In this post we are going to give you a route to follow so you can get a self guided tour of some of the very best Iconic London Landmarks. In just one day you can tick off:
Buckingham Palace
The houses of parliament
10 Downing Street
Trafalgar Square
Piccadilly Circus
Leicester Square
Covent garden
Soho by afternoon for a well earned drink and some food.
Before you head off on your walking tour of London as a quick aside; some areas like Covent Garden and Soho you could spend a whole day at on there own, but if you are short on time then grab your day sack and get ready to clock up some miles explorer.
For more cool sites in London check out our count down of the 10 best Architectural sites in London and the 5 best museums in London, and of course our walking tour of Londons high tech architecture.
Iconic London Landmarks Self-guided tour
The starting point
Get off the tube at Green park (A) and find the exit. This will allow you to walk through the picturesque Green Park and approach Buckingham Palace (B) from the side. The changing of the guard is at 10:45am, get there 30 minutes early if you want a good spot it is only a 5 minute walk through the park to get to the Palace.
The changing of the guard lasts 45 minutes so at 11:30 you will be able to make you way either down the mall or through St James Park. At C you will find 10 Downing Street. If you follow the map above you will also see the Houses of Parliament, head across to Westminster Bridge for the iconic photo of Big Ben to send to the family back home.
10 downing street itself is not that exciting, however Whitehall road has some beautiful statues and moments commemorating the World Wars. If you have watched footage of remembrance Sunday, you will have seen these, particularly The Cenotaph.
Walking up Whitehall you will come to trafalgar square (D). The square was designed by architect John Nash and was completed in the 1840s. Here you will find the national gallery to the back of the square with a multitude of iconic statues such as Nelson Column. Surrounding the column are four lion statues, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer. You will also find some fountains, the square often has events or is the site of activism so be prepared for a lot of people.
Once you have had an explore of this area we would recommend our next Iconic site, Piccadilly Circus (E). A 5-10 minute walk away, this famous square is what I can only describe as a tiny Time Square. Non the less it will likely have street performers and you can see the iconic advertising boards against the backdrop of Londons beautiful architecture.
From Piccadilly Circus is Leister square (F) is just a short walk over, here you will find cinemas, casinos and some nice bars and restaurants. You will also find China town tucked away just behind it which is worth a visit you will be able to find some unreal cuisine here and a bubble tea for the road.
Walking further east still you will hit Covent Garden (G), this area is famous for its street performers, you can easily lose an hour or two here just watching some of the shows, the iconic shopping centre is also here and there are some great food and drink options, however they will not be cheap.
The final place to go is over to is Soho. This area has a fantastic food and drink scene with a plethora of restaurants to chose from. I used to regularly visit the Soho Theare (H) for a drink and to see a show. If you manage to walk all these areas in a single day you will need a sit down so if there is some comedy on, grab a ticket and take a load off. Cheers.
I have shown Tottenham Court Road (I) on the map also this is the nearest tube station and will put you on the Northern Line, If you head up to Oxford Street Station this will give you The Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines.
As always travel safe and let us know if you enjoy London.
Jack
For the curious explorer
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