Directions: 5 Walking Routes in London

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Practice your Directions! Listen to the five directions, follow the routes on the map and identify London’s landmarks.

Si necesitas más ayuda con las direcciones, ve al videotutorial.

PART 1: Listen to the directions, follow the route and identify the landmarks. Match each of these landmarks with a letter:

Queen Victoria’s Monument;      Oxford Circus;      Covent Garden;      Whitehall;      Royal Albert Hall;      Marble Arch;      Downing Street;      Parliament & Big Ben;      Natural History Museum;      Regent’s Street;       Buckingham Palace;      Westminster Abbey;      Piccadilly;      Hyde Park Corner;      The Mall;      Horse Guards’ Parade;      Harrods

Click START and write your answers below:

(Read the text of these five audio files below)

PART 2: Answer these questions.

1. What two landmarks can you see in Trafalgar Square?
2. What places are free to visit in London?
3. In which street are most Government Offices?
4. Where can you take a photo with a soldier?
5. Where do the two leaders of the country live?
6. Where do Royal Coronations take place?
7. From which place can you travel abroad?
8. What’s the best place to see street entertainers?
9. What can you see in Hyde Park corner?
10. In which two places can you go to a concert?
11. What’s the best place to relax?
12. Which are the two main shopping streets?
13. What two main areas should you visit for nighttime entertainment?

Now click START to check your answers:

 

Practical Advice for Travellers to London: Listening Exercise

 

Tapescript:

1. ROUTE 1 (Victoria Station – Trafalgar Square)

Trafalgar Square? That´s easy- just turn right when you leave the station and then turn left. You´ll come to a type of roundabout right in front of Buckingham Palace. It’s a statue of Queen Victoria. Buckingham Palace is on your left. When you get to this roundabout turn right and walk with your back to the Palace down an avenue called the Mall. If you prefer stroll through St. James´ Park on the right, next to the lake. When you get to the end of the Mall or the end of the park you´ll see Trafalgar Square. In the middle of the square you’ll see Nelson’s Column and behind it The National Gallery. Remember there´s no entrance fee for public museums.

2. ROUTE 2 (Leicester Square – London Eye)

Behind Trafalgar Square there’s another square which is called Leicester Square. It’s very busy at nighttime, and it’s where all the cinemas and there are lots of bars and pubs in this area. If you walk down from Leicester Square past Trafalgar Square carry straight on, you’ll come to a street which is called Whitehall. This is where many of the government ministries are. There is a building on your right when you go along which is called Horse Guards Parade. This is where the Queen’s guards live. You can stop here and take a photos with the soldier. If you carry on, the next street on your right is a cul-de-sac called Downing Street. This is where the Prime Minister lives. If you carry on down Whitehall, you’ll get to the first crossroads and you´ll come to Parliament Square. Behind Parliament Square you´ll see Westminster Abbey, where Royal Coronations take place and where Britain´s most important figures have been buried. Don’t go to Westminster Abbey – turn left and go past Parliament, which is next to the river. The best photos of Big Ben – which is the clock tower of Parliament- are taken from the bridge, OK? So when you cross the Thames, turn left down some steps and you’ll see the London Eye- it´s well worth going on the London Eye for a view of the whole centre of London!

3. ROUTE 3 (Waterloo – British Museum)

Now we’re going to start at one of London’s most important stations – Waterloo. From here you can take the train to Paris, but today we’re going to leave the station and walk down to South Bank, which is a lovely area to walk along right the way to the Tower of London. Anyway, today we’re going to take any of the two footbridges which cross over to Charing Cross Station. If I were you, I would do a full circle and cross both footbridges, especially at nighttime- because the view is fantastic! Anyway, just go through the Station, turn right and then left and left again. You´ll walk straight into Covent Garden. You can buy handicrafts, you can check out the street artists, or go to the Royal Opera House. When you’ve seen everything and you want to move on, just head north until you hit Oxford Street. At the first crossroads, the British Museum is on the right-hand corner. You can´t miss it!

4. ROUTE 4 (Parliament Square – Serpentine)

Today we’re going to start in Parliament Square and walk through St. James’ Park, around the lake until we get back to Queen Victoria’s statue, in front of Buckingham Palace. Go past Buckingham Palace – which will be on your left – and Green Park on your right, and you will come to Hyde Park Corner- it’s a small roundabout with an arch in it. Here you can cross over into Hyde Park, but we’re going to go down Kensington Road – you´ll see Harrods on your left and then a bit further on you’ll see an incredible building on your right- that´s the Natural History Museum. Turn right and you´ll pass the famous concert hall – the Royal Albert Hall – before you heading into Hyde Park. The lake in the middle is called the Serpentine. Here you can hire a boat or just have a drink at a lakeside café.

5. DAY 5 (Hyde Park – Chinatown)

So you’ve had some time to relax and I’m sure you’re full of energy again. So, head up from the lake up up until you get to the northeasternmost corner of the Park, and here you will see Marble Arch. From here, turn right and head down Oxford Street. This is where all the shops and department stores can be found. If you walk along here, halfway along the street is Oxford Circus. This is where Oxford and Regent Street cross. Turn right into Regent Street, which you’ll find is a little bit posher, a little bit more elite. If you walk down this road you’ll get to Piccadilly Circus. This is where you can see the neon lights and in the middle a statue of Cupid. From here you could go on into Leicester (Lest-A) Square again, but I think you should head up behind Leicester Square into Chinatown. All the bars, theatres, cinemas, restaurants and musicals are all in Chinatown or in Soho. Make sure you don´t make any plans for tomorrow morning, though!

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