London: world city and cultural centre

London is home to more international students than any other city in the world. Every year, 90,000 people come from over 200 countries to study and experience the culture, the history and the spirit of one of the world’s greatest cities.

CATS students benefit from being part of this environment, but within the safe, exclusive surroundings of Bloomsbury. Within a few minutes walk, there is a wealth of museums, galleries, parks, libraries and universities to explore.

> Find out more about London transport and getting around

Arts & Culture | Museums & Galleries | Food | Music | Shopping

London Arts & Culture

London is home to some fantastic theatre, orchestras, ballet and opera companies. 

Popular venues include the Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in the Southbank Centre, The Royal Opera House, The Barbican Centre and the Royal Albert Hall, where the proms take place each summer. 

The South Bank area is the capital’s artistic hub. Many of London’s most important cultural institutions are packed into this small area, making it an essential visit for anyone with an interest in the theatre and the arts. 

Located in this area is the Royal National Theatre, containing three large theatres. The ‘National’ holds a vast selection of different plays and performances throughout the year, including open air productions during the summer months. 

An exciting alternative is a visit to the Globe Theatre. This authentic recreation of Shakespeare’s original theatre allows visitors to experience one of his plays in an open air setting.

London Museums & Galleries

London is home to over 200 museums, twice as many as New York. Many of these are located close to our college in Bloomsbury and the surrounding areas. 

Many of the best London museums and galleries are free to visit; here are some of the best:

• The British Museum – one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in the world, with collections numbering 7 million objects, “illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.” The British Museum is so vast that it is impossible to tour in its entirety in just one day. 
• The National Gallery – is Britain’s main national gallery, containing 2300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900 with an encyclopaedic scope – covering all major artistic movements “from Giotto to Cézanne.” Similarly the National Portrait Gallery contains 10,000 portraits of important British citizens.
• The British Library – One of the largest libraries in the world, containing one copy of every book published in the United Kingdom, totally over 150 million items, including examples dating back to 300BC. Each year the library installs. It is an essential port of call for any student in London. 
• The Victoria and Albert Museum – is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a vast collection of 4.5 million objects in 12.5 acres of gallery space, within an elegant and sprawling building whose architecture is as varied and interesting as its contents.
• The Science Museum – formed by a member of the Royal Society of Arts in 1857, the museum now contains over 300,000 items covering the history of science in Britain, including Stephenson’s Rocket, the first jet engine and an IMAX 3D cinema.
• The Natural History Museum – contains over 70 million items within five collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology, including original specimens collected by Darwin.  
• Housed in the former Bankside Power Station, the Tate Modern is Britain’s national museum of international modern art. Each year, more than 5 million visitors visit the vast gallery to view some of the most famous (and bizarre) artworks in the world.
• The South Bank Centre is a vast complex of artistic buildings, situated opposite the Houses of Parliament. Containing three separate arts venues (the Royal Festival Hall, The Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Hayward Gallery) over a 21 acre campus, the South Bank is Europe’s largest centre for the arts and holds over 1200 events a year, 300 of which are free of charge.

London Food

Being such as cosmopolitan city, almost every type of food from any country is represented in London.

There is a huge choice of restaurants throughout the city catering for every diet, taste and budget, from fast food chains, pubs, buffet restaurants and some of the most exclusive restaurants in the world. 

International students looking for more familiar food are usually able to find a taste of home in London. Foods from different nationalities tend to be found in clusters along with their ex-pat communities. For example:

• Chinatown in Soho for Chinese food
• Brick Lane in the East and Tooting in the south for Indian and Bangladeshi food
• Edgeware Road in Marylebone for Middle Eastern food.

For more information and reviews, visit: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/

London Music

London is famed for its live music scene, with everyone from up-and-coming, unsigned bands and world famous musicians playing every night of the week. 

The O2 Arena near the docklands is London’s largest music venue. Housed in the former Millennium Dome, along with restaurants, cinema complex, museum and more, the O2 plays host to some of the best known performers in the world. Recent stars including Coldplay, Britney Spears, Madonna and Kanye West and is easily accessible by bus, car, tube, train or boat.

London Shopping

From £60,000 jewel-encrusted shoes in Harrods to second hand books and furniture at Portobello Road market, London is a shopaholic’s dream.

The centre of the city’s retail industry is located around Oxford Street, with the highest concentration of shops in Europe. Visit New Bond Street for luxury brands and high fashion, Regents Street for more individual stores and Tottenham Court Road for electrical and high-tech items.

The new Westfield Shopping Centre (not far from Bloomsbury by bus or tube) is London’s newest shopping area and Europe’s largest in-city shopping centre. The centre, between Kensington and Shepherd’s Bush, contains 265 stores, a 16-screen multiplex cinema, gym and library.