Notting Hill is one of the crown jewels of London neighborhoods. It's rows of colorful, pastel…read morehouses, shops and cafes are idyllic and can be seen in many movies. I don't believe that too many English people actually live in this neighborhood, as the homes are insanely expensive and the streets can get quite touristy. There are often street fairs, festivals, and farmers markets on these streets, so if you go during the day, especially on a Saturday, you're likely to run into something extra fun happening.

I mean, the place inspired one of the best rom coms of the 90s so you better believe it's cute,…read morequaint and romantic! Explore the neighborhood of Notting Hill and you'll see streets filled with iconic, colorful houses. But not all the houses are colorful. In some parts of the neighborhood, there are gorgeous white buildings with beautiful architecture! A google search will give you some of the best streets to walk through or even a path to explore from top to bottom! There are a variety of little shops and a regular farmers market (although it's not must on days other than Saturday). Overall, it's a fun visit if you'd like to step away from the busy city and see some cute sights, but I wouldn't put it on the list as an absolute must visit.

Take a stroll along the canals through Little Venice, with peaceful surroundings leading to lively…read moredining and entertainment as you wind toward Paddington. Enjoy the eclectic boats parked along the way; maybe the On Air sign will be lit on the radio boat. Be sure to visit Rembrandt Gardens at the canal fork, then decide if you"ll head left toward Regent's. Of course we'll return.

A wonderful part of the city near Paddington Station where you can walk along and around the canal…read morearea and just take in the scenery. It was nice and quiet in the morning, there were a few cafes close by in the area as well. While on the path keep an eye out for bike riders going by as they use the canal path too.

I noticed in discussions folk like celebs so heres a bit of info:…read moreThis is Paul McCartney's London home, which was bought in April 13 1965 for 40,000, and Paul moved in late March 1966. Paul McCartney will always be in the news I guess. McCartneys housekeeper was a Mrs. Kelly who was fired along with her husband when they tried to sell their story to an Australian newspaper. A music room/den was on the top floor and had a window overlooking the front courtyard Songs such as Penny Lane, Getting Better and Hey Jude were written there. A Knight piano stood in the music room. McCartney got design team Binder, Edwards and Vaughan to paint the piano in psychedelic colours. The job cost £300. The many visitors to Cavendish Avenue included Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. McCartney reportedly offered Jagger his first joint in the music room at Cavendish Avenue. He had a meditation chapel built in his garden around 1967 which contained a circular bed donated to him by Groucho Marx. In 1968 fiance Jane Asher returned unexpectedly to Cavendish Avenue from Bristol to find him in bed with another girl. They broke up shortly afterwards. McCartney was the only Beatle to remain a London resident during the years that The Beatles were together. It is still owned by Paul and obviously access is prohibited.

6/18/16 Sir Paul wasn't home when we came by but I must say…read morehis home was quite well cared for and exceptionally clean! A nice neighborhood but not pretentious in any way.

We walked blocks and blocks to get to this spot to see where Freddie Mercury's last residence and…read morestudio was in London. There isn't much to see but a high wall painted in anti graffiti paint. There isn't much to see or do, no tour to take - therefore it was just an okay experience for me. The highlight was the memories that sprung to mind when being in this place.

I went to visit Freddie's final haunt more for sentiment than expecting to see some great tribute,…read moreor anything much more than a vandalised door and some bricks (as the previous Yelp pictures suggested). I was pleasantly surprised that it seems a compromise has been reached between vandalism and tribute; the bricks directly beside that famous door - now redecorated with 'Garden Lodge' printed on it - are covered in perspex but fans have slipped through letters, notes, doodles, all full of so much love. In reality, Freddie was a private man and I doubt he'd want a shrine (he objected to the place being turned into a museum, apparently) but to see the love people still hold for him nearly 25 years on is beautiful. My sentiments were fulfilled, and I respectfully left listening to 'I'm Going Slightly Mad'. Just around the corner (I kid you not) I bumped into a person dressed as a life-size can of paint. I was already wondering if 'slightly' wasn't quite appropriate for me but that just proved it - hah! Worth going for the sentiment alone, if you're sentimental like that. You won't be bowled over by what you see but more what you feel, if you're that way inclined.

On a trip to London see at least one Royal Palace. The gardens and park surrounding the palace are…read morea must see. It's very relaxing to walk around.

Our visit to Kensington Palace was unplanned and full of surprises. We were doing a walking tour…read moreand noticed that there were very few visitors and so we easily bought tickets and got right in (after a robust security search). From the outside, the Palace looks institutional to me. The building was built (actually a remodeled farmhouse) in the late 1600's by King William and Queen Mary. A formal garden surrounds the west entrance. I imagine that the garden is quite spectacular in the Spring. The tour includes visits to three "Chambers" with audio tour phones that were easy to use. The audio tour is excellent with lots of interesting information. The staff is friendly and offers talks on interesting aspects of the palace. The oldest chamber visit was that of Queen Mary II (wife of King William III). The Queen's Gallery was most interesting with a fabulous harpsichord that was being played by a member of staff during our visit. The gallery overlooks the lovely gardens. The room is filled with antique pottery and portraits of the Queen. She died in her nearby bedroom chamber at the age of 32 with the King by her side. The Chamber of George II and Queen Caroline is quite opulent. We heard a short and fascinating lecture on a unique wind monitoring device that is still operational today. Family portraits and Renaissance art fill the walls. The third chamber on the tour is that of Queen Victoria where she lived as a child. Some of her childhood toys and books are displayed. Visitors are encourage to play with recreations of toys and dress up clothes. The room of her birth is the final stop of the tour. A gift shop and cafe are available. It would be fun to have tea in the cafe and imagine dining with royalty. I was hoping to run into a few royals, but I didn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would recommend. There were few visitors while we were there, which was nice. Plan at least 2 hours (mostly walking) for the tour. GET the audio headsets (they are included with admission). Expect stairs. A restroom is available for visitors.

