181 Best Sights in London, England

It was while lodging in this house between 1818 and 1820 that the leading Romantic poet John Keats (1795–1821) fell in love with girl-next-door Fanny Brawne and wrote some of his best-loved poems. (Soon after, ill health forced him to move to Rome, where he died the following year.) After a major refurbishment to make the rooms more in keeping with their original Regency decor, the house, now a museum devoted to the poet's life and work, displays all sorts of Keats-related material, including portraits, letters, many of the poet's original manuscripts and books, the engagement ring he gave to Fanny, and items of her clothing. A pretty garden contains the plum tree under which Keats reputedly composed Ode to a Nightingale. There are frequent Keats-themed events, including evening poetry readings, concerts, and special talks featuring local literary luminaries (an adjoining building houses a community-operated library). Picnics can be taken onto the grounds during the summer. Admission is by timed ticket only.

If you think Bloomsbury is about all things intellectual, then think again. Lamb's Conduit Street, a pedestrian-only street of gorgeous Georgian town houses nestled to the east of Russell Square, is building a reputation as one of the capital's most charming—and fashionable—shopping thoroughfares. Avail yourself of what the boutiques have to offer, from fashion to ceramics, flowers to jewelry, fine art to wine; there's even an excellent run-by-locals food cooperative called The People's Supermarket. Alternatively, you could just window-shop your way down to The Lamb, a Victorian-era pub whose patrons have included Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, and Mr. Dickens himself.

There's plenty to see at one of the oldest, best preserved, and most attractive of the Inns of Court—from the Chancery Lane Tudor brick gatehouse to the wide-open, tree-lined, atmospheric Lincoln's Inn Fields and the 15th-century chapel remodeled by Inigo Jones in 1620. The gardens are open to the general public, but to see more you must reserve a place on one of the official tours that run on alternate Tuesdays at 11 am. Spaces are limited so it's best to book online in advance to secure your spot.

Owner Nicholas Logsdail represents about 50 blue-chip artists, including the minimalist Sol LeWitt and performance artist Marina Abramović, at one of the most respected art galleries in London. The gallery is most associated with New Object sculptors like Anish Kapoor and Richard Deacon, many of whom have won the Turner Prize. There's another branch down the road at 27 Bell Street.

This delightful museum, dedicated to the rise and fall of London's once-extensive canal network, is based in the former warehouse of ice-cream maker Carlo Gatti (hence it also partly features the ice-cream trade as well as London's canals). Children enjoy the activity zone and learning about Henrietta, the museum's horse. Outside, on the Battlebridge Basin, you'll find the painted narrow boats of modern canal dwellers—a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of the King's Cross redevelopment. You can walk to the museum along the towpath from Camden Lock; download a free audio tour from the museum's website to accompany the route.

This wonderful old warehouse building, on a quaint cobbled quayside near the tower of Canary Wharf, is worth a visit in its own right. With uneven wood floors, beams, and pillars, the museum used to be a storehouse for coffee, tea, sugar, and rum from the West Indies, hence the name: West India Quay. The fascinating story of the old port and the river is told using films, together with interactive displays and reconstructions. Excellent permanent exhibitions include City and River, which chronicles the explosion of trade and industry that, by the mid-19th century, had transformed this district into the world's most important port. Sailortown is an effective reconstruction of the Wapping district in Victorian times, complete with period shops, a pub, spooky alleys, and costumed guides. Young kids can hunt for treasure and let off some steam in the soft play area in the Mudlarks Gallery (best to book ahead). Special events and exhibitions happen year-round; check the museum's website for details.

The spiritual home of this most English of games—and the headquarters of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club)—opens its "behind the scenes" areas to visitors during a 100-minute tour. Highlights include the beautiful Long Room, a VIP viewing area where portraits of cricketing greats are on display (you can also book a traditional afternoon tea here); the players' dressing rooms; and the world's oldest sporting museum, where cricket's 400-year progress from gentlemanly village-green game to worldwide sport is charted via memorabilia, equipment, trophies, and footage of memorable performances.

