St Paul's Cathedral

Su interior es precioso, realmente tiene algo especial.

Pagas la entrada y puedes recorrer la iglesia tranquilamente, lo que si por dentro no te dejan hacer fotos, si en las cupulas que dan al exterior pero dentro nada de nada.

Subir a la cupula es un camino para el que uno debe de estar preparado, me gustaria haber sabido que era bastante complicado por decirlo de alguna forma.

Para llegar a la primera cupula, son un monton de escaleras va todo en caracol el espacio no es muy ancho y las escaleras son de piedra, realmente acabas cansando, todos los que ibamos subiendo ibamos con la legua de fuera, pero las vistas desde arriba merecen la pena, puedes estar el tiempo que quieras.

Llegar a la cupula de arriba de todo es otra historia, son escaleras de caracol metalicas abiertas, es decir ves lo que hay hacia abajo, yo no me considero una persona con vertigo, si tengo respeto a las alturas y puedo decir que lo pase un poco mal, la cupula de arriba es solo de paso, pararte puedes poco porque es muy estrecha de la pared al muro del borde hay poco espacio como mucho puedes pegarte a la pared y dejar que pase la gente por delante de ti.

Many who go to England go to Westminster Abbey and Canterbery Cathedral but they forget or overlook one of the best religious sites in Britian. St. Paul's is well known to many children because of Mary Poppins and so there are many tourists who travel there to "feed the birds" but fair warning I have be lectured by Londoners and policemen to NOT feed the pigeons but sometimes people sell bird seed. Once inside you should of course climb to the Whispering Gallery and try to discover the auditory tricks! You can of course continue up and out for a panoramic view of London both breathtaking for its beauty but also for the tiring climb-Do Not try unless your in decent shape. You can climb to the very top but don't forget to take great pictures of the view! When you get back to ground do not forget to go below and see the sights. Above all make sure to find the painting, "The Light of the World"; a beautiful work by William Hollman Hunt. Three versions were painted and the largest is the one in St. Paul's Cathedral. The brillant architect Sir Christopher Wren is buried down in the crypt. One of my favorite stops in London make sure you take the time to visit!

I visited St. Paul's twice during my trip to London. The first was a self-guided/audio tour of the cathedral proper, the second was as part of "The Blitz" tour from London Walks. As a first time visitor to London I was aware that this is one of the many "must-sees" during the trip. My thoughts:

History: Anyone interested in history will find plenty of it here. This was the site of Churchill's funeral and Charles and Diana's wedding. The cathedral also plays an almost spiritual role in WWII. The crypt below contains a virtual "who's-who" of British history, among them Lord Nelson, Lawrence of Arabia, and Florence Nightengale.

Whispering Gallery: Anyone traveling with children might find this of interest, you can hear whispers across the dome due to its unusual acoustics. It might be the highlight of the trip for an 8-year-old!

Climb to the Top: Worth it for spectacular views of London. If I recall correctly they do charge a bit extra for this but it's worth it.

Cost: Sure it may be a little more than others in London (~20$), but you're visiting one of the world's most famous places of worship in one of the world's most interesting cities. (I would imagine the heating bill is a little on the pricey side as well ;)

Worth a visit even for the most cursory of travellers.

Etc.: As an aside, I would agree with the no-camera policy which allows visitors to enjoy the cathedral while not being interrupted.