London Vacations

From Royal Families to Roman history, and charming accents to the River Thames, Old Blighty draws globetrotters year-round. Wake up to Big Ben and a swirl of double-decker busses, black cabs and Brits. Wander up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, and channel your Beatlemania across the infamous zebra crossing at Abbey Road. Spend a day in the British Museum and a night at an Olde English pub.

Whatever you fancy on a London vacation, let Orbitz give you the A to Zed, starting with the best time to go, top 10 highlights and insider tips.

If chats about the weather were an Olympic sport, Londoners would win the gold. So pack everything -- Queen Mum's climate is moody: The day can go from blazing sunshine to raining buckets all before afternoon tea. Winter brings cold, damp and Burberry peacoats, plus Christmas crowds and queues.

2012 Olympics (July 27 to August 12) are the talk of the town, so prepare for heavy tourism, and higher rates. Wimbledon -- the oldest tennis tournament in the world -- draws crowds annually from late June to early July.

Though London is busy year-round, high season peaks from June to August and again at Christmas, while January and February are a little slower. The crown jewel: bank holidays. They vary throughout the year, and the city is eerily quiet. Translation: cheap hotel rates, few(er) crowds.

Winding cobbled streets, mews and Tudor style. Visit Saint Bartholomew the Great, then take a candlelit tour of Sir John Sloane's Museum.

Walk the world-famous Lord's Cricket Ground and Hampstead Heath. Be on the lookout for celebs and tucked-away pubs nearby.

After a few hours' at the British Museum, scope out the ultra-cool Oscar Bar nearby. The scene: the unpretentious yet oh-so-stylish types, plus the sommeliers and generous portions.

Curb your jetlag at famed Savoy hotel's Fitness Gallery. Scrub, polish and dip your way into the Greenwich time zone with a massage and mani/pedi, or swim in the rooftop pool.

Located in the Renaissance St. Pancras London Hotel -- a Victorian masterpiece -- this is your stop for proper authentic Olde English grub. (Think: Quail, Yorkshire puddings, orange marmalade).