Kensington Palace in VS .NET

Printer QR Code ISO/IEC18004 in VS .NET Kensington Palace

Kensington Acquired by William III in 1689 and remodeled by Sir Christopher Wren, the monarchy used Kensington Palace as a royal residence until 1760 Victoria was born in the palace and was informed here, in 1837, that she was the new queen of England (and could move to the grander Buckingham Palace) One wing of the palace (not open to visitors) was Princess Diana s London home after her divorce from Prince Charles After her death, tens of thousands of mourners gathered in front of the palace and left a sea of floral tributes The palace was also home to Princess Margaret, who died in 2002, and remains the home of other grace and favor royals and dependants (the Crown provides them with free housing) Visitors can visit the State Apartments, view several interesting exhibits relating to the history of the palace, and see some of Diana s dresses in the new Diana: A Princess Remembered exhibit The freshly restored King s Apartment features a magnificent collection of Old Masters Give yourself about 90 minutes to view the palace For a pleasant and not-too-expensive tea or snack after visiting Kensington Palace, stop in at The Orangery (% 020/7376-0239) in the gardens next to the palace The cafe is open daily noon to 6 pm Lunches cost about 8 ($ 16); from 3 pm, you can get a good tea for 7 to 18 ($ 14 $36) See map p 160 The Broad Walk, Kensington Gardens, W8 % 0870/751-5170 wwwhrporguk Tube: Queensway on the north side (then a ten-minute walk south through the park) or High Street Kensington on the southwest side (then a tenminute walk through the park) Open: Daily 10 am 6 pm (last admission 5 pm) Admission: 12 ($24) adults, 10 ($20) seniors and students, 6 ($12) children 5 to 15, 33 ($66) family Despite some stairs, the palace is accessible for visitors with disabilities; call first

Marylebone Madame Tussauds wax museum is a world-famous tourist attraction, and people tend to either love it or hate it The question is: Do you want to pay the exorbitant admission price and devote the time to see lifelike wax figures (You need at least two hours to see everything) The original moldings of members of the French court are undeniably fascinating Madame Tussaud had direct access to the former royals she made molds of their

heads after they were guillotined during the French Revolution And animatronic gadgetry makes the Spirit of London theme ride fun But Chamber Live (formerly called the Chamber of Horrors) is definitely for the ghoulish and unsuitable for kids under 12 Next door, the former London Planetarium has been remade into the Stardome, and now features a special-effects show about the stars on earth rather than those in the heavens The Blush exhibit features screen faves like Brad Pitt, Samuel L Jackson, and Daniel Radcliffe of the Harry Potter series Go early to beat the crowds; better still, reserve tickets by credit card (% 0870/400-3000) up to three days in advance and then go straight to the head of the line at your scheduled time See map p 160 Marylebone Road, NW1 % 02079/356-861 wwwmadametussaudscomTube: Baker Street (then a two-minute walk east on Marylebone Road) Admission: 20 ($40) adults, 16 ($32) children under 16; children under 4 not admitted Combination tickets (including the British Airways London Eye): 29 ($58) adults, 20 ($40) children Open: Mon Fri 9 am 5:30 pm; Sat Sun 9 am 6 pm Tussauds is wheelchair accessible by elevator, but call first, because only three chair-users are allowed in at a time

Trafalgar Square If great art is your passion, you may think that the National Gallery is paradise The museum houses one of the world s most comprehensive collections of British and European paintings All the major schools from the 13th to the 20th centuries are represented, but the Italians get the lion s share of wall space, with artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Raphael on the roster The French Impressionist and post-Impressionist works by Monet, Manet, Seurat, C zanne, Degas, and van Gogh are shimmering and sublime And because you re on English soil, check out at least a few of Turner s stunning seascapes, Constable s landscapes, and Reynolds society portraits And you don t want to miss the Rembrandts Budget at least two hours here If you re hungry, stop by the second-floor restaurant for lunch, tea, or snacks To make the most of your time at the gallery, pick up a free portable audio-tour guide (security deposit required) Free guided tours are offered daily at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm See map p 160 Trafalgar Square, WC2 % 020/7747-2885 wwwnationalgalleryorguk Tube: Charing Cross (then a two-minute walk north across Trafalgar Square) Admission: Free, but admission charged for special exhibits, usually around 5 10 ($10 $20) per person Open: Daily 10 am 6 pm, Wed 10 am 9 pm; closed Jan 1, Good Friday, and Dec 24 26 The entire museum is wheelchair accessible