Westminster walk – Photo supplied
| Start/Finish | Category | Distance | Estimated Walking Time |
| Green Park Station / Green Park | History and Architecture, Tourism | 4.1 km | 1 hr * |
Summary
The Westminster walk explores the famous landmarks of Westminster, including Buckingham Palace, Downing St, UK Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and St James Park.
Public transport
Catch the London tube to Green Park station.
Directions
The Westminster walk starts outside Green Park station. From the Station walk up Piccadilly in a northeasterly direction. Just before Piccadilly Circus junction turn right down Regent St Saint James’s heading in a southerly direction.
Regent St Saint James’s connects with Waterloo Place. At the end of Waterloo Place continue past the Duke of York monument, across the Mall and into St James Park. At the park head southeast to the Guards Memorial and cross Horse Guards Rd into Horse Guards Parade Square. The Square is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping of the Colour, which commemorates the monarch’s official birthday, and the Beating Retreat, a military ceremony dating back to the 17th-century to recall nearby patrolling units to their castle.
Horse Guards Parade
Image: Horse Guards Parade, photo supplied Jonathan Dann
From Horse Guards Parade Square turn right at Whitehall and head in a southerly direction. From here, continue down Whitehall, past Downing St and down Parliament St until you reach Parliament Square.
On this part of the journey you will see the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. When completed in 1859, Big Ben was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world. The Palace of Westminster, which serves as the current meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, was constructed between 1840-1876. However, the original Royal Palace previously located on the same site has its origins stretching way back to the 11th century.
Continue around Parliament Square and you will pass Westminster Abbey, which is nearly a thousand years old. Since 1066, the church has been the site for the coronation of 40 monarchs. It is also the location of many royal weddings, the last being the marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton, which took place in 2011.
From Parliament Square, turn left into Great George St and walk in a westerly direction until you reach St James Park. Enter St James Park from Birdcage Walk and take the path that runs near the south side of the lake. Exit the park at the western end and walk north up Spur Rd. This will take you past Buckingham Palace, which was built in 1703 and today serves as the Kings residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The building was acquired by King George III in 1761 and became known as the Queen’s House. During the 19th century the building was enlarged with the construction of three wings around a central courtyard.
Buckingham Palace
Image: Buckingham Palace, photo supplied by Diliff
From Buckingham Palace continue north over Constitution Hill and enter the Green Park. Walk in a northerly direction through the park and it will take you towards Piccadilly Rd, where the journey ends. From here you can exit the park and walk over to Green Park Station.
Westminster walk – GPX file
To access to the GPX file for this walk click on the download button below.
Information on GPX files and how to import them into Google maps on your phone can be found here.
Westminster walk – Map
Start – Green Park Station
- Piccadilly Circus
- The Mall
- Horses Guard Parade Square
- Downing Street
- Big Ben
- UK Parliament (Westminster)
- Westminster Abbey
- St James Park
- Buckingham Palace
Finish – Green Park
