car hire Heathrow Airport

London always seemed headed toward great international heights, even as far back as the 17th century. The city experienced remarkable growth under Elizabeth I, seeing its population double in the span of 40 years. The Great Fire of 1666 wasn’t even a match for London’s rise. The population swelled to 750,000 by 1720, and being the seat of Parliament didn’t hurt its global standing either. London grew even more during the Industrial Revolution, and by the beginning of the 1900s, the city enjoyed almost unparalleled success and clout. But the first half of the 20th century brought the devastation of World War II, which flattened much of Georgian and Victorian London. Rebuilding was the order of the day for many years after, and London managed to rebound strongly, maintaining its international prestige. The city stands to prosper even more when it hosts the 2012 Olympics.

London’s outlying areas are not short on fascinating side trip destinations. Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Stratford-upon-Avon, and several other famed sites are easily accessible by hired car. Cambridge, about an hour’s drive, is a city steeped in about as much intellectual history as possible. The town hosts 31 colleges, and you can take guided tours of many. London’s Heathrow Airport provides convenient car hire pick-up to get you on your way to whichever road trip destination you choose.

London’s club, live-music, and pub scene is always thriving. Nags Head is the place to be if you’re in search of a laid-back night of pints at a genuine English pub. This pub maintains a down-to-earth, old-timey feel, supported by its fervent stance as a no-mobile-phone-zone. Nags Head was once the smallest pub in London, until tacking on a dining room. A converted gymnasium is the unique setting for Aquarium, a dance club that provides a Jacuzzi and pool for revelers to cool down in after sweating it out on the dance floor.

For breathtaking views of London and its outlying areas, take a half-hour ride on the monumental London Eye, the world’s biggest Ferris Wheel. If the sky is clear, you can see 40 kilometres across London. Travellers also flock to the Tate Modern, which is home to an impressive selection of works by modern legends like Matisse, Rothko, and Picasso. The collection is arranged in a unique way: by them, not by artist or era as in most galleries. The former Bankside Power Station provides a compelling site for the building, with its huge chimney jutting out in the middle and the great turbine hall acting as the museum’s larger-than-life entranceway.