185 Best Sights in London, England

Formerly the grounds of a 17th-century aristocrat's manor house and open to the public only since 1952, Holland Park is an often-overlooked gem in the heart of London. The northern "Wilderness" end offers woodland walks among native and exotic trees first planted in the early 18th century. Foxes, rabbits, and hedgehogs are among the residents. The central part of the park is given over to the manicured lawns—still stalked by raucous peacocks—one would expect at a stately home, although Holland House itself, originally built by James I's chancellor and later the site of a 19th-century salon frequented by Byron, Dickens, and Disraeli, was largely destroyed by German bombs in 1940. The east wing was reconstructed and has been incorporated into a youth hostel, while the remains of the front terrace provide an atmospheric backdrop for the open-air performances of the April–September Holland Park Opera Festival ( www.operahollandpark.com). The glass-walled Orangery garden ballroom now hosts events and art exhibitions, as does the Ice House, while an adjoining former granary has become the upscale Belvedere restaurant. In spring and summer, the air is fragrant with aromas from a rose garden, great banks of rhododendrons, and an azalea walk. Garden enthusiasts will also not want to miss the tranquil, traditional Kyoto Garden with its pretty waterfall, a legacy of London's 1991 Japan Festival.

The southern part of the park is devoted to sport and play: cricket and soccer pitches; a golf practice area; tennis courts; a well-supervised children's Adventure Playground (with a zipline!); and a giant outdoor chess set.

Set amid 16 acres of gardens, this eclectic museum is considered something of a well-kept secret by the residents of south London—perhaps because of its out-of-the-way location. Its offerings encompass world anthropology, natural history, and a fine collection of some 1,300 musical instruments (including a giant tuba). The emphasis is on fun and a wide range of activities (many hands-on), including London's oldest nature trail (which features domesticated creatures such as sheep, chickens, and alpacas), a butterfly house, and an aquarium stocked with endangered species. It's also home to a comically overstuffed walrus who serves as the museum's unofficial mascot. You can reach the Dulwich Picture Gallery from the museum via a door-to-door 15-minute bus ride on Bus P4 heading toward Brixton.

Once the tiltyard for jousting tournaments, Horse Guards Parade is best known for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, in which the King takes the salute on his official birthday, on a Saturday in June. (Though it's called a birthday, it's actually just a ceremonial event—his real birthday is November 14.) It's a must-see if you're around, with marching bands and throngs of onlookers. Throughout the rest of the year, the changing of two mounted sentries, known as the King's Life Guard, at the Whitehall facade of Horse Guards provides what may be London's most popular photo opportunity. The ceremony takes place daily from April to July, and on alternate days from August to March (usually odd-numbered days, but check the monthly schedule at  www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-calendar). It starts at 10:30 am at St. James's Palace, where the guard begins its march to Buckingham Palace, and the new guards take up their posts in a ceremony at 11. (It's sometimes canceled in bad weather.)

At 4 pm daily is the dismounting ceremony, aka the 4 O'Clock Parade, during which sentries are posted and horses are returned to their stables. It began in 1894, when Queen Victoria discovered the guards on duty drinking and gambling. As a punishment she decreed that the regiment should be inspected every day at 4 pm for the next 100 years—by the time 1994 swung around, they decided to continue the tradition indefinitely.

Hang around Horse Guards for even a short time and you'll see a member of the Household Cavalry on guard, or trotting past on horseback, resplendent in a bright crimson uniform with polished brass armor. Made up of soldiers from the British Army's most senior regiments, the Life Guard and the Blues and Royals, membership is considered a great honor; they act as the King's official bodyguards and play a key role in state occasions (they also perform the famed Changing the Guard ceremony).

Housed in the cavalry's original 17th-century stables, the museum has displays of uniforms and weapons going back to 1661 as well as interactive exhibits on the regiments' current operational roles. In the tack room you can handle saddles and bridles, and try on a trooper's uniform, including a distinctive brass helmet with horsehair plume. You can also observe the working horses being tended to in their stable block behind a glass wall.

