London 🇬🇧 Full Tourist Video Guide

London is steeped in over 2,000 years of history, and many of the capital's longest-standing traditions are still very much alive. Head to her palaces, courtyards and castles for ceremonies embedded in history. A number of annual parades regularly enliven the capital's most ancient sites, from Trooping the Colour to the State Opening of Parliament. The Queen's Guard usually consists of foot guards in their full-dress uniform of red tunics and bare-skin hats. If they have operational commitments, other infantry units take part instead. The handover is accompanied by a Guards Band, which plays music ranging from traditional military marches, to songs from films and musicals, and even familiar pop songs. For nearly 200 years, Buckingham has been the seat of the British monarchy. The building is a symbol of power and tradition, a source of national pride, and a place of gathering during times of joy and grief. Situated right in front of Buckingham Palace, this large memorial was built in honour of Queen Victoria, who reigned for almost 64 years. The statue was carved from a massive block of solid marble, with figures representing truth, peace, constancy and motherhood. Today, the Palace's rooms are used by the Queen and members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain their guests on official state and ceremonial occasions. During the months of August and September, when the Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace's 19 state rooms are open to visitors. Set in the heart of Royal London at Hyde Park Corner, Wellington Arch is a landmark for Londoners and visitors. Originally commissioned as a grand outer entrance to Buckingham Palace, it was moved to its present site in 1882. Take the lift to the balconies just below the spectacular bronze sculptures surmounting the arch, for glorious panoramas over London's Royal Parks, the Royal Artillery Memorial and their sculptures. The Wellington statue commemorates the soldier and Prime Minister, as well as Britain's victories in the Napoleonic Wars. War memorials are a familiar sight in the British landscape. They provide insight into not only the changing face of commemoration, but also military history, social history and art history. The Guards Memorial, Horse Guard Parade commemorates all those members of the Household Division who died in the Second World War and in the service of their country since 1918. St. James's Park, the oldest Royal Park in London, is surrounded by three palaces. Walking the elegant paths of St. James Park today, it is hard to imagine that pigs once grazed here. But 470 years ago, the St. James area was known mainly for its farms, woods and a hospital for women lepers. The park was transformed after Charles II became King in 1660. During his exile in France after the English Civil War, he had been impressed by the elaborate gardens belonging to the French royal family. When Charles returned home, he ordered the redesign of St. James Park. The new park featured a straight canal, lined on each side with avenues of trees. The Hyde Park corner screen sits on a separate traffic island between Piccadilly Arcade and Hyde Park. It is a 33-meter-wide gate with three arches connected by an ionic colonnade. The gate was designed in 1825 by Decimus Burton as an entrance to Hyde Park. Covering over 142 hectares, Hyde Park offers one of London's finest landscapes. About 900 years ago, the area belonged to the monks of Westminster Abbey. Many of the striking features visitors see today in Hyde Park were created in the 18th century by a keen royal gardener, Queen Caroline. She took almost 121 hectares from Hyde Park to form Kensington Gardens and then separated the two parks with a long ditch. Queen Caroline also established a new landscape fashion when she created a large lake called the Serpentine by damming the Westbourne Stream. At that time, artificial lakes were usually long and straight. One of the first created lakes in England that was designed to look natural, it was soon copied in parks and gardens all over the country. It would also serve as the centrepiece of festivities in 1814, celebrating the British victory at the Sea Battle of Trafalgar. Hyde Park offers a range of leisure activities, from informal games of frisbee to boating on the Serpentine and horse riding. Influenced by a series of 13th century Eleanor Crosses and other statues in Edinburgh and Manchester, the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens is one of the grandest High Victorian Gothic extravaganzas anywhere. It celebrates Victorian achievement, as well as Prince Albert's passions and interests. All around the base of the memorial, the Parnassus frieze depicts celebrated painters, poets, sculptors, musicians and architects, reflecting Albert's enthusiasm for the arts. Marble figures representing Europe, Asia, Africa and America stand at each corner of the memorial. Royal Albert Hall, part of the National Memorial to Prince Albert, is now one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. The design of the building, constructed of red brick and terracotta, recalls the amphitheatres the Prince had seen on his visits to Europe. Baker Street is often associated with the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at 221B Baker Street, an address that does not actually exist. Named after its builder, William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century, it is located in the Marylebone district of the city of Westminster. With over 2 million visitors a year, Madame Tussauds is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Baker Street. Madame Tussauds is a wax museum with an incredible and morbid history. Her illustrious career began in the 18th century, when she started taking death masks of prisoners about to be executed. Her work eventually progressed to