GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 815

If you go, you'll take a two-part elevator ride up to the 68th floor, then climb up one story
to the main (enclosed) observation platform. Climbing up to the 72nd floor gets you to the
open-air deck, where the wind roars over the glass enclosure (£25 if booked a day in ad-
vance, £29 for same-day reservations, daily 9:00-22:00, last entry at 20:30, Tube: London
Bridge—use London Bridge exit, tel. [phone], www.theviewfromtheshard.com ) .
HMS Belfast
“The last big-gun armored warship of World War II” clogs the Thames just upstream from
the Tower Bridge. This huge vessel—now manned with wax sailors—thrills kids who al-
ways dreamed of sitting in a turret shooting off their imaginary guns. If you're into WWII
warships, this is the ultimate. Otherwise, it's just lots of exercise with a nice view of the
Tower Bridge.
Cost and Hours: £12.70, or £14 with voluntary donation, includes audioguide, daily
March-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-17:00, last entry one hour before closing, Tube:
London Bridge, tel. [phone], www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast .
City Hall
The glassy, egg-shaped building near the south end of Tower Bridge is London's City
Hall, designed by Sir Norman Foster, the architect who worked on London's Millennium
Bridge and Berlin's Reichstag. Nicknamed “the Armadillo,” City Hall houses the office of
London's mayor—the blonde, flamboyant, conservative former journalist and author Bor-
is Johnson. He consults here with the Assembly representatives of the city's 25 districts.
An interior spiral ramp allows visitors to watch and hear the action below in the Assembly
Chamber—ride the lift to floor 2 (the highest visitors can go) and spiral down. On the
lower ground floor is a large aerial photograph of London and a handy cafeteria. Next to
City Hall is the outdoor amphitheater called The Scoop (Tube: London Bridge, schedule at
www.morelondon.com —click on “The Scoop at More London”).
CostandHours: Free,opentovisitorsMon-Thu8:30-18:00,Fri8:30-17:30,closedSat-
Sun;Tube:LondonBridgestationplus10-minutewalk,orTowerHillstationplus15-minute
walk; tel. [phone], www.london.gov.uk .
Sights in West London
▲▲▲ Tate Britain
One of Europe's great art houses, Tate Britain specializes in British painting from the 16th
century through modern times. This is people's art, with realistic paintings rooted in the cul-
ture, landscape, and stories of the British Isles.