Fodor's London 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Color Photos and Pull-Out Map, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) [Paperback]

Fodor's (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 29, 2000 | Series: Fodor's Gold Guides

Fodor's London 2001"Fodor's guides cover culture authoritatively and rarely miss a sight or museum." - National Geographic Traveler

"The king of guidebooks." - Newsweek

No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go.

New for 2001! Your personal supply of Post-it® flags makes it easy to mark your favorite listings and keep track of frequently used pages.

Color planning sections help you decide where to go with citywide virtual tours and cross-referencing to the main text.

Full-size, foldout map keeps you on course.

Insider info that's totally up to date. Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun.

Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special.

Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice--from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's London 2001.  To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's Citypack London: A full-color pocket-size guidebook and a full-size color map, all in one sturdy plastic sleeve.Fodor's upCLOSE London: Designed for travelers who want to travel well and spend less.Fodor's Exploring London: An information-rich cultural guide in full color.Fodor's To Go: 48 Hours in London: A magnetic microbook containing two smart itineraries lead you to experience the best of London in 48 hours.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Fodor's London 2001"Fodor's guides cover culture authoritatively and rarely miss a sight or museum." - National Geographic Traveler

"The king of guidebooks." - Newsweek

No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go.

New for 2001! Your personal supply of Post-it® flags makes it easy to mark your favorite listings and keep track of frequently used pages.

Color planning sections help you decide where to go with citywide virtual tours and cross-referencing to the main text.

Full-size, foldout map keeps you on course.

Insider info that's totally up to date. Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun.

Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special.

Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice--from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency.

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's London 2001.  To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.Fodor's Citypack London: A full-color pocket-size guidebook and a full-size color map, all in one sturdy plastic sleeve.Fodor's upCLOSE London: Designed for travelers who want to travel well and spend less.Fodor's Exploring London: An information-rich cultural guide in full color.Fodor's To Go: 48 Hours in London: A magnetic microbook containing two smart itineraries lead you to experience the best of London in 48 hours.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

DESTINATION LONDON


A hundred movies and Masterpiece Theater productions have prepared you for London's quintessentially British brew of history, royalty, dignity, and civility. Even before you arrive, its images are imprinted on your consciousness. The dome of St. Paul's is iconically familiar. So are the Tower Guards, Big Ben, and the Thames. Walk along its light-strung promenade at dusk before an evening of theater, after a day of shopping or palace-hopping, and you'll understand why so many visitors have so loved the city for so long, since before the nursery-rhyme bridge fell down -- and why, of all the world's travel destinations, London may be the most revisited.

Royal London

Trappings of royalty set London apart not only from the rest of Britain but from all the cities of the world. Even in places such as Stockholm and Madrid, where kings and queens still make a living embodying their nation's heritage, royals are simply not such a big deal. Almost more than any other people, the English nurture an emotional investment in their sovereigns and the proud legacy they represent -- despite the controversy that rages over the viability of the monarchy.

Britons still snap up tabloids when royals are in the headlines, congregate for processions of the Royal Livery from the Royal Mews, and throng the streets on the Queen's birthday for the parade known as Trooping the Colour. Pilgrimlike, they visit Kensington Palace, former home of Diana, Princess of Wales. The royal warrant in the windows of fine shops signals wares of the highest quality. The royalty connection and the castles, palaces, and collections of paintings left by royals through the centuries fill the imagination of travelers, as well. Who could fail to gawk at the incomparably regal State Dining Room in Buckingham Palace or to marvel at the Changing of the Guard outside?

Museums and Marvels

A blizzard of blue plaques all over town proclaims the historic importance of structures as wide-ranging as Dennis Sever's House, the Geffrye Museum, and the Dickens House Museum and turn London itself into something of a museum. High culture and low, it's here.

The National Gallery holds Bronzino's An Allegory with Venus and Cupid and a flurry of masterworks that are instantly familiar. Hertford House showcases the splendid Wallace Collection, stuffed with old masters and fine French furniture. Gracious England lives on here and in wonderful stately homes such as Spencer House and Leighton House.

