When I was in college I was briefly in England and wanted to explore London, but I only had one day to do it. I also didn’t want to spend money on a guided tour or a hop on hop off bus. Well, truthfully I did but I was a broke college kid. I needed something on budget but effective. I literally had one day in London and I felt that I needed to see as much of the city possible but didn’t know how to cram it all in.
As luck would have it, a friend of a friend who lived in London happened to have a day off and offered to show our group around the city. We lucked out and had a local London tour guide. He had lived in London his entire life and knew exactly what to see in London. He let us know to wear comfortable shoes as we’d be footing it for the day. Perfect, a London walking tour!
For the entire day, we followed our guide’s lead and ended up having a very memorable day in the city and saw all of London’s must-see spots. Now, years later I’m sharing this information with you so you can have your very own self guided London Walking tour. I’m even going to share a map so you can keep track of where to go or customize your own walking tour.
Table of Contents
Self Guided London Walking Tour
Overview
When we met our new found guide he told us how effective public transportation is around the city. He said that it would be easy to hop on the Underground or on a double-decker bus to get to our destinations, but that we would miss so many things along our way.
This is just a guide, use it to see what you want to see and walk past what you want to do. The entire walk I’ll outline is about 5.5 miles. It took us just over 6 hours to complete, but we did stop several places for photos and again for lunch. If you’re not interested in walking hop on a bus or on the Tube, this guide is still a great list of things to do in London.
Picadilly Circus
We started our day at Picadilly Circus. Think of it as London’s Times Square. There are tons of lights, billboards, shows, restaurants, gift shops, and tourist attractions. Also, it is a very good spot to start our tour because it is very easy to get to by the London TFL bus system (Transport for London) or the Underground.
Get your fill of all the lights and load up on cheap souvenirs and get ready to walk!
Trafalgar Square
After about a 10 minute walk from Picadilly Circus is Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is a public square in central London that commemorates a historic naval battle, The Battle of Trafalgar, over the French and Spanish. It has some famous fountains and statues that you’ll recognize from movies and tv. It is also home to Nelson’s Column and the National Portrait Gallery.
Buckingham Palace
What trip to London would be complete without seeing Buckingham Palace? The palace has served as the residence for Britain’s royalty since 1837. You might not see the queen, but if you schedule ahead you can watch the changing of the guard.
Timing is crucial for this stop if you want to see the changing of the guard ceremony. Make sure to double-check the time and keep an eye on your watch if you want to witness this. We planned our day’s start time around the changing of the guard.
Typically, changing of the Queen’s Guard starts at 10:45 am and lasts about 45 minutes. This is a cool thing to see and is a great photo op. I recommend checking it out. It is free to watch, but there is usually a crowd, so showing up a few minutes early will be helpful.
St. James Park
On the way to the next stop on the walking tour you’ll be able to have a nice stroll through St. James Park, just like a local would. The map attached may suggest walking on the outer street of the park, but we chose to walk through it. If you walk through, stop halfway at the Blue Bridge, which crosses the lake is another great photo spot. It offers great views of Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.
Fun fact, the park is home pelicans that have actually lived there for over 400 years. The original pelicans were a gift to King Charles II.
Westminster Abbey
Continue your walk to World Heritage Site, Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is an important part of British History and current events alike. It is used for coronations, royal weddings and is the resting place of British kings, queens, statesmen, soldiers, poets, and heroes. The abbey holds regular services but is open to the public most days. Check ahead to see what is available to see when you’re in town. There is much to see inside!
Parliament and Big Ben
The Palace of Westminster, commonly called the House of Parliament, is the next stop on our walking tour. It serves as the meeting place for House of Commons and the House of Lords. It is also home to Big Ben which is actually just the name of the bell, not the clock tower itself. That is something we learned from our local guide. I always thought it was Big Ben was the clocktower.
London Eye
Take Westminster Bridge across the River Thames toward your next stop the London Eye. Make sure you turn around and take some photos of Big Ben and Parliament from the bridge or across the river. It is a great view and the pictures won’t disappoint.
The London Eye is comparatively new to most of the sights on our London walking tour. It was completed in 2000 and at the time it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel. The London Eye was built as a tourist attraction and offers incredible views of London and the River Thames. If you want to ride the Ferris wheel, advance bookings are recommended. The lines for tickets can get long.
Tate Modern Gallery
A nice walk along the River Thames will bring you to the Tate Modern Gallery, a spectacular art museum that is free to visit, although some individual exhibits may have admission fees. It is worth a stop if you’re into art or want some air conditioning. If not, keep walking, you’re about to pass another great London landmark!
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 and was home to Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. A modern reconstruction was built in 1997 in the approximate location and now is home to tours, a gift shop, a cafe, and yes, plays.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
From the Globe Theater, take Millennium Bridge across the Thames. Millennium Bridge is a uniquely designed footbridge and is worth a photo or two itself.
Across the river, you’ll find St. Paul’s Cathedral, which a classic piece of London history and dates more than 1400 years. It is an Anglican cathedral. You do have to pay to enter as a tourist but admission gives you access to the cathedral floor, crypt, and galleries.
Tower of London
A short walk from St. Paul’s you’ll find the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The Tower of London holds a lot of history and was once a palace and a notorious prison. There is an entrance fee, but it is worth it to gain access to all of the museums, exhibits, and even catch a glimpse of iconic crown jewels. Tours are also available.
Tower Bridge
You can’t go to London and not visit Tower Bridge. It is probably the most iconic sight in town. If you look ahead at the schedules you may be lucky enough to see the bridge go up to let a ship through. You can walk across the bridge and even see the engine rooms that make the bridge lift and drop.
Tower Bridge is the end of our walking tour. From Tower Bridge, it is a short walk to Tower Station. Here and you can catch the Tube or a bus to anywhere in London.
London Walking Tour Map
As promised here are the links to the google maps. I’ve split them in two because google wouldn’t let me put all of the destinations in one map. Here they are London Walking Tour Part One and London Walking Tour Part Two.
More London Sights to See
If you don’t think this self-guided London walking tour has enough destinations or you aren’t interested in some of the stops try adding these to your walking tour. They are all fairly close to your walking route.
Haymarket
Between Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Where some of London’s playhouses reside, think Broadway in New York.
The Mall
Historic/government buildings and nice views.
Just a bit past Buckingham Palace is Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens another royal residence.
Kensington Palace
Horse Guards Parade – An open place they use for ceremonies and events on the East side of St. James Park. They usually have traditional English guards on post here.
Parliament Square
A park with some monuments great views of Parliament.
London Bridge
The current version of the London Bridge is really just a bridge and isn’t too significant, but when in London, right?
The Fire of 1666 History
All around the St. Paul’s Cathedral there are markers describing the area affected by the fire of 1666. You’ll have to keep an eye open, some of the markers are hidden.
HMS Belfast
Just down the river from Tower Bridge is the retired WWII vessel which is now a museum.
London Aquarium
Just across Westminster Bridge from Parliament.
Jubilee Gardens
A public park near the London Eye.
We hope that you’re able to take this walking tour of London. I loved my time there!
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