wax models of celebrities and notables. Every stretch of the Thames River that runs through central London has a tale to tell. Palaces, docks, cathedrals and churches, great bridges, theatres and museums all jostle for attention. One can spend many happy days here exploring the city's rich past, either on foot or by boat. London Bridge was originally the only permanent crossing over the Thames. As London grew, more bridges were added, although these were all built to the west of London Bridge, as the area east of London Bridge had become a busy port. It took eight years, five major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge. Two massive piers were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction, and over 11,000 tonnes of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways. This framework was clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a more pleasing appearance. When it was built, Tower Bridge was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed. Bascule comes from the French for seesaw. These bascules were operated by hydraulics, using steam to power the enormous pumping engines. Today, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam. The River Thames is Great Britain's second longest river. For most of its length, it is traversed by bridges both small and large, which carry motorised transport, walkers and cyclists from one of its banks to the other. Bridges in London are not just points of commuting, but also great examples of English architectural styles and development. A Thames River cruise is without doubt one of the best ways to see London. Experience the sights and splendour of this great city while sitting on an open upper deck. The London Eye, sometimes referred to as the Millennium Wheel, offers patrons one of the best views of the City of London. Officially opened by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium, the London Eye is the largest effort on the part of the British government to offer a vantage point for views of the city. The London Eye Millennium Wheel has quickly become a popular tourist attraction in London, with about 2 million visitors per year. The designers of the London Eye Ferris Wheel took inspiration from such mammoth viewing structures as the Statue of Liberty. The London Eye Ferris Wheel stands at an impressive 135 metres above the South Thames Riverbank. It was assembled by floating sections of the Thames on barges, connecting the sections on flat pontoons, and then raising the entire eye slowly to an upright position using cranes. Famous around the world for keeping impeccable time, the Big Ben clock tower became fully operational in 1859. The name Big Ben actually refers to the bell housed within the tower. The bell itself weighs almost 14 tonnes and takes its name from the man who first ordered the bell, Sir Benjamin Hall. Soaring 96 metres high, the clock tower also houses a large four-faced clock designed by Augustus Pugin. The British Parliament and most of the legislative processes in Britain take place at the stunning Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster. The building is home to both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Situated on the northern banks of the Thames, it is a most unmistakable sight. The Victoria Tower, Central Tower and Clock Tower rise high above the other perpendicular Gothic-style rectilinear towers and pointed arches. The magnificent Gothic Revival masterpiece we see today was built between 1840 and 1888, the work of Charles Barry. The Palace is one of the biggest Parliament Houses in the world. It contains 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, over 3 kilometres of corridors. Most of it dates back to 1834 following a fire that burned down the earlier building. The Palace of Westminster is located on the north bank of the River Thames, though due to a bend in that section of the river, it is on the west side of the Thames. Along the whole length of the building, at ground level parallel to the river, is a roadway leading into several courtyards, with a further line of courts on the west side. In its initial role as a royal residence during the Middle Ages, the positioning of the Palace of Westminster on the north bank of the Thames was considered to be of strategic importance. Now the Houses of Parliament are not only the epicentre of political life in the United Kingdom, but one of the most popular tourist attractions as well. Located next to the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London, Westminster Abbey is a must-see for any visitor to London. With its oldest parts dating to the year 1050, the Abbey contains some of the most glorious medieval architecture in London. Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the 10th century, establishing a tradition of daily worship that continues to this day. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066, as well as the final resting place of 17 monarchs. According to tradition, a shrine was first founded here in 616, on a site then known as Thorny Island. It was said to have been miraculously consecrated after fishermen on the River Thames saw a vision of St. Peter. Westminster Abbey has always enjoyed close links with the monarchy, not least in its unbroken role as a coronation church. Kings and queens have also been significant benefactors of the Abbey. Westminster Abbey, or, to use its formal name, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, is a Royal Peculiar. This means that it is a free chapel of the Sovereign, exempt from any ecclesiastical jurisdiction other than that of the Sovereign. Royal Peculiars originated in Anglo-Saxon times, and developed as a result of the unique relationship between the Norman and Planagianic kings and the English church. The interior is a veritable museum of English history. A monument to Isaac Newton