I love London, but it is such a big city with so many sights to see that it might feel a bit overwhelming. I used to live here for 2 years and I know the city and areas really well, but it is still the main sights I always get asked about. Maybe once in a while about cool bars and underrated places to visit, but it is still which of the major sights to prioritize.
Therefore I have created this list with the 10 sights I think of when I hear London. Since I used to live here, I will be honest about what is overhyped and what is not. I will however start by saying that all of these places are amazing in their own right and I have put them in no particular order.
I have also found places for you to stay near the sights, but be aware that staying close to a big monument is not where you should stay if you want to save money.
If you are truly looking forward to seeing one of the monuments a night`s stay near it might make your visit even more special, but other than that it will become very expensive.
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Along with the sights I have made sure to mention what else is close, so you can plan your days around it. Some of the must-see sights are close together, so you can do them while in the area. That way you do not need to travel back and forth, specially between the same stations if you missed a sight.
Big Ben
Big Ben is definitly the first thing I think of when there is a sight you must see in London. It is just that Iconic. Though Big Ben is not the nickname of the clock or the clock tower, but rather the big bell inside of the tower.
The amazing thing is that you can go inside the tower on a tour, but not a lot of people know of this. I keep forgetting it and always miss out on the chances to do this. If you want to enter the tower you need to plan it long in advance of your visit as the tickets are released 3 months ahead of time and they are often sold out fast.
A lot of people are surprised when I tell them it is possible to enter the tower, but so far none has done it as the tickest has been sold out. So it`s clearly a popular activity with very limited spaces.
Even if you do not get to go inside, don`t be disappointed there is always next time. But also it is the outside that is known, though I agree it would be a really cool experience to enter Big Ben. Hopefully both of us will be able to do it one day.
You can book your ticket for the tour to enter Big Ben here
What else is nearby?
Palace of Westminister is connected to Big Ben and it is definitly a beautiful building. Though it is the same building, they have different tours. Most people find it enough to just look at it from the outside, but it is also possible to walk around the whole building.
Westminister Abbey is where many royalties has been crowned, married and laid to rest. It is a church that goes back to year 960, but the Gothic-style building you are seeing today was started on in 1245. It is a beautiful building and if you are already by Big Ben it is worth a stop.
Buckingham Palace is a bit longer of a walk, but you can walk through St James`s Park and have a lovely walk. If the weather permits it that is. I always walk, so I am not sure of transportation, but I am sure there is a bus you can take one or two stops between these two sights.
Downing Street 10 is where the prime minister lives. It is now gated and you can not walk up to it, but maybe you will see Larry, the Chief Mouser that lives there as well.
The King`s Lifeguard is just a bit further up the street, where the horseguards are stationed. It is definitly worth a visit and maybe a memorable picture with the horseguards.
Hotels to stay at near Big Ben
Hub London – Check availability here
St. Ermin`s Hotel, Autograph Collection – Check availability here
Tower Bridge
This must be one of the other places you would think of when you hear London. It was opened in 1894 after 8 year of being built. The bridge has movable bascules for letting larger ships through. It is lifted about 800 times a year, so you might have luck on your side and be there when it is lifted up. Hopefully you will be standing by the riverbank so you can get a clear view of it and not on the bridge.
A lot of people do not know that there is a museum inside of Tower Bridge that let`s you look at the engine room. It also shares the history of the bridge in detail and you get the cross the bridge on the higher floor. I had a truly enjoyable time here. Even though I am not an engineer or have a big passion for engine rooms the museum was truly enjoyable. If you have time it is a tour that will positively surprise you.
You can book the entrance ticket through Get Your Guide here
What else is nearby?
Tower of London is right next to Tower Bridge, which you maybe have guessed by their matching names. I would not skip either of them while visiting London for the first time.
The Shard is just a short walk from Tower Bridge, but you can take the detour and walk alongside of the riverbank. If the weather is nice this is a really lovely walk, specially in the summer months.
HMS Belfast is a ship you will notice if you crossed Tower Bridge or walked the riverbank. It is a World War II ship that has now been turned into a museum.
Hotels to stay at near Tower Bridge
The Tower hotel, by Thistle – Check availability here
The Dixon, Tower Bridge – Check availability here
Tower of London
This is the place I always wanted to visit while living in London, but always postponed it. Then my last week came and I just did not have time for it, but when I returned on holiday I finally went inside. I honestly loved it and wished I had gone sooner but maybe that is why I loved it so much?
