Victoria

1. Arrival
2. Nights
3. Guests
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Victoria is a very well known part of London. Many large tourist sites can be found in this area. Among the famous sites in the area are Buckingham Palace and its Mall, Westminster Abbey, and Victoria Station. Looking past the tourist locations you will see that Victoria is in fact a very business-oriented area. Office buildings and briefcases are found wherever you may look.

Victoria is one of the more historic areas of London. Because it is home to the head of the Monarchy, it is sure to have a great story to tell. Victoria Street was established in the 1850s, taking some slums with it when it was constructed. The station that is now the hub of many business people’s commute to and from work was built in 1861. Little Ben, a 20 ft version of Big Ben, stands on one side of the station on a small traffic island. Many theatres and other established performing arts centres are found just outside of the station, currently hosting shows such as Wicked and Billy Elliott.

Now, many of the buildings look like your typical modern city. During the Blitz, many of the buildings on Victoria Street were destroyed. The Blitz took many great architectural creations with it, and London did a great job in rebuilding the area quickly to what it is today.

Today, a huge variety of things can be found in the Victoria area. The station itself seems to be a little village, with over 70 million passengers annually and growing each year. Shopping areas, foods galore, and other services such as grocers or mobile phone providers can be found within the station. When leaving the station, the same is found in the area around it, only on a larger scale. Shopping, food, a chemist, banks, the Westminster City Hall, theatres, churches, and department stores make up the business and tourist area that is Victoria. Overall, it is a great place to soak up a medium between tourist life and London life.