London is Lively This Summer

Still buzzing from the excitement of the Diamond Jubilee, which honored Queen Elizabeth’s 60 years on the throne, London is now prepared to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, July 27-August 12. Always popular with tourists – especially during the summer months – London has made improvements to its public transit systems and constructed new venues to handle the influx of spectators and tourists. Public transit systems will also extend their hours of operation, as will a variety of tourist attractions, restaurants, clubs and other hot spots.

If you’re traveling to London for reasons other than attending the Olympics, you can expect to encounter enthusiastic crowds near all of the Olympic venues. The centerpiece of the games is the new Olympic Park, near Stratford in east London, which has revitalized an old industrial area. The park includes the athletes’ village and purpose-built venues for aquatics, basketball, BMX biking, handball, field hockey and more. The south end of the park features the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium.

 Several popular and historic London attractions are also hosting Olympic events. These include Earls Court (volleyball), Greenwich Park (equestrian), the Horse Guards Parade ground (beach volleyball), Hyde Park (triathlon, marathon swimming), Lord’s (cricket), Wembley Stadium (soccer) and Wimbledon (tennis on the fabled grass courts).

Outside of London, you may still encounter some Olympic events, such as rowing on Lake Dorney, near Eton College; mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm in Essex; and canoe slalom events at the Lee Valley White Water Center near Waltham Cross.

Even if you’re in London for other reasons, it will be hard not to enter into the spirit of the Olympics. If you’d like to share in the excitement but don’t have tickets to any of the sold-out events, don’t worry – some events don’t require tickets. Anyone can watch road cycling, the triathlon, race walking and the Olympic marathon. In addition, some events will be shown on giant screens in Hyde Park and Victoria Park.

If you haven’t made your London travel arrangements or reserved your accommodations, ask Anita, your travel professional, to help you find the best options for this busy London summer.

 
Visit us on Facebook - facebook.com/AtthetaTravel