London Attractions Map

A good London attractions map shows one thing the tourist maps skip: the sights fall into two walkable groups, the City and Tower Bridge end in the east and the Westminster end in the middle, with the museums and the day trips left over. This London attractions map pins 17 sights, gives estimated walking times between neighbours, and ends with a one-day and a two-day route. If you only want the prices, my London attraction tickets hub compares them all.

Every walking time below is an estimate: I took the straight-line distance between the Google Maps coordinates, multiplied it by 1.3 and walked it at 4.8 km an hour. Real streets, crossings and queues add time, so treat each figure as a floor.

The City and Tower Bridge End

This is the east half of the London attractions map, and it is the easiest to walk. The Tower of London and Tower Bridge are about 0.4 km apart, an estimated 5 minutes on foot. From Tower Bridge to The Shard is about 1 km, an estimated 13 minutes, and from The Shard to Sky Garden is the same, about 13 minutes. Sky Garden to St Paul’s Cathedral is about 1.4 km, an estimated 17 minutes, and The Shard to St Paul’s is about 1.7 km, around 22 minutes.

So a straight run from the Tower to St Paul’s is about 5 + 13 + 13 + 17 minutes of walking, around 48 minutes, with a stop at each. The Shard tickets cost $36 for the plain entry on GetYourGuide. The Tower of London is $51, and the official site, hrp.org.uk, sells an adult ticket from 37 pounds. Sky Garden is free on the official site, skygarden.london, when you book a slot. That makes this end the cheapest part of any London attractions map if you take the free view over The Shard.

The Westminster End

The middle of the London attractions map is the tightest. Westminster Abbey to Big Ben is about 0.3 km, an estimated 4 minutes, and Big Ben to the Houses of Parliament is about 0.2 km, 2 minutes: they share a corner, so you can see all three in one go. The Abbey to the Parliament entrance is roughly 3 minutes. From Big Ben across the river, the London Eye is about 0.6 km, an estimated 7 minutes, and The London Dungeon is about 1 minute from the Eye.

Buckingham Palace is the outlier of this group. It is about 1.3 km from Westminster Abbey, an estimated 17 minutes, and about 1.6 km from Big Ben, around 19 minutes. A walk from the Palace to the Eye is about 2 km, roughly 25 minutes. Parliament’s debates are free to watch, per the Parliament visiting page, and the Abbey sells adult tickets at 32 pounds (westminster-abbey.org).

Museums and Madame Tussauds

The rest of the London attractions map does not join up. The British Museum is about 2.7 km from St Paul’s, an estimated 34 minutes, and about 2.5 km from Madame Tussauds London, around 32 minutes, so I take the Tube between them, with the lines checked on tfl.gov.uk. The Natural History Museum is the furthest west: about 3.2 km from Buckingham Palace, an estimated 40 minutes. General entry to both museums is free (nhm.ac.uk says so for the Natural History Museum), so they pair best with a paid sight on the same line.

Day Trips Outside the Map

Three sights are not on any walking route. By straight line from Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle is about 32 km away, the Warner Bros. studio about 28 km and the Bodleian Library in Oxford about 82 km. Those are straight-line distances, and the real trip is longer. I treat each as a half or full day, never as walkable. Royal Collection Trust sells Windsor admission at rct.uk, the Warner Bros. Studio London tickets start at $113 with a Thames cruise, and the Bodleian runs its own tours from 3 pounds (visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk).

Which Sights Pair Well in One Morning

The pairs I’d use from this London attractions map are the ones under 15 minutes apart. In the east, the Tower of London with Tower Bridge (5 minutes) is the natural pair, and Tower Bridge with The Shard (13 minutes) is the second. In Westminster, the Abbey with Big Ben (4 minutes) works best as a pair, and Big Ben with the London Eye (7 minutes) is the next. The London Eye and The London Dungeon are about 1 minute apart, which is why the two sell as a combo at $65 on GetYourGuide. A pair I would not attempt in one morning is the Eye and The Shard: about 3 km apart, an estimated 37 minutes, and a better fit for a Tube ride.

