Royal Walk - Things to do FREE in London

The Royal Walk:

This is a circular walk, starting and ending at Westminster tube station.

Arrival at Westminster tube station.
Walk towards Westminster bridge, stopping at the first traffic signal at the junction of Victoria Embankment and Bridge Street.
Portcullis House is behind you and Victoria Embankment in front.

Portcullis House: Hosts the offices for British Members of Parliament. There is an underground walkway leading from the building through to the Palace of Westminster. The building opened in 2000.

Victoria Embankment:: is the road and walkway along the north bank of the River Thames. The Victoria Embankment's construction started in 1865 and completed in 1870. It was the first electrically illuminated street in London. Ships that are permanently moored by Victoria Embankment include HMS President and HMS Wellington.

Cleopatra's Needle: are a trio of obelisks in London, Paris, and New York City. Each is made of red granite, stands about 21 metres and weighs about 180 tons and is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs. Although the needles are genuine Ancient Egyptian obelisks, they are somewhat misnamed as they have little connection with queen Cleopatra of Egypt. They were originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450 BC. The obelisks were moved to Alexandria in honor of Mark Antony — by the Romans in 12 BC. Sir William James Erasmus Wilson sponsored its transportation to London at a cost of some £10,000 in 1877.

Facing the Thames, cross Victoria Embankment.
Go down the steps directly after the statue of Boadicea on the opposite corner.
Stop next to the green turret at the bottom of the steps, overlooking the Thames.

The Westminster Tide Recorder: The green turret is the Westminster tide recorder. It measures the depth of the Thames at this point. You can climb up the rails on the side of the turret and look inside to see the computerised depth reading.

You will see a number of lions' heads facing the river, with mooring rings hanging from their mouths. They are part of London's flood warning system and every policeman on duty near the river keeps an eye on them. If the water reaches the lions' mouths, the Thames is at danger level and the tube system and all Thames tunnels would be closed.

Retrace your steps back to Westminster station and continue along Bridge Street to the corner of Parliament Square. Cross the road towards Big Ben.

Walk along Victoria Street to the entrance to Westminster Abbey, passing St Margaret's Church on your left. Stop, facing the entrance to Westminster Abbey, in a small car park area next to the Abbey Bookshop.

Westminster Abbey:The Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror was crowned in it on Christmas Day 1066. Thousands of people are buried, or have their ashes interred, in it. Many others have plaques. Those buried in the Abbey include * Royalty - Henry III, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles II * Politicians - Pitt the Younger, Pitt the Elder, Chamberlain, Gladstone * Poets and Writers - Chaucer, Jonson, Browning, Tennyson There is an admission charge to visit the Abbey unless you are attending a service there.

Cross the road to enter St James's park and follow the path in front of you through the park until you come to a footbridge. Cross the footbridge and turn left, following another path, with the pond on your left. Near the end of this path, you will come to a concession stand at the junction with another path. Turn right at the concession stand and continue along this path a short distance to the road.

At the road, turn left and walk towards Buckingham Palace, stopping in front of it.

Follow Queen's Walk until you see a small alleyway on your right. Turn right and follow this alleyway around to Cleveland Row. Walk along Cleveland Row and stop in front of St James' Palace on your right. This is where the London apartments of Princes Charles, William and Harry are.

St James' Palace and St James' Street: Built by Henry VIII it has had a long association with royalty. Queen Elizabeth and James I, both held court here. Charles I also spent his last night here before his execution in Whitehall. Queen Victoria was married here. St James's Street contains several of London's best known gentlemen's clubs, such as Brooks's, the Devonshire Club, originally Crockford's the Carlton Club and White's, some exclusive shops and various offices.

Walk up the hill along St James Street until you reach Jermyn Street on your right. Turn down Jermyn Street and walk along it until you reach Duke Street. Stop at the corner, looking along Jermyn Street.

Turn left at Duke Street or cut through Piccadilly Arcade if it is open and walk up to Piccadilly.

You might also wish to extend your walk slightly and cross Piccadilly, then turn left and visit Burlington Arcade (not open on Sundays). The arcade was built in 1819 and typifies Mayfair tradition and luxury. Look for the beadles in their top hats. Their duty is to ensure the dignity of the Arcade is not disturbed by people whistling, running or singing.

Continue along Jermyn Street, passing St James' Church on your left, until you reach the junction with Regent Street. At Regent Street, turn left and walk up the hill towards Piccadilly Circus. At the first traffic lights, cross Regent Street and stop in front of Eros, the statue in the centre of the circus.

Piccadilly Circus: is a busy plaza in the heart of London at the junction of five major streets: Regent street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly and Covent Street. The word 'Circus' refers to the roundabout around which the traffic circulated. The Piccadilly Circus is now partly pedestrianized and a favorite place from where to access the nearby shopping and entertainment areas - Soho, Chinatown, Shaftesbury Avenue and Trafalgar Square all within walking distance. 'In the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, Dr Watson and Stamford meet in the bar of the Criterion Hotel.'

Walk past the Criterion Hotel then turn right at Haymarket.
Walk along Haymarket, passing Burberrys on your left, and turn left at the end, along Cockspur Street. Walk along Cockspur Street, past the National Gallery Sainsbury wing, and stop in front of the National Gallery, the large white building on your left overlooking Trafalgar Square.

Walk across Trafalgar Square, passing around the left hand side of Nelson's Column. Cross the first pedestrian lights, then turn right and cross again at the next lights, which lead to the island in the centre of the road.

Pause next to the statue of Charles I on horseback. The road directly in front of you, in the direction the statue faces, is Whitehall.

Walk along Whitehall, passing Banqueting House on your left, until you reach Horse Guards on your right. Stop at Horse Guards, then continue to the gates of Downing Stree on the right.

Whitehall & Ten Downing Street :The Palace of Whitehall was the main residence of the English monarchs in London from 1530 until 1698 when all except Inigo Jones's 1622 Banqueting House was destroyed by fire. The majority of buildings along Whitehall belong to Government departments. They include the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office and Treasury. Horse Guards is Whitehall's biggest tourist attraction. The Life Guards (in red) and the Blues and Royals (in blue) have been here since Tudor times. The Trooping of the Colour, where the Queen inspects her troops just as monarchs before her have done for hundreds of years, is held here every year on the Queen’s official birthday, which is the 3rd Saturday in June (her real birthday is April 21). Downing Street is named after Sir George Downing, the second graduate of Harvard College, who bought the land and built the houses in 1680. Number 10 has been the official residence of the Prime Minister since 1732. There is no general public access to it.

Continue along Whitehall to Parliament Square and turn left. Walk along Bridge Street, back to your starting point outside Westminster tube station.