Around Westminster
This district has been the centre of Politics, Palaces and Religion for nearly a thousand years. Its status is reflected in the buildings and monuments which are among the most famous landmarks in London. All are within roughly a half mile from one another and so are easily seen on foot.
The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace draw many people to this area of Westminster, which also counts many of London's top museums and galleries amongst its attractions, including the Tate Britain and the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Royal attractions abound - as well as the various palaces, Horse Guards Parade provides a ceremonial photo opportunity and the chance to watch the Changing of the Guard - a ceremony that is steeped in Royal history. You can also take a peep through the gates of nearby Downing Street - the home of the Prime Minister.
Places to see around Westminster:
Trafalgar Square - National Gallery - National Portrait Gallery - Banqueting House - Houses of Parliament Westminster Abbey Tate Britain
Around St. James's and The Mall
St. James's is an area or district of west central London. It is bounded to the north by Piccadilly, to the west by Green Park, to the south by The Mall and St. James's Park and to the east by The 
Haymarket. It was developed in the 1660's as a predominantly aristocratic residential area around St. James's Palace.
Famous residences in St. James's include Clarence House , St. James's Palace , Marlborough House, Lancaster House, Spencer House and the most famous of all, the Queen's official home, Buckingham Palace.
The auction house Christie's is based in King Street and the surrounding streets contain a great many upmarket art and antique dealers.
St. James's is also the home of many of the best known gentlemen's clubs in London.
Famous streets in St. James's include:
St. James's Square, which retains many of its original houses and is home to the London Library - Jermyn Street, an upmarket retail street best known for gentlemen's outfitters - Pall Mall, which contains many of London's gentlemen's clubs - The Haymarket, contains two of London's most historic theatres, the Haymarket Theatre and Her Majesty's Theatre.
Around Mayfair and Piccadilly
Mayfair is an area named after the fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 to 1764. James the Second had given permission for a cattle fair to be held every May but it attracted many rowdy characters and the fair was closed.
Mayfair is roughly bordered by Hyde Park to the west, Oxford Street to the north, Piccadilly to the south and Regent Street to the east. Together with Marylebone (the Wallace Collection and Madame Tussards are here) the area was first developed between the mid 17th century and the mid 18th century as a fashionable residential district. Princess Anne, later Queen Anne, became Mayfairs first royal resident which made the area even more fashionable. Mayfairs golden days were between the two world wars when the clique known as the "Bright Young Things" which included people such as Noel Coward and Evelyn Waugh led the very rich and fashionable on their never-ending rounds of dances, theatres, cocktail parties and debutantes balls.
Exclusive shopping and London's largest concentration of luxury hotels and fine restaurants are what the area is noted for. Buildings in Mayfair include: the United States embassy in Grosvenor Square, the Royal Academy of Arts, The Handel House Museum, the Grosvenor House Hotel and Claridge's.
Around Fleet Street and The Strand
Fleet Street is a famous London street, named after the River Fleet. The area from Temple Bar to Ludgate Hill is a synonym for journalism and newspapers. It was traditionally the home
of the British press, up until the 1980s. Even though the last major news office, Reuters, left in 2005, the street's name continues to be associated with the British national press.
Fleet Street began as the road from the City of London to the City of Westminster. The length of Fleet Street marks the expansion of the City in the 14th century. At the east end of the street is where the river Fleet flowed against the medieval walls of London; at the west end is the Temple Bar which marks the current city limits, stretched to that point when the land and property of the Knights Templar were acquired.
To the south lies the complex of buildings known as The Temple, formerly the property of the Knights Templar, which houses two of the four Inns of Court, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple. Publishing started in Fleet Street around 1500 when William Caxton's apprentice, Wynkyn de Worde, set up a printing shop near Shoe Lane. In March 1702, the world's first daily newspaper, The Daily Courant, was published in Fleet Street from premises above the White Hart Inn.
At Temple Bar to the west, as Fleet Street crosses the boundary out of the City of London, it becomes the Strand; to the east, past Ludgate Circus, it evolves into Ludgate Hill.
The nearest tube stations are Temple, Chancery Lane and Blackfriars.
Places to see on Fleet Street:
Temple Church - Prince Henry's Rooms (see description below) - Dr.Johnson's House and Hodge - Somerset House
Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities: (Setting of the Tellson's Bank is on Fleet Street).
Around Soho and Covent Garden
Bounded by Regent Street to the west, Oxford Street to the north, and Charing Cross to the east, the district of London that is Soho is full of character, streetlife, cinemas, bars and eating places. With its narrow streets and alleys, Soho was a small village until the late 1600's - it derives its name from the cry "So Ho" used by fox hunters who rode through the surrounding fields. A former mistress of Casanova turned a mansion in Soho Square into a sort of night club for the nobility in the 1760's - this flourished for many years and was a fore-runner of Soho night life today. The entertainment district of the West End has its focus around Leicester Square, where London film premieres are held. Once a place where men fought duels, it is now inhabited by buskers and huge numbers of tourists (especially at weekends) and is crowded both day and night. Nearby Chinatown is popular and draws the crowds with its shops selling oriental produce, restaurants and cafes. Chinese New Year is celebrated here in late January/early February.
