This is London's highest public garden that has 3 restaurants,2 bars and a gift shop…read more There is no admission fee but you must get a free ticket online.Tickets are available up to 3 weeks in advance of your visit and available time slots are listed. Arrive about 15 minutes early as you have to go thru security screening. Once thru security you take the elevator to the 35th floor. The views are amazing as are the gardens. Plenty of seating is available and there are public restrooms.

Need ticket reservation ahead of time. The tickets are free. You can reserve the ticket at their…read morewebsite. I would suggest make reservations 8 weeks ahead. The sky garden is a tall building. The line get to the elevators is long even with ticket. The garden located at 35 floor. The garden has an observation deck that you can get out and see the Thames River. London Bridge and the Shard Tower in clear view. The garden occupies the 35 floor to 37 floor. The garden has restaurants and cafe. Many came here for the mimosas. The visit takes about 2.5 hours.

Beautiful architecture, recognizable from many magazines, movies & shows, the Gerkin is unique &…read morebeautiful. I didn't have a chance to visit the restaurant inside but will hopefully during my next visit to London.

A beautiful and stunning building that adds to London's unique skyline and reputation as both a…read moremodern city and one with history that dates back hundreds of years. It's so much prettier than the plain steel and glass buildings dotted nearby. It's so *not* a Monet - it looks great from afar and from close up. I was in the City yesterday to meet my customers and it so happens that their office is right next door to the Swiss Re building, aka the Gherkin. We managed to pop out for lunch and sat under the building enjoying the fantastic view.

Review 1500! So I saved this review for this magical number as the area around The Tower of London…read morewas finally back in the hands of early local population roughly 1500 years ago after the Romans were pushed out. The Tower came later. You should come and see what has been done with the place since then, SERIOUSLY! Plan your visit, add extra time, prepare for walking on cobblestone, and most of all, make certain you plan to take a tour from a Yeoman Warder! Get in front, respect the traditions, and stay near the Yeoman Warder. Each word spoken will likely be ones you remember! I've done this tour twice in 30 years and recall both of their stories! The recent one was from Yeoman Warder Handsome Gary. (Kenneth mean handsome and that is his first name.) I won't spoil all of the highpoints of the tour, but will tell you these chaps have been doing this tour for many decades and they have earned the right to do so. You will not have a better tour guide, I promise! So off with the head (wait, I meant off to another topic) The Crown Jewels is another tour you need to schedule. it is worth it. take time where you can. You will be hard pressed to see more valuable items somewhere else! You also need to go into the Whit e Tower and see the royal armory. Take note of Henry VII's armor. His poor wives. Take the Crow tour. Tour the other museums. It isn't cheap and lines can be long, but well worth it! A tip, arrange tours far out in your trip planning, arrive early and spend a day or more. This is one of my favorite spots on the planet and my name is Handsome Ray (yes, my first name is Kenneth).

So historical and a huge part of London history. If you are a big fan of history and big shiny…read morebeautiful gems this is where you'll find the Crown Jewels stored and on display. If you take a tour here, self guided available, it's a must see. A few years back when I was in town for the London Marathon it was around the time of Charles' inauguration to King and they removed the jewels to have them prepared for the ceremony - BOOOOOO!!! If here you'll find plenty of details about it's history, artifacts, displays, and prominent figures associated with the Tower. You can easily spend hours here exploring the buildings, rooms, and grounds.

Beautiful place, great for lunchread more

There's a monument or statue at almost every turn in London, but the Monument of the Great Fire is…read morespecial. The Monument memorializes the Great Fire of 1666 which burned for three days and left over 100,000 people homeless. The Fire started in a bakery close to the monument. The Monument was designed by Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren. Construction of the great Doric column was completed in 1677. Internal stairs lead to an observation deck. Atop the structure is a bronze flame depicting fire. The Monument at one time as used as a weather laboratory taking wind and other measurements. The structure has also been mentioned in Dickens' novels and James Bond movies. Today, the tall monument is dwarfed by neighboring modern buildings. Visitors can climb the 311 stair spiral staircase for a mere £6. I did not climb as the day was overcast and I want to come back on a clear day.

When in London to run the marathon and doing some sightseeing a few days before we visited the…read moreTower of London. It's a 200+ foot tall monument dedicated to the Great Fire of London and close to the spot in Pudding Lane where the fire started Sept 2, 1666. There are inscription and texts describing the event, how the fire started, the damage it caused, and how it ended. If you're a history buff it's worth seeing to learn about the devastation the fire caused. Hard to miss as it's within eyesight of the London Bridge when crossing. You can also pay a small fee to climb 300 stairs to the top.

