London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. It’s a place full of history, culture and exciting activities… and it also has some amazing secrets!
- More than eight million people live in the city, and between them they speak over 300 languages. These include Mandarin, Punjabi, French, Polish, Arabic, Turkish, and many more.
- The London Eye is now a famous part of the city skyline. It was opened at the end of 1999, and more than three million people ride it each year. But it wasn’t the first big wheel in London. The Great Wheel stood in South London from 1895 to 1907. It was about two-thirds as tall as the London Eye.
- The London Underground, also known as the Tube, is a very important part of the city’s transport network. But when it was first being planned, one idea was to fill the tunnels with water and float people on boats from station to station!
- Tower Bridge is the most famous bridge on the River Thames. It has a special design which lets it open when big ships need to pass along the river. But one day in 1952 something very odd happened — the bridge opened when a bus was driving over it. Amazingly, the driver managed to accelerate and jump over the gap!
- You’ll find various YHA hostels around the city centre. There’s even one just outside of the city, called YHA London Lee Valley. It’s close to the Lee Valley White Water Centre, where you can try rafting, paddling and more.
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