London Weekend Break

Sightseeing – See a full list of places to visit below

London genuinely does have something for everyone from its heritage, dinning experiences, theatres and nightlife, but it is London's main sightseeing attractions like the Tower of London, Madam Tussauds, Tower bridge, and the London Planetarium that attract families, couples and singles alike.

Please see the list of London attractions below to explore the city's tourist sights and use the yellow text links at the end of each summary to go to pages with more detailled information about the building or visitor attraction in question.


See London's top 45 Visitor Attractions Below

Click the yellow link to go to a full page pictorial summary of each attraction.

Madam Tussauds and the London Planetarium (Spacedome) These two attractions can fill a morning or an afternoon and they offer an experience for the whole family. The Planetarium also runs special events from time to time, so check in advance. Opening hours vary depending on season. Location, Regent's Park, 221 Baker Street. For more details about the Spacedome, click this London Planetarium link.

Buckingham Palace The residence of the British monarch was finally opened to the public at the end of the last century and although only limited areas have public access it has become one of the city's major attractions. It also offers a highly recognisable photo opportunity. To read more, see this Buckingham Palace link.

The London Eye Although one of the city's more recent vistor highlights, the London Eye has established itself as a must see - or ride, exhibit of the city. The ride lasts approximately half an hour and you loop your way above the Thames river reaching a height of around 450 feet. Each of the Eye's 32 encapsulated pods can hold a family. To find out more and see some pictures, click more information about the London Eye.

Trafalgar Square and Nelson's column As one of London's best known and most recognisable landmarks Trafalgar square is on every sightseer's itinerary. It is also close to many other attractions and is often used for events including music concerts. For more information about this attraction click this Trafalgar Square text.

Kew Gardens has an appeal beyond that of the keen gardener and may offer a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of busy London. You can get to Kew on the London underground and visit one of the world's premier garden and glass house diplays. To find out more, click here Kew Gardens.

St Paul's cathedral Designed by Sir christopher Wren this is yet another of London's iconic buildings and there is good access to most parts of the building. Today this structure finds itself in the city's financial district, but it is close to the Strand and definately on the tourist path. Read more on St. Pauls' Cathedral.

Tower Bridge Frequently referred to as "London bridge" (the actual bridge of which is now in Nevada), Tower bridge is instantly recognisable as the most famous crossing on the Thames. Many visitors buy a small replica model of this bridge as a momento of their London trip. To find out more about this famous landmark, along with some photos, click more information about Tower Bridge.

The tower of London is one of London's most famous landmarks and contains the crown jewels. It is also famous for its ravens and the colourful uniforms of its guards. Built in 1066, it is an ideal visitor attraction for all the family and is open 7 days per week. Ticket costs are around £16 per adult, but a family pass for up to 2 adults and 3 children is in the region of £45. Find out more about the Tower.

Guards Memorial is one of a number of important memorials that remember those lost during one or more of the conflicts in which British service men were involved. To read and see more, click on this link Guards Memorial text.

A Thames river boat cruise is one way of seeing London's buildings and structures and usually comes with a guide commentary. To find out more use this London river boat link.

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The London Dungeon is a popular, but not for everyone attraction, and gives you an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the Great fire of London and Jack the Ripper, to name but two of its features. It is popular with all ages. You can buy tickets on-line. For more details, see The London Dungeon page.

The Cenotaph is possibly the most famous memorial of its kind in the world and commemorates those who died and were lost in the Great War. For more details, see The Cenotaph page.

The palace of Westminster, more commonly known as the Houses of Parliament and featuring the Big Ben clock and bell tower, is one of the city's most famous landmarks. Tourists can enter and visit the building through the “old palace yard” and tickets can be purchased to see proceedings in the House of Commons, but only if done so several weeks in advance. For more information about this building and its history and visitor details, click this Houses of Parliament text.

Westminster Abbey lies opposite the Houses of Parliament and is home to the Royal coronations and numerous state and civic events.It is one of London's most photographed buildings and you can find out more using this Westminster Abbey link.

The Natural History Museum, on Cromwell Road, is one of the best family days out that you could have anywhere. The building is massive and contains everything from dinosaurs to butterfly collections and its scale and variety of displays will keep everyone happy. To see and read more, go to the Natural History Museum

Kensington Palace only opened to the public in 1981 and was the last residence of Diana, Princess of Wales. It has a classic design, has been home to numerous monarchs and has extensive gardens. Read more here, Kensington Palace.

Windsor Castle is Britain’s oldest continually occupied castle and is a weekend home to the Queen. Dating back to the 11th century, this is a real must see attraction for anyone prepared to make a short excursion out of London. For more see, Windsor Castle information.

Tate Modern The Tate modern is Great Britain's national museum of modern art and is located adjacent to the river Thames in what was previously the Bankside Power Station. Exhibits are in the category of contemporary and modern art and always include a number of high profile works. To read more see this Tate link.

The British Museum has an international collection demonstrating the works of mankind. The museum was foundered in 1753 and covers a time span running continuously from modern to prehistoric times. In addition to permanent exhibits there are also special programmes and tours. For more, see this British Museum link.

Constitution Arch is one of numerous monuments in the great city of London and is normally passed on route to the Queen's residence, you can read more and see some photos here, Constitution Arch.

The National Gallery With artist including, Van Gough, da Vinci and Turner, the National Gallery is one of the worlds premier locations from which to view fine art. The collection covers the period from 1250 to the turn of the nineteenth century and guided tours are available. Follow this link for more information, National Gallery

St. James Park is one of the original Royal parks and it is situated next to Buckingham Palace. For more information, click here St. James Park.

