What are some interesting things to do in Canary Wharf, London?
There is no shortage of overpriced bars and high priced food places, along with a few that are just like those in most London high streets. If you don't feel a need to get rid of an excessive salary many get paid for working in the place, the Wetherspoons - The Ledger Building isn't a bad choice.More or less next door to this is the only place I really recommend visiting, the Museum of London Docklands at No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL. In a Georgian sugar warehouse, the museum chronicles London's history as a trading port. And it's free. I'd recommend several visits rather than trying to take it all in at onceI should perhaps declare a very minor interest, in that some of my work has been shown there in the past. They sell decent coffee which is less of a rip-off than some.The former docks are quite interesting to walk around - and there are some historical artifacts as well as the actual docks, though much of what I photographed back in the 1970s and 80s was swept away by the developers. A short walk takes you to the Thames Path. The DLR will take you to Greenwich, with some of the best views of the area en route before it plunges underground. Get off at Island Gardens for the best view of the Old Royal Naval College across the river, then walk across - there is a foot tunnel. Greenwich has museums, Greenwich Park, old pubs (I won't tell anyone my favourite as it isn't yet on the tourist circuit and I'd like to keep it that way.) You can walk along the riverside path on either the north or south bank.Also worth a ride is the cable car at North Greenwich - one stop on the tube away, then a little walk. It takes you to another part of the former docks and is part of a longish sculpture trail, 'The Line' which goes roughly along the Greenwich Meridian up to Stratford, with some points of interest on the way such as Three Mills. Or you can simply make the return trip on the ridiculously named Emirates Air Line. Its expensive as transport, but cheap for a tourist experience.
If you were spending 10 days in Europe in April, which cities would you visit and for how long?
It depends a lot on what you want to see and how many days you want to spend on the train. Depending of that I would choose 3-4 cities with a combination of:Big Cities: London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Istambul. Probably these are the 5 cities with more things to see in Europe. You could easily spend 10 days in just one of them and still miss a lot of what they have to offer. I think you should visit at least one of these if you've never been to Europe.Smaller-but-still-big Cities: Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, Hamburg, Brussels (with Brugges and Gent). Also with a lot of things to do and see but in 2-3 days you can see all the main attractions.'Small' cities with charm: Venice, Florence, Tallin, Munich, Granada, Seville, Freiburg, Strasburg, Budapest, Lublijiana, Basel, Edinburgh, Dublin, Riga, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinky... and many more. Do a little research on the zone you plan to visit. Italy, Spain, France and Germany are full of little-known small cities worth visiting.If you are planning to use de EuroRail probably the best way to see a lot of countries is to travel around central-europe (Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Budapest and Bratislava are more or less close to each other) or the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg + Paris is a good plan, maybe with a visit to London). If you don't care to visit just one country I would choose Italy or Spain, the two countries with the largest number of UNESCO sites in the world. Also, if you travel in April you may have the chance to see Easter cellebrations.
Why is London’s time only 4 hours and 30 minutes ahead of India even though GMT is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead?
The GMT offset is always the same, India Standard Time (IST) is 5.30 hours ahead of GMT and there is no Daylight Saving Time, so clocks don’t change.London and whole of the UK are on GMT only between March and October and on GMT+1 during the Daylight Saving Time period (called British Summer Time or BST),Right now, on June 21, at the time of this answer, the difference between London and India is 4.30 hours, but as soon as the clocks go back in the UK, end of October, it will be 5.30 hours, because UK will revert to GMT.
What are the best tourist attractions in London?
It really depends what you're after. Museums: I'd recommend the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone and much more. The Museum of Natural History and the Science Museum are right by each other and are a lot of fun, especially if you have kids.Otherwise, you must check out Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Catch the Tube to Piccadilly Circus at night time so you get the full effect of the lights and bustle. See a show- get cheap tickets near Leicester Square. Have a walk around Hyde Park, but Primrose Hill near Regent's Park also has a great view of the city.The markets are fabulous- you must go to Camden, even if you don't love markets. The people watching is brilliant :DGoogle walking tours; there are some brilliant tours with guides who have this incredible dry British sense of humour who will have you in stitches while you're learning.
What is the best time of year to visit London?
OK, this is pretty easy. Literally anytime is the best time to come to London, with perhaps the exception of Christmas Week, when most of London goes out of town.The problem though, is the weather, as you mentioned in your comments. The thing is, you can never guarantee the weather. I always tell people, yes, come to London, but don’t come for the weather.It is mostly cold in the winter and warm in the summer. But beyond that, it is entirely unpredictable. A few years back we had a month long heatwave in April, then it rained all summer. Even if you were to come in the summer, and by chance it happened to be sunny and warm, then it could easily be unbearable. It isn’t so hot here generally speaking, so air-conditioning is rarely if ever found in homes. More so in shops, but often it’s a portable aircon unit and they don’t know how to use it. In fact the very sight of air conditioners cranked with the doors and windows open might drive you crazy. Even in hotels it by no means guaranteed.Of course the other option is being wet, or even snowed on. It’s not the end of the world, just be prepared. Even in summer.As for crowds. Last year we had 18.6 million visitors in London. It’s never not busy. Even if you avoid the obvious summer or half term holidays, lots of kids come here on School trips, and tourists without kids come whenever they like. Be prepared for crowds.But as I mentioned before, Christmas week, that’s from Christmas Eve to New Years day, it’s empty. Most Londoners aren’t originally from London, so they go home. I was born here and find it the dullest week of the year as there nobody to play with. Trust me, en empty London is a boring London. There will be some touristy things open, but many will be closed.You could go shopping I suppose, but even the winter sales don’t see the crowds they once did because you know…Amazon etc.But don’t let that put you off. Just be prepared. Pack light summer clothes, a warm winter clothes, waterproofs and sunscreen. Come whenever you like, avoid travelling around during rush hour(s) and you’ll have an amazing time. If you really can’t stand crowds, we have lots of parks, museums, galleries, well we have everything. Just find the ones off the beaten track.Failing that, the rest of the UK is also beautiful and historic, but less crowded and they walk slower. So perhaps check that out.