London

Note: Executive Travel recently visited London with an eye to inspecting some of the properties where our clients stay. You can view their personal trip report here.

Constantly in motion, always vibrant, yet gracefully rooted in tradition, virtually any experience can be found in London. Be it live theater at the Old Vic in the West End or the cacophony of Piccadilly Circus. Surveying Greek antiquities at the British Museum or leisurely browsing for an Edwardian end table at the market on the Portobello Road. Spend the day racing through the Underground or witness the city from above on the world's largest observation wheel, the London Eye. So feel the pulse and make sure that London is a part of your British visit.

Top Ten Attractions

The city is home to countless historical and modern attractions, from the London Eye to the National Gallery and Tower of London. With free admission into many of these attractions, now is as good a time as any to explore them for your self and soak up some culture. Take your pick from the top ten below, based on 2004 visitor numbers.

1. National Gallery

The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of European painting in the world. With paintings ranging from 1250 to 1900, the collection includes work by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Turner, Cezanne and Van Gogh.

2. British Museum

The imposing British Museum exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times with collections drawn from all around the world. Famous objects include the Rosetta stone, sculptures from the Parthenon and the Portland Vase.

3. Tate Modern

The impressive Tate Modern is Britain's national museum of modern art. Housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the River Thames, the gallery displays major works by Matisse and Picasso as well as contemporary work, exhibitions and installations.

4. The London Eye

The British Airways London Eye forms a major feature of London's skyline. It is the world's highest observation wheel and offers passengers spectacular views of over 55 of London's most famous landmarks in just 30 minutes.

5. National History Museum

As well as the permanent dinosaur exhibition, the gallery boasts a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world. Don't miss the life size model of the Blue Whale, the 40 million year old spider, the earthquake simulator and an elephant bird egg.

6. Science Museum

See, touch and experience the major scientific advances of the last 300 years at the largest museum of its kind in the world. With over 40 galleries and 2000 hands on exhibits, step into the future in the Welcome Wing. Visit the IMAX cinema and virtual reality simulator.

7. The Tower of London

Take a free-guided tour with one of the Yeoman Warders around one of the most famous fortified buildings in the world. Discover its 900-year history as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, mint, arsenal, menagerie and jewel house.

8. The Victoria & Albert Museum

The V&A celebrates all things art and design, and is home to 3000 years worth of amazing artefacts from many of the world's richest cultures. See their amazing collection of ceramics, furniture, fashion, glass, jewelry, photographs, sculpture, textiles and paintings.

9. The National Portrait Gallery

The gallery features portraits in all mediums depicting well-known British people. In addition to historical portraits, it exhibits a rapidly changing collection of contemporary work with exhibitions by individual artists, and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition.

This is the largest maritime museum in the world with a collection of over two million objects relating to seafaring. Now a World Heritage Site, the historic landscape includes the 17th century Queen's House and the home of the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory.

The Changing of the Guard, is a popular, some might say too popular, London attraction. Click here for up-to-date info on the various Changing of the Guard ceremonies.

Stonehenge exerts a powerful force that brings people from all across the globe to experience its magical aura and to stand in wonder beneath this monument to a forgotten people, whose everyday lives and beliefs can now only be guessed at. Indeed, arguments still rage over the origins of this ancient enigma; for the truth is that nobody knows for certain who it was that built it and what its original purpose was. Could it have been a place for religious rituals? Was it intended as an observatory for predicting important astronomical events? Did the Druids use it as a place of worship and sacrifice? The truth is that we actually know very little about Stonehenge. As Lord Byron pointed out in his poem 'Don Juan' "…The Druid's groves are gone - so much the better. Stonehenge is not, but what the devil is it?"

Getting to Stonehenge. Trains depart from Waterloo Station in London hourly for Salisbury, a journey that takes approximately 2 hours. You can also travel by coach from Victoria Station, a trip that takes around 2 3/4 hours. Once in Salisbury a Wilts and Dorset bus will take you to Stonehenge, a journey that takes approximately 30 minutes.