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Tower of London
The Tower of London is the most visited attraction and the historically most important site of London. For centuries this impressive building was not only used as a palace and fortress but also as a prison and place for executions. The tower goes back to William the Conqueror who built a wooden fort not only for security reasons but also to demonstrate his power. 11 years later the wood was replaced by stone. Visitors enter the area at the south west corner. The outside ring is the former oat, which is followed by the two mural rings with its towers. Highlight of a visit to the tower are the Waterloo Barracks where the Crown Jewels are kept. The sparkling and twinkling has an enormous and immeasurable value. Displayed are for example the St. Edward’s Crown which was created for Charles II. or the exuberantly jewelled Imperial State Crown which was worn by Queen Victoria on the day of her coronation. But there are no really old pieces as Oliver Cromwell had them confiscated and melted.
Opening times:
Mar – Oct: Mo – Sat 9 am – 6 pm, Sun 10 am – 6 pm
Nov – Feb: Tues – Sat 9 am – 5 pm, Sun – Mo 10 am – 5 pm
Entrance prices:
Adults £11.30, Concession £8.50, Children 5 -15 £7.50, Family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) £34.00
Tower Hill
EC3
London
Tel: +44 (0)171 7090765
Kensington Palace
This brick building in Jacobean style does not seem very pompous or elegant. Until the death of George II., Kensington Palace was used as the Royal city residence. Queen Anne had an Orangery established and Caroline von Ansbach, the wife of Georeg II. took care of the gardens. Only the State Apartments in the east wing of the palace are open to the public. Furthermore, the former private rooms of the queens Anne, Mary and Victoria can be visited. They are equipped with a lot of personal items of the previous inhabitants.
Opening times:
Wed – Sun 10 am – 3 pm
Kensington Gardens
W8
London
Tel: +44 (0)171 9379561
Big Ben
Big Ben is without doubt London’s the most famous landmark which symbolizes for many people the heartbeat of the city or even the symbol of British democracy. Actually, not the tower itself but only the 16t heavy bell of the tower was called Big Ben. Besides the Big Ben bell the tower has four other bells. Their famous glockenspiel goes back to the aria “I know that my Redeemer liveth” from George Friedrich Händels “Messias”.
Bridge Street
SW1
London
St. James’s Palace
The St. James’s Palace was built for Henry VIII. as hunting lodge close to his residence Whitehall Palace. More than 100 hectares of land were annexed to the palace; the today’s St James’s Park. The planning of the construction was in the hands of Hans Holbein d. J., who designed a brick building in Tudor style which was built in 1532. Today only the Gatehouse with its octagonal towers is intact. After the Palace of Whitehall was destroyed by a fire in 1698, the entire court moved into the St James’s Palace. For nearly 300 years the palace was the linchpin of the courtly life, until Queen Victoria moved to the Buckingham Palace. Today St. James’s is inhabited by members of the Royal Family and some relatives of the Royal bodyguards.
Victoria Memorial
The memorial is a tribute to the extraordinary Queen Victoria and the era she influenced and shaped. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb and presents itself as a luxurious and pompous ending of a boulevard. Its nickname “The Wedding Cake” comes from its shape, which was chiselled from a gigantic marble block on which thrones a 4.30 m high Queen Victoria. In the back of the Queen you have Buckingham Palace; in the front the memorial overlooks the Memorial Gardens and the Mall which is surrounded by allegoric figures that symbolize Victorian values such as bravery, endurance, truthfulness, justice and mercy. They are completed by the Bronze statues that stand for peace and progress, art and science, agriculture and industry as well as marine and army.
Buckingham Palace
Queen Victoria was the first Queen of England who moved into the Buckingham Palace in 1837. Since then the Palace is the city residence of the respective monarch whose presence is displayed by the Royal pennant. James I. originally had a garden for extraction of silk built. As the project failed, John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, had a simple brick building constructed which was bought by George II, for his wife Charlotte. The house was transformed into a palace whose construction cost vast sums of money. The palace consists of 600 rooms but the actual Queen and her husband inhabit only a 12 room suite in the north wing overlooking the Green Park. The Royals use a special entrance to get into the building. From April to June there is the daily “Changing of the Guards” at 11.30 am. From August to April this ceremony takes place only every second day. The Queen’s Gallery in the south wing of the palace is open for the public throughout the whole year. Here you can observe objects from the Queen’s rich private collection.
Tower Bridge
A Victorian bridge over the Thames with an amazing view over the city and the docklands. It was built between 1186 and 1894 after the drawings of Sir Horace Jones. It belongs to the most important landmarks of London. The iron bridge is covered with stone in order to become a unit with the close-by Tower of London. The bridge is a technical master piece, an enormous draw bridge consisting of two parts which can be opened within 90 seconds to let big ships pass. This sort of spectacle is today very rare. In the north tower the entrance to the “Tower Bridge Experience” is located, which displays the history of the bridge.
Opening times “Tower Bridge Experience”:
Apr – Oct: 10 am – 6.30
Nov – Mar: 9.30 am – 5.15 pm
The Monument
The biggest free-standing stone pillar reminds of the Fire of London in 1666. Four fifth of the city had been destroyed completely by the fire that started on the 2nd September 1666 and lasted for 4 days and 4 nights. More than 13.000 houses were burned down. The concept of the white Portland stone pillar goes back to Sir Christopher Wren, the Royal master builder. The height of 61,5 m corresponds to the exact place where the fire started. Over a staircase you can go the viewing balcony which presents an astonishing view over the city. The end of the pillar is marked by of 14 m high urn from which climbs up a golden ball of flames.
Marble Arch
This triumphal arch at the north east side of Hyde Park was constructed after a draft of John Nash and should resemble the Constantine’s Arch in Rome. Initially it was meant to be the entrance gate to Buckingham Palace. But when the constructions ended it was noticed that the passage was too small for the state cars. For this reason the Marble Arch was relocated in 1851 to its present place which used to be the position of the London Gallows.
Millennium Bridge
The best way to get from two prime sites: Christopher Wren's glorious St Paul's Cathedral to the impressive Tate Modern. Now the ''wobbling bridge'' has been made safe, it is worth walking across the Thames to admire the riverside views across the river. There are no charges for crossing the bridge.
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Monument
Tower of London
Kensington Palace
Big Ben
St. James’s Palace
Victoria Memorial
Buckingham Palace
Tower Bridge
The Monument 
Marble Arch
Millennium Bridge 
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