By Chris Tomkins

With the 2012 Summer Olympic Games that will be held in London rapidly approaching, now is the time to start planning one’s visit to what is arguably already the greatest city in the world. London boasts so many tourist attractions that one can not fit them all into any three visits, much less only one. Keeping that in mind, a brief consideration of the very best attractions that the royal city has to offer the visitor follows.

Where royal attractions are concerned, London is probably the richest city in the world. Here one is able to go see the world’s most expensive collection of royal jewelry in the Tower of London, which is also the original castle home of the British monarchy. No visit to London would be complete without stopping by Buckingham Palace, London offices and home to the Queen herself, as well as host of the daily changing of the guard ceremony. Westminster Abbey is the thousand year old church where all the monarchs of Great Britain have been crowned, and most of them buried as well. St. Paul’s Cathedral is the stunning church that is a must see for Napoleonic War enthusiasts, since both the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Horatio Nelson are buried side by side in its vaults.

For legendary museums, London has some of the very best on earth. The British Museum is the nation’s pride and joy. Everything from Cleopatra’s mummy, to the columns of the Parthenon (Lord Elgin’s marbles), to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassaus, to even the ruins of Babylon are housed and displayed here. A fabulous London museum is The Victoria and Albert Museum. While here, visitors can pop on into the excellent Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, both of which share the street with the Victoria and Albert Museum. Other world class museums found in London include the National Gallery, Tate Modern, the Imperial War Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery.

For those visitors who enjoy seeing historic theaters and performance halls, London has several of the finest in the world too. The Royal Albert Hall is among the nation’s most unique and treasured buildings, known on site throughout the world. William Shakespeare is a name well known throughout the English speaking world. His Globe Theater has been reconstructed in London and now showcases the Bard’s many wonderful plays on a regular basis.

Other general world class attractions in London are many and varied. There is the London Eye, the world’s largest Ferris Wheel that offers views of the whole city. Harrods’ and Piccadilly Circus are both here and worth seeing. Westminster Abbey is a thousand year old palace that houses the world’s original Parliament. Big Ben beckons all tourists to come see time kept in precision as it has been famously for one hundred and fifty years as of 2009. From Covent Garden, to Hyde Park, to Soho, to Oxford Street, the list of world renowned London attractions goes on seemingly forever.

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