Address: Silk St, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom
Phone: +442078702500
Rating: 4.6
based on 588 reviews.
Accessibility
Pros:
"Easy to get into the main area from the main entrance, and to leave. Areas are well signposted, lifts easily available and little waiting."
"There are restaurants, bars, coffee shops, accessible toilets, accessible entrances, accessible parking facilities, smoking areas, plenty parking, good public transport connections, good variety of events, good atmosphere for kids."
"Wheelchair friendly throughout."
"I am a wheelchair user and the staff were very friendly and helpful in helping us get to our seats within the theatre."
"Cycle docking stations are also easily accessible too."
"Easy parking in blue badge level 5."
"Parking pre-booked was FREE for Blue Badge holders & our assigned spot a stairless < 100m. from the entrance."
Cons:
"Large, tricky to navigate."
"There are lots of slopes from one section to another which can be difficult in a wheelchair as they're at odd and harsh angles."
"It was tricky as a first timer to find out how to get inside the building as it felt like kind of a weird maze with twists and turns!"
"A lot of people stuck with situation where they use stairs to save some time waiting for the lifts only to find out a locked door for all venues."
"This is NOT a place to visit after dark. The signage is so poor and the possible routes out so many."
"The Barbican is a poorly signposted maze of ups/downs/turns/ dead ends that cause needless frustrations and problems."
"It's easy to get to this place, but once inside, it has got to be the worst place to navigate that I have ever been in."
Facilities
Pros:
"Facilities are all in good condition and easy enough to navigate."
"The facilities are well maintained."
"The main areas are well maintained and kept clean."
"Toilets were clean and plentiful."
"The center attendants are efficient and proactive in their duties. Amenities and hall was well equipped and functional."
"The venue had all the expected facilities e.g. suitable toilets, refreshment pods and scenic positions for photos and gown changes."
"One thing I absolutely love is the toilet. Odd I know, but the sink, hand dryer and everything you need are all within the cubicle."
Cons:
"The announcements are muffled, there is a lack of seating for pre-show time."
"Barbican Facilities r Horrible... Ladies wc very long line Before, interval & after!!!"
"1st floor wc are even worst then Last month!!! = 1st wc CLOSED, DISSABLE WC CLOSED, available only 7x cubicals 4 the whole 1st floor..."
"All the washrooms on the upper levels were out of order."
"Cloakroom service not great, your bags will be put on the bare floor (pretty disgusting)."
"Bathrooms collapsed and the venue did not have restaurants, apparently they were out of service."
"Too many toilets out of order for a week+."
Staff and Service
Pros:
"The staff were welcoming and helpful."
"The boxoffice staff who absolutely went above and beyond to help me solve a ticketing situation."
"The staff are super polite and helpful."
"Bar staff and ushers all super helpful."
"Lovely friendly helpful staff."
"The staff for the Noguchi exhibition were in good spirits and were polite and very helpful."
"The staff are helpful and friendly."
Cons:
"Not very nice way of Barbican staff sorting = in fact not sorting this out."
"Iconic, sprawling venue teeming with culture. Lots of disinterested, unhelpful young staff, bordering on rude."
"Staff again were clueless and couldn't care less."
"Every single staff member was completely uninformed about everything."
"The young woman didn't notice me as she was too busy tapping on her phone."
"The staff were insistent they had been contacted everyone with a booking - and rudely so - which was not the case."
"Lots of disinterested, unhelpful young staff, bordering on rude."
Architecture and Design
Pros:
"Like most people, I have mixed feelings about brutalist architecture, but the Barbican is a great example of how the modernist dream can work."
"It is such an impressive place. The mix between concrete and nature, the details, the attention for every building and its purpose is even more impressive."
"The architecture in the place it’s also super impressive and never fails to please with the aesthetic."
"The architecture of the building is also unique and interesting."
"It’s always a pleasure to visit this brutalist masterpiece and wander around the lake or the conservatory."
"A masterpiece of brutalism, a utopia of a city within a city."
"A truly wonderful piece of Brutalist architecture."
Cons:
"The Barbican is a poorly signposted maze of ups/downs/turns/ dead ends that cause needless frustrations and problems."
"It’s really worth a visit if you have any interest in 'extinct' architectural styles."
"The concrete facade; the confusing and almost kisch interior, not to mention the incongruity of the surroundings, makes this place feel fairly surreal."
"The Barbican itself is not user-friendly."
"Much like the upper-class housing estate which makes-up it's purpose for being, it seems to serve a narrow few at the expense of a wider and more inclusive London."
"Unfortunately, it is starting to look a bit shabby and tired and in need of a good injection of money."
"An old venue which is still ok but a bit outdated now."
Value and Pricing
Pros:
"Always a wonderful range of free and paid exhibitions at the Barbican."
"There is restaurant and bar also here, with reasonable prices and great selection of neebles and food."
"These were quite pricey (£4.20), but it's London."
Cons:
"Parking was previously 4 evenings flat r8 9£ = now its 11£!!! = very expensive 4 only 2.5 hours!!!"
"The gift shop was very expensive!"
"Aperol Spritz+ Pint of awful Pale Ale + 1 bag of crisps more than 16 quid."
"Only negative was the price of a G&T but then you expect to pay top whack in London."
"The centre could perhaps do with better, less extortionate coffee/food."
"Parking is nearby though is very expensive."
"We were gifted a membership for 2021, which we used once or twice (not great value)."