Fodors London 2016

Welcome to Londonvariously described by great poets and statesmen as modern Babylon, Unreal City, enormous Babel, and the City of the free. Indeed, majestic Londons always been a city in flux and these days its hard to turn a corner without stumbling into some work-in-progress crater so vast you can only imagine what was there before. This latest wave of development was turbo-charged as the city became a safe haven during the global economic crisis. New neighborhoods continually rise up and burst to the forea visit to Shoreditch at the eastern edge of the city should provide you with your quotient of London hipness. The creative fervor that swirls through London like a pea souper fog shows up in DIY galleries, mini-boutiques, pop-up restaurants, and ace hipster hotels.

Although many images are seared on your consciousness before you arrivethe guards at Buckingham Palace, big red double-decker buses, Big Ben, and the River Thamestime does not stand still in this ancient and yet gloriously modern city. Instead, London, the buskind stage The heart, the centre of the living world! is in permanent revolution, and evolves, organically, mysteriously, historically through time. Ask any time-pressed, phlegmatic but savvy local and theyll tell you that London is

London has loosened its collar and showcases some spectacular new architecture, with the Shard providing a pyramid-shape iconic beacon for the city. With the exceptions of Canary Wharf, the former Swiss Re HQ (the Gherkin), the Lloyds of London building and the London Eye, Londons skyline has traditionally been low-key, with little of the sky-scraping swagger of, say, Shanghai or Manhattan. But a spectacular crop of soaring new office towers with wonderful monikersthe Quill, the Shard, the Pinnacle, the Cheese Grater, and the Walkie-Talkieis revitalizing the city skyline. With an astonishing 230 new towers being built or planned, opinions are heavily divided. Not everyone loves Renzo Pianos jagged pointy Shard and its 95-floor cloud-piercing Vertical City at London Bridge, which has a stunning viewing gallery on the 72nd floor. However, once you whizz up and visit it, your understanding of the wonderful immensity of London is transformed forever.

The nationalities keep coming, and London now swipes the crown as one of the most cosmopolitan cities on Earth. White Britons are in the minority for the first time (according to the latest census), representing 45% of Londons population of 8.2 million, while Asians make up 18%, black Londoners 13%, European White Others 13%, and mixed-race residents at 5%. But Londons always been a city of immigrantsfrom the 10th century, the city had Cymric Brythons, Belgae and Gauls, East Saxons, and Mercians, Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians, plus Jutes, Franks, and Angles. Today, Londoners simply shrug, harrumph , and are Begone with their business.

Have you picked up one of those free daily London Evening Standard newspapers at a Tube stop lately? Theyre stuffed with a smorgasbord of world-class shows, plays, performances, readings, recitals, concerts, fashion follies, lectures, talks, cabaret auctions, and blockbuster art exhibitions. Whether its contemporary art and old masters paintings at the sold-out Frieze London art fair or a monthlong Michelin-star chef pop-up non-restaurant restaurant in Spitalfields, London is one of the most happening places on the planet.

Finally, youll notice that the public transports gotten more frequent and more reliable. While Londons traffic often seems more chaotic than New York Citys, the Congestion Charge, the 11.50-per-day fee imposed on vehicles entering central London during the day, has reduced both traffic and pollution. Although the Underground now runs 24 hours a day on weekends on six key night Tube lines, massive tunneling continues apace on Londons flagship, high-speed, Cross Rail Underground railway line, which includes spanking new interchanges at Paddington, Tottenham Court Road, and Farringdon stations, slated to open in 2018. Meanwhile, dont miss Londons distinctive sky-blue hire bikes, Barclays Cycle Hire bike-sharing scheme, known locally as Boris Bikes, after flamboyant former London Mayor Boris Johnson. With 10,445 bikes available at 722 docking stations, youll find (after laying down 2 for a 24-hour pass) that the first half hours free, an hours a quid, and two hours is only 6.

Westminster, St. Jamess, and Royal London. This is the place to embrace the Gran turismo label. Snap pictures of the mounted Horse Guards, watch kids clambering onto the monumental bronze lions in Trafalgar Square, and visit stacks of world-class art in the fantastic national galleries. Do brave the crowds to peruse historic Westminster Abbey and its ancient narrative in stone.

Mayfair and Marylebone. You might not have the wallet for Londons most prestigious shops, but remember window-shopping in Mayfair is free. Meanwhile, chic boutique shops in Marylebone are a refreshing change from gaudy Oxford Street a few blocks south.

Soho and Covent Garden. More sophisticated than seedy these days, the heart of London puts Theatreland, strip joints, Chinatown, burger botes, and the trendiest of film studios side by side. And hold tight among the hectic hordes in Leicester Square. Covent Gardens historic piazza is one of the most raffishly enjoyable parts of the city.