How to Take a Walking Tour of London
About My Walking Tour of London
During my visit to London, I set out on a marathon day to see as much of the city as possible via a self-guided walking tour. I had considered taking a guided tour but decided it was more fun to explore on my own. Typically, I am a solo traveler, but my cousin lived in London, and he and his spouse joined me on my walking tour.
London is so large that it is impossible to see the entire city. I only had one day to complete my walking tour, so I narrowed down to a few areas. The places that made my list included Westminster, Whitehall, the area around the River Thames, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the Shard, and the West End.
After eating breakfast, we chose to begin at Buckingham Palace as I wanted to see the changing of the guard.
A Self-Guided Walking Tour of London - Table of Contents
- A Self-Guided Walking Tour of London
- Buckingham Palace
- Westminster Abbey
- Whitehall
- Palace of Westminster (House of Parliament)
- Westminster Bridge
- London Eye
- River Thames
- Millennium Bridge
- Tower Bridge
- The Shard
- Trafalgar Square
- Piccadilly Circus
- Carnaby
- London Walking Tours
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Walking Tour of London - Stop 1 - Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the home of the British Royal Family and one of the most visited sights in London. We arrived at Buckingham Palace around 9:00 am. There was already a crowd for the 10:45 am changing of the guard. I wanted to make sure that I was able to see the changing of the guard, so I held a place close to the main gate.
By the time the changing of the guard had completed, it was almost 11:30 am. We had a lot to see and quickly set off for our next destination, Westminster Abbey.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 2 - Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is one of London’s major churches and the burial place of most of the British Monarchs. It is also the location that all of the British Monarchs have been coronated except William the Conquerer. During our self-guided walking tour of London, we only looked at the outside of Westminster Abbey. The following day, we went inside to hear a Song Service. You can read about that service by clicking HERE.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 3 - Whitehall
After leaving Westminster Abbey, we walked to Parliament Street and past the Palace of Westminster. We would retrace our steps in a few hours to visit the House of Parliament and cross the Westminster Bridge. Parliament Street runs into Whitehall Street. Once on Whitehall, we walked to the Admiralty Arch. The Arch was created by King Edward VII, in memory of his mother, Queen Victoria.
Once we made it to the arch, we turned around and began retracing our steps. Our next stop was the Old Admiralty Building. Although we did not go inside, it was fun to see the Queen’s Life Guard. The changing of the Queen’s Life Guard takes place at 11:00 am which we did not get to watch as we were watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
I found the “Beware” sign somewhat humorous. Although the horses seemed friendly, I obeyed the sign and did not get too close.
After leaving the Horses Guard, we continued to retrace our steps towards the Palace of Westminster. The walk took us past some beautiful architecture and statues.
During this self-guided walking tour of London, we passed many phone booths. I know the phone booths famous, and people enjoy seeing them, but I never saw one of them actually being used. I wonder if, in the future, London will start to remove them.
Just before the Palace of Westminster is a statue of Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK during World War II.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 4 - Palace of Westminster (House of Parliament)
Next up on our self-guided walking tour was the Palace of Westminster, also known as the House of Parliament. The Palace is home to House of Commons and House of Lords, which make up the British Parliament.
Be sure to stop at the Old Palace Yard, which is in between the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, to get some great views of the Gothic Architecture. Neat the Old Palace Yard is a statue of Richard of Coeur de Lion, who served as the King of England from 1189 to 1199.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 5 - Westminster Bridge
For even better views of the Palace of Westminster, we had to cross the River Thames for the first time. The Westminster Bridge provided some of the best views of the Palace and the famous clock tower “Big Ben.”
The only disappointment was that there was scaffolding over the lower part of Big Ben due to some renovations on the Palace of Westminster. After crossing the bridge, be sure to find the Queen’s Walk, which follows the banks of the River Thames.
From the Queen’s Walk, I was able to take one of my favorite pictures ever. This picture is a “keyhole” picture of Big Ben looking through a hole in the fencing that separates the Queen’s Walk from the River Thames.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 6 - London Eye
While Crossing the Westminster Bridge, I was able to get a great picture of the London Eye. The London Eye is the most popular paid attraction in London. Since we were going on a self-guided walking tour, we decided against going on the Ferris wheel. It takes 30-minutes to complete a rotation on the London Eye, and we did not want to give up the time.
If you would like to ride on the London Eye during your walking tour, I have included a link below. Please note that I will earn a small commission if you purchase using my link. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
London Eye Skip-the-Line Ticket - $66.90
from: Viator
Walking Tour of London - Stop 7 - River Thames
The Queen’s Walk is a pedestrian path that follows the River Thames. While following the path, we would cross the river multiple times to experience the views from the bridges.
We also found a stop where there were steps that led down to the bank of the River Thames. The bank of the river gave a unique view of how important the river is for transportation.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 8 - Millennium Bridge
One of my favorite bridges was the Millennium Bridge. The Millennium Bridge crosses the River Thames and leads to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Standing on the Millennium Bridge, I was able to take great pictures of the Shard, Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 9 - Tower Bridge
After crossing the Millennium Bridge, we continued our self-guided walking tour of London on the opposite side of the River Thames. We walked past the Tower of London as we would come back and visit the interior the next day and continued to the Tower Bridge. I highly recommend walking across Tower Bridge, which is the most famous bridge in London.
