Founded by William the Conquerer in 1066-7, holds some of the most remarkable stories from across the centuries. Despite a grim reputation as a place of torture and death, this powerful and enduring fortress has been enjoyed as a royal palace, served as an armoury and for a number of years even housed a zoo!
Gaze up at the massive White Tower, tiptoe through a kings’ medieval bedchamber and marvel at the priceless Crown Jewels. The famous Yeoman Warders have bloody tales to tell; stand where heads rolled and prisoners wept.
The Tower held many famous prisoners, from the highest levels of society. Visit the places of their confinement and read the graffiti left by prisoners from over 500 years ago. .
Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress.
There are seven ravens at the Tower today (the required six plus one spare!). Their lodgings are to be found next to the Wakefield Tower.
Children under 5 free. Reduced admission for online advance booking.
Opening Times
Open all Year.
Summer: 1 March - 31 October: Tues - Sat 09.00-18.00 / Sun - Mon 10.00-18.00. Last admission 17.00.
Winter: 1 November - 28 February: Tues - Sat 09.00-17.00 / Sun - Mon 10.00-17.00. Last admission 16.00.
The Tower is closed 24-26 December (inclusive) and 1 January.
Nearest tube stations: Tower Hill and London Bridge.
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral dedicated to Paul the Apostle. It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, all having been built on the same site since AD 604.
The cathedral is one of London's most famous and most recognisable sights. At 365 feet (111m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world. In terms of area.
Important services held at St Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The British Royal Family holds most of its important marriages, christenings and funerals at Westminster Abbey, but St Paul's was used for the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer. St Paul's Cathedral is still a busy working church, with hourly prayer and daily services.
Filming and photography is not allowed inside the cathedral.
On Sunday the cathedral is open for worship only and there is no sightseeing.
The price of admission includes entry to the cathedral floor, crypt and the three galleries in the dome (Whispering, Stone and Golden). Admission also includes multimedia guides and guided tours (for individuals and family visitors).
The three galleries in the dome are open to sightseers from Monday to Saturday between 9.30am - 4.15pm (last admission). Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult when visiting the galleries.
Due to essential maintenance work the Stone and Golden Galleries will be closed to visitors from 7 January - 28 March 2013. The Whispering Gallery will remain open.
Ticket:
Adult:
£15.00
Children:
£6.00
Family:
(2 adults, 3 children)
£36.00
Concession:
(Students & Seniors)
£14.00
Religious ceremony for free.
Timings: 8.30am - 4pm. Last tickets are sold at 4pm and the cathedral closes for sightseeing at 4.30pm.
Tube: St Pauls on the Central Line. Buses: No: 4, 11, 15, 23, 26, 100,242 and 25.
HMS Belfast
HMS Belfast is a museum ship, originally a Royal Navy light cruiser, permanently moored in London on the River Thames and operated by the Imperial War Museum.
Belfast saw action escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943 and the Battle of North Cape. Took part in Operation Overlord supporting the Normandy landings in 1944. In June 1945 Belfast was redeployed to join the British Pacific Fleet, arriving shortly before the end of the Second World War. Saw combat action in 1950-52 during the Korean War.
Expected to be disposed of as scrap, in 1967 Belfast was preserved as a museum ship.
HMS Belfast celebrates 75 years.(16, 17 March 2013) To mark this monumental anniversary, IWM will bring HMS Belfast to life for visitors with re-enactors, simulated gun firing, live radio transmissions and a communal craft activity on board.
HMS Belfast Morgan's Lane
Tooley Street
London SE1 2JH
Open daily 1 March - 31 October: 10.00 am - 6.00 pm (last admission 5.00 pm) 1 November - 28 February: 10.00 am - 5.00 pm (last admission 4.00 pm)
Closed 24, 25 and 26 December
Please note: children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Please allow 1½ - 2 hours for your visit.
Admission Prices 2011
Adults
£13.50*
Child (under 16)
FREE
Senior/Student (60+ years and students with identification)
£10.80*
Disabled
£8.10*
Unemployed
£6.75*
Groups (reduced rates for groups of 10 or more) Adults £10.40 Senior/Student £9.10
Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames which was destroyed by fire in 1613. The modern reconstruction was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built approximately 230 metres (750 ft) from the site of the original theatre. The theatre was opened to the public in 1997 with a production of Henry V.
Shakespeare's Globe is best accessed on foot. There are excellent footpaths along the river from Waterloo and from Southwark Bridge. The Millennium Footbridge is 50 metres from the Theatre.
