DK Travel : London

A city of infinite colour and variety, London is both richly historic, tracing its roots back over 2000 years, and unceasingly modern, at the forefront of fashion, music and the arts. There is a fantastic amount to interest and entertain the visitor here: a selection of the best of the best is explored here.

Holland Park

There is a great deal of charm about Holland Park, where enclosed gardens are laid out like rooms in an open-air house. At its centre is Holland House, a beautiful Jacobean mansion, which was destroyed in a bombing raid in 1941. What remains is used as a youth hostel and the backdrop for summer concerts. Peacocks roam in the woods and in the gardens, including the Dutch Garden, where dahlias were first planted in England.

Café, Holland Park
Holland Park Concerts

The open-air theatre in Holland Park hosts an annual summer season of opera, theatre and dance, while art exhibitions are held regularly in the Ice House and the Orangery.
Holly Bush

The Holly Bush pub is an excellent rainy-weather place to eat – cozy, warm, and a bit dark. It is on a quiet, narrow road with just enough space for a couple of benches out front. Inside, the pub is a hodge-podge of six or seven rooms downstairs and a “dining room” upstairs

The upstairs dining room is altogether lighter and airier than the pub below. There is no frosting on the windows (of which there are several), and there were a few families with young children up there on the day that we were there. The food upstairs is the same food that you get in the bar rooms downstairs. It is one step up from basic pub food with a few concessions to vegetarians and other new-age tastes. My haddock with apple and cabbage (£6.50) was fine, and Andrea’s beer and chicken pie (£9.00) was delicious. Tina enjoyed her salmon and eggs (£5.50). We all had beers on tap (£2.50 per pint,) and there is a good range of these to choose from.
Home

This basement bar, fitted out with domestic furniture, has a good-value restaurant upstairs.
Horniman Museum

Recently transformed with a new £13 million development, this distinctive museum appeals to both adults and children. A new giant creepy crawly display sits alongside an interactive gallery devoted to music and world cultures. The café looks over the 16-acre garden.
Horse of the Year Show

A six-day event puts show jumpers through their paces.
Horse Riding

The best place is the stables at Hyde Park.
Host and Guest Service

This agency specialises in inexpensive accommodation in homes in London and elsewhere in the UK. A two-night minimum stay is preferred.
Houses of Parliament

The ancient Palace of Westminster is the seat of the two Houses of Parliament – the Lords and the Commons. A Union flag flies on the Victoria Tower when the Commons is in session. Night sittings are indicated by a light on the Clock Tower – the tower that houses Big Ben, the 14-ton bell whose hourly chimes are recognized around the world.
Houses of Parliament

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Restaurant price categories

For a three course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes, and extra charges.
- under £15
- £15–£25
- £25–£35
- £35–£50
- over £50
Hotel price categories

Prices are for a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under £70
- £70–£100
- £100–£150
- £150–£200
- over £200