The Domesday Book is held at the National Archives Museum a short distance outside London and is easily reached by tube. For more information about this amazing book and how you can see it, click here more about the Domesday Book.

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The Victoria and Albert Museum is often seen as one of the more "high brow" museums in London, but its extremely varied collections mean that it does have a universal appeal. The museum also prides itself on it having an ever changing portfolio of short term exhibits with lots of different themes. See this V and A Museum link to find out more.

Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes are forever linked with the solving of crimes in London's late 19th and early 20th centuries. There is a statue and museum in honour of the super sleuth. To find out more about him and the area click here Baker Street.

Telecom Tower, once known as the Post Office Tower, is one of London's more recent structural toursim attractions and gazes over the entire city. To find out why you should see this icon of the 1960's follow this link, Telecom Tower.

Admiralty Arch, See and read about this famous landmark by following this link, Admiralty Arch.

Covent Garden, is famous the world over and was once Britains largest fruit and veg market. Today this London district offers much more! see this link more further details Covent Garden.

The Queen Victoria Memorial is in front of Buckingham Palace and was erected in tribute to the late Queen by her heir, See this link for photographs and more information about this memorial Queen Victoria Memorial.

Hyde Park Gate is on the route to Buckingham Palace and is actually called "Hyde Park Screen". To see and find out more about this interesting arched structure See this link Hyde Park Gate.

The London Science Museum is situated close to both the Natural History Museum and the V and A museum on Cromwell Road and offers an educational as well as an entertaining way to spend a few hours. Some displays (special events and cinema presentations) do have a cost even though entry is free. The science museum features areas concentrating on technology, medicine, agriculture, the weather and much more. See this link for more information, Science Museum.

The Theatre Royal (in the Haymarket) is one of Britain’s most prestigious drama arenas and offers an annual program featuring compelling plays and established actors. See more here.

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Horse Guards Parade is the scene of the British Monarchs official birthday celebrations and the trouping of the colour. To find out more, see this "more about" the Horse Guards Parade page.

The Barbican Centre is a London home to the arts as well as holding part of the London Museum. To find out more see this Barbican Centre information page.

The Bank of England has its own museum and is the foundation stone of the British monetary system. It is situated in an impressive building in the city's financial centre. You can get a preview of the bank and its museum here Bank of England.

The London Docklands area is the most rapidly developing zone in the city and has been transformed over the last fifteen years. Despite its corporate investment it does have some attractions to entice the tourist. See this Docklands information page.

Downing Street is the home of Britain's Prime Minister with its famous black door and ever present police man. For more about this powerful street see this No. 10 link.

Hampton Court Palace is one of England's greatest, oldest and best preserved palaces. It is a relatively short commute from the city of London and demonstrates 400 years of history and opulence in what was once the primary royal residence. See more here Hampton Court Palace.

The South Bank Centre is the largest and best known "arts" centre in the world. It has theatres and auditoriums offering plays, operas, ballet, poetry, paintings and every other art form that there is. The complex is located adjacent to the river Thames in the centre of London. For more information, see our South Bank Centre page.


London ghost walks If you want something different and slightly off-beat from your London weekend break, you can choose to take one of the many London Ghost tours on offer. For more information, see our London ghost walks page.


The River Thames is the longest river in England and it runs through the heart of London shaping the city and its history. For more information and some facts about this famous river, see our River Thames page.


The Lloyds building is one of the more recent iconic structures to feature in the City of London. Designed by Richard Rogers it has a modern high-tec design. For more information about this sightseeing attraction, see our Lloyds building page.


The Charles Darwin collection is in a new enclosure (as of Sept 2009) at the Natural History Museum and it looks set to become a major attraction in its own right. The massive collection covers plants and insects and includes a research centre and the ability to interact with some those working on real projects, see our Charles Darwin exhibit, Natural History Museum page.


Piccadilly Circus is a well known meeting point in one of London's busiest districts and it is a gateway to many of the tourist hot spots of the city. Go to our Piccadilly Circus page to find out more.


London's Chinatown is a little part of the orient in Britain's capital city and it doubles as being an interesting place to vist and to dine. Find out more about this unusual district (and the dates of forth coming Chinese New Years) at our London's Chinatown page.


Vist Paris If you are considering other weekend break options, then Paris may be a city that you might want to explore. For more information, see our Paris Weekend Break page.


Visiting London at Christmas opens up all manner of seasonal events from special markets to carol singing recitals and pantomime performances. For more details see our Christmas events page.



Previous events


An Exhibition of Byzantine Art is showing until 22 March 2009 at the London Royal Academy of Art. Some items on display date back over 1,000 years and the collection is unique. For more info, see Byzantine Exhibition.

Tutankhamun exhibition From November 2007 to August 2008 the O2 centre in Greenwich, London, will be hosting an exhibition of Tutankhamun artefacts. The exhibition has over 130 individual exhibits and all are on display in the UK for the first time since 1972. For more details about this exhibition, click this Tutankhamun exhibition link.



In order to help you find out about the different sightseeing highlights across the city, we have divided them into the following categories. Each of these categories is a clickable link that will take you to a separate page with more information and further links connected with the attractions. But before you click on any of these, take a look at the highlight summaries above to review of the most popular sightseeing attractions in London.

To find out what is happening in London over the next few months go to our Forthcoming London Events page. This will provide you with a quick summary of the main organised events that are planned for the rest of 2010.




 London
Theatres Museums and Monuments Cathedrals and Churches Streets and Squares Parks and
Gardens London
Markets London
Stores