Tower of London is where the Crown Jewels are and it is possible to see them. The building itself dates back to year 1066 and it is where King Henry VIII stayed as his temporary royal residency. It is also where he beheaded two of his wives.
At Tower of London there are ravens that permanently lives there in the garden. They are walking around as they please and you might see one or two of them. The legend has it if the ravens leave Tower of London it is the end of the British monarchy and a disaster will happen for Britain. Which is probably why the current ravens do not have the ability to fly.
Years back Tower of London used to host more animals, it was then known as the royal zoo with exotic animals.
It is very popular to enter the Tower to see the crown jewels and ravens, so I would advice to book the tickets in advance. That way you can go straight to the entrance when you arrive. It is of course possible to buy tickets when you arrive as well.
You can buy tickets through Get Your Guide here
What else is nearby?
Tower Bridge is right next to Tower of London and it is possible to see while you are visiting the tower as well. You can go to The Thames and buy a snack or a drink from one of the vendors there while enjoying the view and the feeling of standing between these two monuments that carry a lot of history between them.
St Dunstan is the ruins of a church in the middle of London and just a couple of minutes walk from Tower of London. It is a beautiful place, specially for photographies, once you stand in the middle it is easy to forget you are in the middle of a busy city. Maybe it feels like this because it has fewer visitors compared to the major sights.
Sky Garden is just across the Great Tower Street and some minutes of walking. This is not a place you can visit without a reservation and it is one of the newer major sights to see. I have never been, but it truly looks amazing.
Lloyds Building is honestly a ten minute walk, if not more to get to. It is a really cool building as the architecture turned the building inside-out. Everything that is hidden in the walls or inside the building is now on the outside, like pipes, stairs and the lift. You do not need much time here as it is not possible to enter the building.
Hotels to stay at near Tower of London
Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge – Check availability here
Leonardo Royal Hotel London City – Check availability here
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the residence of where the monarch of United Kingdom lives. The palace is also known for the changing of the guards and the guards that does not show any facial expression while on duty.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11AM is when it is possible to see the guards changing. The times may vary a bit depending on the weather and other external factors. But if you want a good view, it is better to come here early so you can properly see it. The palace is fenced in, so you will anyway be seeing it from a distance. If you are far back it is a risk of not being able to see anything.
At the same time as the guards are changing here, they are also doing so by The King`s Life Guards. I honestly prefer this one as there is no fence and it has horses as well.
It is also possible to visit the inside of Buckingham Palace on group tour. The places are limited, but you get to walk the inside of the palace.
Buckingham Palace for me has never been at the top of my list of having to see, but it is so well known and if you want to see it, you definitly should. It is also close to other sights that you can see on the same day.
When you visit Buckingham Palace you should definitly walk through St James`s Park as well. When crossing the small bridge you will get a nice view of Buckingham Palace. It is also possible to sit down on the grass for a short break if the weather allows for it.
Book your tour inside of Buckingham Palace here
What else is nearby?
Westminister Abbey is close by and it is the church where many of the royal family get`s married or laid to rest. It is also where the kings and queens are crowned. The church itself is in a beautiful Gothic-style and worth a visit.
The King`s Life Guard is not far away, If you walked through St James`s Park you will arrive right behind where the horseguards stands and where the guard exchange is happening.
Trafalgar Square is honestly not that close. If you took the park route to the horseguards however, you will have to get around the building and the natural way is up to Trafalgar Square before you walk down Whitehall. Therefore it becomes a natural sight to see.
Big Ben looks a lot closer on the map than it is, but it is not too bad of a walk, specially if you go through the park. If the weather is nice it is honestly a wonderful walk and you will pass Westminister Abbey as well.
Hotels to stay at near Buckingham Palace
The Stafford London – Check availability here
Rubens At The Palace – Check availability here
London Eye
This eye-catching ferris wheel by The Thames is well known and definitly worth a ride. This is the world`s highest cantilevered observation wheel and opened in 1999, on the last day of the year. It is one of the newer addition to London alongside The Shard. If you decide to go up, you will get an amazing view over Big Ben, The Palace of Westminister and The Thames.
This is a ride most people only does once. Of course if you visit with new people the second time, you might go again. However, everybody I know is happy with doing it just once and does not feel the need to do it twice. This includes me as well. Even though I am saying this, it has over 3 million visitors each year and is a very popular attraction.
It is possible to book tickets upon arrival, but I keep seeing long lines outside of it, so it might be smart to book in advance. It is also possible to book combination tickets with certain sights. So you should definitly double check this.
You can book through Get Your Guide here
What else is nearby?
