Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London, lit up at dusk and seen from the Albert Memorial across the road. That glowing terracotta drum holds one of the most recognizable rooms in music: a vast oval of boxes and galleries stacked around the stage. It opened in 1871, and the Proms have filled it every summer since 1941, when the festival moved in after its old home was lost in wartime bombing. Rock history lives here too: Cream played their farewell concert on this stage on November 26, 1968. For a first visit, a Prom with a standing ticket in the arena puts you closest to the orchestra for very little money.