THE LONDON EYE
One of London's newer attractions, the Eye, is just that - a 443 foot high Millennium creation that enables you to take in one of the most fabulous aerial views of the entire city available.
Re-opening to the public on the 17th May, a space in one of the pods is bookable in advance for £24.50 or £31.00 on the day. For a rather less modest sum, viewing bubbles can also be booked for champagne receptions, private events, and the iconic wheel has already played host to over 5000 engagements and 500 weddings!
You'll be in good company if you do choose to give it a whirl; records have it that none other than Kate Moss has ridden the wheel twenty-five times and American actress Jessica Alba loves it so much she has visited a mind-boggling thirty-one times!
BIG BEN
When will we hear the bell of Big Ben chime out again? Its silence felt almost apocalyptic when the extensive conservation work was first announced, but this is not the first time the great tower has ceased to ring out across London.
The imposing landmark is set to reach completion in 2022 having been scaffolded since 2017. For many Londoners Big Ben's familiar chime has been greatly missed during this period, and the city doesn't feel quite itself without it, but the tower has been silent before in times such as the great Blitz of London.
It's fair to say that Westminster's famous gothic revival tower, designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, has seen a lot over its 160 year existence; six monarchs and forty-one prime-ministers to be precise!
ST PAUL'S
Another attraction set to re-open on the 17th May, St Paul's Cathedral already holds a special place in the hearts of the British people.
One of the largest churches in the world and sitting pretty on the highest point in London, Sir Christopher Wren's famous architectural masterpiece has marked many an occasion in the history of our country, from the funerals of Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill to Queen Victoria's Jubilee and the Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
St Paul's are currently fundraising to build a new memorial space entitled the Remember Me Memo within the cathedral in remembrance of all of the victims of the Covid Pandemic.
THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY
And how simply incredible is it that our little capital is the home of such an enormous thing as time itself as we know it, across the world?!
Enter the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. Commissioned by King Charles II and overseen largely by that most prolific of architects (not to mention also a professor of astronomy at Oxford) Sir Christopher Wren, this construction enabled the first ever standardized method of keeping time.
Be sure to make a very accurate beeline of your own to this world famous feature, taking advantage of the bounteous Greenwich Market while you're at it. The Observatory is a great location for a picnic, as well as a spot of stargazing at the planetarium!
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
One that most Brits such as myself have probably experienced as a destination for school trips, this educational stalwart of British history and just about everything else too come to think of it, has been around since opening in 1759.
That makes the British Museum the oldest national public museum in the world, and here's the best part: it's totally free, and famously always has been to all "studious and curious persons."
Re-opening its doors again on the 17th May, the British Museum will be exhibiting a display of Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa this spring.
PICCADILLY CIRCUS
As a glorified roundabout, Piccadilly Circus is arguably not the most conventional of tourist attractions... however, it has risen to fame as one of London's most iconic scenes over the years.
Centered around the romantic fountain of Eros (although confusingly the statue actually represents Anteros) this central junction to London's busy thoroughfare is jam-packed with gems that make it well worth visiting just for the drool-worthy window-shopping, if not also a ticket to one of the West End's world famous shows.
A more modern feature of Piccadilly is its enormous billboard. First erected in 1908, the sign has been graced by ad brands such as Bovril, Perrier and Coca Cola, but most memorably was rented by Yoko Ono in 2002 and illuminated with the lyrics "Imagine all the people living life in peace."