One of the wonders of my childhood. By the childrens…read moreplayground stands the trunk of an oak tree. it is now surrounded by a high metal fence. I don't think that was always there. It is 900 years old and is carved and painted with elves, fairies, witches and more. Carved by Ivor Innes an illustrator. It is now a grade II listed item and Spike Milligan loved it. In 1996 he led a successful campaign to have it restored and did a lot of work on it himself. He believed in both magic and children. If you have small children take them and watch their faces. If not go and be a child again yourself.

Move in closer and you'll discover that the old tree holds…read morea special secret essay writing services reviews (http://www.essaywritingforum.com/) that the gapes and grooves in the weathered old bark are home to an array of fairies, imps, elves and gnomes along with their little forest friends.

Bit of maybe useless information but it is still thereif you are an ardent fan..maybe?…read more The ground floor and basement maisonette was leased to Ringo Starr from early 1965, though he was to live here for only a short time before marrying Maureen Cox and finding a proper house ('Sunny Heights' in Weybridge). Ringo chose to keep the lease and sublet the flat to friends. This was the flat where John Lennon and Yoko Ono first lived together, and at the time it was owned by Ringo Starr after he had moved out. McCartney wrote several Beatles songs here including Eleanor Rigby. It was the location of their nude Two Virgins album cover and also the scene of their October 1968 drugs bust.During their time living at the flat, John and Yoko shot the controversial nude cover photographs. Apple employee Tony Bramwell having set up the camera for them and rushing away before any clothes were shed. Jimi Hendrix also rented it for a short while afterwards but was evicted after painting all the walls black. After the police raid, the landlord sought an injunction against Starr, forbidding anyone but Starr or his family to live there, and for no music or instruments to be played. Starr appealed, and a compromise was reached; only Starr or a family member would live in the flat. Nonetheless, Starr never used the place again, and sold his lease during 1969.

My husband recommended we see this statue while visiting London and I'm so glad we did! It is super…read morecute and obviously related to a story I loved growing up. There were a fair amount of tourists gathered around the statue the day we were there, so clearly it's a popular spot. The park surrounding the statue had helpful signs leading us in the correct direction. We were able to get some great photos! Really fun item on our itinerary and allowed for some additional walking outdoors through the park.

It's a whimsical statue along the serpentine close to the Lancaster Gate end of the park…read more Loads of animals are hidden in this sculpture and whenever we take a walk with friends kids, they have a fun time counting the number of animals in the statue. There's always a bit of a crowd here waiting to take a picture of the boy who never grew up. Wonder if they will do a bit of an event here when the new "Pan" movie is released

I would highly suggest finding a bike tour that takes you to all the main spots. It's a great way…read moreto see the sights, get a workout in and do it with a local that knows the details! On my bike tour, we saw: Princess Diana's Memorial Albert Memorial Green Park Hyde Park Wellington Arch Kensington Palace Buckingham Palace Trafalgar Square The National Gallery

This is a very understated memorial. It's basically a stream that goes around in a circle with one…read moreside having a miniature waterfall. There are a few low cement bridges (Pretty much just a continuation of the sidewalk) to walk across to get to the grassy middle. Also near the waterfall is an engraving on the inside of one of the stone pavements with the inscription "Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 6th July 2004." It's a nice peaceful respite away from all the hustle and bustle of the streets of London. It's also kid friendly. When we went there was a little boy and girl who were completely soaked trying to wrestle each other down into the water. There were also parents holding their children's hands as they stomped on the calf high water.

If you are riding around via train, you are going to go through this station in London at some…read morepoint, especially from the Airport if you know what's good for you! It's clean and well-run and is easy to navigate with signage. I came into this station from Heathrow via the express train from the airport to Paddington Station for about $45. I easily walked up and purchased my ticket at the airport from a kiosk and walked via the easy to follow signage to the correct area and waited about 8 minutes for the next train. Once at Paddington, I switched to another train and made it to my hotel. All for about $50 in 45 minutes instead of spending $150 on a taxi and sitting in traffic for two hours. No thanks! I love the ease of inner city travel via train in London. It's great. Europeans have it figured out when it comes to that! The station itself is large and has plenty of shopping and snacks to take care of you. I hadn't eaten in hours and grabbed a sandwich while here and looked at some shirts and sunglasses for the trip. Love!

Yay! Paddington station!…read moreThis is where the bear is! And Heathrow express! Wish it was Hogwarts express.. Nice, easy, clean