In high season arrive early and buy your ticket online ahead of time so you don't have to wait in…read moreline. We were very impressed by the included audio guide which does a nice job of providing explanations, stories and history. The building itself is stunning and there is much to see. If you have the ability and the weather is nice climb the 500 plus steps to the dome for spectacular views of the city. This is a must see when visiting London.

This was one of the stops on our London city tour. It is the…read moreofficial church of the Diocese of London and is where Princess Diana got married to Prince (Now King) Charles. The impressive dome dates back to 1710 and the crypt located below the main church houses many famous Brits including Sir Duke of Wellington. This is still a working church and if not attending a service,there is an entry free of 25 pounds. Definitely a top site to see while in London.

Here Banksy rather humorously juxtaposes the cliché artist, with moustache, beret and palette,…read moreworking on a decidedly less high brow art work depicting a scribble of a huge male member. The artist is also wearing a ball and chain, with a dollar sign on the ball. I'm not sure what conclusion I'd want to draw, but I guess the piece certainly summarises the debates about Banksy himself. Art or just daubs? Pretensions of grandeur? Destroyed by money, or elevated beyond his natural position by the hype? A couple of changes have been made. The council (apparently) have partially obscured the male member, though it's still pretty clear what it's meant to represent. As for the person who's added their opinion that Banksy is a **, I don't think they've given much thought to what they are doing. Their banal addition rather demonstrates they are the one with pretensions of grandeur if they think they can comment! This is on the side of a restaurant on the junction of Shafton Road and Victoria Park Road.

I've found this piece of art yesterday night (Feb 21st 2012) by accident as I was surfing Hackney…read moreby car in search of graffiti. When I saw it I almost had no doubt it was made by Banksy, and as it took me a good hour to find this first and only painting in Hackney, I interpreted it not only as the sign of the end of free art this would be no news! but also as the end of street art. All in all this classic looking artist is not trying to paint a beauty on a canvas, but a rebel sign on a public wall, while his leg is locked with this ball with the money sign. So when I associate all this with the fact that all Hackney walls are now purified from graffiti, I'm just left with the impression that art was finally killed, both indoor and in the streets. Ciao, Nicola Principato

Love it or hate it, the '86 Building makes an architectural statement. All the essential services…read more(escalators, vents, toilets!) are on the external stainless steel pods, giving an open 'market' feel to the interior, as was the intention. From the inside, the once ground-breaking space has been eclipsed by some more recent buildings. The ground floor does still have an imposing ceiling, but the other floors are tiring and resemble many other open plan office spaces. An intriguing edifice; worked there for many years and am glad I did, but it is ultimately now a fading office space with a quirky exterior and 300+ year tradition.

London has changed a lot over the decades and centuries. But one of its quickest transformations…read morehappened in 1666 when a small fire started at a bakery in Pudding Lane near London Bridge. Four days later, it destroyed most of medieval London, including the old St Paul's Cathedral. The destruction was incredible. Over 80% of the City of London burned, St Paul's Cathedral and innumerable businesses and houses were all gone. There were a few silver linings, however. First of all, the rather serious plague outbreak of 1665 was halted. The Great Fire of London began on the night of 1 September 1666, in a bakery on Pudding Lane. Thomas Faryner, one of the king's bakers, awoke to thick black smoke in the middle of the night. He and his family were able to escape by climbing out of an attic roof and jumping to the neighbors' house; their little maidservant was too frightened to follow and became the fire's first victim. Today it is hard to imagine what London would look like without the Great Fire. In one fell swoop, the medieval city vanished. Streets became wider, and buildings less tightly packed (to help prevent another conflagration). A permanent reminder of the fire was erected soon after the fire was put out called The Monument. It stands today at the site of the first church to be destroyed by the fire and now at the junction of Fish Hill Street and Monument Street. Designed by Christopher Wren, its height of 61 meters marks the exact distance from the start of the fire.

Tourist sight foe those around St Pau'ls cathedral. Was a cool stop on the way to take some photos…read moreand catch your breath

This building, as well as containing the Mayor of London, is open to the public, and there are many…read moredifferent reasons to take the time to visit. The building is wonderful, and - if you happen to visit at a time when "London's Living Room" (a space on the top floor used for events) is accessible, then the views are second to none. There is a café on the ground floor, with a good range of decent food, at reasonable prices. I would recommend stopping in as part of a trip to the area - London Dungeons, the Tower, HMS Belfast are all very close - rather then as an end in itself. Every member of the public has to go through a metal detector to get into the building. There is never a long wait.

Iconic building of London. You can see it along the walk from tower bridge…read more Interesting shaped building