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What could be more fun than just wandering around London's streets? Try it. Pick a neighborhood — Soho, Chelsea, The West End, Piccadilly Circus, Notting Hill — then just stroll at will, taking note of the wealth of architectural styles, the curious reminders of days gone by, and the array of local sights, such as the blue "famous-person-lived-here" plaques on house fronts. On some streets, you can almost hear the horses' hooves clopping on the cobblestones as they did up until about 1915.
London is one great city that has actually gotten better over the years. In deference to the millennium year 2000, the city dusted itself off and spruced itself up in ways that have benefited residents and visitors alike. Old museums, such as the Great Court in the British Museum, have been revamped with stunning results, and new museums, such as Tate Modern, have opened. Sleek new bridges now span the Thames, and riverside areas have seen a flurry of development. Trafalgar Square has been joined to the National Gallery, making pedestrian access a breeze rather than a chore. All in all, London has shaken off its old mantle of hidebound traditionalism, has embraced multiculturalism, and is now high tech and cutting edge.
But the old fabric of London still remains and invites exploration. Despite all the improvements in public transit, London remains a city where walking is a joy that reveals no end of simple urban pleasures.
The variety of architectural styles adds to the beauty of the city. Because the Great Fire of 1666 burned down most of medieval London, the building and house styles that you see tend to range from the sober neoclassical of the early 18th century, to the more elegantly light-hearted Regency style of the early 19th century, to the heavier and less graceful Victorian period of the mid- to late 19th century. The human scale of London streets, with their long terraces of attached brick, stone, and stucco homes built around leafy squares, gives the city a charm and character that intrigues and delights the eye. London grew from a series of villages, and you can still find that village-like character in many London neighborhoods.
Besides the great shopping and people watching you'll encounter on your walking tour, London is blessed with marvelous parks. You may have heard of them: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St. James's Park, Green Park, and Regent's Park. These carefully groomed havens, where you can stroll beneath stately trees, lounge on the grass, watch ducks in a pond, or admire the color of the springtime daffodils, were former royals-only hunting grounds. Now they're part of every Londoner's life and life's blood, the green lungs of an otherwise congested city.
Also consider investigating the South Bank and Southwark areas on the "other" side of the river, which have been opened for pedestrians and show off an ancient area of London that's been completely revitalized. You can enjoy a waterside walk with city views from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge.
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