7 Best Sights in The City, London

When the Millennium Bridge, located roughly halfway between Blackfriars Bridge and Southwark Bridge, opened to much fanfare in 2000, it became the first new pedestrian bridge across the Thames in over a hundred years. Now the steel suspension bridge (officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge) has become one of the city's most popular sights. Cross from the south bank and you'll have a first-class view of the rounded beauty of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral fighting for space with the skyscrapers that surround it. Cross the river from the north side, and the epic sight of the Tate Modern and its towering chimney is the prize. Spend some time on the bridge itself by taking in the views and the water traffic up and down river, but don't forget to pay attention to its unique structure too. Between sunset and 2 am, it looks particularly beautiful thanks to its illumination by pulsing lights (eight other bridges up and down the river also join in for this light show). The bridge has also become known for its role in a particularly harrowing scene involving Death-Eaters in the sixth Harry Potter movie.

Originally founded in 1123 as part of an Augustinian monastery, this is one of the oldest churches in London and one of the city's few surviving Norman buildings. Although much of the church has been destroyed or demolished over the centuries, with restoration only beginning in the mid-19th century (it even saw use as a stable and a factory in the interim), it nevertheless remains perhaps the best preserved example of Romanesque architecture in London. Most notable are the 13th-century arch with a half-timbered gatehouse at the entrance and the fine Romanesque chancel, apse, and triforium at the east end of the interior. The artist William Hogarth was baptized in the font, which dates back to 1404. The redolent atmosphere has made it a favorite filming location, and you can see it in The Other Boleyn Girl, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Shakespeare in Love, to name just a few.

Since its establishment in 1694 as England's central bank, the role of the "Old Lady of Threadneedle Street" (a political cartoon caption that stuck) has grown to include managing foreign exchanges, issuing currency, storing the nation's gold reserves, and regulating the United Kingdom's banking system. Since 1997, it has had operational responsibility for Britain's monetary policy, most visibly setting interest rates (similar to the Federal Reserve in the United States).

The 3-acre site is enclosed in a massive, neoclassical curtain wall designed by Sir John Soane. This 1828 windowless outer wall is all that survives of Soane's original bank building, which was demolished in 1925. You can discover more about the bank's history in the surprisingly varied Bank of England Museum (the entrance is around the corner on Bartholomew Lane). In addition to the bank's original Royal Charter, there's a lively program of special exhibitions, plus interactive displays (you can even try your hand at controlling inflation). The most popular exhibit remains the solid-gold bar in the central trading hall that you can actually hold—but before you get any ideas, there's security everywhere.

For centuries, this building has been the administrative and ceremonial base of the Corporation of London, the world's oldest continuously elected municipal governing authority (the Corporation still oversees The City's civic administration but now in a more modern building). Built between 1411 and 1440, it is The City's only surviving secular medieval building, and although it lost roofs to both the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz of 1940, its Gothic Great Hall has remained intact. Adding to the Hall's period atmosphere are the colorful coats of arms and banners of the 110 city livery companies, descendants of medieval trade guilds, which still officially elect the Lord Mayor of London. These range from older companies originally formed by trades of yesteryear to new ones representing modern activities like information technology, along with several that remain eternally relevant (e.g., carpenters, upholsterers, and fishmongers).

The Hall has been the site of several historic trials, including that of the "Nine Days Queen" Lady Jane Grey in 1553 and the landmark Zong case (1783), which helped end Britain's involvement in the slave trade. Even more ancient are the 11th-century East and West Crypts, survivors of the original Saxon Hall and the largest remaining medieval crypts in London.

To the right of Guildhall Yard is the Guildhall Art Gallery, which includes portraits of notables, cityscapes, and a slightly cloying pre-Raphaelite section. The construction of the gallery in the 1980s led to the exciting discovery of London's only Roman amphitheater, which had lain undisturbed for more than 1,800 years. Visitors can walk through the excavation, although most of the artifacts are in storage, set to be displayed at the Museum of London, which will reopen in 2026. There are monthly 75-minute guided tours on select Thursdays when the city council meets at 10:45 am (advance booking required); check the website for dates.

Visitors are allowed into the public galleries of the 16 courtrooms at London's Central Criminal Court (universally known as "the Old Bailey," a reference to the street where it's located, which follows the line of the original fortified city wall, or "bailey" in Middle English). Historically it has been the venue for many of Britain's most famous criminal trials. It was here that Oscar Wilde was condemned for "gross indecency" in 1895, where notorious gangsters and murderers like the Kray twins in the 1960s and the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1980s were convicted, and, more recently, where high-profile terrorism cases have been tried.

Originally the site of a medieval courthouse destroyed in the Great Fire, a courthouse was built here next to the grim Newgate Prison, the poor man's version of the Tower, in 1673. The building went through two more incarnations before the present Edwardian baroque building opened in 1907 (it was rebuilt again after the Blitz). Until 1868, executions were held on the street outside (a great public attraction), and you can still see the "Dead Man's Walk" along which condemned prisoners were taken from their cells to the gallows under a series of ever-narrowing arches. Note the 12-foot gold-leaf statue of Lady Justice at the top of the dome, not wearing a blindfold as she is usually portrayed.

Visitors are only allowed access to the public galleries to view trials; there is no visitor access to the rest of the building. Trials take place from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 4:30 pm. There are security restrictions, and children under 14 and overly casual dress are not allowed.

Located just off Fleet Street in the city's former epicenter of English print and newspapers, St. Bride's is known as "the journalists' church," and indeed a small altar in the north aisle marks a memorial dedicated to the sadly ever-growing list of reporters, photographers, and crew who have lost their lives covering 21st-century conflicts. St. Bride's is another of Sir Christopher Wren's English baroque gems, built nine years after the Great Fire of 1666. The distinctively tiered steeple, Wren's highest, for which Benjamin Franklin designed a lightning rod, allegedly inspired a baker parishioner to make a similarly shaped tiered cake for his own wedding, thus creating the modern wedding cake design.

This is thought to be the eighth church on the site (there's still a medieval chapel in the northeast corner), with the first one built during the seventh century. Evidence for this, along with a section of a Roman mosaic sidewalk, was discovered in the crypt, where you can now see the many archaeological finds unearthed from the thousands of coffins there. Guided tours can be arranged in advance; the church also hosts regular free lunchtime concert recitals.

Founded around 1080 as the Archbishop of Canterbury's London seat, this church is a survivor; it collapsed and was rebuilt three times before being completely destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. Once again, Sir Christopher Wren was called in, creating a new building that was completed in 1673, but sadly this, too, was destroyed, during the Blitz. The version you see today is a re-creation of Wren's design that was reconsecrated in 1965. According to tradition, only Londoners born within earshot of the church's famous "Bow Bells" (which used to echo more widely than they do now) can be considered true Cockneys, a concept that may date back to the 9 pm curfew bells rung during the 14th century.

The Norman crypt is the oldest parochial building in London still in use, and you can see the bow-shaped arches from which the church takes its name. The garden contains a statue of former parishioner Captain John Smith, the founder of the Virginia Colony. Opening times on weekends and holidays are irregular, so calling ahead is advised. Guided tours are available by arrangement. Classical music concerts are held here regularly; check the website for listings.