Don't miss the prize exhibit: the urn known as the Ashes—allegedly the remains of a cricket bail (part of the wicket assembly) presented to the English captain in 1883 by a group of Australian women, a jokey allusion to a newspaper's satirical obituary for the death of English cricket published after a resounding defeat. It's been a symbol of the two nations' long-running rivalry ever since. They still play for possession of the Ashes—an official (as opposed to joke) trophy only since 1998—every two years. A Waterford crystal version changes hands these days, although the winners still hold a replica of the original urn aloft.

There is no separate non-tour admittance to the museum, except for match ticket holders. All tours must be booked in advance and are not available during matches. Tour itineraries can change due to grounds maintenance.

One of London's busiest tourist attractions, this is nothing less than the world's most famous exhibition of lifelike waxwork models of celebrities. Madame T. learned her craft while making death masks of French Revolution victims, and in 1835 she set up her first show of the famous ones near this spot. While top billing once went to the murderers and ghouls in the Chamber of Horrors, that era has passed and it's the limited exhibitions that feature characters from the Star Wars universe and Marvel movies that now steal the show. Beat the crowds by booking timed-entry tickets in advance. You can also buy nondated, "priority access" tickets via the website (at a premium).

John Nash's 1827 arch, moved here from Buckingham Palace in 1851, stands amid the traffic whirlpool where Bayswater Road segues into Oxford Street, at the top of Park Lane. The arch actually contains three small chambers, which served as a police station until the mid-20th century. Search the sidewalk on the traffic island opposite the movie theater for the stone plaque recalling Tyburn Tree, an elaborately designed gallows that stood here for 400 years, until 1783. The condemned would be conveyed here in their finest clothes from Newgate Prison in The City and were expected to affect a casual indifference or face a merciless heckling from the crowds. Towering across the grass from the arch toward Tyburn Way is Still Water, a vast patina-green statue of a horse's head by sculptor Nic Fiddian-Green. Cross over (or under) to the northeastern corner of Hyde Park for Speakers' Corner, a parcel of land long-dedicated to the principle of free speech. On Sunday, people of all views—or none at all—come to pontificate, listen, and debate about everything under the sun.

This handsome Palladian mansion is set on 66 acres of parkland on the northern bank of the Thames, almost opposite Ham House. It was built in the 1720s by George II for his mistress, the "exceedingly respectable and respected" Henrietta Howard. Later the house was occupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was secretly (and illegally) married to the Prince Regent (later George IV) in 1785. The house was restored and opened to the public in 1903, looking very much like it did in Georgian times, with extravagant gilded rooms in which Mrs. Howard entertained the literary superstars of the age, including Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. A ferry service from Ham House operates during the summer; access on foot is a half-hour walk south along the west bank of the Thames from Richmond Bridge. Note that entry is by guided tour only, run by English Heritage and volunteers from a local history group.

This veteran of the Mayfair art scene has been presenting exhibitions by masters old and new since it was founded in 1946. Great living artists, like Christopher Bramham and Frank Auerbach, plus exhibitions of graphic works from a whole host of starry names are showcased in the main first floor space, while the contemporary gallery on the second floor puts the spotlight on a younger generation of artists from the United Kingdom and abroad.

Inspired by the DIY punk aesthetic and the funky galleries of New York City's Lower East Side, Maureen Paley started putting on exhibitions in her East End home back in 1984, when it was virtually the only gallery in the area. Since then, this American artist and gallerist has shown such respected contemporary artists as Gillian Wearing, Helen Chadwick, Jenny Holzer, Peter Fischli, and Wolfgang Tillmans, and today she is considered the doyenne of East End gallerists. Paley now has two London spaces, one in the midst of a cluster of galleries in Bethnal Green and another in a former school building in Shoreditch. 

