2 Best Sights in London, England

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.

Despite its medieval appearance, London's most famous bridge was actually built at the tail end of the Victorian era in the then-popular neo-Gothic style, first opening to traffic in 1894. With a latticed steel construction clad in Portland stone, the bridge is known for its enormous bascules—the 1,000-ton "arms" that open to allow ships taller than its normal 28-foot clearance to glide beneath. The steam-powered bascules were a marvel of Victorian engineering when they were created (you can still visit the Engine Rooms, now with explanatory films and interactive displays), and required 80 people to raise and lower. Initially, heavy river traffic meant this happened 20 to 30 times a day, but it's now reduced to a number of days per month, with greater frequency depending on the time of year (see the bridge's website for a schedule).

The family-friendly Tower Bridge Exhibition includes the ground-level Engine Room, displays in the North Tower documenting the bridge's history, access to the east and west walkways that run alongside the road between the turrets and provide views over the river and city, and for those untroubled by vertigo, a transparent walkway 138 feet up between the towers that lets you look down on the traffic or, if the bascules are raised, the ships below.