Travelling To London – Fun Facts about London
London is known as one of the most beautiful and unforgettable cities globally, so there’s no wonder there are many interesting facts about London. Millions of enthusiastic foreign tourists, students, and permanent citizens go to London every year. In its architectural masterpieces’ cultural and social diversity, you can witness massive and fiction-like history. A city that is mysterious, ageless, versatile, and constantly changing with brand new and exciting things sprouting up every day!
One of the best things is that you probably don’t know most of the interesting facts about London on this list – even if you have visited a lot. You might vaguely know about the facts of the most popular places of London, like Big Ben and the Tower of London, but this list may surprise you.
The size of the city cannot matter when you get a lifetime of learning of regional pronunciation, weird road rules, and its famous drinking culture. If you think you know everything about the UK’s capital, we assure you that you might not know. To feed your curiosity, you can scroll down and explore some of the strange, outrageous, and hilarious facts about London, that are absolutely true.
12 Interesting Facts about London
1. Smallest City in England
A fun fact about London is that it is the biggest metropolitan city but it is the smallest city of England, also known as ‘Greater London.’ It has the lowest population as compared to other cities of England. According to the house removals of London, most of the people prefer to live outside the city because it is expensive and people with a very high standard of living can only afford it.
When you walk down the streets of London, most of the people you will see around won’t be actual Londoners. It is because the aggregate population of London city is over 8.5 million. However, 16.5 million visitors make their visit every year.
Moreover, people are also amazed at how green the capital is. London is filled with enormous greenery and green space which people can enjoy very well. According to the United Nations, the density of trees per square mile qualifies it as a forest. Rather than a city, London is the first ‘National Park City’ title in 2019, which is often recognized as a forest only according to the Forestry Commission.
2. Best Restaurants in The World
An interesting fact about London is that it is undoubtedly famous for having the best restaurants in the world. You can experience every kind of cuisine from all over the world in the city. Even though each restaurant in Mumbai is technically an Indian restaurant, London has an ample number of impeccable eateries that far outweigh its culinary rival of Indian restaurants in Mumbai. So if you are craving delicious curry, you are better off going to London over India.
As per the review from moving companies of London, you can experience an unforgettable culinary journey around the world with London’s diverse restaurants. The variation of eateries ranges from Michelin-starred restaurants to traditional British restaurants. You can experience beautiful scenic restaurants. Even London’s bar scene is varied with the range of rooftop bars, riverside pubs, and champagne bars. Get ready to be led by your craving and appetite for multi-cuisine delicacies from Turkey or other exotic places of the world.
The variety of London’s food options is mind-blowing, from Michelin-starred dining street food to outdoor restaurants.
3. Historical Facts
From all over the globe, many tourists like to stand on Westminster Bridge and get a shot of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. But, unfortunately, not one of them ever leaves the place with a picture of it. This world-famous landmark is named the Elizabeth Tower- Big Ben is the bell’s name that lives inside. So, you won’t snap a photo of Big Ben, but if you’re lucky, you might get the chance to hear it.
Another fun fact about London, according to historians, is that London was a small village till 43 AD. Later, Romans conquered Britain and established this beautiful city named Londinium in 50 AD. Before the name London, this city has received many names like Ludenwic, Londinium, and Ludenberg. But, at last, the most appreciated name was London which came from an old Celtic word, “Londinous”, which meant to be bold.
London is home to many of the best museums and galleries globally, and most of them are free. It is one of the interesting facts about London, you might not know if you’re visiting from a country that charges for museums. You can embrace the city’s rich culture while spending a day wandering through the historical monuments and artefacts.
4. Tipping Isn’t Important
Another interesting fact about London is that tipping isn’t a big deal in the UK, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t appreciated. Commonly, a small 10-15 per cent tip is enough for a restaurant. You do not need to tip at any bar or for drinks. Likewise, there is no requirement to tip when hailing a cab, or having house removals in London, although it often makes sense to round up the amount to the nearest pound.
It is one of the interesting facts about London that might seem quite strange if you are used to tipping culture. However, some restaurants will already have a service charge added to a bill, especially if you are in a large group. So it might be about 12.5%.Nevertheless, remember to check the bill correctly.
5. Roam Around Cheaply
There are a plethora of those ‘ride-on-ride-off’ buses that drive all across the city but often have pretty high charges for the convenience-they are good if you are in a hurry but not so good on your pocket.
Though, if you are visiting and want to save money, there are a few interesting facts about London that will save you some money.
A red London bus is the best option to save considerable money while exploring the city. You can take 24-hour bus number 453 Marylebone Station- get on the bus and grab yourself a seat upstairs. You will cross; Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Downing Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and The London Eye-where you can get off the bus and experience London’s Southbank by foot.