stands against the choir screen, to the north of the entrance to the choir. The monument in white and grey marble bears a Latin inscription and supports a sarcophagus with large scroll feet and a relief panel. The Abbey has the highest Gothic vault in England, which was made to seem even higher by making the aisles narrow. The Englishness is also apparent in the elaborate mouldings of the main arches, the lavish use of polished Purbeck marble for the columns, and the overall sculptural decoration. The sanctuary is the heart of the Abbey, where the high altar stands. The altar and reredos above it were designed by Sir Scott, while the Last Supper mosaic is the work of Antonio Salviati. It is in the present choir in Victorian Gothic style that twenty-two boys and twelve lay vicars sing the daily services. The chapel screens and tombs add to the Abbey's display of colour. The glory of the Lady Chapel is its delicately carved fan-vaulted roof with hanging pendants, constructed on half-concealed transverse arches. This early English Gothic Abbey is one of the greatest examples of ecclesiastical architecture on earth. But it's far more than that. It is the shrine of a nation, and the place in which most of its rulers were crowned, and where many lie buried. Standing as it does between Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and commonly called the Parish Church or the House of Commons, St Margaret's Church has witnessed many important events in the life of England. St Margaret's Church was built in the latter part of the 11th century. The church was dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, about whom little is known, though her cult was extremely popular in the Middle Ages. The east window, reredos and altar in the chancel are remarkable features of the church's interior. The altar and the candlesticks were designed by Peter Foster, who was in charge of the restoration of the church from 1984 to 1992. The present building is a plain, neat and elegant Gothic structure with a panelled, slightly curved roof. The church is notable particularly for the Flemish stained glass in the east window, a gift of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. The present organ was installed by J. W. Walker in 1897, while the elaborately decorated late 19th century pulpit commemorates Thomas Britton Vacher. In Europe, the art of stained glass window making reached an apex in the Middle Ages, when great churches and cathedrals rose all over Europe, ablaze with the colour of stained glass. St Margaret's Church was founded in the 12th century by the Benedictine monks of the newly founded Monastery of St Peter, who were disturbed by the people who came to hear Mass at the Abbey. Trafalgar Square's 200-year history has been one of constant change, as the original layout has been modified and updated many times. At the northeast corner is the St Martin-in-the-Fields Parish Church, with a large white steeple. The church would become a model for many churches, especially in the United States. In 1812, the architect John Nash set about developing a new concept for the space as part of his improvement plans for London. He wanted to develop a new street from Charing Cross to Portland Place, forming an open square in the King's Mews opposite Charing Cross. It was destined to be a cultural space, open to the public, and in 1830 it was officially named Trafalgar Square. The fountains were added in 1845, while the mermaids, dolphins and tritons, which are male figures with tails like fish, were installed later. Four bronze lions made from recycled cannons from the defeated French fleet can be found in the center of the square near Nelson's Column. One of the most prominent structures in London's Trafalgar Square is Nelson's Column. The Corinthian Column is approximately 52 meters high, including the base. Trafalgar Square is a site of significant historic importance, and its monuments and statues also have individual heritage classifications. The Strand was originally just a little muddy track in London that ran east along the Thames, but by the early 16th century the well-to-do had settled in and built mansions down to the bank. The Strand soon became one of the most important streets in London, exactly halfway between the Twin Seats of Power in Whitehall and the city. It was soon filled with coffee shops and drinking establishments, spreading news and gossip to the masses. Their style may be pure 13th century, but the Royal Courts of Justice were actually designed by George Edmund Street in the 1870s. The eleven architects competing for the contract for the law courts each submitted alternative designs, with the view of the possible placing of the building on the Thames Embankment. The present site was chosen only after much debate. St. Paul's Cathedral is so much a part of the English character and heritage, and such a symbol of the City of London, that extraordinary efforts were taken to save it during the blitz bombings of World War II. The impressive façade consists of a large portico and pediment with a relief on the tympanum depicting the conversion of Paul. The statue of Queen Anne in Carrara marble that stands outside the west front depicts a monarch who ruled England at the time the cathedral was finally finished in 1710. The current cathedral, the fourth to occupy this site, was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Its architectural and artistic importance reflect the determination of the five monarchs who oversaw its building that London's leading church should be as beautiful and imposing as their private palaces. The dome reaches a height of 111 metres and weighs about 66,000 tonnes. Eight arches support the dome. Over the centuries, St. Paul's has changed to reflect shifting tastes and attitudes. Today, the history of the nation is written in the carved stone of its