Walking into the Barbican Centre feels like stepping into a concrete fortress of culture. This brutalist behemoth, opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1982, dominates Silk Street with its imposing towers and walkways that seem to stretch endlessly above the City of London.

The building itself is fascinating – love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Those raw concrete surfaces and geometric lines make it look like something from a science fiction film. It's Grade II listed now, which says something about how architectural tastes have evolved. The whole complex was the City of London's gift to the nation, costing £161 million back then, and honestly, it shows in the sheer scale of everything.

What strikes you first is how vast it all is. Europe's largest performing arts centre, they claim, and wandering through those labyrinthine corridors, you believe it. The Barbican Centre houses multiple venues under one roof: the main Concert Hall where both the London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra are based, the Theatre that welcomed back the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2013, and The Pit for more intimate performances.

The programming is genuinely eclectic. You might catch a classical concert one evening and an experimental art exhibition the next day. Three cinemas show everything from arthouse films to blockbusters, while the conservatory – tucked away on the second floor – offers an unexpected tropical escape from London's grey streets.

Getting there is straightforward enough. Barbican, Farringdon, or Moorgate stations all work, though navigating the elevated walkways to actually find the entrance can be an adventure in itself. The signage has improved over the years, but it's still easy to get turned around among all that concrete.

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The restaurants and bars scattered throughout provide decent options, though they can get packed during intervals. The library is worth mentioning too – a proper refuge with floor-to-ceiling windows that somehow make the brutalist surroundings feel almost welcoming.

Whether you're here for a London Symphony Orchestra concert or browsing the latest contemporary art installation, the Barbican Centre delivers an experience that's uniquely intense. It's not pretty in any conventional sense, but it's undeniably powerful.