6. Busiest Shopping Area in Europe
Indeed, you are spoilt for choice when shopping in London, from the flagship stores on Oxford Street to gifts and miscellaneous things at London’s markets. One of the fun facts about London is that in just one mile in length, Oxford Street is the longest shopping street in the UK. This street is filled with famous British brands like Harrods, Selfridges department store, and Hamleys.
Shopping in Europe’s largest urban shopping centre at Westfield Stratford is a surreal shopping experience, but wherever you go, London street shopping is fantastic.
7. Different Languages
One of the interesting facts about London is that the city carries more diversity than any other place in the world. A large proportion of the city’s population is considered ex-pats from different nationalities, bringing them along with their original traditions, which they continue to practice. After English, the most popular languages are Gujarati, Bengali, Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, and Punjabi.
8. Feeding the Pigeons in Trafalgar Square is Illegal
A fun fact about London is that it became illegal in 2003 to feed the pigeons in Trafalgar square. The reason was Trafalgar Square’s problem got worse when mayor Ken Livingstone drafted a law in a bid to make the most popular tourist landmark a “cleaner, healthier environment.”
At present, you could be fined 50 pounds or even prosecuted for disregarding this law. However, after 2003, when the law was implemented, it resulted in a much cleaner and poop-less environment and became one of the cleanest tourist spots. If that’s not an interesting fact about London, I don’t know what it is!
9. Oldest Underground and Different Transport Options
While travelling to London, one thing you need to understand is the notoriously puzzling transportation system, especially for the map-savvy tourists. While looking at the history of London’s transportation, the London Tube is the first-ever underground rail network in the world. In 1863, the first fully operational line of the Metropolitan Line was built. Today, more than 1.25 billion people are using the tube annually. The ironic part is that half of the underground network runs above the ground.
All the trains were powered by steam until 1890, when electric trains were introduced. The famous red buses of London travel an estimated 12,128 times the earth’s circumference, which is equivalent to 302 million miles.
In London, anyone can rent a bike. All you require is a debit or credit card and a good sense of direction. So if you are looking for a serene and relaxing afternoon, grab yourself a bike. It is one of the best ways to see the city, and you will be able to save an ample amount of money and time. A bike can travel from one of the self-service cycle bays and head across the town.
Among the puzzling transportation problems in London, English people drive on the left-hand side of the road, which everybody already knows. However, if you are driving by yourself, you need to know that there is one street in the UK where visitors can go back to their roots, Savoy Court. This road is off the Strand, on which drivers are requested to abide by the law and drive on the right-hand side of the road.
One of the interesting facts about London is that the most symbolic icon of London, the double-decker bus, was not always red. Once upon a time, it had different colours representing different routes. To eliminate the competition, the largest bus company, London General Omnibus Company, decided to paint their buses with vibrant red colour in 1907, ever since then they remained red.
10. The Queen in the Palace
While travelling to London, if you are heading to Buckingham Palace and wonder about the presence of the Queen inside, it all depends upon the flag. One of the fun facts about London is if you see a flag flying above the palace and it is of Royal Standard of yellow with a red dragon on it, then it means that Her Majesty is in residence. However, if you have seen the Union Flag, also known as Union Jack, it symbolizes that the Queen isn’t at home. Good to know!
11. London Isn’t that Rainy
The capital of the UK has a reputation for grey and cloudy skies. Despite this, the city receives less rainfall per year than popular destinations such as Naples, Rome, Toulouse, and New York City.
Therefore, one of the fun facts about London is that it has seen less rain in volume and number of rainy days compared to Miami and Sydney. Thus, London is drier than the world average, with an average of 602mm of annual rainfall. But, according to the moving companies of London, people are still on the notion of unpredictable weather conditions, whereas it is not valid.
12. Black Cab Drivers Know Everything
It is undeniable that when you travel to any new city, you need cabs to commute from one place to another. Whereas, people might need GPS also in new places to look out for directions. However, you only need a driving licence and some taxi registration to become a taxi driver in most countries. Whereas, in London, it is much more than that because it takes years to become the cab driver of one of the British’s capital’s famed Black Cabs. According to the house removals in London, it took 2-4 years of rigorous training, which involves memorizing every street in London. So, if you are travelling to London, you might not require GPS because drivers are GPS there.
London is the only city with numerous facts that are still under the pipeline to unveil. From the city’s name to the history behind every building, the city significantly influences the tourists. That is why many tourists prefer to visit London every year.
With all these fun facts about London, you might have got an idea about what you need to do there and which you should not while following the city’s laws.
This is a guest post by – Elina Smith – a Seasoned Marketing Professional. She has been helping brands build businesses and increase profits for the past ten years. She is an avid traveller and has been throughout the UK since the travel bug bit her over the past five years. She loves to write for people looking for a job or planning to move to the United Kingdom. When she’s not working, she spends her spare time with her two dogs and writing blogs.
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