Top London Attractions

Hello :) thanks for visiting my site! Glad you found this page and hope you find it useful.  I have listed some of the top London attractions and given you links to those sites for further information. These links go directly the the relevant site and are not affiliate links so you are not obliged to buy anything.  I put up this page as a resource to make it easier for the first time visitor to London.  If this is your first visit, perhaps you only have 3 days in London to enjoy yourself…..so have a wonderful time and we look forward to your next visit! Come again soon, and stay a bit longer next time…..London has so much to offer.

These are in no particular order:

Big Ben: of course I had to put this first….our most iconic attraction :) – the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world

top london attractions, big ben, things to see and do in london

Big Ben

nearest tube station: Westminster - Jubilee Line

Westminster Palace - aka Houses of Parliament – The first royal palace was built on the site in the eleventh century, and Westminster was the primary London residence of the Kings of England until a fire destroyed much of the complex in 1512. After that, it served as the home of Parliament.

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

Palace of Westminster aka Houses of Parliament

nearest tube station: Westminster - Jubilee Line

Westminster Abbey - The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart, the Abbey is the final resting place if seventeen monarchs. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066.

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

Westminster Abbey

nearest tube station: Westminster - Jubilee Line

The London Eye - The height of the London Eye is 135m (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other).

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

London Eye

 

nearest tube station: Waterloo - Northern Line or Westminster - Jubilee Line (cross river over via Westminster Bridge)

Trafalgar Square - a 200 year-old history; from the 14th to the late 17th century, much of the area occupied by Trafalgar Square was the courtyard of the Great Mews stabling, which served Whitehall Palace.

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

Trafalgar Square

nearest tube station: Charing Cross - Northern Line

National Gallery – houses the national collection of Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is on show 361 days a year, free of charge

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

National Gallery

nearest tube station: Charing Cross – Northern Line

Buckingham Palace - Buckingham Palace one of Europe’s most recognized facades. Built in 1703, it’s been the official London residence of  the British monarch since 1837. Changing of the Guard and The Royal Mews

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

Buckingham Palace

nearest tube stations: Green Park - Piccadilly and Jubilee Lines

St James’s Park - situated between Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, is the oldest Royal Park. Established by Henry VIII in the mid-1500s

top london attractions, things to see and do in london

Swire Fountain in St James's Park

nearest tube stations: St James’s – Circle & District lines

and Green Park -  The Park was first recorded in 1554 when Sir Thomas Wyatt led a rebellion in protest against the marriage of Mary I to Philip II of Spain.

nearest tube stations: St James's - Circle & District lines

Green Park

nearest tube stations: Green Park - Jubilee and Piccadilly Lines

St Paul’s Cathedral - A Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood on this site since 604AD

top attractions in london, things to see and do in london, 3 days in london

St Paul's Cathedral

nearest tube station: St Paul’s - Central Line

Tower of London - In the early 1080s, William the Conqueror began to build a massive stone tower at the centre of his London fortress

top attractions in london, things to see and do in london, 3 days in london

Tower of London

Nearest tube station: Tower Hill on the District & Circle Lines

Tower Bridge - It took 8 years, 5 major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge

top attractions in london, things to see and do in london, 3 days in london

Tower Bridge

Nearest tube station: Tower Hill on the District & Circle Lines

Madame Tussauds London – first opened just over 200 years ago

nearest tube station: Bakerloo, Jubilee and Metropolitan Lines

Kensington Palace - Completion of the first house on the site of Kensington Palace in 1605, and was built for Sir Walter Cope, a businessman and politician.  The Palace was once the home of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; William and Catherine now have an apartment at Kensington Palace.

top attractions in london, things to see and do in london, 3 days in london

Kensington Palace

nearest tube station: Queensway – Central Line, High Street Kensington – Circle & District Lines

Covent Garden - At the heart of the Covent Garden piazza lies the famous market, designed in 1632 by Inigo Jones and now visited by 30 million tourists each year.

 

top attractions in london, things to see and do in london, 3 days in london

Covent Garden

nearest tube station: Covent Garden – Piccadilly Line (it is also just a short walk from Leicester Square and Charing Cross Station).

So there you have it…… a brief introduction to some of our most famous attractions!   There are of course hundreds more :)   I will cover some of the London gems on another page.  Places I have visited which in my opinion are just as amazing and fabulous as those listed above…….but are perhaps less well known.  Enjoy! and if you are here for just 3 days in London, I hope you manage to see as much as possible.

If you have enjoyed this post please do leave a comment, we would love to hear from you :)

I have created a brilliant itinerary that will give you a tour of the West of London taking in some of the best attractions and museums; buy your copy here

Twitter Manager for Thames Alive

Managing Twitter for Thames Alive

3 Days in London Featured in ABC News!!!

Welcome World

free counters

Weather

Netweather

Journey Planner

Journey Planner

Visitors

Tweets