Three icons — Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower), and Buckingham Palace — clustered close enough to do on foot. The trick is order and knowing what costs money versus what's free to just stand and look at.
The coronation church since 1066. If you see one paid church in London, make it this one — not St Paul's.
Entry is ticketed and timed; you can't just walk in for sightseeing during open hours (it's a working church, and services are free but don't let you wander). The standard visitor route covers the nave, the Coronation Chair, Poets' Corner (Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer) and the royal tombs. It's roughly £30 for an adult in 2026, and queues at the door build up mid-morning.
Book the first timed slot online — same price, no door queue, and you get the nave before the coach tours arrive around 11:00. Wednesday evenings have a cheaper Choral Evensong if you'd rather experience it as a service than a museum.
The world's most famous clock tower. Here's the honest split.
You don't need a ticket to see Big Ben. The best free angles: from the South Bank across the river, from Westminster Bridge, or looking up Parliament's face from the square. The tower (officially Elizabeth Tower) is mid-restoration but the clock faces are back in action.
Tours of Elizabeth Tower are run by UK Parliament and are only open to UK residents, booked via parliament.uk, and released in limited batches months ahead. International visitors effectively cannot climb it. Don't buy a "Big Ben interior" tour from a reseller claiming otherwise.
Two completely different experiences, at completely different prices.
If you're visiting outside July–September, the State Rooms aren't an option — don't plan around them. The free Changing the Guard is worth 30 minutes if you've never seen it; skip it if you have, and spend the time in the Abbey instead.
Done in the wrong order you'll criss-cross Westminster twice. Done right, it's a clean 2.5 km line.
1. Start at Westminster Abbey (first timed slot, ~09:30–10:00).
2. Step out and walk east along Parliament Square past Big Ben / Elizabeth Tower — photos from the bridge.
3. Continue up Birdcage Walk (through St James's Park — the pretty bit) to Buckingham Palace for the forecourt and, if timed, Changing the Guard.
4. From the palace, it's a short walk to Green Park tube or north to Piccadilly — no backtracking.
This runs Abbey → Big Ben → Palace, all one direction. Reverse it only if you're timing the guard ceremony first. Give it a relaxed half-day; rushing it before a Tower of London afternoon is how people burn out on day one.
Hand-picked GetYourGuide options that handle the routing and the Abbey ticket for you. Live pricing on tap — we never hard-code a number. Affiliate links, no extra cost to you.
A walking tour that strings the three icons together with Abbey entry included — the easiest way to do this route without planning the order yourself.
Focuses on the palace and the ceremony with a guide who finds you the good vantage point. Best in summer when the State Rooms are open.
A guided loop on a restored 1960s Routemaster past Westminster, the Abbey and the palaces — a low-effort way to see it all from a seat if walking isn't your morning.
Pair the land route with a river view of the Houses of Parliament and the Eye. Leaves from Westminster pier, a two-minute walk from the Abbey.
Yes for almost everyone — it's compact, walkable, and free to look at even if you skip every paid door.
You're a first-timer who wants the postcard London (Abbey, Big Ben, palace) in one efficient morning, or you care about royal and political history. The free exterior views alone justify the walk if you're on a budget.
Worth less if: you've done it before, or you're visiting off-season and the State Rooms are closed and the guard ceremony is on a rainy alternate-day. Then the paid bit is just the Abbey — still good, but not a full morning.
Pair it with the London Eye across the bridge, or roll straight into a 3-day plan. And read Practical first — the Tube + walking maths saves most visitors £20 a day.
Westminster is the political and ceremonial heart of London. Plan around it: build a 3-, 5- or 7-day itinerary, browse Westminster & walking tours, or sort tickets, Oyster and airports.