We took our time crossing the bridge, and I was able to get some great pictures of the Shard.
After crossing the Tower Bridge, we rejoined the Queen’s Walk and continued towards the Shard.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 10 - The Shard
We had a reservation for the Observation Deck of the Shard and quickly walked from the Tower Bridge to the observation deck entrance. One the way, we passed the HMW Belfast, which today serves as a museum. If you would like to read about my visit to the Observation Deck of the Shard, click HERE.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 11 - Trafalgar Square
To get to our next stop, we jumped on the subway (nicknamed “The Tube”) and went to Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square includes the National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Canada House. The square is a great place to sit and people watch, and we spend about 15-minutes sitting and resting.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 12 - Piccadilly Circus
At this point, we were exhausted from walking over 15 kilometers. We continued from Trafalgar Square to London’s West End, arriving in Piccadilly Circus. After looking around for a few minutes, we continued to our final stop of the day, Carnaby Street.
Walking Tour of London - Stop 13 - Carnaby Street
The final stop of our self-guided walking tour of London was Carnaby Street. Carnaby Street is a pedestrian-only shopping area. None of us made any purchases while walking around Carnaby Street, but it was enjoyable going inside the “Mr. Doodle” building. Carnaby Street ended our walking tour as we jumped into a cab to head to our dinner reservations. Overall, we walked close to 25 kilometers and were able to see a large portion of London.
London Walking Tours
I decided to take a self-guided walking tour because my cousin and his spouse lived in London and were familiar with the area. If they had not have been with, I would have considered taking a guided walking tour. Below are eight walking tours of London that cover similar sights like the ones that I visited. Please note, that as an affiliate of Viator, I will receive a small commission if you purchase using one of my links. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
 Royal London Walking Tour - $183.52 This private walking tour will take you across some of the most beautiful attractions in Central London and all with very important Royal associations. Whether you like palaces, parks or monuments, this tour has it all. Your local guide will meet either meet you at your hotel or at the tour starting point of St. James Park Underground Station. |
 London Walking Tour Including Fast-Track Westminster Abbey Visit and Changing of the Guard - $119.94 Visit Westminster Abbey and get a front-row view of the Changing of the Guard on this 2.5-hour London walking tour. With a knowledgeable guide, get fast-track admission to Westminster Abbey; see College Garden, thought to be the oldest garden in England; and spot the graves of Dickens, Tennyson and other revered writers. Then, experience firsthand the pomp and pageantry of the Changing of the Guard as you watch the Household Cavalry perform by the Horse Guards Parade or the Queen’s Foot Guards march to Buckingham Palace. |
 Eyes on the Spies Central London Walking Tour - $28.22 My 'Eyes on the Spies' Central London tour not only reveals the locations where infamous acts of espionage have occurred but we discover how the incidents impacted on the people involved and the wider world, the human consequences and the lessons we may learn from history. |
 Royal London Walking Tour Including Changing of the Horse Guard Ceremony - $27.45 Witness all the pomp and ceremony of the city as you take in the major sights of Royal London. Along the way you will see Buckingham Palace, the Mall, St James Park and Horse Guards Parade Ground where we will witness the magnificent Change of the Lifeguard (Horse Guards) ceremony. |
 Historical London Walking Tour in Westminster & Churchill War Rooms Entry - $83.26 Discover Westminster’s Second World War sights with a knowledgeable guide and visit the fascinating Churchill War Rooms, an underground network of bunkers that served as the government wartime offices. The 2-hour walking tour includes little-known war tales and tidbits of London history as well as facts about the much-loved maverick leader Sir Winston Churchill. Learn of his life and legacy on an audio tour of the Churchill War Rooms' museum and cabinet rooms. The tour also takes in top London sights such as Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. |
 Agatha Christie London Walking Tour - $21.17 Join this unique Agatha Christie London Walking Tour to see how the capital, its institutions and its people, inspired the Queen of Crime to create the stories that, so many adore. |
 Private Tour: South Bank Photography Walking Tour in London - $246.65 This is a private photography tour which is an outstanding photography learning experience with one to one tuition or exclusive to you and your group. Explore and photograph the cultural heart of London with a professional photographer and achieve great results. Learn how to photograph the vibrant and buzzing nature of London's South Bank. Capture street entertainers, musicians, market stalls, iconic architecture and outstanding river views along the South Bank. Learn how to get the best out of your camera and take home photographs and memories to last a lifetime. |
 Shakespeare London Walking Tour - $21.17 Literature buffs and drama fans will thrill to this Shakespearean tour on the North bank of the Thames, guided by a former professional actor. Learn about Shakespeare’s London: his friends, his work colleagues, the places he knew. |
 Beatles London Walking Tour - $21.17 This small-group walking tour is the perfect way to explore the history of the Beatles in a part of London that has the highest concentration of musical history in the country. The tour perfectly complements the magical mystery bus tour which departs later in the afternoon and visits different locations. |
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