If you had defeated Napoléon, saving Europe in the process, you might have hung your medals in an imposing structure like gilded Apsley House (where the Duke of Wellington's trophies remain). Farther afield are Chiswick House and Ham House, and Hampton Court Palace, where Henry VIII gamely battled gout and a rotation of subsequent monarchs took up residence, having fallen in love with the place. Visit and you will instantly see why: the grounds are beautiful beyond description, the palace is extraordinary, and, in the best English tradition, it is reputedly frequented by a royal ghost. Sightings are free. Then there's the Natural History Museum, very much of the 19th century outside but totally 21st within. Many of its ingenious displays are animated and as delightful to grown-ups as to kids.

Of all of London's great museums, the British Museum is preeminent. Think of it as a jumbo time capsule. The full scope of human endeavor is represented here, including the Rosetta Stone and the Magna Carta, as well as such exquisite, if controversial, treasures of antiquity as the Elgin Marbles of ancient Greece. Impressive in its own right is the Victoria and Albert Museum, whose whimsically eclectic collections might someday, conceivably, include a hat from one of the schoolchildren who tour it regularly. The Tate Gallery possesses one of the world's finest collections of modern art but also reaches back to Gainsborough, Turner, and Blake.

Arts and Nightlife

If London dazzles you by day, wait til the sun goes down. Many travelers come specifically for theater vacations, cramming into a few days as many shows as they might see in a few years back home. The sheer number of productions in the district known as the West End makes this possible. Reasonable ticket prices help, too. And Shakespeare lives: in summer, productions of his plays are a cherished tradition at Regent's Park Open-Air Theatre and are becoming so at the reconstructed Globe on the South Bank.

As for nightlife, the scene ranges from casinos to karaoke, comedy to drag cabarets, heavy metal to world-beat clubs, and there's plenty of good jazz. Think of it like this: when you dance all night at clubs like the Sound Republic, you get an early start on your next London day.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; Revised edition (August 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679005455
• ISBN-13: 978-0679005452
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,499,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book helped me have a wonderful week in London!, April 19, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fodor's London 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Color Photos and Pull-Out Map, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

I just got back from spending spring break in London. This book, which stayed in my backpack, and the Lonely Planet's Condensed Guide, which stayed in my pocket, helped my mother and I have an incredible time. Rather than sticking to a rigid itinerary, we planned our day the night before, with a rough to-do list of places we wanted to see and things we had to do. Substantial background information is given for main attractions and contact information and the nearest tube stop are given for all attractions. The pull-out map provided, however, was pretty useless.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Travel Companion, March 15, 2001

By 

Whitney M. Davis (Exploring Northern Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's London 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Color Photos and Pull-Out Map, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

I've taken Fodor's guides with me on many trips and have found them to always be a reliable and ready companion. Their suggested sightseeing tours and ample lists of museums, lodging, and restaruants have helped me find efficient outings into new cities and countries. It's often intimidating to travel to a foreign destination, but the competency of Fodor's guides with their well constructed presentation have often made me the most confident of travelers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My London bible, December 9, 2001

By 

Lynn Adler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fodor's London 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Color Photos and Pull-Out Map, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Fodor's Gold Guides) (Paperback)

Having been to London twice in 2001, I can say that I relied heavily on my Fodor's. It gives you clear concise, and most importantly, accurate information on almost any topic or question. For example, I did not believe them when they said you should reserve ahead for Buckingham Palace. Sadly, they were right, and I could not get tickets. They also told me that I would probably not be able to visit the Millenium Dome as it was closed and up for sale. London is arranged by neighborhoods, so the first part of the book dealing with sightseeing is arranged accordingly. There is a large foldout map in a back pocket, but also each section gives you small maps, which are arranged so that you can do a self-guided walking tour. I found these quite invaluable. I did look at the restaurant section for a general impression, but did not rely on the restaurant or hotel section, although one could. This forms the second half of the book. However, in the back there is also information about shopping, outdoor life, activities for kids, and at the very back an index of vital information, everything from how to use buy a London Travel Card, how to change money, or make an international call.