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England is wonderful and exciting country in which to take a vacation. There are a great many tourist attraction|places of interest to visit enough to satisfy all tastes. For instance|One such place is the historical city of York which dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, Liverpool (which won the title of European City of Culture in 2008), and Torquay (which is widely known as the English Riviera). One of the most interesting, and famous, places to spend some time in is London the capital city of Great Britain

London is an amazing city to visit, either just for a weekend or, maybe for longer. You may be surprised at the number of folk who reside in Great Britain who have never visited London, even more surprising when you bear in mind the fact it is commonly top of the majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There simply so many things to see and do in London that it is not possible to recall them all all in one go. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular - The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England's most famous Royal residence, possibly because it is home to the Queen of England. The Palace is positioned right at the heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for tourists. The daily pageant of 'Changing of the Guard' is exhilarating to see and typically English.

Buckingham Palace was originally named Buckingham House. It was originally a large townhouse, built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

Throughout the next 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was made larger with the construction of an additional 3 wings around a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The widely known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the building of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which he re-designed in 1912. Webb along with the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial is still seen today.

The Queen has a few other royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Annually the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over the Christmas period. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Queen Elizabeth was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she heard of the untimely accident involving Princess Diana.

If you would like to take a vacation in England then you might be surprised to learn that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may wish to stay in more luxurious surroundings and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.