Tucked inside the imposing Royal College of Surgeons, this museum is part homage to celebrated 18th-century Scottish anatomist John Hunter and part exploration of surgery's evolution from its primitive, morally dubious origins to the lifesaver it is today. The sheer volume—and strangeness—of the exhibits on display can feel overwhelming, but pace yourself and your curiosity will be amply rewarded. Everywhere you turn something catches the eye: from Victorian-era prosthetic noses to an unexpectedly glamorous amputation case from the 1700s (in which the grisly instruments are inlaid in red velvet lining, to the simply enormous molar tooth of an Asian elephant. But be warned, the museum's centerpiece—Hunter's vast collection of body parts and organs suspended in jars of formaldehyde—is not for the squeamish.

It may not have become the essential commuter route its makers envisioned, but this cable car, which connects Greenwich Peninsula with the Docklands across the Thames, offers spectacular views from nearly 300 feet up. The journey takes about 10 minutes each way and cable cars arrive every 30 seconds.

Overshadowed by the big-ticket attractions of Parliament to one side and Westminster Abbey to the other, this is the only significant portion of the Palace of Westminster complex to have survived intact from medieval times. Built in the 1360s to contain treasures belonging to Edward III, it once formed part of the palace's defensive walls—hence the fortresslike appearance. Check out the original ribbed stone ceiling on the ground floor; look up to see the carved stone images of men and beasts. The Jewel Tower was later used as a records office for the House of Lords, but hasn't served any official function since the rest of the old palace was destroyed by fire in 1834 and the ancient documents were moved to the greater safety of the Tower of London. Today it contains an exhibition on the history of the building. This is a great option for those looking for a slice of British political history on days Parliament tours are sold out.

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 shopping —and culinary—thoroughfares. Avail yourself of what the boutiques have to offer, from fashion, flowers, and cheese to umbrellas, fine art, and fine 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 inside the Inn itself, you can reserve a place on one of the official tours that run on Tuesdays at 11 am (reservations must be made online). Alternatively, you can buy tickets for a self-guided tour from the inquiry desk in the Library on the day of your visit.

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.

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 nontour 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 fast-track tickets in advance. 

This stately, 115-foot-wide processional route sweeping toward Trafalgar Square from the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace is an updated 1911 version of a promenade laid out around 1660 for the game of paille-maille (a type of croquet crossed with golf), which also gave the parallel road Pall Mall its name. (That's why Mall is pronounced to rhyme with pal, not ball.) The tarmac is colored red to represent a ceremonial red carpet. During state visits, several times a year, The Mall is traditionally bedecked with the flag of the visiting nation alongside the Union Jack. The Duke of York Memorial up the steps toward stately John Nash–designed Carlton House Terrace (worth a look in itself) is a towering column dedicated to George III's second son, who was further immortalized in the English nursery rhyme "The Grand Old Duke of York." Be sure to stroll along The Mall on Sunday when the road is closed to traffic, or catch the bands and troops of the Household Division on their way from St. James's Palace to Buckingham Palace for the Changing the Guard ceremony.

At the northernmost end of The Mall is Admiralty Arch, a stately gateway named after the adjacent Royal Navy headquarters. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb and built in 1910 as a memorial to Queen Victoria. Actually comprising five arches—two for pedestrians, two for traffic, and the central arch, which is only opened for state occasions—it was a government building until 2012, and has even served as an alternative residence for the prime minister while Downing Street was under renovation. It is currently being transformed into a luxury hotel. Look out for the bronze nose grafted onto the inside wall of the right-hand traffic arch (when facing The Mall); it was placed there in secret by a mischievous artist in 1997 and has been allowed to remain.

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. Great for families, there is also a playground and woodland walks within the grounds. 

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. 

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr. Robert Hooke to commemorate 1666's "dreadful visitation" of the Great Fire of London (note the gilded orb of flame at the column's pinnacle), the world's tallest isolated stone column offers spectacular views of the city from the viewing platform 160 feet up. The two architects were asked to erect the monument as close as possible to where the fire began, and so it's located exactly 202 feet from the alleged point of origin, Farrier's baking house on Pudding Lane. Built between 1671 and 1677, the fluted Doric column also stands 202 feet tall, so if climbing the 311 steps of the beautiful spiral staircase to the public balcony seems too arduous, you can watch a live view from the platform played on a screen at the entrance.

