The City of London has attracted millions of visitors from all over the globe for centuries and has inspired us all to visit this beautiful, charming city with its picturesque streets and historic landmarks. London is also one of the most influential cities in the world making an impact on a wide range of fields like fashion, art, education, finance and so on. Built on the banks of river Thames, London has its history dating back the Roman times and is a place where one can easily find traces of influence from different eras in various parts of the city. With so much to explore, London is always on top of must-visit cities in almost every traveler’s list. So let’s check out some of the must-visit landmarks when in London:
1.Big Ben and Westminster Palace
Often considered as the icon of London, Big Ben is one of the most visited and photographed landmarks in the city. The arresting sound of the clock striking from the tower is not gone unnoticed by the visitors. Another closely associated structure with the tower is the Westminster Palace, also known as the Houses of Parliament. The Palace is considered as the ‘Heart of the British Politics’ and this is where the nation’s leaders have come together for several decades and made history. If possible do make a point to visit after dusk to catch these buildings all lit up with golden lights.
2. London Eye
This world-famous giant wheel is very popular among the tourists visiting London as it provides a 360-degree panoramic view of London from the Big Ben up to the Buckingham Palace as you take a 30-minute ride in it. Also, the London Eye is famous for its grand fireworks display with well-synchronized light and music on the New Year’s Eve.
3. Buckingham Palace
London is all about royalty and one cannot miss admiring the beauty of the official residence of the Queen of England. Although palace tours are open only during the summer do not miss out on catching a glimpse of Change of Guards at 11:30 am and take a stroll around the famous Victoria Memorial.
4. Tower of London
How can one resist visiting this place after learning that the famous crown jewels are housed here? The Tower of London probably one of the oldest structures in the London city has served as a castle as well as a prison for several years. Walking alongside the torture chambers, listening to all the terrifying stories gives you an eerie feeling of the castle being haunted.
5. Tower bridge
The Tower Bridge often confused with the London Bridge is an iconic bridge built across the River Thames. Designed as a suspension and bascule bridge to accommodate the movement ships through the river, the Tower Bridge attracts millions of visitors every year hoping to catch a glimpse of the ancient Victorian engines working their magic in the opening and closing the bridge.
6. St Paul’s Cathedral
The enormous dome of this magnificent cathedral has occupied the skyline of London for centuries. This cathedral has hosted some of the major events and one among them is the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Take a tour of the Cathedral and admire the awe-inspiring domes, paintings and mosaic artworks on the ceilings. The tour does not end here, climb up the two galleries of the Cathedral and don’t miss to check out the most stunning panoramic view of London.
7. Bond Street & Oxford Street
I.S: http://www.visitlondon.com
London has always been the front-runner when it comes to fashion and this city has some of the most fashionable locations to shop. Head over to the famous Bond Street and Oxford Street where you would find plenty of high street fashion brands as well as trendiest boutiques offering you a wide range of choices to shop.
8. Piccadilly Circle
As many describe it as the miniature version of New York’s Time Square, Piccadilly Circle is always busy humming with activities surrounded with bold and bright billboards, locals and tourists busy walking around and few gather near the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. This circle is formed by the confluence of five main roads: Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Street, Covent Street and Haymarket.
9. Shard
This newly built skyscraper adorns the London’s skyline, standing out among the several centuries old iconic buildings, making a mark of its own. Visit this tallest building in Europe to catch the uninterrupted view of the whole of London
10. Hyde Park
I.S.: http://www.visitlondon.com
No visit to London is complete without relaxing in one of its several royal parks. Spend a relaxing evening strolling through the park or carry a picnic basket, unwind after a busy day of sightseeing here.
Well, these are some of the must-visit landmarks in London, do share with us your favorite landmarks from the city by leaving a comment below 🙂
Great post! I loooove London:)
Thank you Rashmi! 🙂
Love the pictures. They are super!
Thank you Ashween! 🙂
Looks stunning:-)
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Thanks Amit! 🙂
Grand and magnificent!