The London Dungeon is right by London Eye and it is definitly a different experience as it takes you through the darker history of London. So it might not be for everyone, but I really loved this experience and I have done it 3 times. Spread out throughout the years with different friends, but the first visit was with my mom and it is one of the attractions I would like to visit again.
Sea Life London Aquarium is also right by London Eye. I will admit I have never been here, but it is a great place to visit if you are traveling with your family and kids.
Big Ben lays on the other side of The Thames, just a short walk over Westminister Bridge where you will have an amazing view of both sights.
Westminister Abbey is just a minute walk from Big Ben, if you have already crossed the bridge I would keep walking a couple of minutes more to see the royal church.
London Eye Waterloo Pier is where you can board the ferry if you want to take a cruise on The Thames. This is another way to get a good view of the monuments along The Thames. You will need to go to the building where The London Dungeon is to buy the tickets and then you are set to go on your river cruise.
Hotels to stay at near London Eye
Park Plaza County Hall London – Check availability here
London Marriott Hotel County Hall – Check availability here
Piccadilly Circus
It is one of the famous neon spots in the world and one sight I at least think of when I hear London. This is a popular photospot for tourists and a popular meeting point for Londoners. Make sure you are not here when people are leaving work as it can get very crowded near the Eros statue.
Most people take pictures of the signs while standing across the street by the Eros statue. This is definitly where you will get the best photos, but be aware that there will be traffic between you and the signs. So even if you do not need a long time here, but if you want a car free background you will need to wait for the lights to shift.
This is a great starting point for your day as you are close to so many other sights, shopping and food. By starting here you can head on up to Oxford Street for shopping or head towards Big Ben and other sights along the way.
What else is nearby?
Soho is right by and it is where Chinatown is. This is a goldmine for restaurants, drinks and amazing snacks. I always end up at Piccadilly when I return to London because I have to visit Soho at least once while I am in town.
Regent Street ends right at Piccadilly Circus and is a luxury shopping street where you can walk up to Hamleys and all the way up to Carnaby Street and Oxford Street. Even if you are not planning to shop, the arch of the street is amazing for photographies.
Hard Rock Cafe is in the building by the Eros statue. I know a lot of people that are collecting Hard Rock Cafe items with the name of the city they visits, therefore it is included on the list. If you are not already collecting maybe this is where you start your collection from.
Leicester Square is where many vendors sells tickets to musicals and it is also a lot of theatres in this area. You might have seen the M&M`s store in London, this is where it is with Lego on the other side of the street. It is perfect to visit after dinner in Chinatown.
Trafalgar Square is a bit longer of a walk, but it is only about 7 minutes walk according to Google Maps. Right behind Trafalgar Square is The National Gallery that has a free entrance for all of it`s visitors.
Hotels to stay at near Piccadilly Circus
Moxy London Piccadilly Circus – Check availability here
Hotel Cafe Royal – Check availability here
The Shard
Though it is a newer builing it is the tallest in The UK and already a known monument. It is eye-catching from the ground, specially from the other side of The Thames. It is also possible to go up into the building and get a bird view of London. You will get a 360-degree view of London and 72nd floor is the highest open sky deck in Western Europe.
There is even a bar on the top of London. So you can buy a cocktail, sit down or walk around while enjoying the view.
To be sure to secure your spot, it is adviced to book your tickets in advance. I have yet to actually go to the top, but the view looks amazing and I would not mind sipping on a cocktail while enjoying a afternoon visit.
It is possible to book your visit to The Shard through Get Your Guide here
What else is nearby?
HMS Belfast is a World War II warship that is now a museum you can enter. It is just a short walk from The Shard to The Thames where the museum now is standing.
Tower Bridge is also just a short walk from The Shard. It is possible to walk along The Thames down to Tower Bridge and often there are smaller vendors or cafes you can visit along the way.
Tower of London is on the other side of The Thames and you need to cross Tower Bridge to get to it, but like this you will get to see all three on the same day without needing to return.
Borough Market is in the opposite direction of my other three suggestions, but this is a great visit for food. If you are a fan of Bridget Jones`s Diary, the place used for her apartment is right by the market. The location for one of the scenes from Harry Potter is also filmed not far from the market. So you could easily make this a movie tour with a food stop before or after you visit The Shard.
Hotels to stay at near The Shard
Ibis Styles London Southwark – Check availability here
Shangri-La The Shard, London – Check availability here
Oxford Street
Do you love shopping? Then this is a big must for you. Oxford Street is a 2 kilometers street with a variety of stores, where everybody can find something they like. You can easily spend half a day or the whole day here shopping while trying on clothes.
