (reigned 1689–1702), the garden had been redesigned in Holland; for William and his wife, Queen Mary II, architect Christopher Wren added the wing. It is a fascinating historical tour allowing you to follow the building through the ages. Indulge yourself in a Tudor fashion like Henry VIII. Let our APTG qualified blue badge tourist guides to take you on an immaculate journey throughout the timeline that starts AD 1515 up to the present.

William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous British writer of all time, he wrote about life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic and mystery. His plays were the blockbuster entertainment of his day - some of his most famous are Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet. You will understand how Shakespeare’s plays had a changing impact on the world by visiting the reconstructed Elizabethan theatre where there will be live commentary of the productions in Elizabethan times showing the power of performance, cultivating intellectual curiosity and excites learning to make Shakespeare accessible for all — the Shakespeare’s Globe Tour can give you an opportunity to learn more about this unique building and its most famous playwright, Shakespeare. Hidden under the Globe Theatre, the fascinating Exhibition delves into the life of Shakespeare, how London was at the time he lived there, and the theatre for which he wrote. You will be able to imagine the Globe as it would have been, nestled in the notorious entertainment district, surrounded by raucous taverns and bawdyhouses. Just let our APTG qualified blue badge tourist guides take you there.

Without a trip to Tate Modern, a visit to London surely is not complete. Tate Modern is a National Gallery for International Modern Art featuring masterpieces by Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí, Magritte, Mirò, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, Cornelia Parke, Mark Rothko and many more. Built-in 2000 from a disused power plant and extended in 2016 with a newer Blavatnik building, Tate Modern is Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary art from around the globe, and the world’s most visited contemporary art gallery. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the Thames, the awe-inspiring Turbine Hall is the dramatic setting for new art commissions. The collection is free to visit and the most important, your teacher guides promise a unique way for our guests to find out more about the art on display in this greatest works of art shrine.

St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Pauls Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The first cathedral was built by the Saxons in wood. It burned down in AD 675 and was rebuilt, again in wood, ten years later. After this version was sacked by the Vikings in 962, the "second" St Pauls was built, this time mainly in stone. The predecessor to Wren's cathedral, The third St Pauls (known as Old St Pauls), was begun by the Normans after the late Saxon cathedral suffered in a fire of 1087. Work took over two hundred years, and a great deal was lost in a fire in 1136. Nonetheless the roof was once more built of wood, which was ultimately to doom the building. The church was "completed" in 1240 but a change of heart soon led to the commencement of an enlargement programme, which was not completed until 1314. The cathedral was however consecrated in 1300. It was the third longest church in Europe at 596 feet (181 metres) and boasted one of Europe's tallest spires at some 489 feet (149 metres). England's first classical architect Sir Inigo Jones added the cathedral's new west front in the 1630s, but "Old St Pauls" was finally ruined in the Great Fire of London of 1666. Building work on the latest St Pauls Cathedral commenced in June 1675 to a design by a great English scientist and architect of the 17th century Christopher Wren, and St Pauls Cathedral was completed on October 20 1708. The story starts from this point on and you can't wait to hear the rest of it from our qualified blue badge tourist guides.

Let’s go shopping in some of London’s most iconic shops. Time to practise in English while shopping. Shopping = Oxford Street.. Oxford Street is one of London’s stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Oxford Street is one of London’s artery stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Europe’s busiest shopping street hosting around half million visitors daily. Today, there are more than 300 shops, cafes, restaurants, language schools, department stores and many more. It’s the heart of daily business, fun, leisure and of course shopping in London. Like everywhere in London, Oxford Street has its history. The street route used to be part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman route that passes through London between Hampshire and Essex. It was known as the Tyburn Road during the Middle Ages when Tyburn Gallows was also known for its public hangings. It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use by the late 19th century, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. The first department stores in the UK opened in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis & Partners and HMV. Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street, it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II, and several longstanding stores including John Lewis were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Oxford Street, with several chain stores on the street and a number of buildings listed, remains in demand as a retail place amid the competition of other shopping malls, including Westfield Stratford City and the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Because shopping is simply a tradition on this street and especially tourists love this experience during their stay in London.