Rick Steves' Britain Audio Tours Podcast
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Rick Steves' Britain Audio Tours provide humorous and insightful commentary on the art and history of many of London's most notable museums and historic sites. Each tour includes a PDF companion map. Subscribe to get them all! You'll find related travel information for these destinations at www.ricksteves.com.
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Westminster Walk
Author: Rick Steves
Mon, May 7, 2012
Big Ben to Trafalgar Square.
This quick nine-stop walk gives you a whirlwind tour as well as a practical orientation to London in about an hour. Don't forget to download the PDF companion map. The walk begins on Westminster Bridge and ends at Trafalgar Square, with stops along the way at the Statue of Boadicea, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Cenotaph, #10 Downing Street and the Ministry of Defense, Banqueting House, and Horse Guards. Allow two or three hours if you drop by the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, and the Banqueting House.
Sightseeing nitty gritty: Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: £13, daily 9:30–18:00, last entry one hour before closing. Banqueting House: £4.80 includes audioguide, Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00, closed Sun, last entry at 16:30, may close for government functions, aristocratic WC, immediately across Whitehall from the Horse Guards.
Excerpted from Rick Steves' London 2010.
Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel.
Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.
 Download File - 17.1 MB
 Listen To This Podcast (Streaming Audio)
Map: Westminster Walk
Author: Rick Steves
Mon, May 7, 2012
PDF companion map.
Print out this handy map and bring it along as you tour the city. Each stop along the tour is marked on the map. To view and print this PDF map, you'll need Acrobat Reader.
Download File - 0.8 MB
British Museum
Author: Rick Steves
Sun, May 6, 2012
Art of Egypt, Greece, Assyria.
The British Museum is a chronicle of Western civilization where you can follow the rise and fall of three great civilizations - Egypt, Assyria, and Greece. On this tour you'll see just the most exciting two hours, including Egypt (3000 B.C.–A.D.1); Assyria (900–600 B.C.) and Greece (600 B.C.–A.D. 1). Don't forget to download the handy PDF companion map.
Sightseeing nitty gritty: Cost: Free (but a £3, $5, or €5 donation is requested). If you can afford it, donate. Interesting temporary exhibits often require a separate admission.
Hours: Open daily 10:00–17:30, plus Thu–Fri until 20:30 (but not all galleries are open after 17:30). Rainy days and Sundays always get me down, because they're most crowded. (The museum is least crowded late on weekday afternoons.) The Great Court - the grand entrance with eateries, gift shops, an exhibit gallery, and the Reading Room - has longer opening hours than the museum (daily 9:00–18:00, Thu–Sat until 23:00).
Excerpted from Rick Steves' London 2010. Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel. Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.
Download File - 30.0 MB
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Map: British Museum
Author: Rick Steves
Sun, May 6, 2012
PDF companion map.
Print out this handy map and bring it along as you tour the museum. Each stop along the tour is marked on the map. To view and print this PDF map, you'll need Acrobat Reader.
Download File - 1.0 MB
British Library
Author: Rick Steves
Sat, May 5, 2012
History-making manuscripts.
These national archives of Britain include more than 12 million books, 180 miles of shelving, and the deepest basement in London. But everything that matters for your visit is in a delightful room labeled "Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library" and an adjacent room containing the Magna Carta. In this hour-long tour, we'll concentrate on a handful of documents - literary and historical - that changed the course of history. Don't forget to download the handy PDF companion map.
Sightseeing nitty gritty: Cost: Free (donations appreciated); admission charged for some temporary exhibits.
Hours: Mon–Fri 9:30–18:00 (until 20:00 on Tue), Sat 9:30–17:00, Sun 11:00–17:00.
Excerpted from Rick Steves' London 2010. Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel. Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.
Download File - 13.4 MB
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Map: British Library
Author: Rick Steves
Sat, May 5, 2012
PDF companion map.
Print out this handy map and bring it along as you tour the site. Each stop along the tour is marked on the map. To view and print this PDF map, you'll need Acrobat Reader.
Download File - 0.4 MB
St. Paul's Cathedral
Author: Rick Steves
Fri, May 4, 2012
Domed heart of England.
St. Paul's is England's national church. It was the symbol of London's rise from the Great Fire of 1666 and of the city's survival of the Blitz of 1940. Today, it's the center of the Anglican faith. In this one-hour tour (two if you climb the dome) military buffs will find memorials to many great wars and their war heroes and dome-climbers will be rewarded with expansive views over London's skyline. Don't forget to download the handy PDF companion map.