Getting Between the Two Groups

The Tower of London to Westminster Abbey is about 3.7 km in a straight line, an estimated 60 minutes on foot. That is long enough that I would not walk it after a morning in a castle. Instead I use London’s public transport and check the live route on tfl.gov.uk the day before, since lines and closures change. The Eye to St Paul’s is a similar gap: about 2.5 km, an estimated 31 minutes. On a long day, it is better to cut a sight than to stack three long walks. The London attractions map above is built so the two groups take a half day each.

How I Use This London Attractions Map

I pick the free sights to fill the gaps between paid ones: Sky Garden after the Tower, the Parliament debate gallery between the Abbey and the Eye. The paid tickets on this London attractions map are the Tower at $51, the Eye at $39, the Abbey at $43, St Paul’s at $36 and The Shard at $36, all on GetYourGuide, and each has a tickets page with the official price beside it. If your time is short, drop the museums and the day trips first, since neither connects to the walking groups.

Landmarks Between the Sights

Trafalgar Square sits between Westminster and the Palace, and it is the one place on the London attractions map I would add to a route as a rest stop, not a ticketed stop.

A One-Day London Attractions Map Route

Start at the Tower of London, spend the morning there, then walk the estimated 5 minutes to Tower Bridge. Continue about 13 minutes to The Shard for the view, finish at St Paul’s after another 22 minutes. That is about 40 minutes of walking, with the Tower at $51, Tower Bridge at $24 and The Shard at $36 on GetYourGuide. If you only have a day, this east-end loop beats the Westminster loop for price, because Sky Garden can replace The Shard for free.

Discover London Tours

Must-See London | From Trafalgar to Buckingham via Big Ben

• ★ 5.0 (2 reviews)
• 1.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: If you want the walk done for you: the $19 Must-See London walk links the central sights, the cheapest way I found to follow the map with a guide.

What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say

Included

• ✓ Professional Spanish-speaking guide
• ✓ Walking tour of approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
• ✓ Outdoor tour of Westminster's main monuments
• ✓ Historical insights, anecdotes, and fun facts about the British monarchy and politics
• ✓ Local recommendations to continue enjoying London

Not included / not suitable

• ✕ Tickets to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, or the Palace of Westminster
• ✕ Food & Drinks
• ✕ Transportation to the meeting point or from the end point
• ✕ Gratuity for the live guide

Meeting point: At the equestrian statue of Charles I, in the roundabout in front of Trafalgar Square Londres WC2N 5DU, Reino Unido

Languages: English, Spanish

Duration: 1.5 hours

Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

“Tour muy ameno con Yanina! La mejor, lo ha explicado todo muy bien, se nota que tiene mucho conocimornto” – GetYourGuide review

from

$19

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A Two-Day London Attractions Map Route

Day one is the east loop above. Day two is Westminster: begin at Buckingham Palace, walk about 17 minutes to Westminster Abbey, then 4 minutes to Big Ben and 2 minutes to the Houses of Parliament, and cross to the London Eye in about 7 minutes. That is about 30 minutes of walking, with a final minute to The London Dungeon. On the second day I’d book the Eye at $39 and the Abbey at $43.

Walks - UK

Westminster Abbey Tour with Guard Change & Big Ben

• ★ 4.7 (156 reviews)
• 2.5 hours
• Free cancellation

My pick: The Westminster day in one booking: Big Ben from outside, Abbey entry and the Guard change for $119, 4.7 from 156 reviews.

What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say

Included

• ✓ Certified Blue Badge guide
• ✓ Expertly guided walking tour
• ✓ Skip-the-queue access to Westminster Abbey

Not included / not suitable

• ✕ Hotel Pick-up/Drop-off
• ✕ Gratuities

Meeting point: Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a yellow WalksDevour sign. This tour meets at Viscount Palmerston Statue, Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX Parliament Sq, London SW1P 3JX, UK

Languages: English

Duration: 2.5 hours

Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund

“Our guide was extremely knowledgeable! She showed her love for England. She was friendly and wonderful . My daughter and I loved this tour🩷 highly recommend” – GetYourGuide review

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$119

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Add the museums as a third morning if you can, and keep the day trips for a fourth. My free attractions in London page has the free options for the days you want to spend nothing, and the London city pass page prices a pass against these routes.