London is grand and magnificent, its a perfect combination of both! 🙂
I went there nearly a decade and a half back and don’t remember much. Your post and lovely pictures are inspiring me to nudge my husband to take us for a quick holiday there 😉
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you Archana! We would love to read about London in travelwitharchie! So plan a trip soon….:)
Inspiring post. We are always looking forward to visit London someday. Your pics gave us nice virtual tour for now 🙂
Thank you Sandeepa & Chetan! Hope you enjoyed reading our post! 🙂
As a Brit, these are usually spots that I avoid (except Hyde Park!). Since London is the 2nd most visited city in the world, the number of tourists can be overwhelming for me, especially on Oxford Street. Although I once waited on at a big dinner dance inside the Tower of London. That was super cool – to be able to see such a famous landmark in a way that most people aren’t lucky enough to see! I’ll always love London.
Too many tourists around these landmarks takes all the fun of visting, but we can’t afford to miss them! 🙂
I spent my summers in London during college. All of these places are great. My absolute favorite was the Tower of London. I spent the whole day there, and could easily go again. In fact, I did go again a few years later on a work trip…and would still go again. Haha I am obsessed with castles!
Oh we too Stephanie! Its been couple of years since we have been to London and we always yearn to go back! 🙂
I just LOVE the tower of London! Hahah I’ve been 4 times and I love knowing this where a ton of historical stuff went down!
We are also quite obsessed in knowing what happened in the past at the Tower! And this curiosity is pushing us to travel to London again!
Beautiful pictures!
Thanks Arun! 🙂
oh so so want to be there….you captured it so so beautifully…from Basel it takes 3 weeks to get the visa and i can travel then 🙂
Thank you Shweta! Summer is coming soon and no time is better than visiting London during summer!:)
I really love London (my capital city) and you have identified the best of the top landmarks for sure. This would be a really helpful post for the first time visitor. I would love to go up to the viewing platform at The Shard and look out over the whole city. Have you ever done that, and if so do you recommend it?
Shard is the only place we haven’t been on this list! Thats going to be the first thing to do once we land in London! 🙂
This is a great list! I went to uni in Guildford for a year, and managed most of these while there, but the Eye and Shard weren’t there then, and I must admit a desire to go now. Then, again, I have a huge desire to finally return to the UK period. Loved my time there!
Yes, we spent our Uni days traveling to London and visiting these landmarks, can’t wait to visit again!! 🙂
So pretty – London has to be one of the most historic and beautiful cities 🙂 I really like Unseen Tours which take people around relatively touristy areas in London, but the guides are the formerly homeless. This gives you a completely unique perspective on a city and the sites that you might have seen or passed by a thousand times!
Couldn’t agree with you more Laura! 🙂
Beautiful pictures as always !!! Such a great post, would love to see Big Ben & Westminster Palace.
Thank you Kavita! 🙂
Great and comprehensive guide to one of my favorite cities and gorgeous pics too! Really jealous that you were there during news years!
News year’s eve is thing you can’t miss watching London Eye go blazing and colorful if you are in U.K! 🙂
Great list but I would probably have to skip them all – unless it’s the offseason. I just can’t stand crowds, but going in the offseason to the UK sounds horrible if the weather is similar to or worse than Seattle’s winter weather where I’m from.
Thanks Hung! As you might have heard weather in England is very unpredictable… 🙂
I haven’t been to London for 30 years. I wonder how much the sights have changed. Gosh 30 yrs. Now I feel old. That’s for the memory walk.
Ha Ha! We bet only few things might have changed around there Tricia! 😉
wow nice travel destination place, i like it
I have to visit Big Ben at dusk – your photos look so great! I’ve been fortunate to visit during the day but this view looks so unique.
Yes it is Danielle! Thank you! 🙂
I so look forward to being in London and visiting these places. I have asked my management to transfer me there, let’s see how it goes
Oh you would you love London! 🙂
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Much love <3
London looks so inviting…. great pictures…
Thank you Prasad!! 🙂
Awesome photos, Thanks for the post 🙂
London’s simply the best!:)
Great capture specially the last one.