pillars and arches, and is celebrated in its works of art and monuments. In the heart of central London's busiest shopping district lies Oxford Street, which runs from Marble Arch to St. Giles Circus, crossing Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road on the way. The street's present name comes from the Earl of Oxford, who in the 18th century bought up much of the surrounding land in order to develop it. This development continued until the early 20th century and resulted in the thriving shopping area we see today. London's landscape presents a wide variety of architectural styles imposed by changes in fashion, the rapid expansion of its population, and two major destructions of the city. The large-scale redevelopment of London since the war has created the typical atmosphere that welcomes visitors today. London is a large and busy city that needs an extensive public transport system to ferry its inhabitants around the urban area. London's distinctive buses and black taxis have been part of the urban fabric for over 100 years. The London Underground, or the Tube as Londoners call it, is normally the quickest and easiest way of getting around the city. With 275 stations conveniently dotted across the city, you are never far from a tube station. Piccadilly Circus is not only a road junction but also one of the most popular tourist attractions in London. The prime location of this bustling London neighbourhood on the west side of the city of Westminster adds to the widespread notoriety of this particular attraction. Even those who have not visited the city have likely heard the words Piccadilly Circus. The West End of London has been a vibrant centre for culture, entertainment and the arts for some time, and the areas of Regent Street and Piccadilly Street are no exceptions. The red telephone box created by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott has long been considered a design icon, one of those items that instantly marks the nation's identity to overseas visitors. Constructed to improve accessibility in central London in the 1880s, Shaftesbury Avenue might be a new kid on the block of London's streetscape, but it still has a strange and marvellous tale to tell. Shaftesbury Avenue is a patchwork of old and new. Glass windows display open plan offices, juxtaposing the red brick and lacquer buildings that dominate the street. The original buildings lining Shaftesbury Avenue vary in height from four to six storeys, and in frontage width, but almost all have poorly composed fronts dressed with confused details, the materials generally being red brick with stone or terra cotta. At the very heart of theatre land, London's answer to Broadway, Shaftesbury Avenue has welcomed the foremost stars of the stage since opening night in June 1886. Today's dignified theatre-goers are a far cry from the urchins and scamps who dwelt amongst the fetid hovels that were demolished to make way for this great thoroughfare. If any area within London typifies the essence of the capital better than the others, it is probably Soho. For centuries, Soho has existed as a hive of activity, nurturing residents, visitors and even the city's culture with its heady mix of hotels, restaurants, music, bars and clubs. Successive waves have brought French, Germans, Italians, Russian and Polish Jews, Swiss, Greeks and, most famously, Chinese to the area. The name Carnaby Street is synonymous with the 1960s swinging London, a phrase coined by Time magazine. Nowadays, the area has gone through something of a revival and once again boasts cutting-edge designer talents and trendy streetwear. With over 140 shops, bars and restaurants to choose from in the area, it's definitely worth a visit. London has preserved an impressive collection of urban street murals. The mural in Carnaby Street is called The Spirit of Soho. This colourful painting adorning the Freeform Arts Trust Centre depicts Saint Anne, to whom the local church is dedicated. Her gaudy frock contains a veritable A to Z of Soho. Built in the late 1670s, Soho Square was in its early years one of the most fashionable places to live in London. It was originally called King Square for King Charles II. The Chinese community is one of London's oldest ethnic populations. After Britain began trading with China in the 17th century, Chinese sailors reached London on board East India Company ships. Regional origins aside, the Chinese are a heterogeneous community. Over the centuries, various waves of Chinese immigrants have settled in different parts of London. Today, Chinese Londoners are more evenly dispersed throughout the city and its boroughs. Covent Garden Station was created in the earliest years of the last century. The street-level façade uses extensive cherry red tiling that is very much of the era, though the internal tiling is pale compared with much of the network. Much of the beauty of Covent Garden is in the infrastructure of the streetscape, which displays the various influences of architectural design fashion spanning five centuries. The history of Covent Garden Market is a fascinating story. Now one of London's most popular tourist attractions, for much of its existence Covent Garden served as a fruit and vegetable market, the largest in England. The market once covered the entire square and occupied many of the buildings, but has since been transformed beyond all recognition. The land on which Covent Garden stands has been occupied continually for almost 2,000 years, making it the oldest inhabited part of London. It is hardly surprising that the history here is rich and curious. With unrivaled shopping, historic theatres, street entertainment and over 1,000 places to eat or drink, Covent Garden has a tremendous amount to offer to visitors. