Neintroducing the city

with a population of just under eight million, and stretching more than thirty miles at its broadest point, london is by far the largest city in europe. it is also far more diffuse than the great cities of the continent, such as rome or paris. the majority of the londons sights are situated to the north of the river thames, which loops through the centre of the city from west to east, but there is no single predominant focus of interest, for london has grown not through centralized planning but by a process of agglomeration - villages and urban developments that once surrounded the core are now lost within the amorphous mass of great london. thus londons highlights are widely spread, and visitors should make mastering the public transport system, particularly the underground tube, a top priority.
one of the few areas of london witch is manageable on foot is westminster and whitehall, the citys royal, political and ecclesiastical power base for...