Capital of the United Kingdom on the River Thames, spread over 32 boroughs and the City of London. Most major national museums are free, and the Tube, buses and river boats link the centre to villages such as Greenwich and Hampstead.
Must-see
The sights to fit in even on a short trip.
- 01Tower of London
- 02Westminster Abbey
- 03Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster)
- 04British Museum
- 05Buckingham Palace
- 06St Paul's Cathedral
- 07Tower Bridge
- 08National Gallery
History & museums 36
- National Gallery
- The Wallace Collection
- Tower Bridge
- British Museum
- Hampton Court Palace
- Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster)
- Imperial War Museum London
- National Portrait Gallery
- Sir John Soane's Museum
- St Paul's Cathedral
- Tate Britain
- The Courtauld Gallery
- Tower of London
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Churchill War Rooms
- London Museum Docklands
- Natural History Museum
- Science Museum
- Westminster Abbey
- Buckingham Palace
- Kensington Palace
- Tate Modern
- Benjamin Franklin House
- Bevis Marks Synagogue
- Charles Dickens Museum
- Dr Johnson's House
- Foundling Museum
- HMS Belfast
- Hunterian Museum
- Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
- Royal Observatory Greenwich
- Shakespeare's Globe
- St Bartholomew-the-Great
- St Etheldreda's Church
- Temple Church
- Wesley's Chapel and John Wesley's House
Where to eat 54
- BAO Soho
- Pizza Pilgrims (Kingly Street)
- Sonora Taqueria
- Bleecker Burger (Soho)
- Dishoom (Covent Garden)
- Golden Chippy
- Padella (Borough Market)
- Regency Cafe
- Borough Market
- Camden Market
- Kricket (Soho)
- Leather Lane Market
- Maltby Street Market (Ropewalk)
- Mercato Metropolitano
- Rules
- Song Que Cafe
- The Guinea Grill
- The Harwood Arms
- The Quality Chop House
- Barrafina (Dean Street)
- Broadway Market
- Bun House
- Master Wei
- Masters Superfish
- Netil Market
- Roti King
- Seven Dials Market
- Southbank Centre Food Market
- St. JOHN (Smithfield)
- The Fryer's Delight
- Beigel Bake
- Gymkhana
- Seoul Bakery
- Silk Road
- Berwick Street Market
- Koya
- The Golden Hind
- Three Uncles (Liverpool Street)
- Pastaio
- Poppies Fish & Chips (Soho)
- Tayyabs
- Brat
- Cafe Deco
- Chinese Tapas House
- Dim Sum Duck
- Govinda's
- Honest Burgers (Covent Garden)
- Kiln
- Lanzhou Noodle Bar
- M. Manze (Tower Bridge Road)
- Mangal Ocakbasi
- Scotti's Snack Bar
- Simpson's in the Strand
- Wong Kei
Night out 24
- Ronnie Scott's
- Satan's Whiskers
- Ye Olde Mitre
- Nightjar
- Sky Garden
- The Connaught Bar
- The Harp
- Frank's Cafe
- Jazz Cafe
- The French House
- Village Underground
- Seabird
- Tayer + Elementary
- Corsica Studios
- Phonox
- Ministry of Sound
- 100 Club
- Bar Italia
- Coach & Horses
- fabric
- Le Beaujolais
- Scarfes Bar
- The Cockpit
- Union Chapel
Locals only 23
- E. Pellicci
- Grant Museum of Zoology
- God's Own Junkyard
- Kyoto Garden (Holland Park)
- St Dunstan in the East
- The Mayflower
- Columbia Road Flower Market
- Horniman Museum and Gardens
- Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
- Postman's Park
- Barbican Conservatory
- Dennis Severs' House
- Brunel Museum
- Indian YMCA
- Leighton House
- Maison Bertaux
- Nunhead Cemetery
- Panadera Soho
- Parkland Walk
- Rochelle Canteen
- The Hill Garden and Pergola
- Walthamstow Wetlands
- Wilton's Music Hall
Walking routes 7
- 01South Bank: Westminster to Tower BridgeThe riverside Queen's Walk on the south bank, passing the big sights with food stops at the Southbank Centre and Borough Market.
- 02City of London: St Paul's to the Tower via hidden cornersWren churches, Roman and medieval remnants and quiet gardens in the Square Mile, ending at the Tower.
- 03Regent's Canal: Little Venice to King's CrossFlat towpath walk past narrowboats, the edge of London Zoo and Camden Lock to the regenerated Granary Square.
- 04East End: Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Columbia RoadGeorgian Huguenot streets, markets, bagels and street art between Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green.
- 05Hampstead Heath: Parliament Hill to KenwoodHilly heathland walk with the best free skyline view in London, a Robert Adam house and a hidden pergola.
- 06Greenwich: foot tunnel to the MeridianWalk under the Thames, past the Cutty Sark and Wren's naval college, up the hill to the Royal Observatory.
- 07Royal Westminster: Trafalgar Square to Buckingham PalaceCeremonial London in a short loop: Whitehall, Horse Guards, Westminster Abbey and St James's Park.