A short stroll from Portobello Road, this quirky museum is a fascinating cabinet of curiosities that explores how advertising and marketing has pervaded our lives for the last 200 years. There's much to catch and delight the eyes, from branded toys, clothes, snacks, 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 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.

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.

Visitors are allowed into the public galleries of the 16 courtrooms at London's Central Criminal Court (universally known as "the Old Bailey," a reference to the street where it's located, which follows the line of the original fortified city wall, or "bailey" in Middle English). Historically it has been the venue for many of Britain's most famous criminal trials. It was here that Oscar Wilde was condemned for "gross indecency" in 1895, where notorious gangsters and murderers like the Kray twins in the 1960s and the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1980s were convicted, and, more recently, where high-profile terrorism cases have been tried.

Originally the site of a medieval courthouse destroyed in the Great Fire, a courthouse was built here next to the grim Newgate Prison, the poor man's version of the Tower, in 1673. The building went through two more incarnations before the present Edwardian baroque building opened in 1907 (it was rebuilt again after the Blitz). Until 1868, executions were held on the street outside (a great public attraction), and you can still see the "Dead Man's Walk" along which condemned prisoners were taken from their cells to the gallows under a series of ever-narrowing arches. Note the 12-foot gold-leaf statue of Lady Justice at the top of the dome, not wearing a blindfold as she is usually portrayed.

Visitors are only allowed access to the public galleries to view trials; there is no visitor access to the rest of the building. Trials take place from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 4:30 pm. There are security restrictions, and children under 14 and overly casual dress are not allowed.

The oldest surviving example of an operating theater in Europe, this former herb garret in the attic of the 17th-century St. Thomas's Church became a medical facility in 1822 when a section of it was converted for surgical use. The English baroque church was part of St. Thomas's Hospital, which was founded in the 12th century as a monastery that looked after the sick. In 1862, the hospital moved to its present Lambeth location and the operating theater was closed. It remained abandoned until 1956, when the theater was restored and turned into a medical museum.

Today you can see the artifacts of early-19th-century medical practice: the wooden operating table under a skylight; the box of sawdust underneath used for absorbing blood; and the surrounding banks of seats where students crowded in to observe operations. On alternate Saturdays at 10 am, there are demonstrations of pre-anesthetic surgical practices incorporating the knives, pliers, and handsaws that were the surgeons' tools back in the day (not for the fainthearted or small children). An extra charge (£12) applies and access is by a 52-step spiral staircase, although access by elevator is available by prior arrangement. Next door is a re-creation of the 17th-century Herb Garret, with displays of the medicinal herbs St. Thomas's apothecary would have used.

A church has been here since 1312, but the current building—consecrated in 1747 and later extended in 1877—is a fine example of neoclassical serenity, enhanced by Ionic columns and vaulting arches. Also known as the Hampstead Parish Church, it stands at the end of Church Row, a narrow street lined with flat-fronted brick Georgian houses that gives you a sense of what Hampstead was like when it truly was a rural village as opposed to a traffic-clogged north London neighborhood. Many local notables are buried in the picturesque churchyard, including painter John Constable (some of whose most famous works depict the Heath), John Harrison (the inventor of the marine chronometer at the heart of the book Longitude), members of the artistic du Maurier family, Jane Austen's aunt, and British comedy god Peter Cook.

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 for the wealthy. 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.

This family-friendly museum is an interactive ride through the history of the Royal Mail. From learning about the history of the Penny Black (and having a go at designing your own stamp) to attempting to sort mail while being tossed around in a mock-up of an early 20th-century mail-sorting train carriage, there's a lot to see and do here. The highlight is a 15-minute trip on the Mail Rail, the little-known underground train system under the capital which was used exclusively for letters and parcels from 1927 to 2003. Just be warned that a seat on the snug Mail Rail trains is not for the claustrophobic. Book online for the cheapest prices.

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 West Ham 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 highly acclaimed ABBA Voyage, a live music experience that includes avatars of the Swedish pop group in their heyday, continues to draw visitors while the development of the East Bank includes a 550-seat dance theater and hip-hop academy at Sadlers Wells East, with BBC studios and a V&A museum coming in 2025, making it one of London's newest cultural hubs.