City Hall, London
Sometimes it feels like London鈥檚 architects are playing a game: 鈥淗ow can we make visitors feel like they鈥檝e stepped back in time and into the future at the same time?鈥� City Hall is a perfect example of that. Perched by the river, this sci-fi-looking bubble might seem a little odd at first, but give it a minute, and you鈥檒l start to appreciate just how sleek and clever it really is.
Dreamed up by superstar architect Norman Foster and completed in 2002, this 10-story, glass-and-steel structure leans to one side like it鈥檚 striking a pose. It鈥檚 not just showing off, though 鈥� the design is ultra-efficient, taking up far less space than a normal building and using only a quarter of the energy of its more old-school neighbors. Pretty smart for something that looks like it rolled out of a future London skyline.
Fun fact: this was the first time the public got a say in picking the design. And visitors today can still climb the spiral walkway to the second floor to spy on the action below 鈥� or just grab a coffee and soak in the atmosphere. As for "London鈥檚 Living Room" on the 9th floor, the views from there are absolutely spectacular, but it鈥檚 usually off-limits... unless you time your visit for Open House weekend (the third weekend of each month).
Before you wander off, make sure to check out The Scoop 鈥� the outdoor amphitheater just next door. From June to September, you can catch free plays, movies, and concerts there under the open sky.
Quick tip: Don't miss Fiona Banner鈥檚 shiny black Full Stops sculptures nearby 鈥� giant punctuation marks in bronze, making even grammar feel epic...
Dreamed up by superstar architect Norman Foster and completed in 2002, this 10-story, glass-and-steel structure leans to one side like it鈥檚 striking a pose. It鈥檚 not just showing off, though 鈥� the design is ultra-efficient, taking up far less space than a normal building and using only a quarter of the energy of its more old-school neighbors. Pretty smart for something that looks like it rolled out of a future London skyline.
Fun fact: this was the first time the public got a say in picking the design. And visitors today can still climb the spiral walkway to the second floor to spy on the action below 鈥� or just grab a coffee and soak in the atmosphere. As for "London鈥檚 Living Room" on the 9th floor, the views from there are absolutely spectacular, but it鈥檚 usually off-limits... unless you time your visit for Open House weekend (the third weekend of each month).
Before you wander off, make sure to check out The Scoop 鈥� the outdoor amphitheater just next door. From June to September, you can catch free plays, movies, and concerts there under the open sky.
Quick tip: Don't miss Fiona Banner鈥檚 shiny black Full Stops sculptures nearby 鈥� giant punctuation marks in bronze, making even grammar feel epic...
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in London. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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City Hall on Map
Sight Name: City Hall
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: London, England (See walking tours in London)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in London, England
Create Your Own Walk in London
Creating your own self-guided walk in London is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
London's Historic Pubs Walk
If there鈥檚 any more iconic symbol for London than Big Ben or the London Eye, then it must be the traditional English pub. And London sure is full of them, dating from pre-Victorian times to just about five minutes ago.
With so much history surrounding London there is no shortage of historic pubs to choose from. Whether you fancy half-timbered, rambling watering holes or small but perfectly... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles
With so much history surrounding London there is no shortage of historic pubs to choose from. Whether you fancy half-timbered, rambling watering holes or small but perfectly... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.6 Km or 3.5 Miles
Charles Dickens Tour
Imagine a world without Dickens. No Oliver Twist, no Ebenezer Scrooge, no brooding orphans wandering foggy streets with suspiciously eloquent vocabularies. Tough to picture, right? That鈥檚 because Charles Dickens didn鈥檛 just leave a mark on literature鈥攈e practically steamrolled through it in a horse-drawn carriage. Recognized as the undisputed heavyweight of Victorian storytelling, he... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.5 Km or 2.8 Miles
Covent Garden Walking Tour
A shopping and entertainment hub on the eastern fringes of London's West End, Covent Garden is a district historically associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market 鈥� currently a shopping spot popular with locals and tourists alike.
Once a slum area, today the north of the district is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials. Both places offer... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Once a slum area, today the north of the district is given over to independent shops centered on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials. Both places offer... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
London Introduction Walking Tour
London: the capital of England, heart of the UK, and international heavyweight in history, culture, and sheer charm. Its name comes straight out of Rome. Londinium was founded circa 43 AD as a trading post. Then came Queen Boudica in 61 AD, who, let鈥檚 say, didn鈥檛 care much for Roman urban planning and burnt it to the ground. But Londinium wasn鈥檛 one to stay down鈥攊t bounced back,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
South Bank Walking Tour
London鈥檚 South Bank, stretching along the southern side of the River Thames, roughly between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge, is one of the most interesting and liveliest parts of the British capital. Here, London鈥檚 old soul and modern edge shake hands... and then probably go grab a pint together. Famous for its arts, culture, food, and scenic riverside walks, the area has a long and... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.8 Km or 3 Miles
Shakespeare's London Walking Tour
You might know him as 鈥渢he Bard,鈥� but to England, William Shakespeare is practically the patron saint of poetic plot twists. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to John Shakespeare, a glove maker and town official, and Mary Arden from a prosperous farming family, young William started life with ink in his veins and Latin on his mind. Grammar school likely gave him his first taste of rhetoric.... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
London Souvenirs: 18 Distinctively British Products for Travelers
Most visitors to London consider shopping as part of their must-do London experience. From street markets to Victorian arcades to snobbish Sloane Square to busy Oxford Street, there are a host of shops selling items which typically represent this vibrant city. Whether you are shopping for souvenirs...