Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is Britain's largest independent oil painting, and takes up two whole storys. Fridays are
the best time to visit, when admission is free, and you can join a free tour of the col-
lection at 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15pm.
Head down beneath the gallery to visit the scant remains of London's Roman
amphitheatre, which dates from the 2nd century a.d., but remained undiscovered
until 1988 (and didn't go on display until 2003). Images of spectators and missing bits
have been added to give visitors a better idea of what it once looked like.
Guildhall Yard, Gresham St., EC2. &   020/7332-3700. www.guildhall-art-gallery.org.uk. Admission
£2.50 adults, £1 seniors and students, free for children 15 and under. Free Fri and after 3:30pm on all
other days. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun noon-4pm. Tube: Bank, St. Paul's, or Moorgate.
The Monument OBSERVATION POINT Once upon a time, the Monu-
ment towered above the city, a proud and defiant reminder of London's revival follow-
ing the destructive Great Fire of 1666. At 61.5m (202 ft.), the Sir Christopher
Wren-designed column was then the world's tallest free-standing stone column, a
record it continues to hold—largely because they don't really make free-standing
stone columns any more.
It's 311 steps to the top, from where the views are among the finest in the city.
Those who baulk at either heights or energetic climbs can enjoy them from the live
feed shown at the bottom. Apparently, if the Monument fell over, it would, providing
it fell in the right direction, land on the exact spot in Pudding Lane where the Great
Fire started.
Fish Street Hill, EC3. &   020/7626-2717. www.themonument.info. Admission £3 adults, £2 seniors and
students, £1 children. Daily 9:30am-5:30pm. Tube: Monument or London Bridge.
Museum of London MUSEUM Although the location is rather grim, in
the center of a particularly unappealing roundabout in London's Barbican district,
this museum is a joy. It traces the history of the capital from prehistoric times to the
20th century. Exhibits are arranged so that you can begin and end your chronological
stroll through 250,000 years at the main entrance to the museum. Upstairs you'll find
sections devoted to “London before London” (with flint arrow heads and bronze age
weapons); Roman London (mosaics, statues, coins, and more); Medieval London
(Viking battleaxes and knights' armor); and War, Plague, and Fire (a model of Shake-
speare's Rose Theatre, Cromwell's death mask, and paintings of the Great Fire). The
recently revamped downstairs galleries bring the story up to date with displays on the
4
A money-saving PASS
The London Pass provides admission to
more than 55 attractions in and around
London, “timed” admission at some
attractions (bypassing the line ups), plus
free travel on public transport (buses,
Tubes, and trains) and a pocket guide-
book. It costs £40 for 1 day, £55 for 2
days, £68 for 3 days, and £90 for 6 days
(children 5-15 pay £27, £41, £46, or £64,
respectively), and includes admission to
St. Paul's Cathedral, HMS Belfast, the
Jewish Museum, and the Thames Barrier
Visitor Centre—and many other attrac-
tions. This rather pricey pass is useful if
you're trying to cram 2 days' worth of
sightseeing into a single day. But if
you're a slow-moving visitor, who likes
to stop and smell the roses, you may
not get your money's worth. See www.
londonpass.com .
 
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