I am not a big shopper and the stores I like at Oxford Street is luckily close together, so I do not need to walk the whole 2 kilometers to get to them all. I guess what I am saying is that if you want to save a bit of time, you can choose to walk from one of the ends to the middle of Oxford Street and then move on to your next stop in London. This is a bit of a gamble, but you can also look up if Oxford Street has the stores you want to visit. Then you can decide to visit the street in only that area and save some time for all the other places you want to see.
You can also make this into a whole shopping day, because nearby is other shopping paradises as well.
What else is nearby?
Carnaby Street is another area with lots of different stores, but these are a lot smaller and maybe more niche. There is also a lot of independent stores here, but you can find brands as well. Compared to Oxford Street it has more places to eat, such as cute cafes, small restaurants and pubs.
Regent Street has more high end stores and you will be able to find the luxury brands on this street. Some might be on one of the side streets, but they are all easy to get to.
Hamleys is a well known toy store and it is located on Regent Street. It used to be famous for all the toy demonstrations and is a wonder if you have kids. It is also fun to look inside as an adult. Last time I visited they had the royal family built out of Lego on the top floor which was still cool to see through adult eyes.
Piccadilly Circus is right at the end of Regent Street and a short walk from Carnaby Street, so if you are planning to see the neon signs you can save some time by doing it on this day.
Hotels to stay at near Oxford Street
Radisson Blu Hotel, London Bond Street – Check availability here
Courthouse Hotel London – Check availability here
Camden Market
This is where the punkers and punk musicians used to gather in the 1970`s, but it still carries that vibe. It has unique stores, great pubs, amazing food and it is an absolutely vibrant area to visit in the north of London.
Camden Town has changed a lot over the past ten to fifteen years, where it has attracted more tourism. This means there are more trendy cafes and shops, but still definitly a unique area to go exploring. If you are planning to get a new piercing or tattoo, this is definitly where I would get it done. Where the punk attitude started.
I would suggest when you are at the market to have quick visit to the store Cyberdog which is in the area of the Stables Market. The store might surprise you on so many levels. Not far from Cyberdog is the Amy Winehouse statue and the Coyote Ugly bar you can visit as well.
What else is nearby?
Regent`s Park is right by Camden Town and it is a lovely stroll when the weather is nice. You can walk all the way down to The Sherlock Holmes Museum and Madame Tussauds.
London Zoo is located inside of Regent`s Park and close to where Camden Town is. The zoo has over 8 000 animals and over 350 different species. If you are visiting London with kids this is a wonderful place to go, but for me I do not like it. I feel the park is too small and the cages should be bigger. Then again, it is in the middle of London and it is impressive how many animals they have made room for.
Little Venice is honestly far from from Camden Market, but the cool thing is that you can take a waterbus between the two and it also passes through Regent`s Park. The tour will take about 45 minutes between the two places.
Hotels to stay at near Camden Market
Voco London Camden Lock by IHG – Check availability here
Hub London Camden – Check availability here
The King´s Life Guards
You might know it better as The Horseguards, but the official name is The King`s Life Guards. There will be two horses with guards standing guard at a time and they will change every hour between 10AM to 4PM on the Whitehall side of the building.
If you want to see something bigger they have a full changing of the guards on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11AM. I honestly prefer watching the changing here compared to the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Maybe because it involves horses or maybe because it is not a fence between me and the changing. I am not sure, but if I only can see one of them, this is the one I would choose.
The horses that are standing guard is very well trained, but they are still animals. So do not get too close to them or touch them. Don`t let that stop you from getting a picture with one of the horses and the guard riding them.
What else is nearby?
Trafalgar Square is one of the iconic places in London and it is just a short walk from where the Royal Horse guards are. If you are arriving from the Charing Cross Station, you will be right by the monument and maybe even pass it.
The National Gallery is right behind Trafalgar Square and worth a visit if you are interested in art. What is great about the gallery is that it has free admission for all it`s visitors, but if you go on a popular time it is recommended to book your timeslot.
Downing Street 10 is where the prime minister lives. It currently has a gate, so you can not walk all the way up to the door, but maybe you will see the Chief Mouser out on a walk. The cat Larry who is 19 years old (2026) is often seen outside fulfilling his duties.
Big Ben and Westminister Abbey is just a short walk from The Royal Horseguards and you will walk right by where the Chief Mouser lives.
Hotels to stay at near The King`s Life Guards
The Royal Horseguard Hotel, London – Check availability here
Raffles London at The OWO – Check availability here
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