Emma and her boyfriend Brendan (who live in Australia) are saving up for their first trip abroad together. Emma’s uncles, Tim Benzie and Paul Joseph, made this video to convince the couple to come to London instead of going on a cruise. Emma and Brendan: we agree that it’s got to be London! Find out more about the video at www.itsgottobelondon.com.

A Momentary Lapse of London from Davide Roveri on Vimeo.

After seeing last week’s time-lapse video of London, Davide Roveri got in touch with this beautifully atmospheric London video. If you spot any great London videos, let us know and we’ll try to feature them here.

Thanks to reader Lucas Veuve who got in touch with this fab London video. Lucas says:

“When I first moved to London, I was struck by the number of people living in this great city and the speed at which they move from one place to another. I wanted to capture how I saw London when I first moved here.”

We think he’s done a great job. Look out for great shots of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Gherkin and The Shard, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Southbank Centre and Trafalgar Square.

Look out for more London videos on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/VisitLondonVideo

Have you seen The Snowman in London? He’s been melting the hearts of both children and adults for 30 years and this Christmas, he’ll be visiting the capital in more ways than one.

On Christmas Eve, The Snowman will enjoy some spectacular views of London as he returns in Channel 4′s sequel to the much-loved animated film. In The Snowman and the Snowdog, The Snowman and friends swoop past some of London’s most famous sites, including the London Eye, Big Ben and the OXO Tower. 24 Dec, 8pm

You can also see the original animated version of Raymond Brigg’s The Snowman at the Barbican, with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera providing extra magic with a live accompaniment to the film. The family double-bill also includes a screening of Peter and the Wolf, with narration by Tamsin Greig. 22-23 Dec

Finally, clocking up its 15th year at the Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells is the dance production of The Snowman. This family treat includes an orchestra, dancing penguins and of course, the magical flying sequence, all created live on stage.

Which is your favourite version of The Snowman?

A slightly nutty London video for this Friday lunchtime. While it’s not all factually correct (we’re fairly sure Johnson was writing to his friend Boswell when he made his famous “tired of London” quote; and the musical Cats is long gone), there’s certainly some fun renditions of London’s popular landmarks.

Look out for the British Museum; the London Eye; Natural History Museum; St Paul’s Cathedral; Buckingham Palace; Changing the Guard; Science Museum; V&A; and, of course, Big Ben.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

The countdown is on to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, with just hours to go before the Opening Ceremony…

The Paralympic Flame has visited some of London’s most famous attractions on its relay route today, including Big Ben, London Zoo,Lord’s Cricket Ground and Abbey Road - and it’s not over yet! The flame is now travelling east, en route to Stratford.

The Paralympic Relay is running later than planned, but you can keep track of its progress here. The new schedule means it is due to arrive in Greenwich just before 6pm, and at Waltham Forest at 8.49pm.

Have you seen the torch today? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below.

We love this video of the best of London’s architecture by Mattia Bicchi via YouTube.

Locations featured include King’s Cross Station, Strata Tower, Palestra Building, Royal Albert Hall, British Museum, RBS Building, Wembley Stadium, Heron Tower, Broadgate Tower, O2 Arena, St Giles Building, Tower Bridge, The Shard, National Maritime Museum, Wellington Arch, St Paul’s Cathedral and Canary Wharf and the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben (or the newly named Queen Elizabeth Tower to give it’s correct monkier.)

You can see more London videos on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/VisitLondonVideo

Each Friday, we like to highlight a particularly great London video we’ve found online.

This week top video is by FramE FramFilm on Vimeo, and shows London looking gorgeous in natural light. Look out for some top London attractions including Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, The Shard, Oxford Street, Tower Bridge, the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Check out more London videos on our YouTube channel

London’s famous double-decker buses are an ideal way to see the city if you’re on a budget. Buy a Travelcard for the day and take a self-guided city tour on London’s best bus routes. These five cover most of the major sights in the city. Their routes are described from west to east and the return journey passes the same sights in reverse.

Number 74
Starting in Putney, this route travels past London’s museums hub in South Kensington where the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum sit side by side. It then passes luxury department store Harrods and the boundary of one of London’s largest green spaces at Hyde Park Corner. You can catch a glimpse of The Dorchester hotel just after, followed by the famous haunt of public rhetoric – Speaker’s Corner at Marble Arch. The final stop is Baker Street, home to both the Madame Tussauds waxwork museum and the Sherlock Holmes Museum, at the site of the fictional detective’s residence.

Number 9
The number 9 is one of only two routes operating the old-style Routemaster buses on part of its route. Leaving from Hammersmith, it passes Kensington Palace (you’ll have to get off to see it) followed by the beautiful Royal Albert Hall and the monument to Queen Victoria’s husband which sits opposite it. Like the number 74, the 9 passes the museums in Kensington, Harrods and Hyde Park corner. It takes a different route afterwards to visit St James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, The Savoy hotel and arts and cultural centre Somerset House.

Number RV1
The RV1 is a favourite route for us here at VL Towers! Despite being a single decker, it still passes through some of the best parts of London, giving you a great cultural tour of the city. Soak up some shops and street theatre at Covent Garden before taking the RV1. Hopping on it will take you to the South Bank where you’ll see the London Eye and Royal Festival Hall. The London Bridge stop is metres from the London Dungeon and City Hall is the next sight on the route, which crosses Tower Bridge to finish up at the Tower of London.

Number 24
The 24 sets off from Camden Town which offers alternative fashion and food. The bus then heads to the more mainstream Leicester Square in the centre, calling in at Trafalgar Square and Horse Guards Parade. The political heart of London is next as the bus passes Parliament Square where you’ll find Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the nearby Westminster Abbey where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married last year. The final site is the city’s policing headquarters at the iconic New Scotland Yard building.

Be aware that some bus routes might change during the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games – read our top tips for Olympic travel here

The tower that houses the famous Big Ben bell, whose distinctive chime can be heard throughout Westminster, is to be renamed in honour of The Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year.

Presently known as the Clock Tower, it will be renamed Elizabeth Tower at a special ceremony, following recent approval of the proposal by the House of Commons authorities.

It is worth noting, however, that the name change will only apply to the tower and not the bell. Big Ben, incidentally, is said by some to have been named after a giant and very successful 19th century boxer called Ben Caunt, proving that all sorts of achievements are capable of making history.

What do you think of the name change? Will you start calling it Elizabeth Tower; or continue to refer to the attraction as Big Ben as many people currently do? Let us know in the comments below.