This quirky museum is a fascinating cabinet of curiosities that explores how advertising and marketing has pervaded our lives for the last 150 years. There's much to catch and delight the eyes, from branded toys, clothes, and spin-off TV show board games to the world's first portable gramophone and World War II–era products, such as a toilet paper roll that has Hitler's face on every sheet.

This fascinating museum tells the story of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, from the order's 11th-century Crusader origins in Jerusalem to its present-day incarnation as the St. John Ambulance service. The museum is spread across two adjacent sites: the arched St. John's Gatehouse, which dates back to 1504, and the Priory Church with its atmospheric Norman crypt. An excellent interactive display explores the order's past, both as a military force and a religious institution that cared for sick pilgrims, and the eclectic variety of objects on display reflects that colorful history: from antique medicinal jars and medical equipment to a bronze cannon given by Henry VIII before he dissolved the order altogether. It's free of charge to visit the museum galleries and garden, but if you want to experience the historic rooms, the church, and the crypt, then you'll need to prebook your place on a guided tour.

Accessing Parliament Square, the green space opposite the Palace of Westminster, isn't always easy—it's regularly filled with protestors hoping to get the attention of the lawmakers across the road. But it's worth the effort to get a closer look at the statues of political figures that line the square. Notable among the 12 are Winston Churchill; Sir Robert Peel, the 19th-century prime minister who created the modern police force (it's because of him that British police officers are known as "bobbies"); U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (this statue is a replica of the one in Chicago's Lincoln Park); Nelson Mandela; and Mahatma Gandhi. The newest statue, erected in 2018 as part of celebrations of the centenary of British women being granted the right to vote, portrays the women's rights campaigner Millicent Fawcett and is the first statue of a woman in the square; it was designed by Turner Prize–winning artist Gillian Wearing.

This charming pedestrianized mews is lined with Victorian stable blocks recently converted to house fashionable independent shops and specialty food providers. Here you'll find bags from Kate Spade, bikinis from Heidi Klein, nightwear from Olivia von Halle, and Sarah Chapman skincare, as well as a cheesemonger, bakery and baking school, family-run butcher, and a fishmonger-cum-champagne bar. There are also dining options including a casual, all-day Australian restaurant, a plant-based restaurant, and a bar and grill, all with lots of outside tables.

If you don't get your fill of Egyptian artifacts at the British Museum, you can see more in the neighboring Petrie Museum, located on the first floor of the D. M. S. Watson Building, home to the UCL (University College London) Science Library. The museum houses an outstanding collection of Egyptian, Sudanese, and Greco-Roman archaeological objects, including jewelry, art, toys, and some of the world's oldest garments.

The origins of the name "Piccadilly" relate to a humble 17th-century tailor from the Strand named Robert Baker who sold piccadills—stiff ruffled collars all the rage in courtly circles—and built a house with the proceeds. Snobs dubbed his new-money mansion Piccadilly Hall, and the name stuck. Pride of place in the circus—a circular junction until the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue in 1886—belongs to the statue universally referred to as Eros, dating to 1893 (although even most Londoners don't know that it is, in reality, a representation of Eros's brother Anteros, the Greek god of requited love). The other instantly recognizable feature of Piccadilly Circus is the enormous bank of lit-up billboards on the north side; if you're passing at night, frame them behind the Tube entrance sign on the corner of Regent Street for a classic photograph.

Built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, this 560-acre parkland still boasts some of the city's best sporting arenas. The London Stadium, site of the London 2012 athletics competitions, is now home to local soccer team Westham United; it also hosts major athletic events. In addition, it's open for behind-the-scenes tours; check the website for dates. You can try four types of cycling (track, road racing, BMX, and mountain biking) at the Lee Valley VeloPark, or go for a swim in the magnificent pool within the London Aquatics Centre, while the Copper Box Arena hosts basketball, netball, and volleyball contests.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, an enormous sculpture, is well worth a visit—the views across London from the top are terrific. Thrill seekers have a couple of options when it comes to getting back down: a gasp-inducing slide that twists its way around the outside of the structure (art buffs might recognize it as the work of German-Belgian artist Carsten Höller) or via vertical rappelling (available on selected dates, advance booking essential). The latest arrival in the park is the highly acclaimed ABBA Voyage, a live music experience that includes avatars of the Swedish pop group in their heyday.

