Galata Tower - Istanbul, Turkey

Galata (in Turkish Galata) is a neighborhood in the district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on the north shore of Golden Horn, separate from the historical peninsula of ancient Constantinople. There are several bridges across the Golden Horn, including Galata. Galata was a colony of the Republic of Genoa between 1273 and 1453. The famous Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348 in the northern part of the high citadel.

Etymology:
There are various theories about the origin of the name Galata. According to the Italians, the name comes from Calata (meaning 'down'), because it is sloping towards the sea from a hill. The Greeks believed that the name comes from Galaktos (which means' milk '), because the pastors were using the area during the Middle Ages, or the word Galata (which means "Celtic"), because it was believed that the Celtic tribe of Galatians camped here during the Hellenistic period before settling in Galatia in central Anatolia. The inhabitants of Galatia are famous for the Epistle to the Galatians and the statue Gálata moribund.

This tower of 61 m in height that rises above the hill of Galata is seen almost throughout the city, one of the reasons that your visit is essential to its magnificent view of the city, the tower is built over a hill overlooking the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. Andalusia lookout tower can be reached by 143 stairs or elevator. From this lookout you can admire a panorama of the city, which is known from the V century in this same place had a tower, but the Galata Tower was built by the Genoese to 1348, as a great bastion of the walled enclosure to be protected of possible attacks by the Byzantines. Genoese called "Tower of Christ," reaches a height of about 140m from sea level and 9 m in diameter on the inside.

The tower, during the Ottoman period, was used as a prison to incarcerate prisoners of war, was also used as an observatory. After the end of the Ottoman period, became the vantage point of monitoring of fires.

CN Tower - Toronto, Canada

The CN Tower is Toronto's tallest and most defining landmark. Photos of Toronto are often defined by the building stretching more than 550 metres into the sky.

The CN Tower was originally built to solve communications problems caused by the skyscrapers dotting Toronto's landscape in the '70s. The new buildings towered over past transmission towers and caused poor reception for televisions and radios in the city. So work began on a tower to stand above all of Toronto's skyscrapers and serve as the centre of telecommunications in this ever growing city. In June of 1976, after 40 months of construction the CN Tower was complete.

Today, aside from serving as a hub for telecommunications across the city the CN Tower has become major tourist destination. Visitors can test their courage by walking across the glass floor 113 stories above the ground. The first of its kind in the world, the glass floor give you that dare to walk on air experience, with only 2 ½ inches of glass holding you 342m in the air. The glass floor is actually stronger than most commercial floors and has the strength to hold 38,556 kg (85,000 lbs) or 14 hippos! Or if you dare, travel higher up the tower to the Sky Pod another 33 storeys above ground.

The tower's revolving 360 Restaurant offers an award winning wine list and spectacular view for any romantic evening. If you're not wild about heights, at the base of the tower, a fully licensed fresh market café that serves an array of international foods and there is plenty to shop for in the 10 000 sq. foot Marketplace.

If the glass floor isn't enough excitement for you, hit the Arcade or HIMALAMAZOM motion theatre ride (must be 107cm (42 inches) tall to ride). The Maple Leaf Cinema also plays a 15 minute film on the construction of the tower 30 years ago.

Petronas Twin Towers - KL, Malaysia

The Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from April 15th, 1996 until October 17th, 2003 when Taipei 101 (Financial Center) was topped out at 508m (1676ft). Completed in 1997, the Twin Towers are a striking glass-and-steel combination with floor plans based on an eight-pointed star. The Towers were designed to symbolize strength and grace using geometric principles typified in Islamic architecture. The towers are also joined at the 41st and 42nd floors (175m above street level) by a 192ft-long (58.4m) double-decker skybridge - linking the two sky lobbies and facilitating the movement between the two towers. Inside the 6-storey tower retail podium, music lovers will have access to an 864-seat concert hall (the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas) - a venue of architectural and acoustic distinction), an interactive petroleum discovery center (PETROSAINS) will be made ready for science buffs and an art gallery.