London is a city that keeps its visitors spellbound every time with its numerous historical and cultural landmarks, a city that houses all manner of tourist attractions, perhaps only too many to be able to savour them all, especially if your stay is limited to a few days only. We’ve compiled a list of the most notable and noteworthy landmarks of the city that you simply must see.
The Shard is the highest uninhabited building in Europe, located in London. This skyscraper was officially opened in 2012, towering above surrounding buildings with its astonishing 310 meters in height. This building has 87 floors in total, with 72 of them being inhabitable. Most of the building is reserved for offices and restaurants, as well as a 5-star hotel, apartments and an observation deck.
Royal Albert Hall, also known as the Albertopolis, is an incredible concert hall situated in the luxurious South Kensington area. It gets its name from Prince Albert, who designed it after the Great London Exhibition of 1851. After the prince’s premature death, his close aid Henry Hall took up the duties to finish the construction of this building, which was designed to resemble the amphitheatres of ancient Rome. In 1867, Queen Victoria set the cornerstone for the building inside the hall which was originally designed to seat 30 thousand visitors. However, due to financial reasons, the hall was significantly downsized, only housing 5500 visitors.
The Sky Garden offers an incredible view of London, taking up the last three floors of one of the newest skyscrapers of London. The building where it is situated resembles a walkie-talkie in appearance. It was finished in 2014, towering at a height of 160 meters, and is made out of glass. The construction of this skyscraper cost around 200 million pounds. Taking into account the fact that the entire building where the Sky Garden is is made out of glass, visitors can truly see a view of the entire city of London, along with the most important landmarks of the city. The exclusive restaurant located in the Sky Garden mostly offers seafood delicacies, and the average price per person is around £60. This isn’t the only restaurant in the building, but the prices are similar in all of them. If you are not interested in eating there, there are several bars available at the spot.
The City Hall is the seat of the Mayor of London and the London Parliament. It is located on the bank of the river Thames, between London bridge and the famous mobile bridge. The building itself is quite modern, oval-shaped, and was officially opened in 2002. Norman Foster, the famous architect who designed numerous parliament and assembly buildings around Europe, was the designer of this building as well. The building has 10 floors and is 45 meters tall. It is encased in glass, which gives it its modern look, and the egg-shaped building’s energy efficiency was improved significantly thanks to the glass.
The Olympic Stadium or the London Acquatics Center peaked in popularity during the 2012 London Olympics. It was here that Usain Bolt beat the world record in the 100m sprint, becoming a living legend of the sport. The opening ceremony was truly spectacular, but was still in the shadow of the ceremony seen in Beijing. All of Britain’s elite, including Queen Elizabeth II, attended the opening of the Olympics.