Here is the vast Victorian Gothic pile of 35 million bricks containing the nation's principal law courts, with 1,000-odd rooms running off 3½ miles of corridors. This is where the most important civil law cases—that's everything from divorce to fraud, with libel in between—are heard. You can sit in the viewing gallery to watch any trial you like, for a live version of Court TV; the more dramatic criminal cases are heard at the Old Bailey. Other sights are the 238-foot-long Great Hall and the compact exhibition of judges' robes. Guided tours must be booked online and in advance, and include a chance to view original court documents relating to a certain Guy Fawkes.

Charles II founded this residence for elderly and infirm soldiers in 1682 to reward the troops who had fought for him in the civil wars of 1642–46 and 1648. No sick people are treated here today; it's more of a history-packed retirement home. A creation of three of England's greatest architects—Wren, Vanbrugh, and Hawksmoor—this small enclave of brick and Portland stone set in expansive manicured grounds surrounds the Figure Court (the figure being a 1682 gilded bronze statue of Charles II dressed as a Roman general). The Figure Court, the Great Hall (the hospital's dining room), the beautiful Wren-designed chapel, and a small museum devoted to the history of the resident "Chelsea Pensioners" are open to the public via 90-minute guided tours that take place twice a day and must be booked in advance.

The real attraction, along with the building, is the approximately 300 pensioners themselves. Recognizable by their traditional scarlet frock coats with gold buttons, medals, and tricorne hats, they are all actual veterans, who wear the uniform, and the history it represents, with a great deal of pride. On Sunday mornings at 10:45 am from April through November, you can see groups of pensioners in full uniform on parade in the Figure Court. Individuals can also visit the chapel on Sunday between 11 and 12 for services.

Fairy-tale gold-and-glass coaches and sleek Rolls-Royce state cars emanate from the Royal Mews, next door to the Queen's Gallery. Designed by John Nash, the Mews serves as the headquarters for His Majesty's travel department (so beware of closures for state visits), complete with the King's own special breed of horses, ridden by wigged postilions decked in red-and-gold regalia. Between the stables and the riding school arena are exhibits of polished saddlery and riding tack. The highlight of the Mews is the splendid Gold State Coach, a piece of art on wheels, with its sculpted tritons and sea gods. There are activities for children, and free guided tours are available April through October (daily at 10:15, then hourly 11–4). Family tours take place June through October (weekends at 11:30 and 13:30).

Charles Saatchi, who made his fortune in advertising, is one of Britain's canniest collectors of contemporary art, credited with discovering the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. His current gallery, still largely devoted to contemporary art by emerging artists, is in the former Duke of York's HQ, just off King's Road. Built in 1803, its grand period exterior belies an imaginatively restored modern interior transformed into 15 exhibition spaces of varying size and shape. There is no permanent collection other than a few ongoing site-specific installations; at any one time, there are between one and three concurrent, imaginatively curated exhibitions that normally run for up to six months. There's also an excellent café, which is open late.

Showcasing the work of both established and emerging British and international artists such as Sarah Lucas and Martine Syms, this all-white and light-filled art space overlooking busy Regent Street is a major expansion for respected British gallerist Sadie Coles. A second Sadie Coles exhibition space operates nearby at Davies Street in Mayfair, while a third is also found close by across Piccadilly on Bury Street in St. James's.

The curved, colonnaded, neoclassical former County Hall that once housed London's municipal government is now home to a superb three-level aquarium where you can walk above sharks and stingrays and view more than 600 other aquatic species, both common and rare. There are also hands-on displays. It's not the biggest aquarium you've ever seen, but the educational exhibits are particularly well arranged, with themed zones devoted to a stunning coral reef, a "jellyfish experience," and rainforest aquatic life. Admission at peak periods is by 15-minute timed entry slot, but for an additional £16 you can purchase flexible priority-entry tickets that also avoid the long lines.

