This is one continuous, walkable route through central London, covering nine of the city’s best-known landmarks in the order they actually sit on the map, so you’re never backtracking or doubling up. It runs from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London, roughly 4 to 5 miles depending on any detours, and takes a full day at an unhurried pace once you allow time to actually go inside a few places rather than just walk past them. You don’t need an app, a guide or a ticket to follow the route itself; this page is the map. Where a landmark has its own full guide on this site, with prices, opening hours and history, it’s linked below rather than repeated here.

The Route at a Glance

#	Stop	Walk from previous stop
1	Buckingham Palace	Starting point
2	St James’s Park	Adjoins the Palace
3	Big Ben & the Palace of Westminster	About 15–20 minutes
4	Westminster Abbey	2–3 minutes, across Parliament Square
5	The London Eye	About 10 minutes, across Westminster Bridge
6	South Bank & the Millennium Bridge	15–20 minutes along the riverside path
7	St Paul’s Cathedral	5 minutes, across the bridge
8	The Monument & St Dunstan-in-the-East	About 10 minutes
9	Tower of London	10–15 minutes

Total walking time between stops, without any time spent inside a landmark, is roughly 70 to 90 minutes. Everything else is up to how long you linger at each one.

Stops 1–2: Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park

Start at Buckingham Palace, the King’s official London residence, and, if the timing works out, the Changing of the Guard. From the Palace, cut through St James’s Park, one of London’s oldest Royal Parks, rather than following the main road; the path across the lake bridge gives one of the best photo views back toward the Palace that most first-time visitors miss entirely by sticking to the pavement.

Stops 3–4: Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey

Emerging from the park onto Parliament Square puts three major sights within a couple of minutes of each other: Big Ben, the clock tower that’s become shorthand for London itself; the Palace of Westminster, seat of the UK Parliament, attached to the tower; and, just across the square, Westminster Abbey, the coronation church. All three sit close enough that you can see them together from the square itself, even if you don’t go inside any of them.

Stop 5: The London Eye

Cross Westminster Bridge, with Big Ben behind you and the South Bank ahead, to reach the London Eye. It’s an easy, obvious add-on to this route rather than a detour, since it sits directly across the river from Westminster.

Stop 6: South Bank and the Millennium Bridge

From the London Eye, follow the Thames Path east along the South Bank, one of the most pleasant stretches of riverside walking in the city, with buskers, second-hand book stalls near the Royal Festival Hall, and constant views back across the water toward Westminster and, further on, St Paul’s dome. This stretch leads naturally to the Millennium Bridge, the pedestrian-only bridge that crosses back to the north bank directly in line with St Paul’s Cathedral.

Stop 7: St Paul’s Cathedral

The Millennium Bridge delivers you almost directly to the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren’s Baroque masterpiece and one of London’s most recognisable skyline landmarks. The approach across the bridge, with the dome growing larger as you walk, is one of the better single views in the city.

Stop 8: The Monument and St Dunstan-in-the-East

Head south-east from St Paul’s, deeper into the City of London, to reach The Monument, Christopher Wren’s column commemorating the Great Fire of 1666. This is also the point on the route where it’s worth taking a short detour off the direct line to Tower of London: St Dunstan-in-the-East, a bombed-out church now reclaimed as a quiet, ivy-covered public garden, sits just a few minutes further on and is one of the least crowded, most photogenic spots on this entire route, precisely because it doesn’t appear on most tourist maps.

Stop 9: Tower of London

The route ends at the Tower of London, the historic castle and former prison on the north bank of the Thames, with Tower Bridge visible right alongside it. It’s a natural finishing point: a major sight in its own right, and, if you have any energy left, Tower Bridge itself is a two-minute walk further for one last view back along the river.

Planning the Day

Start early: Buckingham Palace and Westminster get genuinely crowded from mid-morning, especially in summer and around the Changing of the Guard. Starting by 9am gives you a clearer run through the first few stops.

Picking and choosing: Not every stop needs a ticketed visit to be worth the walk past it. Treat Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham Palace as viewing stops unless you’ve specifically booked ahead, and save your paid entries for the one or two places that matter most to you, whether that’s Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s or the Tower of London.

Shortening the route: If a full day feels like too much, the walk splits naturally into two halves at the London Eye: Buckingham Palace to the London Eye is a shorter, royal-and-political first half; the London Eye to the Tower of London is a second, river-and-history-focused half. Either stands alone as a half-day walk.

Getting back: Tower Hill Underground station sits right next to the Tower of London, on the Circle and District lines, making it easy to get back to wherever you’re staying once the route ends.

Footwear and weather: This is a flat, paved route throughout, with no significant hills, but 4 to 5 miles adds up over a full day of stopping and starting. Wear shoes you’ve already broken in, and check the forecast, since large parts of the route, particularly the South Bank, have limited shelter.

Route and walking times last checked: September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this London walking tour take?

A full day at an unhurried pace, including time inside a few landmarks. The walking alone, without stops, takes roughly 70 to 90 minutes across the whole route.

How far is the walk from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London?

Roughly 4 to 5 miles following this route, which threads through Westminster, the South Bank and the City of London rather than taking the most direct possible line.

Do I need to book anything for this walking tour?

No, the route itself is free and needs no booking. Individual landmarks along the way, such as Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral or the Tower of London, have their own separate tickets if you want to go inside, and some benefit from booking ahead.

Can this walking tour be split over two days?

Yes. It splits naturally at the London Eye: Buckingham Palace to the London Eye as one half, and the London Eye to the Tower of London as the other, each a comfortable half-day on its own.

Is this walking route flat and accessible?

Yes, the route is entirely flat and paved, mostly pavements, park paths and the Thames Path, with no stairs or steep sections between stops.

Want to spread these landmarks, and more, across a longer stay? Our 3-day London itinerary covers much of this same ground at a slower pace, with museums and the West End added in. Prefer a themed route instead? Our Beatles London walking tour covers a different corner of the city entirely. Browse more Plan Your Trip guides, or visit the England hub.