Sightseeing nitty gritty: Cost: ÂŁ11 (includes church entry and dome climb). Free on Sun but officially open only to worshippers.
Hours: Mon–Sat 8:30–16:30, last church entry at 16:00, last dome entry at 16:15, closed Sun except for worship. Sometimes closed for special events.
Music and Services: Weekday communion is at 8:00 and 12:30. Sunday services are held at 8:00, 10:15 (Matins), 11:30 (sung Eucharist), 15:15 (evensong), and 18:00. Additional evensong services are held Mon–Sat at 17:00 (40 min, free to anyone, though visitors who haven't paid the £11 church admission aren't allowed to linger after the service).
Climbing the Dome: There are no elevators, and it's 530 steps to the top. Allow an hour to go up and down. There are three levels, called Galleries. The climb gets steeper, narrower, and more claustrophobic as you go higher. It's a one-way system, so you can't come back down until you reach the next level.
Excerpted from Rick Steves' London 2010.
Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel.
Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.
Download File - 16.2 MB
Listen To This Podcast (Streaming Audio)
Map: St. Paul's Cathedral
Author: Rick Steves
Fri, May 4, 2012
PDF companion map.
Print out this handy map and bring it along as you tour the museum. Each stop along the tour is marked on the map. To view and print this PDF map, you'll need Acrobat Reader.
Download File - 0.3 MB
"The City" Walk
Author: Rick Steves
Thu, May 3, 2012
Modern bustle, old sights.
This two-mile walk from Trafalgar Square to London Bridge parallels the Thames, on the same main road used for centuries. Along the way, you'll see sights from The City's storied past, such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the steeples of other Wren churches, historic taverns, a Crusader church, and narrow alleyways with faint remnants of the London of Shakespeare and Dickens. You'll also catch The City in action today, especially if you visit on a weekday at lunchtime, when workers spill into the streets and The City is at its liveliest. Use this walk to help resurrect the London that was, then let The City of today surprise you with what is. Don't forget to download the handy PDF companion map.
Sightseeing nitty gritty: Courtauld Gallery: £5, free Mon until 14:00, daily 10:00–18:00, last entry at 17:30, in Somerset House. St. Clement Danes: Free, Mon–Fri 9:00–16:00, Sat 9:30–15:00, Sun 9:30–15:00 but closed to sightseers during worship. Royal Courts of Justice: Free, Mon–Fri 10:00–16:30, closed Sat–Sun, no photos, located on the Strand. Temple Church: Free, hours vary, generally Sun-Thu 14:00-16:00, closed most Fri-Sat. Dr. Johnson's House: £4.50, Mon–Sat 11:00–17:30, closed Sun, closes 30 min early Oct–April, 17 Gough Square. St. Bride's Church: Free, Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–13:00 and 17:00–19:30, closed Sat, free lunch concerts generally Tue, Wed, or Fri at 13:15, Sun choral Eucharist at 11:00 and evensong at 18:30, just off Fleet Street. Old Bailey: Free, public galleries only; opening hours depend on court schedule, but are generally Mon–Fri 9:45–12:45 and 14:00–16:30, closed Sat–Sun, reduced hours in Aug; no kids under 14; no cameras, mobile phones, or bags allowed - Eddie at Bailey's Café across the street at #30 stores bags for £2. St. Paul's Cathedral: £11 includes church entry and dome climb; Mon–Sat 8:30–16:30, last church entry 16:00, last dome entry 16:15, closed Sun except for worship (when it's free); free evensong Mon–Sat at 17:00, Sun at 15:15. St. Mary-le-Bow: Free, Mon–Thu 7:00–18:00, Fri 7:00–16:00, closed Sat–Sun, Cheapside, tel. 020/7248-5139, www.stmarylebow.co.uk. The Monument: £3 to climb the steps for the view, daily 9:30–17:30, last entry at 17:00.
Excerpted from Rick Steves' London 2010. Copyright 2009 Avalon Travel. Related travel information at www.ricksteves.com.
Download File - 29.3 MB
Listen To This Podcast (Streaming Audio)
Map: "The City" Walk
Author: Rick Steves
Thu, May 3, 2012
PDF companion map.
Print out this handy map and bring it along as you tour the city. Each stop along the tour is marked on the map. To view and print this PDF map, you'll need Acrobat Reader.
Download File - 0.5 MB
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