Taking its name from the artificial recreational lake that curves its way through Hyde Park, the Serpentine South Gallery, housed in a brick 1930s tea pavilion in Kensington Gardens, is one of London's foremost showcases for contemporary art. Just about every reputable modern artist has exhibited here: Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, and Gerhard Richter, to name a few. A permanent work on the gallery's grounds—eight benches and a carved stone circle—commemorates the gallery's former patron Princess Diana.

The Serpentine North Gallery, a second exhibition space in a converted Georgian gunpowder storeroom just across a small bridge, has a dramatic extension designed by Zaha Hadid as well as a stylish restaurant. If you're in town between May and September, check out the annual Serpentine Pavilion, where each year a different leading architect is given free rein to create a temporary structure, always with imaginative results. Past designers have included Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, and Jean Nouvel.

Outside Baker Street Station, by the Marylebone Road exit, is a 9-foot-high bronze statue of Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated detective, who "lived" around the corner at number 221B Baker Street—now a museum to all things Sherlock. Inside, Mrs. Hudson, Holmes's housekeeper, guides you into a series of Victorian rooms where the great man lived, worked, and played the violin. It's all carried off with such genuine enthusiasm and attention to detail that you could be forgiven for thinking that Mr. Holmes actually did exist.

Pronounced suth-uck, this is the oldest Gothic church in London, parts of it dating back to the 12th century. It remains off the beaten track, despite being the site of some remarkable memorials and a concert program that offers free half-hour organ recitals at 1:10 pm every Monday (except in August and December) and classical music at 3:15 pm every Tuesday during the school year. Originally the priory church of St. Mary Overie (as in "over the water" on the south side of the Thames), it became a palace church under Henry VIII (when it became known as St. Saviour's) until some merchant parishioners bought it from James I in 1611. It was only promoted to cathedral status in 1905.

Look for the vivid 15th-century roof bosses (small ornamental wood carvings); the gaudily renovated 1408 tomb of John Gower, Richard II's poet laureate and a friend of Chaucer's; and the Harvard Chapel, where John Harvard, a local butcher's son who went on to found the American university, was baptized. Another notable buried here (between the choir stalls) is Edmund Shakespeare, brother of William. You might also see the cathedral's resident cat, Hodge, named after Dr. Samuel Johnson's famous feline companion. Free drop-in 45-minute tours are offered depending on the church's services and events.

Ancestral abode of the Spencers—Princess Diana's family—this is perhaps the finest extant example of an elegant 18th-century London town house. Reflecting his passion for the Grand Tour and classical antiquities, the first Earl Spencer commissioned architect John Vardy to adapt designs from ancient Rome for a magnificent private palace. Vardy was responsible for the exteriors, including the gorgeous west-facing Palladian facade, its pediment adorned with classical statues, and the ground-floor interiors, notably the lavish Palm Room, with its spectacular screen of columns covered in gilded carvings that resemble gold palm trees. The lavish style was meant not only to attest to Spencer's power and wealth but also to celebrate his marriage, a love match then rare in aristocratic circles (the palms are a symbol of marital fertility).

Midway through construction—the house was built between 1756 and 1766—Spencer changed architects and hired James "Athenian" Stuart, whose designs were based on a classical Greek aesthetic, to decorate the gilded State Rooms on the first floor. These include the Painted Room, the first completely neoclassical room in Europe. Since the 1940s, the house has been leased by the Spencers to a succession of wealthy residents. Entry is by tours only, which occur on Sunday only. Note that children under 10 are not allowed inside.

An oasis of rural calm in an urban landscape, this little community farm raises a variety of animals, including some rare breeds, to help educate city kids about life in the country. A tiny farm shop sells freshly laid eggs along with organic seasonal produce, while the Tea Hut is a nice spot for a cup of coffee and a snack.