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is widely recognized as one of the world's leading centers for advice and action on aspects of plant and fungal conservation. Visitors explore glasshouses, landscapes and 250 years of history at the world's most famous garden. Conservation programs are undertaken on a wide range of endangered and threatened plants and their habitats. As early as the 16th century, the land that is now Kew Gardens began to be developed into what it is today, in large part thanks to royal patronage. Today, Kew's 44 listed historical monuments reflect the stylistic expressions of various periods. They have retained their authenticity in terms of design, materials and functions. Covering 4,880 square meters, the Temperate House is the largest surviving Victorian glasshouse in the world. With voracious Victorian collectors bringing back ever more species from around the globe, Kew needed somewhere to house its growing collection of semi-hardy and temperate plants. The Temperate House was officially opened, unfinished, in 1863. The South Wing and Octagon are home to African plants. The main rectangular hall hosts subtropical trees and palms, while the North Wing and Octagon contain temperate plants from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific. The sun provides a little extra warmth for the heat-loving South African plants at the southern end of the glasshouse. The curving exterior and steamy interior of Kew's Palm House have long made it an icon of the gardens. The Palm House was designed to accommodate the exotic palms being collected and introduced to Europe in early Victorian times. The project was pioneering, as it was the first time engineers had used wrought iron to span such large widths without supporting columns. The result was a vast, light, lofty space that could easily accommodate the crowns of large palms. The Palm House creates conditions similar to tropical rainforests. Around a quarter of the palms planted here are threatened in the wild, as are more than half of the cycads, the living fossils of the tropics. The elegant design of its unobstructed space for the spreading crowns of the tall palms was a perfect marriage of form and function. Existing buildings, lost monuments and follies, gardens and landscapes new and old, botanic collections and Kew's places of work, they are all part of Kew's heritage. An ancient village on the banks of the Thames, steeped in royal history, Greenwich has long been home to a royal charter market. Greenwich Market attracts over 2 million visitors a year who come here not just to shop and soak up the sights, sounds and smells of the market, but to explore maritime Greenwich and enjoy the magnificent views, architecture, history and atmosphere that led UNESCO to award it World Heritage Site status in 1997. The ensemble of buildings of maritime Greenwich set in and around the oldest royal park in London and bordered to the north by the River Thames reads like a who's who of British architecture. Covering 73 hectares, Greenwich Park is the oldest enclosed royal park. It provides a setting for several historic buildings and churches, including the old Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House. Roman's royalty and the Industrial Revolution have all shaped the history of Greenwich. Located 8 miles downstream from the city of London, it dates from Anglo-Saxon times. A World Heritage Site and one of the most famous historic features of maritime Greenwich, the Old Royal Observatory dominates the landscape from its position on the brow of Greenwich Hill. The observatory is the home of the world's prime meridian longitude. Since a late 19th century, the prime meridian at Greenwich has served as a reference line for Greenwich meantime. It can now claim to be the center of world time, as well as the official starting point for the new millennium. Every place on earth is measured in terms of its distance east or west from the Greenwich Meridian. The line itself divides the eastern and western hemispheres of the earth, just as the equator divides the northern and southern hemispheres. The observatory was built in 1675 as a home for John Flamsteed, the first royal astronomer, who lived in the four rooms of the ground floor and worked in the octagon room above until the death of Sir Christopher Wren. Greenwich Park is divided in two by a steep sloped escarpment that runs from east to west. From the Blackheath Gate, the 166 hectares of Regent's Park is amazingly diverse in terms of wildlife. The park's landscape ranges from wide open playing fields and wildflower grassland to more secluded woodland, wetland and reed beds. One very important element to the management of the park is a focus on the conservation and enhancement of its biodiversity. Over the past 20 years, the management of the park has concentrated on meeting the needs of both the public and those of its wildlife. As a result, the park is an important site for wildlife, which also benefits from the stunning floral display, including flower gardens. The Royal Naval College, the great Baroque masterpiece of English architecture, is set in landscaped grounds on the Thames River in the centre of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Sir Christopher Wren planned the site, and during the first half of the 18th century, various illustrious architects completed the design. Soon after this, the Royal Naval College moved in, heralding a new beginning for the site as a naval training centre for officers from around the world. The National Maritime Museum was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1934 and opened to the public by King George VI in 1937. It includes the 17th century Queen's House, and from the 1950s, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea. The museum is also unique in the architectural importance of its main buildings, being the keystone of the historic park and palace landscape of Maritime Greenwich.