SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATRE LONDON
In the shadow of Tate Modern, the half-timbered Globe, opened in 1997, sits just 200m from where the original burned down in 1613. Try to arrive in time for a tour of the theater itself, given on mornings during the performance season and 10am-5pm otherwise. Tours include the Rose Theatre, where both Shakespeare and Marlowe performed; not much of it is left. (Bankside. Tube: Southwark. Open May-Sept daily 9am-noon and l-4pm; Oct.-Apr. 10am-5pm. £8, students £6.50. See also 185.)
The giant HMS Belfast was used in the bombardment of Normandy during D-Day and then to support UN forces in Korea before graciously retiring in 1965. Kids love clambering over the decks and aiming the anti-aircraft guns. Dozens of narrow passages, steep staircases, and ladders make exploring the boat a physical challenge. (At the end of Morgans Ln. off Tooley SL Tube: London Bridge. Open Mar.-Oct. daily 10am-6pm; Nov.-Feb. 10am-5pm. £6, students and seniors £4.40.) The giant curved facade of County Hall, almost opposite the Houses of Parliament, houses two of London’s most-advertised sights, the London Aquarium and Dali Universe. (Westminster Bridge Rd. Tube: Westminster. Aquarium open daily 10am-6pm; last admission 5pm. £8.80, students £6.50. Dali open daily 10am-5:30pm. £8.50, students £7.50.) GiVinopolis is a Dionysian fantasy land offering patrons an interactive tour of the world’s wine regions. (1 Bank End. Tube: London Bridge. Open M and Sa Uam-9pm, Tu-F and Su llam-6pm. £11.50, seniors £10.50.) The London Dungeon is a grim tourist-trap whose most effective instrument of torture is the obscenely long queue. (28-34 Tooley St. Tube: London Bridge. Open mid-July to Aug. daily 10:30am-8pm; Apr. to mid-July and Sept.-0ct. 10:30am-5:30pm; Nov.-Mar. 10:30am-5pm. £11, students £9.50.)
