You probably think you know about London’s problems. The people are unfriendly, the prices are expensive, and the food is terrible — so why do so many tourists go there?

London was named the world’s most popular city between July and September 2013. It edged out other world-famous cities, welcoming 4.9 million visitors. Amazingly, this was an increase of almost 19.5 percent on 2012 — the year when the Olympics happened.

So can London’s success be explained? Well, maybe. As the English writer Samuel Johnson once said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” London life is crazy and expensive, but if you can think of something, you can probably do it there.

Anywhere in the city, you can often look around a great museum, watch a concert at a historic interest, or dance the night away in a cool nightclub.

And it’s not just about culture — there are also world-famous sporting places. Many tourists like to watch soccer matches at stadiums such as Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. Tourists even came to watch British tennis player Andy Murray’s famous victory at the Wimbledon tennis tournament (锦标赛) in 2013.

Yes, but what about the food? Well, even if you don’t like British food — and if you’ve never had real fish and chips, then perhaps you should wait until you’ve tried them — there is plenty of great food from all over the world available in London’s many restaurants.

London, like many of its buildings, has a long history, but also never lacks a vibrant pulse. All over the city, history and modernity come together to make it an essential place for tourists to discover.

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