Places to see: Leicester Square Covent Garden
Bloomsbury 
This area was laid out in the mid 1600s and later gained several fine Georgian Squares which are still a marked feature of the area today. For the first 40 years of last century writers, painters and intellectuals lived here and formed themselves into the "Bloomsbury Group". Virginia Wolfe was one of the set. Bloomsbury's most famous institution is the British Museum with its amazing galleries which cover over two miles - it is one of the most visited places in the world. The British Library is on the northern edge of Bloomsbury and the Charles Dickens Museum is housed at 48 Doughty Street.
The City of London 
The City of London joins the City of Westminster to the west at Temple Bar and the Tower of London to the east and is one of the most interesting areas in the world.
The conurbation of London developed from the City of London and the nearby City of Westminster - the two were linked by the Strand by the end of the Middle Ages. The City of London has evolved from an overcrowded, timber built medieval town with its maze of infested streets and alleyways, into Europe's largest "central business district" and financial district. It is often referred to as just the City or as the Square Mile, as it is approximately one square mile (2.6 km?) in area.
It is crowded by day and silent at night because the City of London only has a resident population of under 9,000 but it has a daily working population of 311,000.
For centuries it has ruled itself, for the City is a kingdom to itself (with its own police force) in which the Lord Mayor rules with the Mansion House as his home and the Guildhall for public functions. The City itself has two independent enclaves within it - Inner Temple and Middle Temple. These two areas form part of the City and Ceremonial county, but are not governed by the City - this is because, although the Temple lies in the historic Square Mile, it is not of it. Like a kingdom within a kingdom, it owns the land, it stands on and it governs itself.
The size of the City was originally constrained by a defensive perimeter wall, known as "London Wall", which was built by the Romans. Several sections remain visible above ground near the Museum of London, St Alphage, London Wall and the Tower of London. Not much of the medieval city remains because of the damage inflicted by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and the damage caused during the Second World War, however, much does still remain of the old city. Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of rebuilding the churches of the city after the fire, of which more than 20 still survive. St Pauls Cathedral, Wren's masterpiece, still dominates the city - even if it has to compete with the blight of the ugly tower blocks which surround it. The Monument still stands to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666. At the eastern edge of the City, the Tower of London still stands magnificent and unmatched - the oldest royal fortress-palace in the world.
The boundaries of the City are marked by black bollards bearing the City's emblem.
Places to see in the City of London:
Fleet Street -The Monument - The Old Bailey -The Bank of England - The Guildhall - Tower of London - The Museum Of London
Around South Kensington, Chelsea
This district, area of London, is one of the most exclusive in London. It includes the museum district of South Kensington home to the Science museum, Natural History Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum and Kensington Palace and its gardens. Its "Royal" status has made the area fashionable ever since the late 17th century when King William chose to make Kensington his home. Chelsea is a wealthy west London superb that has had in the past a bohemian reputation. Famous in the Swinging Sixties, the King's Road was a mecca for the fashionable.
Around Kensington, Notting Hill and Hyde Park
This London district has the attractions of Hyde Park, and the the adjoining Kensington Gardens. Hyde Park is the largest of the London Parks and appeals to all ages and is somewhere that Londoners and visitors can find relaxation. In fashionable Notting Hill you will find the famous London Market of Portobello Road
The South Bank , Southwark and Bankside
With the help of the London Eye, this part of London has been transformed from the doldrums and today the whole area is one of London's success stories. With the attractions of the South Bank Centre with its lovely riverside location, home to the Royal Festival Hall, Hayward Gallery and National Film Theatre, it is an ideal place to soak up some culture or to have a riverside walk.
Southwark - takes its name from London Bridge, for Southwark means the south work of the bridge - the gateway. It was in the past famous for its brothels (the infamous stews), taverns and prisons - the Clink and the Marshalsea (where Dicken's father was imprisoned for debt). In the 16th century pleasure seeking people flocked over London bridge to its bear gardens, bull-baiting rings and theatres such as the Globe where Shakespeare was to act for many years.
Now Southwark is linked to St Pauls and the city by the new pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge and a whole host of attractons line the waterfront, including the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and the Thames Path, which connects to the South Bank to the west.
Things to see: Southwark Cathedral - The Globe - Tate Modern - Borough Market Southwark and Bankside
Greenwich 
Home to the outstanding Royal Naval College by Wren, the Queen's House by Inigo Jones, the National Maritime Museum , the Royal Observatory (where you can stand with a foot in both worlds) and the very beautiful Royal Park , it is little wonder that Greenwich attracts so many visitors.
Among its other attractions are the Cutty Sark - the world's last surviving tea clipper, Nicholas Hawksmoor's church of St Alfrege's and its lively market selling antiques, crafts and clothes.
See London Travel facts for tips on gettings to the Districts of London on public transport