Prices Adult: £11.50
Senior (60+): £10.00
Student (with valid ID): £10.00
Children (5-15): £7.00
Children (under 5): Free
Family (up to 2 adults & 3 children): £32.00
21 New Globe Walk Bankside, London, Greater London SE1 9DT Public Transport:
Tube:
The local stations are Blackfriars on the District and Circle Lines (10 minute walk) Mansion House on the District and Circle Lines (10 minute walk), London Bridge on the Northern and Jubilee Lines (10 minute walk), Southwark on the Jubilee Line (15 minute walk), and St Paul's on the Central Line (15 minute walk). Bus: 45, 63, 100 to Blackfriars Bridge
15, 17 to Cannon Street
11, 15, 17, 23, 26, 76 to Mansion House
381 , RV1 to Southwark Street
344 to Southwark Bridge Road Boat:Bankside Pier is 10 metres from the Theatre.
Buckingham Palace
If you have never been to London before, a visit to Her Majesty’s place of residence is a must. Of the Palace’s 775 rooms, only the 19 State Rooms – used by the Queen and her guests for official and state entertaining – are open the public, between August and September each year. These are well worth seeing as they contain some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto, sculpture by Canova and priceless pieces of porcelain and furniture. Visitors can also take a stroll around part of the Palace gardens during the Summer Opening weeks.
This year's special exhibition at Buckingham Palace marks the 60th anniversary of The Queen's coronation in 1953. The palace's ballroom will be transformed into the largest-ever exhibition about this historic event.
London is a great place to shop for the latest fashions, even if you're on a budget. London's high streets are packed with fantastic shops where you can bag a cheap bargain. And if you're after cut-price designer labels, London's regular sales are well worth a visit.
The best bargain stores: Primark, Topshop, Zara, New Look, H&M, Uniqlo, Claire's Accessories, most of them on Bond Street or Oxford Street.
Waterloo Tube Station
Now, why visit a tube station? Aside from catching a train, and being the biggest station in the UK in terms of platform numbers (19 terminal platforms in use), Waterloo is spectacular and lively.
It has been the setting of many movies and TV series.
Waterloo Station is near many tourist attractions including The London Eye, The South Bank and County Hall.
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
It’s a long and steep climb for the out-of-shape, but a trek up the hill in Greenwich Park will repay the effort. Once you’ve got over the impressive view, the Observatory site has plenty to recommend it.
The largest refracting telescope in the UK, the Greenwich meridian, London’s only planetarium and Harrison’s marine chronometers are all justifiably famous, but where else can you touch a chunk of rock that’s possibly older than the Earth?
Opened in 1828, London Zoo is the world's oldest zoo. London Zoo offers the ultimate back to nature experience and supports the active conservation of many amazing species. There are 750 different species of animals making it one of the largest collections of animals in the UK.
The Zoo receives no state funding and relies on 'Fellows', 'Friends', 'Members', entrance fees and sponsorship to generate income.
Concession - senior, student & disabled adult (walk up price)
£22.50
Online family offer (10% saving)
£66.60 (2 adults + 2 children OR 1 adult + 3 children)
Opening Times: Daily 10.00-17.30 Nearest bus station: Camden Town, Chalk Farm, 274 bus route, Nearest tube station:: A 10 minute walk through the park from Regent's Park tube station on the Bakerloo line or a shorter walk from Camden Town tube station on the Northern Line.
Covent Garden for the Street Scene
Covent Garden is one of the most famous shopping and café areas in London, located just north of the Strand and south of Neal Street. There are folks always hanging around. There is plenty of art and performers. Markets stalls pop up on weekends. Visit Borough Market - a foodie heaven.
Watch the weekend gourmand shoppers. In and around Covent Garden you will find numerous shops and markets. Both the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Museum are close to Covent Garden, while the Royal Opera House is just around the corner.
The name ‘Covent Garden’ comes from 'convent garden', and refers to the gardens of the Abbey or convent of St Paul. This 40 acre garden was established in the 12C by King John and played a role in providing not only Westminster Abbey, but also much of London, with fresh food for the next 300 years. This all came to an end under Henry VIII and in 1552 the land then known as “le Covent Garden” was granted by Royal patent to the Earl of Bedford in perpetuity.
Covent Garden began to take it’s present form by the 19C, and in 1973 was saved by complete redevelopment after a huge public outcry which resulted in many of the buildings, including the covered market area, receiving listed status.
