Planning to see London landmarks? This page covers 35 famous landmarks from Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey to St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Shard. I’ve personally visited and reviewed every place listed and given them an honest rating: ★ is okay, ★★ is good and ★★★ is great. For my shortlist of favourites see my Top 10 London landmarks. Many of them also appear in my London bucket list of things you must do.
Big BenFrom £55London’s most recognisable landmark is the most famous clock tower in the world, but did you know that ‘Big Ben’ is actually the name of the bell?
Buckingham PalaceFrom £37Buckingham Palace has been the monarch’s residence since Queen Victoria. The public are allowed in the State Rooms during the summer
Cleopatra’s Needle-This ancient Egyptian obelisk is London’s oldest landmark, carved for Pharaoh Tuthmose III in 1475 BC – making it nearly 3,500 years old
Covent Garden-Covent Garden’s piazza used to be a fruit and flower market, but now it’s a place for street entertainer, cafes, boutique shops and market stalls
Downing Street-If you peer through the big black iron gates of Downing Street then you can see No.10’s famous front door where the British Prime Minister lives
Globe TheatreFrom £31The Globe is a perfect replica of the theatre in which Shakespeare performed his plays. There’s an interesting museum about his life underneath
GuildhallOnly £15This building dates back to the days of Dick Whittington, and is where the Lord Mayor of London holds meetings with the City of London’s Aldermen
Harrods-Harrods is the most famous department store in the world. Check it out at nighttime when the outside is illuminated by thousands of lightbulbs
Horse Guards-The parade ground is used for big events like Trooping the Colour, and tourists enjoy taking photos of themselves standing by the horseboxes
Houses of ParliamentFrom £31The Houses of Parliament are a World Heritage Site and the amazing decor inside rivals the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace
Kensington PalaceFrom £24London’s third palace was home to William III and Queen Victoria. Princess Diana lived here as well. It was also home to William, Harry and Kate
Leicester Square-In the heart of London’s West End where you’ll find a lot of pubs, clubs and the biggest cinemas where they hold all the premieres
London EyeFrom £37This huge observation wheel opposite Parliament is one of the most popular landmarks with tourists as you can see as far as 25 miles
Mansion HouseUnder £10The Lord Mayor is allowed to live inside Mansion House during his/her term of office. It’s most spectacular room is the famous Egyptian Hall
Marble Arch-Marble Arch stands at the end of Oxford Street, but it once had a more prestigious spot - it was originally the front gate of Buckingham Palace
The MonumentOnly £7This tall stone obelisk commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666, and stands close to the spot where it began in Pudding Lane
Nelson’s Column-One of London’s most famous landmarks stands in Trafalgar Square and commemorates the death of Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar
Old Royal Naval CollegeFrom £19The Old Royal Naval College was built by the architect Sir Christopher Wren and is worth visiting to see the famous Painted Hall inside
Piccadilly Circus-Piccadilly Circus is London’s equivalent of Times Square, and is famous for its huge neon lights and the Eros statue atop the fountain
Royal Albert Hall-The Royal Albert Hall is another iconic London landmark. This classical music venue is popular for its annual Prom Concerts season
Royal Courts of JusticeFreeThis gothic building was built by the Victorians in the 1870s. It has a cathedral-like interior and some atmospheric wood-panelled courtrooms
Royal Exchange-The Royal Exchange is one of the finest sights in The City, but it’s actually nothing more than a shopping centre, filled with boutique shops
Royal HospitalFrom £30Another building by Christopher Wren, the Royal Hospital is now home to the Chelsea Pensioners and has a painted Great Hall inside
Royal ObservatoryFrom £24If you visit the Royal Observatory and stand with one foot either side of the Meridian Line then you’ll be standing in both hemispheres
St James’s Palace-This palace is one of the London’s most historic landmarks, built by Henry VIII nearly five hundred years ago. It is not open to the public
St Paul’s CathedralFrom £24No list of London landmarks would be complete without mentioning Wren’s masterpiece. Don’t forget to visit the Whispering Gallery
The ShardFrom £32The tallest building in London has public observation decks are on the 68th-72nd floors - one of which is partially open to the windy weather
Temple ChurchOnly £5The Round Tower of Temple Church dates back to the Knights Templar, and is famous for the stone knights that are entombed under the floor
Tower BridgeFrom £18This is one of the most popular photospots for tourists. It was built by the Victorians and the drawbridge opens up for boats a couple of times a day
Tower of LondonFrom £37This important World Heritage Site is 1,000 years old. The Tower of London is home to the Beefeaters, Traitor’s Gate and the Crown Jewels
Trafalgar Square-Home to the National Gallery and Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square is a short walk from Parliament, Covent Garden and Leicester Square
Wellington ArchUnder £10Built to honour the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, and stands opposite his former home Apsley House
Westminster AbbeyFrom £31It dates back to Edward the Confessor and is the setting for Royal weddings, Royal coronations, and the burial place of England’s monarchs
Westminster CathedralFreeThe most important Roman Catholic church in England has a 273-feet campanile bell tower with an observation platform
More ideas to help you choose which landmarks to visit
Top 10 London landmarksHere’s a list of my ten favourite landmarks in London, the ones that I’d recommend every tourist try and visit during their holiday
The Ultimate London Bucket ListIf you need help trying to decide which landmarks to visit then check out my ultimate London bucket list with my top 25 attractions
One day in London itineraryFind out how to squeeze as many landmarks into a single day of sightseeing as possible, with my carefully-timed itineraries