St Paul's Cathedral

The passing of three centuries has done nothing to diminish the magnificence of St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's masterpiece and London's most famous cathedral. In the last decade, a £40 million restoration project has painstakingly removed most of the Victorian grime from the walls and the extravagant main façade looks as brilliant today as it must have when the first stone was placed in 1708. The vast open space of the interior contains memorials to national heroes such as Wellington, Lawrence of Arabia, John Donne, Alexander Fleming and William Blake. Highlights of St John's Cathedral include the Whispering Gallery with its famously good acoustics and the Golden Gallery with its giddying views come here to orient yourself for sightseeing. As well as tours of the main cathedral and self-guided audio tours (£3.50, £3 reductions), you can join special tours of the Triforium -visiting the library and Wren's 'Great Model' (booking required).